Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Dell EMC PowerSwitch S Series

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco is a name well known in the IT field. The technology is tried and true and they have built a reputation on a solid platform. Though many people do not like the cost of the devices and the continued fees associated with long term ownership, you get what you pay for. I dont hesitate to recommend Cisco because I know people will get a solid product that will last a long time.

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Dean Aceto II

Senior Infrastructure Administrator

Merz North AmericaMedical Devices, 501-1000 employees

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Dell EMC PowerSwitch S Series (Force10) has the most powerful Ethernet channels that transfer data at a reliable speed. The connection capacity is best as compared to other products and has the most stable power supply system. The overall cost is reduced as compared to other network management products. It has been flexible and always meets all network connectivity demands on a daily basis. It has centralized data analysis transformation controlling workloads positively and creating teamwork.

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Susan Carter

Warehouse Associate

CEVA LogisticsLogistics & Supply Chain, 10,001+ employees

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Pros

Easy setup and configuration. While the web UI has its quirks, setting up VLANs and other tasks which can be exceedingly complicated on other switches, are much easier on Cisco SG switches. You also have the ability to upload an existing configuration to switches, which can speed up the task of deploying many identical switches.
Features for the price. Getting a 48 port L3 switch with PoE+ for less than $2,000 is a great value.
Reliability. We have hundreds of the SG switches in dozens of client sites, many in harsh conditions, and they just keep going.

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Patrick Plaisance

CTO (Chief Technical Officer)

Pachyderm ConsultingInformation Technology and Services, 1-10 employees

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Building an effective and stable new network is easy.
Management of network distribution channels.
Performance issues management ability is reliable.

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Veronica Derrick

Automation Engineer

Redd SystemInformation Technology & Services, 51-200 employees

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Cons

The web UI has taken a turn for the worse with the latest firmware on the SGx50 models -- the bifurcation between basic and advanced modes and the changes to the way VLANs are modified is a step backward in my opinion.
The power bricks on smaller models are enormous. I'm sure, however, keeping this circuitry external to the switch is what keeps my switches running year after year in hot environments.
Fans can be a bit loud on larger switches -- this is true of pretty much any 1U device though.

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Patrick Plaisance

CTO (Chief Technical Officer)

Pachyderm ConsultingInformation Technology and Services, 1-10 employees

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Support in deployment
Marketing
Problem resoluation globally

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Pharmaceuticals Company, 1001-5000 employees

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Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

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Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

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General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

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Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

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Likelihood to Renew

Cisco Ethernet Switches 9.0

Based on 1 answer

for their relialiabilty

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Paolo Della Mea

Network Build Leader

GEChemicals, 10,001+ employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

Cisco is more enterprise level, more reliable, and generally more feature rich but also very expensive. That being said old or refurbished Cisco switches are much more affordable and in comparison to even new switches from the competitor they are still a great value even though they are used. I like Ubiquiti switches as well but Cisco is usually better overall.

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Verified User

Technician in Information Technology

Education Management Company, 201-500 employees

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My journey in connecting with our product suppliers and reporting on daily sales relies on the great networking infrastructure created by this great tool. Integration of this platform with our applications was easy and it started operations immediately after configuration. Though I have not used similar networking for comparison, I have always gained suitable insights that have led to effective decision-making. It has the best data security features that have defined a secure working environment for all our staff.

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Susan Carter

Warehouse Associate

CEVA LogisticsLogistics & Supply Chain, 10,001+ employees

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Return on Investment

Failure on Cisco Switches, from my experience, is rare in the first 5 years the device is up.
I have see the Cisco 6500 switches go 5 years without a reboot, which is nothing short of amazing.
The service that you get is top notch and available 24/7, and you really cannot put a price on that.

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