Cisco Catalyst IE3300 Rugged Series Switches vs. Dell PowerConnect Switches (discontinued)

Well suited in areas where traditional IT personal need to have some management in a IoT development while keeping security at the for front of the deployment plan. Also offers great flexibility with the ability to purchase additional modules to expand switch port count without purchasing an entire separate switch which is extremely beneficial when space is a constraint and the ability to plan for future growth is impossible. Also the ability to just move SD card to back up switch and plug it in is great when IT staff is remote to keep warm spares onsite.

Incentivized

We work in the electric industry. These should not be used in a high-heat environment. We like to keep the temperature of the room in the low 60's so they are not suited for our Substation locations due to extreme heat and cold. However, they perform great in a server room.

Incentivized

• We're extremely proud of the IE3300s. We actually put them up on the cranes as well and with all the movement of the cranes, they're very sturdy and durable. We have not had issues at all with them.

Incentivized

• Reliable.
• Excellent hardware support from Dell including 4 hour parts/replacement.
• Excellent technical support from Dell on software, troubleshooting, and configuration.
• More affordable than its main enterprise competitors.
• Easy to use CLI.

Incentivized

• Whilst these switches for once weren't actually the most expensive, they are still not the cheapest.
• The IE-3XXX series in particular has great flexibility in that it offers custom options for bespoke needs.
• I would say Cisco focus on their software rather than hardware from experience and design, but it is by no means bad!

Incentivized

• Precarious graphical (GUI) mode, needing to be updated for more efficient technologies such as HTML5
• Short support time, given how much these devices support in terms of use. I have owned the devices for years, but no longer have a warranty

Incentivized

The Dell PowerConnect switch is a great switch in certain use cases. It really works well when training users to set up their own vlans in a technology class. We have a lot of different scenarios happening at this company, with 8 different buildings and multiple different affiliate entities. For some of the departments, the budget is the most crucial element. That is where the Dell PowerConnect switches are a really great option.

Incentivized

Dell ProSupport is outstanding. Dell ProDeploy is likewise outstanding. I prefer them even over traditional Cisco support. I've had repeated cases where Dell immediately addressed or fixed an issue with US-based support, including firmware hotfixes. Not even Cisco can boast that.

Incentivized

Cisco is more expensive, but it has better security and functionality over competitor products. additionally, our core network is Cisco

Incentivized

I selected Dell mainly due to previous experience using them in a business environment. I've never had a unit fail on me and when my budget for equipment like network switches has been less than a training class on how to use those switches, it's incredible to be able to find quality equipment at the price point Dell offers and even more so when their enterprise support has been as excellent as I have been accustomed to dealing with. In all honesty, even if I had a larger budget, I would have bought these same switches since they were exactly what I needed to suit my needs. We looked into HPE/Aruba network switches, and while they would have performed everything we needed and more, they were almost four times the cost of these Dell network switches. That's a hard sell when it comes to planning a tight budget.

Incentivized

The expansion modules really allow us to use these switches for different scenarios in the way that we need them. Sometimes we need a lot of extra ports. Sometimes we need some extra ports, but also extra fiber ports to bring the network to other areas.

Incentivized

• They are grossly overpriced for our implementation, but the built in cybervision and port expansion possibility is vital for us.
• Able to push our security standards with ISE into IoT enviroment.

Incentivized

• Reports are easily created and very useful.
• Quick creation of different network connections.
• Excellent and secure channels for multiple data management.
• Great data visualization options offered by Dell PowerConnect Switches.

Incentivized