The Cisco Business 350 Series Managed Switches are presented as building blocks for the small business network, boasting an intuitive dashboard, advanced features, and pervasive security.
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HPE Networking Switches
Score 9.0 out of 10
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HPE Networking Switches (formerly branded HP ProCurve) is Hewlett-Packard Enterprise's network / LAN switching option.
This is a small business switch, and for me, that means that if all I need is just this one switch, then I am on the right path. I would not want to use this switch to support a couple of hundred people trying to access heavy local resources. It should be used when you have a few dozen devices and/or users and a fairly flat network.
HPE Networking Switches are great for most any scenario. They are great with low network load and also high network load. They are not exactly the cheapest solution, so they aren't suited for budget conscious users. They are made to work 24/7 with no interruptions, and they have lived up to that promise for us.
The Enterprise management software always seemed less intuitive than the default software.
More of the parts could be supported across a wider variety of models.
Add-on modules should be cheaper than buying a new switch with modules already installed. So they could really do to serve their customers better with pricing options.
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.
We are a big Cisco shop and wanted to use Cisco switches for this application. We knew that we'd be able to configure them quickly and the time saved doing the configuration would be to our benefit. Knowing that we wanted to go with a fully managed switch also was a major tipping point in Cisco's favor. Having used some of the other vendors' "managed" switch interfaces, nothing comes close to Cisco's approach. Having a better user interface will give us plenty of time down the road.
HP is a Great balance of everything you need, from cost, quality, and manageability. I have worked with Cisco, Dell, and Ubiquiti, as well as many other brands. Each come with their own Pros and Cons, but are all good products. In the end, I go with HP because the product has never done me wrong. Perception is everything. Downtime makes people question the credibility of the IT managing the systems. HP has never put me in a bad spot where the quality of IT is questioned.
I really like the idea of paying for the switches one time and just pay for support going forward. The prices are on the high end but I think it is worth it. I wish they would include all the features in one go so we would not have to pay for every new feature.