Avaya vs. Cisco: A Comparison of LAN and WAN Infrastructure

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Avaya vs. Cisco: A Comparison of LAN and WAN Infrastructure Publish Date: April, 2010

Avaya and Cisco are two of the leading network equipment vendors. Info-Tech’s five-year comparison of their LAN and WAN infrastructure demonstrates that customers can save as much as 54% by choosing Avaya. In addition to these cost savings, their focus on delivering reliability, improving efficiency, and increasing scalability makes Avaya a persuasive alternative to buying Cisco. .

© 1998-2008 Info-Tech Research Group www.infotech.com

Executive Summary IT spending is more closely scrutinized than ever, and cost has become a very important consideration when selecting an equipment vendor. To help enterprise IT management choose between the leading LAN and WAN infrastructure vendors, Info-Tech has compared the cost of Avaya Inc. versus Cisco Systems.

This research note compares several scenarios, including: »

Small, medium, and large high-availability campus LAN configurations.

»

Small branch, mid-sized regional office, and large regional/head office WAN configurations.

»

Network performance, energy efficiency, and price discounting considerations.

In every case – six scenarios in all – the cost of Avaya infrastructure is lower than Cisco, with enterprises saving from 27% to 54% by choosing Avaya. Enterprises of all sizes should the evaluate equipment and support costs when making a purchase decision on networking equipment. IT managers should also be cognizant of qualitative factors, such as a vendor’s reputation for service and support, and the solution’s fit within existing enterprise architecture, to make a well-rounded decision.

Selection Advice 2 Avaya vs. Cisco: LAN and WAN Infrastructure Cost Comparison www.infotech.com

Selection Point Info-Tech recently compared the CAPEX and ongoing support costs of LAN and WAN infrastructure from leading vendors Cisco Systems and Avaya. The evaluation examines the following components: »

List price (CAPEX) of various products.

»

Annual support and maintenance contracts (assumes 8x5 technical support and Next Business Day (NBD) advanced hardware replacement for Cisco and 24x7xNBD for Avaya. This is because Avaya does not have an 8x5xNBD support option, and Cisco does not have a 24x7xNBD option).

»

All prices are stated in US dollars.

These are the costs that can be compared, and make the most significant difference in a five-year cost comparison. To address the difference in LAN size, and accurately reflect different products used in varying sized implementations, the following scenarios are compared: »

A small 250 port LAN without Power over Ethernet (PoE) and with a High-Availability (HA) option used at the network core.

»

A medium 1750 port LAN with PoE and HA at the network core.

»

A large 3000 port LAN with PoE, Gigabit-to-the-desktop, and HA at the network core.

Similarly, to address different WAN requirements and office sizes, the following scenarios are used: »

15 small branch offices requiring a maximum of 2 T1s for WAN connectivity.

»

5 mid-sized branch or regional offices requiring a maximum of 8 T1s for WAN connectivity.

»

2 large regional or head offices requiring a maximum of 3 DS3s for WAN connectivity.

In all cases, product features and functionality are matched as closely as possible to ensure an applesto-apples comparison.


Key Selection Criteria In each of the following six scenarios, a graph shows the cost elements over five years. The list of products can be found below each graph, as well as pricing details. Info-Tech believes this to be as complete and accurate as possible, and all assumptions have been disclosed.

Scenario Comparisons Scenario 1: Small 250 User Campus LAN

Figure 1. 250 User Campus LAN Cost Comparison Source: Info-Tech Research Group

Product Lists Cisco

Avaya

Edge – 6xCisco Catalyst 2960-48TC-L

Edge – 6xAvaya ERS 2550T

Core – 2xCisco Catalyst C3750E-24TD-S

Core – 2xAvaya ERS 5530


Pricing Details Cisco

Avaya

Total CAPEX

$45,960

$27,160

Maintenance & Support

$15,700

$8,850

5 Year Cost Comparison

$61,660

$36,010

Cost Savings

42%

In this scenario, Avaya represents a 42% five-year cost savings over Cisco.


Scenario 2: Mid-Sized 1750 User Campus LAN


Product Lists Cisco

Avaya

Edge – 37xCisco Catalyst C3560-48PS-S

Edge – 37xAvaya ERS 4550T-PWR

Core – 2xCisco Catalyst 4506 Chassis (WS-C4506-E)

10x46cm Resilient Stacking Cable

2xCisco Catalyst 4500 Power Supply (Data Only PWR-C45-1400AC)

Core – 2xAvaya 8300 Series 6 Slot Chassis (ERS 8306)

2xCisco Catalyst 4500 Supervisor Module (WS-X45-SUP6-E)

2xAvaya 8301 AC Power Supply (DS1405A14)

2xCisco Catalyst 48 Port Gb Module (WSX4448-GB-SFP)

2xAvaya Switch Fabric Module (ERS 8393SF) 2xAvaya 48 Port SFP Fiber Module (ERS 8348GB)



Avaya

Total CAPEX

$326,275 $223,725


$110,420 $49,400


$436,695 $273,125

Cost Savings

37%



Scenario 3: Large 3000 User Campus LAN


Product Lists Cisco

Avaya

Edge – 64xCisco Catalyst C3750G-48PS-S

Edge – 64xAvaya ERS 5520-48T-PWR

16x1 Meter Stacking Cable (CAB-STACK1M)

16x1 Meter Return Cable

Core – 2xCisco Catalyst 6506 6 Slot Chassis (WS-C6506-E)

Core – 2xAvaya 8600 Series 6 Slot Chassis (ERS 8006)

2xCisco Catalyst 6500 Power Supply (WSCAC-6000W)

2xAvaya ERS 8000 Routing Switch SW Kit


Product Lists (Continued) Cisco

Avaya

2xCisco Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Module (WS-SUP720)

2xAvaya Power Supply Unit (ERS 8005 PSU)

4xCisco Catalyst 48 Port Gb Module (WSX6548-GE-TX)

4xAvaya Switch Fabric Module (ERS 8692SF) 4xAvaya 48 Port Gb Module (ERS 8630GBR)


Avaya

Total CAPEX

$1,118,280 $696,340


$401,640


$1,519,920 $864,040

Cost Savings

$167,700

43%



Scenario 4: 15 Small Branch Office WAN

Figure 4. 15 Small Branch Office WAN Cost Comparison Source: Info-Tech Research Group

Product Lists Cisco

Avaya

15xCisco ISR G2 2901 (includes 2xT1/E1 WIC - WIC-1DSU-T1-V2 and Advanced Security Bundle - CISCO2901-SEC/K9)

15xAvaya SR 1002 (includes 2xT1/E1 Interface and Stateful Firewall)


Avaya

Total CAPEX

$73,425

$37,425


$26,325

$8,625


Pricing Details (Continued)

5 Year Cost Comparison Cost Savings

Cisco

Avaya

$99,750

$46,050 54%



Scenario 5: Five Mid-Sized Branch Office WAN

Figure 5. Five Mid-Sized Branch Office WAN Cost Comparison Source: Info-Tech Research Group

Product Lists Cisco

Avaya

5xCisco ISR G2 2951 (Includes 4x2 Port WICs - VWIC2-2MFT-T1/E1 and Advanced Security Bundle – CISCO2951-SEC/K9)

5xAvaya SR 3120 (Includes 8 Port T1/E1 Medium Module and Stateful Firewall)


Avaya

Total CAPEX

$94,475

$44,475


$29,925

$17,250


Pricing Details (Continued) Cisco 5 Year Cost Comparison Cost Savings

Avaya

$124,400 $61,725 50%



Scenario 6: Two Large Regional/Head Office WAN

Figure 6. Two Large Regional/Head Office WAN Cost Comparison Source: Info-Tech Research Group

Product Lists Cisco

Avaya

2xCisco ISR G2 3945 (Includes 3xDS3 NM - NM-1T3/E3 and Advanced Security Bundle - CISCO3945-SEC/K9)

2xAvaya SR 4134 (Includes 3xDS3 Medium Interface Module and Stateful Firewall)



Avaya

Total CAPEX

$79,790

$58,140


$17,350

$13,080


$97,140

$71,220

Cost Savings

27%


The above scenarios compare the features and functionality of the products as closely as possible; however, there will be some differences in performance even in comparable models.

Performance, Energy, and Discounting Considerations With respect to energy efficiency, Avaya seems poised to take the lead in greening enterprise networks. In recent testing completed by The Tolly Group (titled “Converged Data Network Solutions”, published March 2010), it was found that the Avaya ERS 8600 saves up to 40% on power consumption cost versus comparable Cisco Catalyst 6500s. Energy costs to operate enterprise LAN and WAN infrastructure are a significant component of cost evaluations, as today’s energy costs continue to skyrocket. A 40% savings on power consumption goes a long way towards helping to reduce data center operations costs. Purchasing more energy efficient products today will lead to a significant payoff in the coming years.


Recommendations Info-Tech consistently recommends that enterprises carefully consider lifetime costs prior to making purchasing decisions. In the case of LAN and WAN infrastructure, focus on the following cost drivers: 1. Up-front CAPEX is the largest cost comparison component. The cost of the equipment is, and will continue to be, the most significant contributor to overall costs. CAPEX typically represents over 80% of the five-year costs when using list pricing, so enterprises should closely scrutinize the up-front cost of the equipment. 2. Maintenance and support is not insignificant. Use caution when selecting vendor support plans. In this analysis, Info-Tech assumed support to be 8x5xNBD for Cisco and 24x7xNBD for Avaya, but premium support packages such as 24x7x4 On-Site (4 hour on-site hardware replacement) can be over 50% more expensive. 3. Power consumption is becoming a consideration. While LAN and WAN infrastructure does not consume power like servers and HVAC, as the price of energy continues to increase and as more PoE enabled devices are attached to the LAN, power consumption should be considered in purchasing decisions. The efficiency of a solution is an important component of the overall cost of ownership.

Bottom Line Avaya and Cisco are two of the leading network equipment vendors. Info-Tech’ five-year comparison of their LAN and WAN infrastructure demonstrates that the premium paid for Cisco products can be over 100%. In addition to cost-savings, their focus on delivering reliability, improving efficiency, and increasing scalability makes Avaya a persuasive alternative to buying Cisco.

Info-Tech provides IT research and advice to more than 21,000 IT professionals worldwide. Our practical, actionable research is specifically designed to have a clear and direct impact on your organization. Info-Tech's products and services help our clients work faster and more effectively. Our research improves the IT decision-making process, expedites critical IT projects, and helps our clients keep current – enabling them to achieve greater personal and corporate success. More About Info-Tech Selection Advice 16 Avaya vs. Cisco: LAN and WAN Infrastructure Cost Comparison www.infotech.com

Avaya vs. Cisco: A Comparison of LAN and WAN Infrastructure

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