

Arista Networks Platform and Cisco Catalyst Switches are prominent competitors in the networking industry. Arista appears to have the upper hand in ease of deployment and a unified operating system, while Cisco stands out in security features and extensive documentation.
Features: Arista Networks Platform offers a robust Linux shell for troubleshooting, an excellent performance-to-price ratio, and a standardized approach. Notably, its CloudVision centralized management and telemetry features are favored for easy deployment and management, supporting scalability. Meanwhile, Cisco Catalyst Switches are recognized for their PoE, stackability, and comprehensive security options. Users value its stability, versatility, and dependability in enterprise settings, supported by a strong hardware ecosystem.
Room for Improvement: Arista could enhance its documentation and expand integration features. It lacks micro-segmentation solutions among its limitations. Stability and integration in wide environments also need attention. Cisco faces challenges with its complex pricing models and expensive licensing. Interoperability and backward compatibility pose issues. Improving programmability and simplifying management interfaces are areas where Cisco could advance.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Arista Networks Platform is noted for its straightforward deployment and management. Direct service and responsive support without multiple escalation layers are highlighted. In contrast, Cisco offers a robust ecosystem and extensive support resources, but some users find its deployment process complex due to intricate configurations. While support is reliable, further simplicity in configurations is desired.
Pricing and ROI: Arista Networks Platform, though premium-priced, appeals to large-scale, cloud-focused clients. It is considered cost-effective compared to other high-end solutions but might not suit smaller budgets due to its price compared to competitors like Juniper. Cisco Catalyst Switches are also perceived as high-cost but their reliability and comprehensive features justify the expense for large investments. However, organizations may seek more affordable alternatives for potential cost savings.
We save on employees and also save time because it is easy to install.
I saved between five to six hours using Arista Networks Platform, as it takes less time to actually add your APs to the dashboard and deployment is quite fast and easy.
From an investment standpoint, deploying Cisco Catalyst Switches offers tangible benefits, including cost reductions.
All network engineers from the organization were present in the program, and the Arista engineer provided a solution in less than five minutes.
They provide instant support and maintain commitments regarding replacement products.
We would rate the customer support as a nine to 9.5 out of ten.
When requesting an RMA, they replace defective items in just one day.
On a scale from one to 10, I would rate the technical support of Cisco at 10 out of 10.
Cisco support is very good and responsive.
Scalability is a key feature of Arista, owing to the possibilities to manage the entire data center network from a single console.
We can easily scale up with Arista Networks Platform, as it is not difficult, and they have a platform that encourages scalability.
The scalability of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very much scalable, as it supports the stacking feature and growth; for instance, with 94K modular switches, based on the requirement, we can even increase modules for more bandwidth.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable, and I would rate them eight to nine out of ten for scalability.
I have not had any downtime using Arista Networks Platform.
We have been working with Arista Networks Platform for the past five years, and we can say it is stable.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable.
Feature-wise, it addresses most customer requirements.
Arista Networks is currently less popular as they were initially more focused on data centers than campus networks.
Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement.
It is the highest cost in the market.
Cisco Catalyst Switches could be a little bit cheaper as they are very costly.
The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000.
Arista products are perceived as costly, especially compared to competitors like Cisco.
Cisco provides unique features that justify their pricing.
Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite pricey.
The best features Arista Networks Platform offers are the dashboards where you can see all your APs that have been deployed and installed across all locations, making it quite unique to access, manage, and monitor performance from that dashboard.
Features include plug-and-play auto-discovery, allowing centralized configuration and management.
The access points are easy to install and the switches are easy to install. I can install seven or eight access points in less than two hours.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are valuable for their reliability and performance.
The most beneficial features for our network management are their stability and good customer support.
Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Catalyst Switches | 3.5% |
| Arista Networks Platform | 3.2% |
| Other | 93.3% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 15 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 12 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 79 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 29 |
| Large Enterprise | 79 |
Arista Networks Platform is a stable and reliable solution for data center features, specifically for non-blocking switches used for spine-leaf connectivity with servers hooked to these switches. It also provides multi-layer switches for client networks, particularly in the banking sector.
Arista products are preferred for their stability, good hardware, ease of adoption and configuration, responsive and helpful support, and high throughput ratings. The solution has helped prevent screen loss and business outages in the media industry and is designed for next-generation data centers.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing.
The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.
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