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Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches vs HPE Ethernet Switches comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Cisco N9300 Series Smart Sw...
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
26th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
HPE Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Thu Al-Faqar Salah - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at V2X
Modern data center fabric has delivered zero packet drops and simplified traffic control
Regarding improvements for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I think the only issue that could prevent users from using these devices is the smart licensing, as the license model could be much simpler and more cost-effective. Managing Cisco licensing and tiered subscriptions involves unnecessary operational overhead for deployment and renewal. Also, if you are planning to use ACI mode, most of the concepts such as VRF, EPG, and tenant will change. When deploying in ACI mode, the architecture has a steep learning curve, as the policy-driven model requires expensive and specialized training, and many concepts will change for traditional network engineers, requiring them to adapt and learn. Additionally, most of the issues I faced are related to hardware cost specifically, so if we could get a model that is less costly and more cost-effective with simpler licensing, it would be much better. Regarding further improvements, I remember something about the upgrade process. When we did the upgrade for the N9300, changing the image took us around 12 to 15 minutes, which was really a long time. This happened for more than one switch, so I do not know if it is a bug or if this is something normal, but I think they need to address it.
KK
General Manager at Zenith Business Solutions
Security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness drive success across different business scales
HPE Ethernet Switches are very much covered on the security front due to their ClearPass technology, which is exceptional. They are highly scalable and stable, which is vital for large enterprises that require reliable performance. Additionally, HPE Ethernet Switches offer a cost-saving advantage as they are approximately 40% cheaper than comparable Cisco solutions. The integration of the switches is very straightforward, making them an attractive choice for many organizations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Performance-wise, Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is a great machine to work with."
"When you buy a Cisco device, you are going to forget about it after plugging it in because the device is powerful."
"The integration is very good, and there is very low CPU utilization, so multiple users can work without any problem."
"Cisco products are very strong and stable."
"The technical support is really good. They're fast, knowledgeable, and customer-ready."
"It offers standard security such as 802.1x, RADIUS/TACACS authentication, port-security, DHCP snooping and much more."
"The HPE Ethernet switches have very low latency."
"The switches are very important in our hospitals, which is a critical environment for our patients. They provide time-effective management and meet our needs."
"The switches are guaranteed for life, it's a great solution."
"The best feature of this solution is the lifetime warranty."
"The initial setup of this solution is easy."
"The solution works well and offers good performance."
 

Cons

"Regarding improvements for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I think the only issue that could prevent users from using these devices is the smart licensing, as the license model could be much simpler and more cost-effective."
"The price is something negative for Cisco that I see."
"It is expensive. Compared to Aruba and Dell, it is a little bit costly."
"It would be nice to have a common OS across models so that they could be managed together."
"The CLI and terminology are a bit different and might confuse several engineers."
"When we have a lot of clients on the system, we lose signal and have to restart our antenna."
"The VLAN tagging could be improved, it's not that straightforward."
"The Openflow hardware table does not provide a byte-count statistic, and the software table provides a byte-count statistic but with errors."
"The interoperability with LDAP could use some improvement."
"The next release would benefit from adding a central management that could be deployable on premise and allow you to see the layout of topology."
"The interface is old in appearance and needs to be modernized."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"There are free software updates and there is a lifetime warranty for a few of the switch series."
"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis."
"I like HPE switches because you get a perpetual license with the hardware. The initial cost is about the same as other switches, but it starts beating the competitors after three or four years because you don't have to pay for additional annual licensing costs."
"We just bought new switches for $500 last year, and now, the same switch is $800. It's gone up in price in the last 12 months."
"All the solutions have a license for the QSFP. Additionally, there is a one-time license fee to increase the interface speed."
"The cost is a bit high."
"The licensing cost is yearly, and there aren't any additional costs on top of the standard fee."
"There are no licensing costs for this solution."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Ethernet Switches solutions are best for your needs.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Outsourcing Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Construction Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business62
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise32
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is expensive. Compared with Aruba and Dell, it is a little bit costly.
What needs improvement with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
As for any negative points, I think there is nothing significant. The only thing that Cisco may focus on commercially is the SmartNet. From my experience, I have worked with many MNCs where SmartNe...
What is your primary use case for Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches?
The major use case that we have with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is that our current switches are old and getting into end of life from Cisco. This is the reason we started looking for the ri...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Ethernet Switches?
When compared to Cisco, Aruba is about 40% cheaper. However, Huawei would be even cheaper than Aruba. We can't compare HPE Ethernet Switches with Huawei directly because of different price ranges.
What needs improvement with HPE Ethernet Switches?
HPE Ethernet Switches have room for improvement in the initial setup and integration process, especially when incorporating them into an existing infrastructure with competitor products. It's a cha...
What is your primary use case for HPE Ethernet Switches?
Our primary use case for HPE Ethernet Switches is in various business segments. I focus on the oil and gas segment, and I also work with private segment medium-sized organizations. My team handles ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
HP Ethernet Switches
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Emirates Palace Hotel
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches vs. HPE Ethernet Switches and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.