Extreme Networks Wired Access - Switches vs. HP ProCurve Switches (discontinued)

It works very well in environments where you need to stack multiple switches together for additional ports, while providing a single management IP to configure vs configuring numerous switches independently. Their vast portfolio has products that would be well suited for access switches, core switches, and distribution switches. For core/distribution, I would not use their cloud management platform however due to its limitations in options.

Incentivized

People with more specialist requirements than myself may have more reason to look elsewhere, but in general, we tend to pick a HPE switch of one model or other for most office deployments we do. The choice of managed, unmanaged, advanced features, etc., means there's something for everyone. We support several offices relying on them, and no disasters yet!

Incentivized

• Uptime has been fantastic. We have had no issues with our switches shutting down or crashing
• Policy, We have the ability to enforce Policy at the port

Incentivized

• Quality: The HP switches are built very well. In the 12 years that I have been working with Procurve, I have deployed them in challenging environments. Some of these environments include manufacturing plants, rooms where ventilation is somewhat poor, causing the switch to work at warmer temps, and inside of control panels for various engineering projects located in hot deserts. These switches have lasted me for 10+ years. 6-Months ago I had to replace a switch for a friend that was installed in 2010. The switch was still working when we pulled it from the rack, we just needed to move to a POE model.
• Dependability: Working with HP switches, I have never had issues with lockups, unknown transmission, dead ports, or firmware updates. Once you put one in, it stays up until you are ready to replace it.
• Affordable: My motivation of going with HP is because I don't care for the cost of Cisco or the need for a proprietary training. I am a big fan of the open platform. This means that we are able to deploy these quicker, save money on the expense, and have a greater range of support. We get everything we need from a modern switch, without breaking the bank.

Incentivized

• They are working on it, but a single console to manage the policies across all switches.
• For those with a Cisco background, the CLI commands are different with Extreme so you have to get used to that. Nothing necessarily wrong though.
• If you want a chassis core switch/router then those are becoming less available and won't find many options with Extreme.

Incentivized

• The ability to find firmware images or other resources could be a lot easier.
• Nothing else I can think of.

Incentivized

Great product, great support and very happy with the reliability.

Incentivized

Very easy to use, the CLI is a little different than competing products, but the GUI is very intuitive.

Incentivized

There hasn't been a single problem with the code or hardware that hasn't been resolved in a timely fashion. You get technicians who know the product and who will work with you to get things fixed. That being said, I never ran into a problem with Cisco tech support either. I love that both groups were willing to teach me as they fixed things.

Incentivized

We have had very little experience with support and nothing for years really. But when we have needed support we always got what we needed in a timely fashion. Basically good support that you would expect from an enterprise class business. Definitely less hoops to jump through getting help or parts than their desktop or printer divisions.

Incentivized

I found Aruba equipment to be more expensive than Extreme [Ethernet Switches] and I just was not sold that they would perform better. In my opinion, you are paying a premium for the HPE Aruba brand. We've been using Extreme back when they were called Enterasys. They were pushing network boundaries for years even before Extreme bought them. I think Extreme [Ethernet Switches] are a better quality switch.

Incentivized

HPE Networking Switches are basically on the same level as the Cisco Catalyst Switches, although I find the HPE Switches to be much easier to setup and configure. Most Netgear and D-Link switches are unmanaged, so those won't work for our organization, plus the HPE Networking Switches are much faster for packet switching.

Incentivized

• Extreme [Ethernet Switches] have a long-life. You can easily get 7 years in main production life depending on when you buy in the product life-cycle.
• Extreme [Ethernet Switches] are expensive, no doubt, but we also don't have "weird" network problems or other issues with the network randomly going down.
• If you use fabric connect switches then the ease of managing many switches is of no concern.

Incentivized

• Over all the ROI has been high, the hardware is built to last.
• The ROI on technical support has also been high, since so little maintenance is required.
• The ROI for business up time has also been high, our HPE switches keep our networks up.

Incentivized