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Aruba Airwave vs HPE Intelligent Management Center comparison

Aruba Airwave and HPE Intelligent Management Center are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Aruba Airwave is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while HPE Intelligent Management Center is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.5. Aruba Airwave holds a 5.7% mindshare in NMA, compared to HPE Intelligent Management Center’s 6.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Aruba Airwave users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of HPE Intelligent Management Center users who would recommend it.
Aruba Airwave
Read 25 Aruba Airwave reviews
  • 1,457 Views
  • 1,384 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
HPE Intelligent Management ...
Read 7 HPE Intelligent Management Center reviews
  • 1,247 Views
  • 1,147 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Aruba Airwave and HPE Intelligent Management Center are competitors in network management. While Aruba distinguishes itself with pricing and support, HPE is regarded as a better choice for extensive network features, offering significant benefits to tech buyers.

Features: Aruba Airwave offers excellent visibility into network performance, simplifies troubleshooting with its Live Heat Map, and supports zero-touch provisioning. It also boasts multivendor interoperability, which is beneficial for managing equipment from various brands. HPE Intelligent Management Center features comprehensive analytics, infrastructure monitoring, and a user-friendly interface, providing a vast range of management options including automation and application monitoring, which are valuable for complex setups.

Room for Improvement: Aruba Airwave could benefit from enhanced reporting customization, improved integration with certain non-Aruba devices, and better visualization tools for data representation. HPE Intelligent Management Center might need to offer more straightforward deployment processes, increased user support for the initial setup, and optimization for mid-sized network environments, which can be resource-intensive.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aruba Airwave is praised for its simple and resource-light deployment model, which minimizes setup time and effort. Its customer service is noted for being supportive. In contrast, HPE Intelligent Management Center involves a more complex deployment due to its broad feature set, though its customer service is responsive and provides substantial support during the setup phase.

Pricing and ROI: Aruba Airwave is generally cheaper to implement, making it attractive for those with budget constraints and offers a quicker ROI. HPE Intelligent Management Center, though more expensive initially, delivers a more robust ROI with its wide array of features and long-term operational benefits, making it a preferred choice for organizations seeking comprehensive network management solutions.

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Buyer's Guide
Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Airwave
Ranking in Network Management Applications
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
HPE Intelligent Management ...
Ranking in Network Management Applications
8th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 5.7%, down from 8.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Intelligent Management Center is 6.2%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmet Bulbul - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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Muhammad_Faisal - PeerSpot reviewer
Achieve seamless network and link monitoring with comprehensive device management
The most valuable function is that the IMC takes an entire backup of my network devices, and I can also redeploy them. The really beneficial feature is the link monitoring. I had checked Check Point's product, however, my requirements are better fulfilled by IMC. The main feature is that IMC automatically configures the device for my use. I have over 200 features in my network, and IMC manages the complete environment. Automation is good, but I mainly use it for monitoring. I am too satisfied with this product.
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's scalable because it's licensed per device and we bought licenses with each device. I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability."
"The solution's initial setup process is straightforward."
"The technical support services are good."
"This solution is definitely stable."
"It facilitated creating floor maps."
"The most beneficial feature for network monitoring in Aruba Airwave is the Live Heat Map. It helps identify interferences, coverage issues, and user connectivity issues. The device management capability of Aruba Airwave is good. It provides end-to-end visibility from the user to the access point, the switch, and the internet breakout. From a monitoring, management, and orchestration standpoint, it is very effective and can manage any scale of deployment."
"The feature that proved most beneficial for our organization's network monitoring is the virtual four, which we use frequently when working with Aruba."
"Aruba Airwave provides a robust solution for monitoring and configuring Wi-Fi networks."
More Aruba Airwave pros
"It's a very complete product with a lot of functionality."
"The most useful feature is infrastructure monitoring including switches and servers."
"The most valuable feature is the interface and its ease of use."
"One of the notable advantages is its ability to provide quick responses, especially in critical situations."
"The most valuable function is that the IMC takes an entire backup of my network devices, and I can also redeploy them."
 

Cons

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."
"Pricing for Aruba Airwave could be cheaper, which is an area for improvement in the solution."
"I would like to see is “AAS”. Not only Aruba APs with central, but NAC/ClearPass, AirWave, and everything licensed as a Service."
"The tool's expensive nature is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"We encounter delayed ETAs in the manufacturing of hardware."
"I want a management solution to manage and monitor everything from a single dashboard. This is not there with Airwave."
"Cost is always a big issue for partners."
"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."
More Aruba Airwave cons
"One notable deficiency is the lack of online support for the product."
"The integration with other network devices needs improvement."
"HPE Intelligent Management Center is a bit slow."
"I face the issue with the integration with links on Fortinet Firewall."
"I would like to see additional modules included."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."
"The licensing cost for Aruba Airwave increased from $72 to $210 within a few months. It would be better if the pricing for the solution were cheaper."
"Run a 90 day free Proof of Concept (PoC) for each product by implementing and using it fully in your environment. This way you will be educated on its features, functionality, and manageability."
"AirWave is a very expensive solution. If you implement it in a wide range network, it will cost a lot. There is no option to sell it outside that price segment, which is a problem."
"Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."
"The licensing is on an yearly basis."
"The cost is perfect because the devices have a lifetime warranty, and the licensing is good as well."
"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."
More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice
"There are licensing costs and they are quite expensive."
"The price of this solution is not at all cheap, but it's reasonable compared to SolarWinds."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
15%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

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?
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 pric...
See all answers
What do you like most about HPE Intelligent Management Center?
One of the notable advantages is its ability to provide quick responses, especially in critical situations.
See all answers
What needs improvement with HPE Intelligent Management Center?
I face the issue with the integration with links on Fortinet Firewall. This will be sorted out with the help of IMC, and now I have a modem dialing as per my needs.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for HPE Intelligent Management Center?
I am using this solution for network monitoring, links monitoring, and complete monitoring of my infrastructure. I also deploy FortiVAF, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiManager as part of a complete securi...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 12% of the time
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Compared 10% of the time
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Aruba Airwave Logo
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Aruba Airwave
Compared 10% of the time
SolarWinds Network Topology Mapper vs Aruba Airwave Logo
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Compared 8% of the time
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Compared 42% of the time
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Compared 8% of the time
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IBM Tivoli NetCool vs HPE Intelligent Management Center Logo
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Compared 7% of the time
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Compared 6% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Aruba Airwave
July 2025
Aruba Airwave reportDownload Aruba Airwave product report
Buyer's Guide
Network Management Applications
July 2025
HPE Intelligent Management Center reportDownload HPE Intelligent Management Center product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
HPE IMC
 

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

HPE Intelligent Management Center (IMC) is a comprehensive management platform that was built from the ground up to support the Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security (FCAPS) model. It provides features and functions that are designed for comprehensive management of the network infrastructure. IMC was designed to provide the following functions:

  • Supports the ITIL operational center of excellence IT practices model.
  • Uses a single-pane management paradigm to enable end-to-end business management of IT services
  • Provides scalability by supporting distributed and hierarchical system architectures, through additional operating system and database support.
  • Uses an SOA model to provide full resource, service, and user management.
  • Enables integration of traditionally separate management tools using a modular design.
  • Enables enterprises to expand their infrastructure management in scale and to seamlessly accommodate new technologies at the same time.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
 

Sample Customers

Henkel, University of Findlay, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Iowa
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
Aruba Airwave vs. HPE Intelligent Management Center
July 2025
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