A technical overview of Cisco IoT part 5: Exploring Cisco's competition in the expanding IoT landscape
The fifth and final article in the Cisco IoT series explores how Cisco’s competitors are navigating the rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) landscape. Building on the previous installment, which covered Cisco Meraki, training resources, and certification pathways, this article shifts focus to examine how other key players in the networking industry are positioning themselves to capitalize on the IoT revolution.
IoT is transforming industries, with use cases expanding across healthcare, retail, manufacturing and beyond. It’s reshaping how organizations operate, offering enhanced security, cost savings and new capabilities through advanced sensor technologies. As this sector evolves, Cisco and its competitors are racing to offer innovative solutions. But how do Cisco’s competitors stack up when it comes to IoT? This article takes a closer look at Juniper, Aruba, Arista and other vendors to assess differing IoT strategies and where each stands in comparison.
SEE ALSO:
- A technical overview of Cisco IoT: Routing and switching
- A technical overview of Cisco IoT part 2: Hardware
- A technical overview of Cisco IoT part 3: Security essentials & industrial applications
- A technical overview of Cisco IoT part 4: Advancing IoT knowledge -- Cisco Meraki, training resources and certification pathways
Competitors in the IoT Space
While Cisco has made IoT a strategic focus, other networking vendors have taken varied approaches, typically integrating limited IoT support into their existing product lines. The common theme is offering hardened outdoor access points (APs) that may also serve as protocol translation gateways.
Juniper IoT
Juniper Networks has recently expanded into the hardened hardware space, focusing on “Cloud Metro” — a solution aimed at metro connectivity and similar to Cisco’s Connected Communities. Juniper’s Cloud Metro architecture supports secure metro networks with hardened hardware, AI-driven automation, 5G wireless and passive optical transport (PON). Though they provide infrastructure for metro networks, Juniper’s solutions do not highlight the same level of industrial protocol support that Cisco emphasizes in its IoT offerings.
For more information on Juniper's approach to IoT and Cloud Metro, explore their resources:
Aruba IoT
Aruba stands out as the most significant IoT contender, second only to Cisco. Aruba integrates IoT protocol support into its access points, enabling IP connectivity for services such as BLE and ZigBee, among others. They also provide Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP) for simplified IoT device integration. Aruba's IoT offerings are focused on indoor and industrial use cases, with hardened access points available for outdoor environments.
For additional details, visit:
Arista IoT
Arista Networks focuses on creating interconnected IoT-enabled campuses, supporting Power over Ethernet (PoE) appliances and IoT devices. Their approach is largely focused on indoor environments, such as educational institutions and healthcare facilities, where IoT can optimize operational efficiencies. However, Arista’s outdoor solutions are primarily centered around access points.
For more information:
A Broader Look at Other Vendors
Beyond these prominent IoT players, there is limited emphasis from networking vendors on supporting specific IoT protocols or sensors. This suggests that most vendors are expanding into IoT cautiously, building upon core product lines with incremental additions rather than making IoT a central focus of their strategy.
One notable observation is that many vendors -- including Juniper and Arista—are leveraging hardened metro networks as a gateway into the IoT market. This strategy offers solutions for outdoor sensors, city infrastructure and other connected environments. However, for more specialized low-power and battery-operated sensors — such as those used in LoRaWAN networks -- the market may be too niche for major networking vendors to pursue aggressively at this stage.
Conclusion
As the Internet of Things continues to evolve, it’s clear that Cisco remains the dominant force in this space, with a robust portfolio of IoT products and solutions that extend well beyond those of its competitors. While other vendors, such as Juniper, Aruba and Arista, are making moves into the IoT and metro network markets, efforts are generally more limited and focused on adjacent extensions of each brand’s existing offerings.
For businesses looking to capitalize on IoT, Cisco’s comprehensive and forward-looking approach provides a competitive edge, especially in areas like industrial protocol support, smart city infrastructure and robust security frameworks. To stay ahead of the curve and learn more about how IoT can transform your organization, consider exploring Cisco's full range of IoT solutions and certification pathways. The future of IoT is here, and it’s time to start integrating these advancements into your business strategy.
Image Credit: Ken Wolter / Dreamstime.com
With over 30 years of experience in networking, BlueAlly Architect and Technology Writer, Dr. Peter Welcher is a highly respected Cisco expert who not only assisted in developing the original Cisco IOS CLI but has taught, developed and co-developed several Cisco courses over the years.