By the numbers, IT professionals buy more gear from Cisco than they do from either 3Com or HP, but its obvious by the scores of comments generated by a recent Network World article comparing the vendors, they still like to rail against the network giant and its policies.
"I see new products from 3COM, HP, Juniper, etc. as being comparable to the Cisco offering," one IT pro says, "but Cisco just keeps trudging ahead with some pretty impressive market numbers. What makes Cisco so appealing?"
Review: 10Gig Ethernet access switch shootout
Another reader responded with the theory that Cisco puts the hammer down on its resellers that try to push someone else's gear, and that customers go along with their resellers. Pervasive, though, is the Cisco cachet, which one reader says is perpetuated by Cisco resellers. "There are several aspects at play here with the "Cisco Allure" however it mostly has to do with the reseller that the end user aligns themselves with," the commenter says. "It is quite typical for a company to see a particular reseller as their 'trusted adviser' and do whatever they tell them."
Training needed to run and maintain Cisco gear was a sour note among many readers. "Find a Cisco engineer and spend all your time trying to get them to be effective on just one product line," one wrote. "This tends to drive up TCO with the need for specialized talent, not reduce it."
What several readers would rather see is someone versed in the basics of networking, not the specifics of Cisco gear. "Either they know how IP and Ethernet switching works or they don't," one reader wrote. "Or do they just know how to cut and paste from the Cisco website? When I hire people they need to have an open mind, know how IP and Ethernet switching works and a good ability to read."
One IT pro said the problem is not unique to Cisco because each vendor implements technology with its own quirks. "Some amount of retraining and learning curve is inevitable when moving from one vendor to another in order to become proficient in configuration and the use of debugging/troubleshooting tools," the IT pro wrote. "The protocols may be the same, but there can be vast differences in how you enable them with different vendors."
Each of the vendors had loyalists among the readers. One HP user says he's tried Cisco gear but sticks with HP. "We have looked a Cisco switches several times. Cisco even offered to price match HP a couple of times," the reader says. "But each time we go back to HP switches. They're solid, dependable, and full-featured. I've had one HP switch/hub die in 18 years. The reliability of HP can't be beat."
Another IT veteran says there is a tradeoff in quality picking HP over Cisco: "The value debate is clearly subjective - some people buy their clothes at WalMart, and it shows. I'll gladly pay more for a quality product that lasts." To which another reader responds: "True that. HP has a background in engineering while Cisco is an acquisition company so that makes Cisco the Walmart of networking."
Huawei and its H3C joint venture with 3Com has some fans among commenters, with one claiming it offers a complete portfolio, simple management tools and low power use. But others were harsh toward the company and its strong ties to China.
"R&D in China means 'Reverse Engineering'. No original design will come from there. Huawei is using 3Com to push their low quality and cheap products in North America," one IT pro says. But that comment was countered with this: "So, how come that a lot of the European Telecoms Carriers use Huawei? How come that large enterprises (SNCF, Israeli government, PSA, etc., etc.) have moved to H3C?"
Also an issue was the Cisco 2003 lawsuit against Huawei charging that the company unlawfully copied Cisco's IOS for Huawei products. The suit was dropped 18 months later when it seemed that rogue individuals at Huawei were misappropriating the code, not that the company authorized it as a policy. "So what you are saying," one reader quipped, "is that you get the same switch but for a much lower price, looks like an easy choice for me!"
Juniper should not be left out of the debate when weighing Cisco against other switch vendors. "The [Juniper EX switch] product range is excellent with a stronger feature set compared to the typical Cisco products," one IT professional writes.
"The HP and 3COM alternatives cut it if you want basic switching but when you push them they really start to fall apart."
