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New Enterasys B5 and C5 switches offer an alternative solution to Cisco's 2960-S, 3560-X and 3750-X switches
Tue, 04/13/10 - 4:55pm    Add your comment

Earlier this week, network switch vendor Enterasys announced the introduction of its new B5 and C5 stackable swiches.

Interestingly, according to Jason King the Product Manager for Enterasys' Fixed Switching group, the new Enterasys B5 and C5 switches offer an alternative solution to the following Cisco Catalyst switch models:

2960-S

3560-X

3750-X

Enterasys Products by Tier (alternative solutions to Cisco)

To expound a little further, here's a short Q & A with Enterasys' Jason King:

Q: In your opinion, which exact Cisco products would the new Enterasys switches make great "alternative solutions" for?

A: "The Enterasys B5 and C5 stackable switches compete very favorably against the new Cisco Catalyst 2960-S, 3560-X and 3750-X switches. The Enterasys stackable switches are a cost effective alternative for customers looking to break away from add-on service contracts and optional accessories, such as uplink and stacking odules, which are necessary with the new Cisco switches. These post-sale add-ons contribute tens of thousands of dollars to both capital and on-going operational costs. While Cisco has made updates to its limited lifetime warranty to include services such as 90 days technical support, Enterasys goes beyond these baseline features to provide customers the best lifetime warranty in the industry, including software feature updates and phone support, both of which Cisco charges service contract fees. In going with Enterasys' comprehensive warranty over that of Cisco, a customer purchasing 150 switches could save upwards of $1 million in service contract fees over the life of their network refresh. In addition, the B5 and C5 switches have MTBF's that are anywhere from 160% to 209% that of a comparable Cisco model, resulting in a more reliable and longer-lasting switching solution for customers."

Q: Enterprises want alternatives, but Cisco has been very good at "blocking" their use. Can you give me your take on why enterprise users are looking to diversify vendors within the network instead of being "locked-in" to Cisco?

A: "Customers want to know they are receiving the most value for their dollar spend. In a May 2009 report titled "Introducing a Second Network Vendor Saves Money and Solidifies Operations," Gartner states that introducing a second vendor will reduce CAPEX by at least 30% and often more. Coupled that with the fact that Enterasys solutions can be as much as 25% more cost effective than Cisco, this leads to significant bottom line savings for customers. Enterasys solutions provide a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over Cisco solutions, not only in terms of warranty and service costs, but also with the Enterasys policy-based automation capabilities, which span across the wired and wireless portfolio. Enterasys policy-based automation can translate into customers saving half a year’s work hours per administrator in managing their network over the majority of Cisco switching solutions."

What's your take, do the new Enterasys B5 and C5 switches offer a good alternative solution to Cisco's 2960-S, 3560-X and 3750-X switches?

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