Extreme Networks ExtremeSwitching X460-G2 Series X460-G2-48p-10GE4 - switch - 48 ports - managed - rack-mountable
$2,114.99
Mfg # 16704
CDW # 3440916
Quick tech specs
- G2 Series X460-G2-48p-10GE4
- managed
- rack-mountable
- Switch
- 48 x 10/100/1000 (PoE+) + 4 x 1 Gigabit / 10 Gigabit SFP+
- PoE+
Know your gear
The Summit X460-G2 series is based on Extreme Networks revolutionary ExtremeXOS, a highly resilient OS that provides continuous uptime, manageability and operational efficiency. Each switch offers the same high-performance, non-blocking hardware technology, in the Extreme Networks tradition of simplifying network deployments through the use of common hardware and software throughout the network. The Summit X460-G2 switches are effective campus edge switches that support Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE - IEEE 802.3az) with IEEE 802.3at PoE-plus and can also serve as aggregation switches for traditional enterprise networks. The Summit X460-G2 series is also an option for DSLAM or CMTS aggregation, or for active Ethernet access. The Summit X460-G2 can also be used as a top-of-rack switch for many data center environments with features such as high-density Gigabit Ethernet for concentrated data center environments; XN V (ExtremeXOS Network Virtualization) for centralized network-based Virtual Machine (VM) inventory. VM location history and VM provisioning: Direct Attach to offload VM switching from servers, thereby improving performance: high-capacity Layer 2/Layer 3 scalability for highly virtualized data centers: and intra-rack and cross-rack stacking with industry-leading flexibility.
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Extreme Networks ExtremeSwitching X460-G2 Series X460-G2-48p-10GE4 - switch is rated
4.40 out of
5 by
13.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Wael Awni from
Great analytics and security with good visibility
What is our primary use case?
We have high-power switches, like the ERS. It's good for a dense power environment of over 24 ports. It provides application visibility on the universal switches so I can have security integration with the NAC systems. There are plenty of use cases for this one product.
What is most valuable?
The analytics and security are great. They give us very good visibility over the network and what's happening at the network level from the switch.
It is stable.
The solution can scale.
What needs improvement?
In general, it's good enough. Maybe they should have an on-premises solution since some customers don't like cloud solutions, and the analytics is cloud-based only.
The initial setup requires assistance.
The licensing is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable and reliable. I'd rate it eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is pretty good. I'd rate it eight out of ten in terms of ease of expansion.
We have 12 people currently working on the product.
How are customer service and support?
So far, I haven't faced any issues and haven't needed any technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation process requires technical experience.
We configure the devices one by one. How long it takes depends on the size of the solution and if it's connected to the controller or not. If the switches are not controlled, it can take a whole day. If it's controlled, it'll take a few hours.
We only need two people to handle deployment and maintenance tasks. They are network administrators or sometimes engineers.
What about the implementation team?
A company cannot set up the solution itself. It requires technical experience.
What was our ROI?
I'm not sure how much ROI we are getting out of the solution as the licensing cost is quite high.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't like the licensing model. It's expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend the solution to others. I'd rate it eight out of ten in terms of overall functionality.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Integrator
Date published: 2023-01-13T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
GlennCamilien from
They're highly reliable
What is our primary use case?
My current company uses Cisco routers and ExtremeSwitching switches.
What is most valuable?
ExtremeSwitching switches are highly reliable.
What needs improvement?
ExtremeSwitching switches are not prevalent in the industry, so it's harder to go online and research how to deploy their APs or switches. There is a broader user community for Cisco and Juniper because they've been around for a while and everybody has a bit of knowledge they can publish online.
How are customer service and support?
I rate ExtremeSwitching support eight out of 10. They did the job, but I couldn't say it was the best support because I never did a call. It was by email. I had to open one case to get information about scanning the devices with more vulnerabilities and versions
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Setting up ExtremeSwitching is relatively straightforward if you have some experience. You can do it with some help from online sources and probably don't need tech support to set it up.
What other advice do I have?
I rate ExtremeSwitching eight out of 10 because of the reliability factor.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-03-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Santosh Khargotre from
A stable platform with no downtime, breakage, performance issues
What is most valuable?
ExtremeSwitching is a good, stable platform. There is no comparison between Cisco Nexus Flex and ExtremeSwitching. Cisco Access uses a standard model of the Flex content, which comes with the Cisco model for 96 ports and Fortinet support. We compared Cisco Nexus with Flex connectivity to extend the server connectivity with the 96 and FortiG uplink ports. The cost for Cisco was too high, so we were trying to go with some other models. First, the configuration part and all other content are readily available online. Second, there is no issue with the hardware and performance because many Flex switches, including older models, are still working. Specifically, Flex switches with serial numbers 5548 and 5596 are outdated but still working. We must replace these switches with 9000 or 9300 series switches of the same capacity.
What needs improvement?
Experiences with ExtremeSwitching depend on the customer. It keeps changing, but it has a high capacity, with more throughput and more ports for data centers. For regular customers, it is extremely good. We must go with increased capabilities and throughput for SMEs and data centers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used ExtremeSwitching for five or ten years back.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
ExtremeSwitching is scalable to a certain extent for SME-segmented IP. In India, people mostly choose Cisco for data center networks, but ExtremeSwitching is a good option for SME-segmented IP networks.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is good. We have already configured ExtremeSwitching for many customers.
What other advice do I have?
ExtremeSwitching is good, stable, and reliable. However, a few customers here use it for four to five years without any issues. There is no downtime, no breakage, and nothing else. The hardware is suitable. The configuration part is different if you compare it to other products. Many companies use score-based content, and ExtremeSwitching has a different command line type. If you can find out how to configure it, you can use it. Overall, I rate the solution a nine or ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner
Date published: 2023-09-27T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1120704 from
Good performance, easy to install, and reliable
What is our primary use case?
We are using ExtremeSwitching X590 at the core level, and we are using ExtremeSwitching X440 at the edge level. We are using them in our company for switching purposes. They are for connecting the LAN network.
What is most valuable?
They are good. We have been using them for about two years, and we are satisfied with their performance. For our network environment, these switches are working fine.
What needs improvement?
Their support could definitely be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using them for about two years, but we have been using their other switches for more than 12 years. We have upgraded the core and a few edge switches.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They're quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
They're scalable. At this time, we don't have any plans for expansion. In the coming next few months, we are not looking for an increase in their usage.
How are customer service and support?
We hardly required any tech support since the installation. Their tech support is okay and can be improved.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've been associated with this company for the last seven years, and in this company, we have been using Extreme Switches for more than 12 years.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was good. It was quite straightforward. It was just an upgrade from old switches to new switches, which took two to three hours. The complete installation and mounting took three to four hours. That's it.
What about the implementation team?
We used their channel partner. They don't deal directly with the end clients. They do have their channel partners, and we implemented it through their channel partner.
They needed three to four people. There were two engineers, one manager, and one admin.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is not a subscription-based model, and there is no licensing concept. We have to pay for hardware AMC. We have hardware on our premises and for the hardware support, we have to go for the annual maintenance contract with the partner.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend these switches. Their performance is good.
I would rate these switches an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-02-02T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1826073 from
Robust, plenty of features, and reliable
What is our primary use case?
ExtremeSwitching is used in a network for directing traffic.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of ExtremeSwitching are that they are robust and have plenty of features. There is a lot of functionality. They have a lot of other features ExtremeSwitching that you can get involved with but I haven't been using many of them.
What needs improvement?
ExtremeSwitching has many features but having come from Cisco environments, there is a steep learning curve to learning all the functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using ExtremeSwitching for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
ExtremeSwitching is a reliable and stable solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Cisco switches.
ExtremeSwitching is a good switch. I've dealt with other carriers that are using the ExtremeSwitching and they love them. They find that they have more options and more reliable than Cisco but I haven't had any experience with failures of the ExtremeSwitching or Cisco. They've always been reliable for me.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of ExtremeSwitching difficulty depends on the individual. They have a lot of tutorials and information on the internet. If you were trying to take it out of the box and try and configure it without any assistance, it would be difficult. If you didn't have experience doing switching and routing, it would be difficult because the command structure is different than what people are normally used to. For example, Cisco, Dell, and other older switches. Dell and Cisco are similar in the OS configuration but ExtremeSwitching is different.
What about the implementation team?
The amount of people required for maintenance depends on the client's environment. For a medium-sized business, you can have one person maintaining it but that person is going to be on call a lot.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a cost for ExtremeSwitching and if you want the support and maintenance, there are additional costs. My clients typically pay for the support and maintenance annually.
What other advice do I have?
There are a lot of solutions coming out that have more features than I need.
I rate ExtremeSwitching an eight out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-05T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1670652 from
Great inspection firewalls feature and writes traffic from one VLAN to the next
What is our primary use case?
We are customers of ExtremeSwitching.
What is most valuable?
Their number one valuable feature is the inspection firewalls that carry out a deep packet inspection on a port basis. It's a feature they've had for a number of years. Our customers like the switching, which does the deep packet inspections but can also write traffic from one VLAN to the next.
Extreme has become more aggressive with its pricing. The cost per switch per port has come down quite a bit, making it very competitive in the small and medium-size market. It has made the solution more favorable.
What needs improvement?
All the solutions in this market are lacking cyber asset attack, surface management. It's not just Extreme, but Cisco, Juniper and Arista as well. The new multi-access age is upon us. In other words, billions of sensors and billions of IOT devices are all wirelessly connected and therefore cellular 5G communications, wifi and broad-spectrum communications are missing from the edge platforms. As a result, we're doing well with DOD and enterprise customers, because they have their Extreme core switches, but the switches don't understand cellular 5G, broad-spectrum. We provide value in that space. We offer the opportunity to go through APIs and integrate into wireless technologies. It's missing from the platform.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 10 years, from the time it was owned by Motorola.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. We have certified Extreme engineers who are very familiar with the solution. Depending on the service level agreement with our customers, we typically have three or four qualified staff members that can handle Extreme.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There is no problem with scalability. We have stackable switches for the IDFs and they have core switches for the MDFs. They can extend VLANs to the edge.
How are customer service and support?
The tech support is very helpful although there's always room for improvement.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward as long as you have an open API so it's just a matter of connecting the APIs that feed the threat intelligence into the infrastructure.
What other advice do I have?
if you're looking to embrace Extreme, it is a good alternative to Arista or to Cisco, but I would encourage investing in the certification of one or two people; one on the writing side and one on the firewall side. The OS is different for each product and I'm a big fan of defense and depth, meaning different routers at the edge, different switches at the core. Extreme is competitive from a price perspective. They're a really good alternative to a default Cisco, but I just think the OS and the underlying features are kind of quirky. You need someone on staff familiar with it.
Extreme doesn't have their own APs, they're leveraging the Motorola stuff they acquired. A lot of the extreme access points are now end-of-life, and customers that are using the T5, T511's and the T524 switches, which is kind of the VDSL and the Cat3 version, are upgrading because they're end-of-life.
I rate the solution nine out of 10.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-10-17T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1567812 from
Makes memory configuration easy but could be cheaper
What is most valuable?
Memory configuration is easy.
What needs improvement?
It could be cheaper in general.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years. It's useful for exporting files.
It's deployed on-premises.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. I'm satisfied with the performance.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is fine.
How was the initial setup?
Setup was easy. It only took a couple of hours to set up. We used a team of two engineers for deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is expensive. We pay for a license, but you have to pay more if you want to increase the number.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.
It's better to use one solution than to combine ExtremeSwitching with another solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-05-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Yintho Taev from
Performs well, reliable, and good support
What is our primary use case?
I am using ExtremeSwitching for networking in my organization.
What is most valuable?
The performance of ExtremeSwitching is good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using ExtremeSwitching for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of ExtremeSwitching is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 13 people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
I was satisfied with the technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation ExtremeSwitching is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is no license required to use the solution. The hardware controller is expensive, and this is why I prefer controlling ExtremeSwitching on the cloud.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend ExtremeSwitching for others.
I rate ExtremeSwitching a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-07T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Leon Ng from
Works well, has knowledgeable vendors, and is reliable
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution as a switch. It is deployed on the hardware. It's a hardware box.
We generally use it to connect to our systems and also connect to our users. That means it opens connections between the systems and the users. Of course, they also connect to the internet, connect to the printer, et cetera.
What is most valuable?
So far it is working quite well. It doesn't give us problems.
The solution is stable.
If you plan, you can scale the product.
Our vendors are great and they offer very good support services.
This pricing was pretty reasonable when we originally purchased the solution.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes there are some issues with the hardware, however, it is not very considerable.
We noticed over the years that the price of the Extreme Switches has been rising and this will become a concern in the future. Down the road, when I'm going to upgrade, when I purchase new Extreme Switches to refresh my current aging ones (which are already seven years plus old already), I'm worried about the pricing. It may require us to look into another product. Extreme should keep more to the pricing that is on a competitive level.
While technical support is okay, it could always be a bit better.
We would like to see better monitoring in the future. We'd like to see, for example, the ports that are having a lot of heavy traffic. We'd like to identify sources as well or identify what is the application currently running through that particular port on the switches.
The GUI could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about seven or so years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, so far we have had no issue. We have been quite satisfied with it. When we changed to Extreme, it was due to the fact that Cisco was expensive. This has been a good, reliable replacement.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable, however, you have to design for it. It's best to do some planning and to understand how many people you will add in the time you will use the switch. Right now, we are quite small and have about 500 connections.
How are customer service and support?
We get technical support from our vendor and they are pretty good overall. Of course, they could always be better.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've used Cisco and 3Com in the past. I used Cisco eight or nine years ago, so it's been a while since I've actually used it.
How was the initial setup?
Normally we engage together to work together with a vendor and so far, I haven't seen many problems. We already have it set up and running. Even with the upgrade to the next newer one, we can have the two configurations imported back in from there. Even if we can't import it, from the configuration, we will be able to set it up on the new ones. It will be easy.
What about the implementation team?
We had assistance from vendors when we were setting up the solution. They were very knowledgeable and experienced.
What was our ROI?
We noticed an ROI after five years. Some might notice it after seven.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing keeps going up and that is worrying us for when we need to upgrade in the future. Our concern is we will not be able to afford it.
What other advice do I have?
We are customers and end-users.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. If it came with more features out-of-the-box, I'd rate it a bit higher.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-04-25T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
MericDinc from
A comprehensive solution for compass projects with fabric and wifi with good pricing
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for Compass projects with fabric and Wi-Fi.
What is most valuable?
ExtremeSwitching fabric technology is a unique technology used to protect against viruses. ExtremeCloud IQ is a very good and feature-rich solution compared to Cisco, Ruxi Networks, or Huawei.
What needs improvement?
Extreme Networks does not have any entry-level products. This is a problem for them because Aruba has an Instant On series, which is new and cost-effective. Cisco also has the 1000 series, and other brands offer entry-level products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using ExtremeSwitching for more than eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution’s stability is very good. I’m not facing any hardware problems. Even if there is, they offer a lifetime warranty and smoothly exchange the switches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product’s scalability is excellent. In Turkey projects, we use more than 7000 ports in one branch, which is very good because fabric technology gives us tremendous flexibility.
There are more than 2,000 end users of the product in Turkey.
How are customer service and support?
ExtremeSwitching has the best after-sales technical support. Sometimes, when we face problems, we create a case, and the guys who attend to the case are very capable and good. Because of this, some clients even purchase white glove services from Extreme Networks' premier support. They are very satisfied with after-sales operations.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward since they are offering very good cloud services.
Deployment took around a couple of hours for small branches, but for large sizes with about 5000 ports, it will be about four or five days maximum.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
ExtremeSwitching offers very good pricing plans for their licenses. Compared to their rivals, ExtremeSwitching's prices are very affordable and reasonable. This is why our customers are happy to pay for their service critical support. ExtremeSwitching also offers a great portal to track clients, further satisfying our customers. They are always happy to pay for the service every month. The pricing is very reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
All ExtremeSwitching products are compliant with on-premises and cloud environments. In Turkey, the cloud is a new market; as of now, on-premises solutions still account for 60% of the market.
I advise focusing on the technologies rather than the brands because there are too many fans of Cisco or Aruba. Try to see how powerful the technology behind the external networks is. We’ve sold many ExtremeSwitching to Aruba and Cisco customers; they continued to buy ExtremeSwitching because the brand is not a good thing.
Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2023-09-04T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sachin Vinay from
Easy to configure, with a switching-level security feature
What is our primary use case?
We have over 50+ Extreme Routers in our enterprise. Our L3 switches also handle routing. We have over 50 L2 switches to handle the endpoints. When connecting directly to the endpoints, we use Extreme L2 switches. They are primarily in computer labs, IP environments, and research labs.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a switching-level security feature. We can easily implement ExtremeSwitching for each port server. This way we can ensure more security to the endpoints. It is easy to configure, even on the command line.
What needs improvement?
The solution as a whole has hardware quality issues. Even in small cases of lightning some ports will stop working and require RMS or other support to recover. We constantly run into hardware issues. The solution also lacks a dashboard to display session monitoring in order to view the switching-based attributes that require close watch.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we used HPE but the products are costly so we switched to the solution because it is budget-friendly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. It only took three days.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is budget-friendly especially when you buy in bulk. The price is hardware based. We paid 25,000 to 30,000 INR.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Aruba and Cisco-based products.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution an eight out of ten.
In the case of small businesses, the solution is budget-friendly and easy to configure.
Aruba and Cisco are preferred solutions but are more costly.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-09-11T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
reviewer1460562 from
Stable with good technical support and good stability
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the networking infrastructure. Actually, we use lots of products. Some are for the center of the infrastructure, and some are for the distribution and so on.
What is most valuable?
In our country, we have established a good relationship with the local representatives, and they made a good contract between us and the US, and they have offered good-priced performance rates for us. Mostly the price and the performance have been very valuable aspects of the solution for us.
You can scale the solution if you want to.
The stability has been largely pretty good.
What needs improvement?
The interface could be improved. Over the last few years, there have been acquisitions. Due to that, that, inevitably, there were some difficulties to get one management platform and keep it simple. Therefore, the interface, the user interface, the graphical user interface mostly, can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than 20 years. The brand's name has changed three times since I have started using them.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is mostly stable. We haven't really had any large problems with it over ht years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. It's not a problem.
We have about 2,000 users on the solution currently.
I just started at a different company that is also using this solution, and I am unsure as to if the company has plans to increase usage at this time.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been very helpful and responsive. We've enjoyed working with them for the most part so far.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup's level of difficulty can vary. It depends on the different settings that are needed by the company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the product has been reasonable. It's not overly expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I am just a customer and an end-user.
At my company, we tend to use private cloud deployments as we prefer to use private configurations.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I've been satisfied with how the solution has worked for me over the years.
I would recommend the solution, however, I would like to point out that it's very important to determine the real necessities of the organizations, and then select key products or brands that make sense.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2021-08-15T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of
5 by
AnkurKumar from
God performance, cost-effective, and capable of expanding
What is our primary use case?
We deploy the switches in a spine and leaf model, which is the current requirement. Earlier, we used to have a tier three model, like core distribution and access tier. Now, in the database center, we don't do this.
We connected all our servers to the leaf and read out to the traffic via the spine. And we enable EMVPN and LT routing on that switches. All meshed networks we configure with seamless connectivity to ISO.
How has it helped my organization?
We have a target market or small and medium-sized businesses. ExtremeSwitches is the perfect match for them. I will go and recommend ExtremeSwitches due to its cost-effectiveness. A small or medium business probably doesn't have the capital of a large-scale industry. Their net worth or turn turnover would be less than high capital gain companies like Apple or Google. ExtremeSwitches is the best solution for small or medium businesses in terms of cost-effectiveness and scalability.
That said, if a company doesn't want to compromise security features and performance, then Cisco is better.
What is most valuable?
It is meeting our expectations in terms of performance as well as cost-effectiveness.
The product is scalable.
What needs improvement?
In terms of support, they could be better.
They need to enhance their vulnerability assessment and security features.
There are latency issues that need to be addressed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this and related solutions for about 16 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The performance is good.
That said, quite often, the solution can crash. It is not meant for a large-scale business. It is meant for only small or medium businesses. There is some room for improvement required in the convergence time of the switch. Whenever we see the premise, there are certain protocols that go down at convergence.
There are so many clusters in the backend that failover. Sometimes we see the database crash. It could be a bit more reliable; however, it is fine for smaller businesses.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution scales quite well and quite easily.
We have had almost 2,000 users on the solution.
How are customer service and support?
When I see the tech engineers, they join the calls whenever there is any performance issue. Whenever there is an RMA required to replace the switches, they don't commit to the timelines.
Also, the support is not straightforward. There are so many processes in between. They lack responsiveness. Whenever we open a priority one case, they don't respond quickly at all.
If there is an outage, we don't have any options. Sometimes we feel embarrassed providing support to our business. In contrast, I don't see any issue in the support model of Cisco. They are timely and respond fast. Everything is on time, actually. Even RMA delivery, if we are enrolled with their smart support, they can deliver the product within four hours, which is quite good actually. In terms of the support model, ExtremeSwitches is lagging.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've been in this industry for about 16 years, so I've had the chance to work with multiple vendors and technologies. Other than ExtremeSwitches, most of the time, I worked on Cisco technologies or Brocade.
How was the initial setup?
We deployed the switches in a spine and leaf architecture-based model.
It's pretty straightforward in terms of configuration. The complexity comes into the picture when you are looking for robustness in the network. If it's a simple network, it's simple to deploy, however, with the advent of new technologies and with the advent of a low latency network and so many protocols and so many features being introduced, it can get complex. It all depends on what kind of business you are working with and how many features you want to enable in that particular switch.
The complexity comes when you enable many features in your switches or your environment. If you are working for Apple, they definitely look for security features. If you are working for a small or medium business, they will look for a cost-effective solution.
We have a team of eight people that can handle deployment and maintenance tasks. They have been able to extend support to businesses.
What about the implementation team?
We handle the initial setup. We do not outsource the tasks. Whenever we do any configuration changes and deployment altogether, we are the one who is responsible for making decisions and deploying the solution on the ground.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI in terms of using the solution. I'd rate the ROI potential at a three out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is very cost-effective. It's not overly expensive at all.
What other advice do I have?
If you are an SMB and looking for the most cost-effective solution, then you should definitely go for ExtremeSwitches. However, if you are not ready to compromise with the performance, then don't use it. Cisco or Brocade is much better in that regard; however, it also comes at a price.
Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2022-10-06T00:00:00-04:00