Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Nexus and Dell PowerConnect Switches based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two LAN Switching solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus vs. Dell PowerConnect Switches Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable features are the great performance, high availability and easy administration.""The most valuable feature is the automation that we can do with it.""Its low latency is most valuable. Its performance is good, and it is also very stable.""Its easy management is most valuable. It is easy to use, easy to manage, stable, and very reliable.""The most valuable features are extensions and recorded scalability.""The most valuable feature of Cisco Nexus is modularity. It's like the Swiss Army knife of switches.""The most valuable feature of this solution is its ease of use.""The most valuable features are the solution is robust, you are able to use it for fabric architecture as well as SPAN on exit with the controller."

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"Their support has been excellent, and it has been quite stable and easy to set up.""It's easy to set up. We can put it in production in a couple of minutes.""This solution comes with a lifetime warranty.""Dell PowerConnect Switches are very easy to configure with the GUI. Dell supports the solution even though it has been discontinued.""Dell offers very good support.""The functionality is very good.""The product is cheap.""Dell PowerConnect Switches are easy to configure."

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Cons
"Areas in which the solution have room for improvement are the interface, management, and reporting.""The scalability can be improved.""The software is not as mature as it could be and needs some integration improvements with other orchestrators.""One improvement needed is support for Multi-CAD scale that we were concerned about. We're not hitting any limits at this point.""Stability is not really up to the mark.""Nexus is a costly solution.""The additional features I would like to see included in the next release is the ability to integrate routing and switching features.""The implementation process could be easier, which is something that should be improved."

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"Accessibility and management could be improved.""The product needs to improve in terms of reports and backups.""More stable firmware releases would be an improvement because we have had them randomly power on and off.""I would like to see better scalability and more features on these switches in the future.""When it comes to the configuration, there should be documentation and interactive help available to assist people who have experience with products from other vendors.""The network features are not good.""I can't think of what we would want in the next release.""A user can take care of the product's installation part, but it may not seem to be an easy process."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Costs more than most, but the reliability pays for the difference."
  • "The price of this solution is good when compared to others in the market."
  • "Our licensing fees are approximately $2,000 USD per year."
  • "Every Cisco product is more expensive than competitors on the market, which is just a fact, but from my perspective, it is worth it."
  • "All of our costs including subscription, licensing, and support services are bundled together, and the cost is approximately $100,000 USD per year."
  • "This is a very expensive product."
  • "The license for Cisco Nexus is one year to three years, in this case for the SMARTnet. It is a price per unit, in terms of this specific appliance."
  • "Our licensing costs for this solution are approximately $200 USD per month."
  • More Cisco Nexus Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "This solution is much cheaper than comparable products by Cisco."
  • "The price of these switches is okay."
  • "Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."
  • "Cheaper than its competitors"
  • "Inexpensive"
  • "If you want to purchase a new Dell PowerConnect Switch, you will pay up to $1,600, but I bought them used. I bought the four Dell PowerConnect Switches that I used for $1,000."
  • "Dell PowerConnect switches are cheaper than Cisco switches. Cisco's higher capacity switches (100 or 200 gigs) are super-expensive. With the higher capacity, the price of the switches and the price of the architecture go high. Dell is cheaper and modular. So, I don't need to invest 100% upfront. I can invest as I progress. That is an option because the chassis will not be populated with all the pluggables. I have a choice because it is modular. I can go for 25 gigs today, and after four months, I can go for 100 gigs, and after that, I can go for 200 gigs. I have a choice when it is not a fixed switch."
  • "Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."
  • More Dell PowerConnect Switches Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The solution’s technical support is good.
    Top Answer:The IOS software that is used on the switches could be improved. The solution is a little cumbersome to configure and get them up in the environment.
    Ranking
    6th
    out of 16 in LAN Switching
    Views
    3,040
    Comparisons
    2,279
    Reviews
    8
    Average Words per Review
    344
    Rating
    8.8
    3rd
    out of 16 in LAN Switching
    Views
    3,354
    Comparisons
    2,548
    Reviews
    10
    Average Words per Review
    359
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    PowerConnect Switches
    Learn More
    Overview
    The Cisco Nexus family of switches is designed to meet the stringent requirements of the next-generation data center. Not simply bigger or faster, these switches offer the following characteristics: infrastructure that can be scaled cost-effectively and that helps you increase energy, budget, and resource efficiency, transport that can navigate the transition to 10 Gigabit Ethernet and unified fabric and can also handle architectural changes such as virtualization, Web 2.0 applications, and cloud computing and operational continuity to meet your need for an environment where system availability is assumed and maintenance windows are rare if not totally extinct.
    PowerConnect Switches family offers a set of flexible, manageable and comprehensive switch solutions supporting up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and optimized Internet iSCSI (iSCSI) performance with Dell Storage solutions, ideal for enterprise and campus LAN environments alike.
    Sample Customers
    Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
    Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Government14%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Comms Service Provider12%
    Manufacturing Company12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Government8%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Media Company19%
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Engineering Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise72%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise60%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business63%
    Midsize Enterprise20%
    Large Enterprise17%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise54%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Nexus vs. Dell PowerConnect Switches
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus vs. Dell PowerConnect Switches and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Nexus is ranked 6th in LAN Switching with 99 reviews while Dell PowerConnect Switches is ranked 3rd in LAN Switching with 29 reviews. Cisco Nexus is rated 8.4, while Dell PowerConnect Switches is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Cisco Nexus writes " Offer high performance capabilities and enables efficient data transmission and processing". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Dell PowerConnect Switches writes "Excellent support, good pricing, and easy setup". Cisco Nexus is most compared with Cisco Catalyst Switches, Juniper QFX Series Switches, Arista Networks Platform, VMware NSX and Juniper QFabric, whereas Dell PowerConnect Switches is most compared with Cisco Catalyst Switches, HPE ProCurve, NETGEAR Switches, Arista Networks Platform and Dell PowerSwitch N-Series. See our Cisco Nexus vs. Dell PowerConnect Switches report.

    See our list of best LAN Switching vendors and best Data Center Networking vendors.

    We monitor all LAN Switching reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.