The 8 Best-Selling Networking Switch Brands
The Networking Switches Market
Netgear and
Cisco remained the dominant forces in networking switches sold through
distributors during the third quarter of 2016, according to new data from The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y. The research firm
compiles data in its DistributorTrack sales database from leading distributors
in the U.S. Global Technology Distribution Council.
The total
number of switching units sold during the quarter was 602,004, down 4.2 percent
year over year, with many of the top companies showing double-digit percentage
declines including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, D-Link and Juniper Networks.
Here are the
top eight leaders by brand who sold the most switching units from July to
September in 2016.
1. Cisco
Unit Share:
35.4 percent
The networking
giant remained the unit share leader in switching, capturing 35.4 percent of
the unit share and coming in around 8 points above Netgear. Cisco Systems had
four of the top ten bestselling switches for the quarter including its Catalyst
2960X 24-port switch.
The San Jose,
Calif.-based network leader sold 213,246 units in the quarter, which is a 7
percent drop compared to the 229,253 units Cisco sold during the same quarter
one year ago. Cisco unit share slightly dropped year-over-year, from 36.5
percent in Q3 2015, to 35.4 percent.
2. Netgear
Unit Share:
27.7 percent
Netgear had the
top four best-selling switches for the quarter including the most sold product
in the distribution market: its ProSAFE GS-105NA 5-port switch, according to
The NPD Group. The second best-selling switch in the market was Netgear's
ProSAFE FS105 5-Port Fast Ethernet desktop switch.
The San Jose,
Calif.-based network gear maker captured 27.7 unit share up from 24.9
percent year over year. Netgear sold 166,613 units in the quarter, compared to
156,752 units last year, a 6 percent improvement.
3. Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Unit Share:
11.4
HPE made a
significant investment last year to boost its networking portfolio with the
acquisition of Aruba Networks for $3 billion. Aruba CEO Dominic Orr recently
told CRN that the company is building a low-end network product
line targeting the SMB market as well as his plans to "accelerate"
the rate of acquisitions.
Looking at
third quarter numbers, HPE's unit share fell to 11.4 percent, down from 12.9
percent one year ago. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company sold 68,532 units for
the quarter, a decrease from the 80,978 units it sold in Q3 2015 – representing
a decline of 15 percent year over year.
4. TP-Link
Unit Share: 5.2
The only ranked
vendor on this list to post double-digit growth year over year was
Chinese-based manufacturer TP-Link. The company nabbed 5.2 percent unit share,
up from 4 percent one year ago. TP-Link sold 31,305 switching units during the
quarter, up from 24,917 units last year – representing a 25 percent increase.
The company's
5-port gigabit desktop switch, the TL-SG1005D, was the fifth highest selling
switching product for the quarter, according to NPD Group
5. D-Link
Unit Share: 3.9
Taiwan-based
networking equipment maker D-Link took the number five spot in the quarter
owning 3.9 percent of the unit share, down from 5.6 percent share compared to
the same quarter a year ago. Looking at units sold in Q3 2016, D-Link tallied
23,281, down from nearly 35,000 last year.
D-Link recently
unveiled that it has joined forces with software giant Microsoft to deliver
faster Wi-Fi to rural communities around the globe.
6. TRENDnet
Unit Share: 3
percent
Coming in at
No. 6 for switching units in the third quarter was TRENDnet. The Torrance,
Calif.-based networking vendor has distribution partnerships with the likes of
Synnex, Ingram Micro, D&H and Tech Data.
TRENDnet
captured 3 percent unit share for the quarter, down from 4.3 percent share
year-over-year. The amount of units sold also declined for TRENDnet from 26,899
in Q3 2015 to 17,920, representing a 33 percent decline.
7. Juniper Networks
Unit Share: 2.1
percent
Sunnyvale,
Calif.-based Juniper Networks, which has already acquired two companies in
2016, took 2.1 percent unit share for the third quarter, down from 2.9 percent
unit share last year. Juniper sold 12,471 units for the quarter through
distribution, down from 17,936 units compared to the same quarter one year ago
-- representing a 30 percent decline.
Juniper CEO Rami Rahim
told CRN last month that the company is placing its M&A
bets in the silicon photonic domain as well as shifting resources toward
becoming a software-centric company.
8. Brocade Communications
Unit Share: 1.9
percent
A massive
transition is currently underway at Brocade Communication as the networking
vendor is being acquired by semiconductor maker Broadcom for $5.9 billion.
Additionally, San Jose, Calif.-based Broadcom acquired Ruckus Wireless earlier
this year for $1.2 billion, although Broadcom said it would divest Broadcom's
networking business including Ruckus.
Looking at the
Q3 numbers from NPD Group, Brocade captured 1.9 percent unit share, slightly
down from 2 percent compared to one year ago. The vendor sold 11,542 units
during the quarter, down from 12,770 year-over-year.
