Aruba Airwave vs Cisco Catalyst Center comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 5.9% mindshare in NMA, compared to Cisco’s 8.6% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Aruba Airwave

Read 25 Aruba Airwave reviews

1,457 Views
1,384 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst Center

Read 16 Cisco Catalyst Center reviews

584 Views
584 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Aruba Airwave

Cisco Catalyst Center

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Aruba Airwave and Cisco Catalyst Center are network management platforms for enterprises seeking robust infrastructure management. Cisco Catalyst Center has the upper hand with extensive features that justify its premium price, while Aruba Airwave is favored for cost-effectiveness and support.

Features: Aruba Airwave provides comprehensive network visibility, monitoring, and troubleshooting with multivendor support, integrating seamlessly across device types. Cisco Catalyst Center offers advanced features like automation, deep analytics, and proactive network management for centralized control and streamlined operations. The primary difference is Cisco's superior automation and analytics capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aruba Airwave is known for its straightforward deployment and quality customer support, ensuring minimal disruption and efficient troubleshooting. Cisco Catalyst Center involves a more complex deployment but offers extensive resources and support services for large-scale implementations. The distinction is Aruba's simplicity and responsiveness, compared to Cisco's comprehensive, complex service offerings.

Pricing and ROI: Aruba Airwave promises high ROI with lower initial setup costs and affordable maintenance, appealing to budget-conscious organizations without sacrificing functionalities. Cisco Catalyst Center requires higher upfront investment but offers significant long-term returns through features enhancing operational efficiency. The difference lies in Cisco's focus on value through innovation, while Aruba emphasizes balanced cost against benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco Catalyst Center Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco Catalyst Center

July 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.5

Aruba Airwave enhances efficiency, decreases costs and downtime, but requires three years to realize full return on investment.

Sentiment score

6.3

Cisco Catalyst Center simplifies network management, reduces costs, and enhances ROI, offering easy deployment and strong user support.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

They have a long life.

Christopher Dent

Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees

The best feature is its availability, easy deployment, and good support for the solution.

Daniel Garcia Montes

Consultant at TECVA

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.8

Aruba Airwave customer service is responsive and helpful, with language support praised, despite some integration and escalation concerns.

Sentiment score

7.2

Cisco Catalyst Center support is praised for efficiency, though some mention delays and time zone challenges in resolution.

I would rate their technical support as a nine or ten, as it's quite good.

Edward Zeng

Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology

Angie was very kind and communicated well in both Spanish and English, making it pleasant to connect with her.

reviewer1877184

TI at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

I had a situation where they were present with us overnight to fix an issue for a customer, demonstrating their dedication.

Ahmad Attal

Cyber Security Architect at Spie Ics

I would rate technical support nine to nine and a half out of ten.

reviewer2356428

Lead Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees

The software platform is very easy to use.

Daniel Garcia Montes

Consultant at TECVA

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.0

Aruba Airwave excels in scalability for large enterprises, with flexible licensing and tool integration, though resource needs vary.

Sentiment score

8.3

Cisco Catalyst Center excels in scalability, adaptable form factors, extensive controls, and switch stacking for varied business needs.

Aruba Airwave is fully scalable, as we have a large number of tenants using the network with approximately six thousand end users.

reviewer1854369

Executive at a government with 201-500 employees

Aruba Airwave gives good information about SNR value, signal value, and you can get extensive information.

Ahmet Bulbul

Senior Network Consultant at Data Market

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

They have a feature that allows stacking switches together.

Christopher Dent

Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees

Cisco Catalyst Center is scalable and quite flexible, allowing for specific model choices like the 9,000 or 2,000 series based on the clients' performance requirements and bottlenecks.

Shubham Chandra

Solution Architect at HCLSoftware

It effectively manages all the devices I have, demonstrating its capability to scale.

reviewer2356428

Lead Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.0

Aruba Airwave is highly stable, user-friendly, with minimal issues, though crowded spaces occasionally cause performance problems.

Sentiment score

7.9

Cisco Catalyst Center is reliable for network operations with high stability, minimal disruptions, but occasional software bugs and patch issues.

I have found Aruba Airwave to be stable.

reviewer1854369

Executive at a government with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

They are very stable, not power cycling, and basically maintaining their stability.

Christopher Dent

Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees

They provide a robust and secure solution for critical workloads.

Premnath Jaganathan

Product Manager at Uop Ipl

Cisco Catalyst Center is stable, and I would rate it a nine out of ten for stability.

Pratap Barik

Data Center Admin at Sysnet Global Technologies

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Room For Improvement

Aruba Airwave users seek improved GUI stability, integration, compatibility, and scalability with simplified configurations and reduced licensing costs.

Cisco Catalyst Center needs better device management, usability, security features, cost-effectiveness, and integration with diverse environments.

The end-to-end users' messages show some details that are not always up-to-date, and sometimes the information from the GUI is not exactly aligned with what's on the website.

Edward Zeng

Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology

I find the price of Aruba Central compared to Aruba Airwave to be more expensive.

Ahmet Bulbul

Senior Network Consultant at Data Market

When upgrading hardware, there were technical issues with network interfaces and Red Hat, which required escalation to developers.

reviewer1877184

TI at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues.

Ahmad Attal

Cyber Security Architect at Spie Ics

In the current setup, incidents are always reactionary, and it would be beneficial if Cisco Catalyst Center could proactively handle issues such as bandwidth crunches and packet drops.

Premnath Jaganathan

Product Manager at Uop Ipl

Cisco Catalyst Center lacked intelligence in this area and required reliance on third-party appliances like firewalls or threat protection devices.

Shubham Chandra

Solution Architect at HCLSoftware

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Setup Cost

Aruba Airwave pricing receives mixed feedback, with some valuing flexibility and others finding it costly depending on various factors.

Cisco Catalyst Center is considered a worthwhile investment for robust performance, despite higher costs and competition from Huawei and Juniper.

The pricing for Aruba Airwave is acceptable because compared to Cisco, it's slightly cheaper, but not significantly - maybe 5% or 7% less expensive.

Edward Zeng

Senior Network Engineer at Auckland University of Technology

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

They are also facing competitive pricing challenges from Huawei.

Muhammad Kabir Salihu

Deputy Director at NITDA

Cost is a major factor when any company is buying, and Cisco's products are pricier even compared to other US-based solutions.

Syed Shahnawaz Hussain

Sr. Executive Design Engineering Team at Wateen Telecom (pvt.)

The setup can be somewhat expensive.

Daniel Garcia Montes

Consultant at TECVA

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Valuable Features

Aruba Airwave enhances network management with real-time monitoring, multivendor compatibility, comprehensive reporting, and robust troubleshooting and orchestration features.

Cisco Catalyst Center provides centralized management, security, and scalability with integration and automation for enhanced network performance and troubleshooting.

It provides near real-time monitoring using AIMON and AURO protocols, which is robust with multiple models and brand support.

reviewer1877184

TI at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Aruba Airwave provides good visibility, offering extensive data on network dynamics, such as access point connections, usage, signal strengths, and potential interference from neighboring Wi-Fi networks.

reviewer1854369

Executive at a government with 201-500 employees

The most helpful feature I noticed, yet did not utilize, allowed us to add our Cisco switches for monitoring.

Lulzim Islami

IT Network Operations Manager at KEDS

For more quotes and insights, download the Aruba Airwave report

There is a very wide user base providing support, so I almost never have to contact Cisco support due to the vast accessible knowledge base.

Christopher Dent

Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees

Their threat intelligence platform is excellent, including Talos Intelligence, which provides a good database and strong threat insights.

reviewer2585343

Analyst at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

This dual functionality is crucial for monitoring large enterprises, providing a robust solution for IT teams.

Premnath Jaganathan

Product Manager at Uop Ipl

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Catalyst Center report

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Airwave

Ranking in Network Management Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Catalyst Center

Ranking in Network Management Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 5.9%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Center is 8.6%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

Featured Reviews

Ahmet Bulbul

Senior Network Consultant at Data Market

Reports generation remains efficient while support and updates require attention

The biggest problem for not using Aruba Airwave extensively now is that HP is not upgrading this tool. They're not investing money and time into it, which is why we're not using it. I find the price of Aruba Central compared to Aruba Airwave to be more expensive. Customers start to complain and get annoyed about the license price. For example, when customers have 500 access points and features about access point licenses, moving to Central requires purchasing new licenses. This makes customers annoyed and complaining about this situation. It's hard to move from on-premises to Central because they always compare costs. If Aruba gave free licenses, they could move. But going to cloud and Central means more investment, and their budget doesn't cover the new investment. This creates problems for local partner companies.

Read full review

Ahmad Attal

Cyber Security Architect at Spie Ics

Delivers strong analytics and integration capabilities but requires regular updates and training

My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues. Furthermore, the complexity of the solution can be challenging for some customers as they often require extensive training to fully understand and utilize the product. They have concerns about the high number of software bugs and the need for regular updates to address these bugs.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

15%

Government

11%

Energy/Utilities Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aruba Airwave?

I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Airwave?

The pricing for Aruba Airwave is acceptable because compared to Cisco, it's slightly cheaper, but not significantly - maybe 5% or 7% less expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Center?

The cost is relative and depends on the market and one's budget provision. While Cisco provides a good return on investment, they are also facing competitive pricing challenges from Huawei.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center?

If they can add a layer of portable hotspots with some licensing flexibility for 20 to 50 users, it would be a great feature.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Catalyst Center?

We use Cisco Catalyst Center ( /products/cisco-catalyst-center-reviews ) for managing switches in our IT infrastructure. Our primary focus has been on utilizing Catalyst ( /products/cisco-catalyst-...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 33% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 25% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 11% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 9% of the time

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 8% of the time

More Aruba Airwave Competitors

Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Catalyst Center

Compared 66% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst Center

Compared 19% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco Catalyst Center

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper vs Cisco Catalyst Center

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst Center Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave

July 2025

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

July 2025

Download Cisco Catalyst Center product report

Overview

Offering granular visibility into wired and wireless networks, AirWave is the only management platform designed with mobile devices and apps in mind. By proactively monitoring the health and performance of all things connected, AirWave lets IT gain the insights they need to support the digital workplace.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Catalyst Center offers a comprehensive platform for network management, providing scalable solutions and advanced analytics for enterprise-level operations.

Focusing on efficient network management, Cisco Catalyst Center effectively addresses dynamic enterprise environments, ensuring operational scalability and actionable insights through its robust feature set. It emphasizes seamless management with an intuitive interface tailored for professional use, facilitating enhanced network visibility and control among IT professionals and service providers.

What are the standout features of Cisco Catalyst Center?

Automated Provisioning: Simplifies and speeds up network configuration processes by automating repetitive tasks.
Advanced Analytics: Provides real-time insights and trends for network optimization and security enhancements.
Policy-Based Configuration: Ensures consistent network settings adherence with centralized policy management.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Offers in-depth visibility into network performance, facilitating quick identification of issues.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlined operations lead to reduced manual input and increased productivity.
Cost Savings: Automation and analytics reduce operational expenses and enhance ROI.
Enhanced Security: Policy enforcement and monitoring provide robust defense against vulnerabilities.
Scalability: Supports growing network infrastructures and evolving enterprise demands.

Cisco Catalyst Center is widely implemented across industries like finance, healthcare, and education due to its ability to handle complex network requirements. It addresses specific needs by offering tailored solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency and security, catering to professionals managing large-scale IT ecosystems.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco Catalyst Center

July 2025

Free Report: Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco Catalyst Center

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Airwave vs. Cisco Catalyst Center and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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