HPE Ethernet Switches Reviews

We use HPE Ethernet switches for our networking setup. Most of our infrastructure is configured with them. Recently, there have been discussions about changing them, but we've been using them extensively.

Switching to HPE Ethernet Switches greatly improved our network. We used to have both Cisco and HPE Ethernet Switches. Our network performance has increased by 300 percent. 

Sometimes, we encounter the need for new technologies, especially when we require higher bandwidth. If we can't find what we need with HPE Ethernet Switches, we explore options from other vendors like Cisco.

The tool is scalable. 

The solution's technical support is good. 

We're not currently using Cisco. We used a mix of HPE Ethernet Switches and Cisco in the past but ultimately opted for HPE.

The solution's deployment is easier than Cisco's. Cisco deployment can be challenging primarily due to its complex configuration process. Accessing certain features may not be straightforward, which adds to the difficulty. In contrast, HPE Ethernet Switches are easier to navigate and configure. The tool's deployment time depends on the switches. Smaller ones, like the 24-volt or basic ones, may take less time. However, our experienced team typically takes around an hour or less to install and configure them.

Its maintenance depends on the size of our infrastructure. For our setup, which is quite large, we usually have around three to four people to maintain it.

The reliability of HPE Ethernet Switches, in terms of uptime and performance, is good. We have no concerns in this regard. I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten. You need to choose the right switching system for your network. The tool offers a wide range of modules, so it is important to select the ones that best serve their specific needs. For instance, if they require high bandwidth, they should opt for those designed for that purpose. Similarly, they should choose the appropriate switching system for a standard network.

We use them for network traffic, web servers, and a variety of other things. They've been working very well for us. 

It has been very reliable for us compared to other Chinese products.

I'm a power user, so reliability is crucial. The HPE equipment hasn't failed on me, unlike some other brands like Huawei, which I find more sensitive. 

HPE is very rugged, and we haven't encountered any issues with them. It's a solid product.

The performance is good, but it definitely depends on the user and how they utilize the equipment. So, it relies heavily on the IT team. 

For our needs, it's good enough and sufficient. We have more availability and even additional nodes, so we haven't faced any issues.

The price could be cheaper. There is room for improvement in pricing. One box shouldn't require additional installations. We need a package deal with licenses that are usable for different tasks. Right now, we need a license for every additional feature, which adds up. 

Ideally, some built-in licenses would be great. Because by buying extra HPE licenses, the product becomes expensive. The box itself is cheap, but the licenses become very expensive.

I have been using it for eight years. 

The stability is good. We've been using them for the past two years without any single point of failure.

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

It is a scalable solution. I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten because it depends on various factors like the network, users, and administrators. But for my work and performance, it's more than enough.

There are around 40 to 50 end users using this solution in our company. We do have plans to increase the usage because as the company grows, user numbers will also increase.

The customer service and support are good. Whenever we have any questions, the answers are always readily available. 

The initial setup is straightforward. 

We use the in-house team. Around 12 people in the deployment team, including managers, admins, engineers, and developers. We even have some interns.

The deployment is simple.

For deployment, we always use HPE recommendations for infrastructure, racks, cooling, and power. 

We always do our installations and implementation based on HPE recommendations, so we didn't face any problems. 

Our network is not very big; it just has 50 nodes, so we didn't face any problem. 

The box itself is cheap, but when we have to install new features, it becomes very expensive. 

My network is quite large. Currently, I'm working with educational institutions researching various switch brands, including HPE, Dell, Lenovo, Cisco, and even some Chinese brands.

While other products might offer similar features, I find HPE to be the most reliable. HP servers, switches, and routers are generally superior, in my opinion.

Cisco is dominant in my country. Most users prefer them over HP. However, HP is gaining traction. I use Layer 3 switches, and Cisco performs well, too. But for me, it lacks a certain guarantee of reliability that I find with HP. Overall, it's a good product.

I only recommend two products. It is mainly HPE. Sometimes, the other one is Huawei. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten because there is room for improvement in pricing.

Based on my experience with various switches over the past six years, I recommend going for a reliable product with good service backup. 

While cheap products might offer initial efficiency, they tend to hang up when data usage goes up and goes down. Then, down the people need to switch to a different solution.

It's better to invest in scalable, affordable, and well-supported switches like HPE in the first go.  

The primary use case is LAN switching. Users connect to these switches to access other corporate resources.

We deployed them for LAN switching across the organization. They do quite well in terms of both functionality and configuration.

HPE switches have supported our data center connectivity and improved our office network operations.

They do quite well when it comes to switching. We also use their wireless products, but the integration between them can vary. However, the switching functionality and configuration are both very good. 

They facilitate easy connectivity between data centers and between data centers and campus networks. They are an integral part. 

It was very easy to integrate the HPE switches with our existing network infrastructure.

Compared to other vendors, their support really stands out. They're always willing to help with expansion support needs and understand customer concerns well. They're eager to help, which I always adore and admire about HPE. 

Additionally, their products are very stable and easily scalable.

HPE Ethernet Switches are very reliable. While some smaller products might not have dual power supplies, they typically offer redundant power supplies and CPUs depending on the model and requirement. Overall, they are quite reliable.

Some users might look for high-speed switching like Cisco or Nexus switches, which can handle larger volumes. HPE's current offerings aren't as robust in that area, but they could improve.

So, HPE could offer higher-end products for data center and LAN connectivity.

I have been using it for six years. I use the latest version. 

HPE Ethernet Switches are quite stable. The version releases are good, and they patch any security vulnerabilities they find. They could even offer further improvements in that area.

HPE Ethernet Switches are scalable. 

We have around 3,000 end users. If the need arises, we plan to increase the number of users in the future.

The customer service and support are very good; they are HPE's USP. 

We did use Cisco. HPE performs well for LAN switching, Wi-Fi, and even some routing. However, when it comes to WAN switching, Cisco is generally preferred.

While HPE's routing capabilities are good, Cisco might be preferable for complex routing scenarios.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The steps are simple, and you can always contact support if needed. Overall, it's easy.

The deployment process includes racking and stacking, connecting to uplinks and enabling downlinks, configuring for interconnectivity and data center connections, and then configuring all ports (uplink and downlink).

We did it in-house. For maintenance, a team of five should be sufficient for 3,000 users. We have around three to four engineers and one manager.

The ROI is quite good. The value is quite high in terms of reliability. We don't have much incidents with the devices. 

The support is included with the product.

I would recommend using this product. Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

It is quite a reliable product with all the features and is quite easy to implement.

Moreover, the troubleshooting operations are quite easy.  

We have an enterprise infrastructure. We are using HPE Ethernet Switches for activation on the access layer. They are placed on our sites. The technical staff use the tool.

The solution performs well for its price.

The management of the tool must be improved. The add-on tools and management of Cisco are better than those of HPE.

I have been using the solution for three years.

The tool is stable. We can rely on it. The stability depends on which models we use. If we use the 7500 series for our enterprise, the stability would be ten out of ten. Hardware errors are quite rare.

The tool is scalable for our requirements.

The initial setup is quite easy.

The list price is high. We do not buy at the list price. HPE costs almost the same as Cisco.

We also use Cisco. Cisco and HPE are similar when it comes to access and activation.

The network is managed by the command line and monitored by several systems. We have our integrations for provisioning the switches. We use standard features of the tool for the access layer. There’s nothing special. The product has a software-defined access system, but we do not use it. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

I use HPE Ethernet switches for managing network configurations, including configuring VLAN trunking. Additionally, I work with HPE 3PAR storage, HP ProLiant servers, and HPE BladeSystem.

The most valuable features of HPE Ethernet switches include configuring VLAN trunking and the overall ease of configuration.

I do not currently have specific ideas for improving the solution. However, integrating AI features could make it better.

I have experience using HPE Ethernet switches for over six years.

The stability of HPE Ethernet switches is excellent. I would rate it a nine on a scale of one to ten.

The customer support is very good and provides excellent assistance both on-site and remotely. I would rate it a ten out of ten.

Positive

HPE Ethernet switches are cost-effective as compared to Cisco switches.

The initial setup was easy. It took a couple of hours to deploy the switches.

HPE Ethernet switches are cheaper than Cisco products.

I would recommend HPE Ethernet switches due to their cost-effectiveness and excellent support.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

Around 90 percent of our clients have no in-house IT staff. We resell solutions and manage the hardware and software for networks and desktops. We're a provider of managed services and security. We spec out the solution they need minus the necessary software for their business. 

HPE's switches get the job done. There are a million to choose from, but this is the one I prefer. You can't have a network without them, so it's hard to say that HPE switches do anything wonderful. So all you're looking at is price point and functionality.

I like that HPE's management functions are GUI-based, so it doesn't rely on command lines.

The GUI still doesn't cover everything. The basic stuff can be done in the GUI, but you still need to use the CLI to implement the advanced features. That's the biggest complaint. Some things still need to be configured in the command line interface. I would rather not use the CLI for anything.

I would also like to see a more centralized private management console for the series of devices. Most solutions are adopting centralized cloud-based management, but my client base believes cloud solutions are too insecure. You've got a few dozen switches, so it would be nice to have the ability to manage them on a "single pane of glass." 

Everybody's doing that in the cloud. They want to charge you for the cloud, and you have no idea who has access to your network. That creates another attack vector because the switches are always phoning home. They can be hijacked, but everybody thinks that's what they want because they can manage it from anywhere. They like the convenience. However, I've been in the business for a long time, so I know it's going to come back to haunt them. It's just a matter of time before it happens.

I have been using HP switches since they bought the technology from the Digital Equipment Corporation in the mid-1980s. 

HPE switches have been rock-solid for many years. They usually outlast the servers. Their useful life is about 10 to 15 years. If you're not making major changes to the network, you never need to touch them. You can go for years without ever rebooting them. A lot of times they're only rebooted when there's a major enough power failure that they finally go down.

The scalability and backbone don't come into play often. I would say HPE switches are as scalable as anything else out there.

HPE customer service is pretty good. I rate their support eight out of 10. At times, they can be too slow to respond if you have an unusual request.  Sometimes, you have a problem that nobody on their team has seen. 

Positive

Typically, our clients haven't used anything else. Many of them have been using HPE for over 10 years, and we usually deployed the first switches, which would've been HPE. For some clients, we've completely replaced everything three times now during that time because things have reached the end of life and need to be replaced.

Deploying HPE switches is straightforward unless you have to enable some advanced features, then you need to go into the command line interface, which makes it more complex than necessary.

Usually, it takes only a few minutes to deploy because most of my clients' networks are pretty flat. The only thing we need to do is configure a few VLANs on the switch. After deployment, maintenance is minimal. 

It's like the janitor. You can't have a business without it, so it's hard to say that you're not going to save money because you put one in. You have to have it, so it's hard to say that there is a return on investment. It's just one of those things you need to do business. It's like saying the ROI for the power bill. You either make money or you don't.

I like HPE switches because you get a perpetual license with the hardware.
The initial cost is about the same as other switches, but it starts beating the competitors after three or four years because you don't have to pay for additional annual licensing costs.

We also pay for a support contract as well. It's optional, but you don't get software updates without the contract.

I rate HPE Ethernet switches a solid eight out of 10. This is the best product to get if you're not doing something special. If you're doing something odd, you should consider going with Cisco.

There are many cheaper options, but they don't have lifetime hardware support. That's one of the reasons I like HPEs better.

I have been working with HP ProCurve Switches for about 20 years. I used to be an employee at a company that was a reseller for HP and obtained some networking certifications, such as Master HPE.

For the last ten years, I have been working as an engineer with customers, setting up networks and devices with HP or Aruba solutions.

HPE Ethernet switches support some parts of our network infrastructure well, but other parts not so well.

HPE Ethernet switches perform quite well and last for a long time. They are robust and have a low frequency of breaking down or failing.

The initial support from HPE was not good. Also, the Aruba and HPE Comware operating systems are incompatible in many ways.

I have experience with HPE Ethernet Switches for about ten years.

I would rate the stability of HPE Ethernet switches a nine out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability of HPE Ethernet switches as fair - not bad, not very good, but somewhere in between.

Manageability could be improved. The clients using this solution are mainly small businesses.

The accessibility of support could be improved.

Positive

I have a long experience with HPE solutions, including ProCurve Switches, Aruba, and the legacy iLO portal or web solution.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate my experience with the initial setup a six.

The solution is deployed on-premises, and the deployment usually takes a few days.

I would recommend HPE Ethernet switches. Overall, I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

It is a product that provides a reliable link to your network. 

I use the HPE switches because of their toolkit. In terms of performance, the features are reliable, and the management and backup options are good.

The security features are good. Overall, it is scalable, robust, and offers good speeds with standard configurations.

The price could be cheaper. That might depend on the vendor you are buying from. So present something.

I have been working on this solution for a very long time. 

It is a stable product. 

Scalability depends heavily on how you manage them. For our current needs, we have no plans to scale up.

There are around 17 users using this in my organization. 

The deployment process depends on what you are doing and how many segments you are going to put on that switch. 

If you are connecting, for example, four different applications with different connectivity requirements, the deployment time will be affected.

The licensing is expensive. We pay yearly. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten. It is very robust and reliable. It's easy to get them up and running.

If you have IT experience, they're simple to manage and deploy. If not, you might need some external help.