Aruba Airwave vs IBM Tivoli NetCool comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3, while IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 4.9% mindshare in NMA, compared to IBM’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Aruba Airwave

Read 26 Aruba Airwave reviews

1,316 Views
1,198 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Read 13 IBM Tivoli NetCool reviews

920 Views
644 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Aruba Airwave

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

IBM Tivoli NetCool and Aruba Airwave are network management platforms. Tivoli NetCool has an advantage in customization and scalability, suitable for complex IT environments, while Aruba Airwave shines in wireless network management with robust Wi-Fi capabilities.

Features: Tivoli NetCool provides extensive monitoring, customizable event management, and a wide array of integrations. It supports vast applications, devices, and various protocols. Its customizable dashboards and real-time data insights enhance flexibility. Aruba Airwave offers robust Wi-Fi management, device monitoring, and zero-touch provisioning. Its multivendor support and orchestration feature streamline network tasks, improving efficiency.

Room for Improvement: Tivoli NetCool could benefit from simplifying its deployment and reducing initial setup complexity. Enhancements in initial user training and documentation would aid usability. Improved integration with non-IBM systems could expand its adaptability. Aruba Airwave may require enhanced documentation for advanced features, better real-time alert systems, and expanded compatibility with older hardware models to broaden applicability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Tivoli NetCool's deployment is intricate and demands expertise, often needing skilled IT professionals. Its customer support is comprehensive, covering diverse IT needs. Aruba Airwave is noted for easier installation and faster setup, beneficial for wireless networks. Its customer service is appreciated for responsive assistance in wireless configurations.

Pricing and ROI: Tivoli NetCool involves higher initial costs due to customization requirements, but offers long-term ROI for large, complex IT setups. Aruba Airwave provides a cost-effective solution for organizations focused on wireless networks, delivering immediate value in Wi-Fi optimization and efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba Airwave vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool

September 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

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Ranking in Network Management Applications

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Aruba Airwave is 4.9%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Tivoli NetCool is 2.2%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Aruba Airwave	4.9%
IBM Tivoli NetCool	2.2%
Other	92.9%

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.

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Petar Ganev

Senior Enterprise Monitoring Engineer at Commerzbank

Reliable for enterprise monitoring but no longer actively developed

There are problems with the latest security requirements because many things have changed in recent years, and now the security audits are very strict. And we need to switch to something else. We need to patch it constantly. Moreover, it is a very old tool and a little bit difficult to support. Otherwise, they work okay.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has improved my organization by increasing troubleshooting opportunities which makes things more efficient."

"What I like best about Aruba Airwave is its orchestration feature because it saves configuration time. I also like that it allows you to do ZTP installations for new Aruba equipment."

"The solution is not overly expensive."

"AirWave definitely helps us troubleshoot and get to the root cause of the issues. It gives you an excellent indication of what's going on within your network at different locations. You can get to the area, take a look at the AirWave analysis, and make informed decisions."

"I would rate the stability a nine out of ten."

"The most valuable feature of Aruba Airwave is the multivendor support, which enables you to manage and monitor different vendors or products."

"The feature that proved most beneficial for our organization's network monitoring is the virtual four, which we use frequently when working with Aruba."

"The powerful features we can put forward in Aruba Airwave are clarity, report creation, and VisualRF."

More Aruba Airwave pros

"The scalability of monitoring, the breadth of supported network components, the scale of the number of monitoring events, and the flexibility in customization make this a well-rounded product."

"Tivoli NetCool allows us to grasp a lot of data that can be applied toward predictive analytics and auto-remediation."

"The tool is much easier to manage than running scripts and figuring out how many endpoints have been exceeded."

"It's very easy to use."

"The tool had many built-in automation capabilities."

"Anything is possible with Tivoli. It's quite a robust system."

"Support is one of the best aspects of this solution. NetCool is a good product that has good flexibility. There are a lot of documents available online which is one of the best features of IBM Tivoli Suite. Whenever an issue happens, rather than going to technical support, if you find the exact issue in Google, you can get tech notes for that particular issue."

"The feature I have found most valuable with NetCool is how it collaborates all the alarms, and then it does a predictive analysis, providing a consolidated alarm view and management."

More IBM Tivoli NetCool pros

Cons

"The integration with other platforms like Cisco needs to be improved."

"I want a management solution to manage and monitor everything from a single dashboard. This is not there with Airwave."

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

"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."

"They should make it cheaper. By doing that, they can replace Cisco, which is also very expensive. If it is equivalent to Cisco in the features, with a reduced price, they can sell it more than Cisco."

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

"We're looking for more device compatibility. Like compatibility with third-party devices."

"I would like to see is “AAS”. Not only Aruba APs with central, but NAC/ClearPass, AirWave, and everything licensed as a Service."

More Aruba Airwave cons

"In terms of improvement, I would like to see more AIOps, Artificial Intelligent Operations in the next release. IBM develops new features for Power BI or Cognos Analytics, which is good. As of now, we use Cognos Analytics, we are not using Power BI. They have the Insight concept but we don't like that."

"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."

"UI is outdated, very old legacy."

"The solution is too expensive."

"The solution is not user-friendly."

"Tivoli NetCool's has medium scalability - there are some problems with its replications not being mature."

"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."

"The solution does not have any AI capabilities."

More IBM Tivoli NetCool cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We must buy a new license to connect more devices to scale up the solution."

"Aruba Airwave is an expensive solution."

"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."

"It's device-based licensing. One device requires one license."

"The licensing is on an yearly basis."

"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."

"Licensing and pricing are extremely straightforward."

"Aruba Airwave's licensing cost is not that expensive."

More Aruba Airwave pricing and cost advice

"It costs around 100k for every ten servers, which is lower than similar products from other vendors."

"Customers are required to pay a licensing fee."

"The price of the product is too expensive."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

32%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	4

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?

I think the solution is quite affordable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba Airwave?

They have other sensors which can manage and control all the sites. There is an IoT component where we can restrict internet services such as Facebook and YouTube. These things can also be managed....

See all answers

What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Tivoli NetCool?

The tool had many built-in automation capabilities.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Tivoli NetCool?

The main challenge is its licensing model, which is very complicated.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco DNA Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 27% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 25% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 10% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Aruba Airwave

Compared 7% of the time

More Aruba Airwave Competitors

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 39% of the time

OpenText Network Node Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 35% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 26% of the time

More IBM Tivoli NetCool Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave

October 2025

Download Aruba Airwave product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Tivoli NetCool

September 2025

Download IBM Tivoli NetCool product report

Also Known As

No data available

Tivoli NetCool

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

IBM Tivoli Netcool delivers near real-time, consolidated event management across business infrastructure, data centers, complex networks and IT domains. The software provides full management and automation to help you deliver continuous uptime of business services and applications.

IBM

Sample Customers

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

Claranet, Consolidated Communications, Telus, €sterreichische Bundesbahnen (€BB), Telekom Srbija, Bendigo Community Telco, Capgemini, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)

Buyer's Guide

Aruba Airwave vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool

September 2025

Free Report: Aruba Airwave vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool

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