The legal tangle over intellectual property between cloud networking upstart Arista Networks Inc. (ANET +4.19%) and networking giant Cisco Systems (CSCO 0.55%) will run well into next year, with the final effect on Arista's business still uncertain. But how do the two companies fare against each other in a side-to-side comparison of financial metrics? In the following slideshow, we evaluate both companies using a number of different benchmarks.To get a bird's-eye view of their relative performance, simply click through the accompanying presentation below:
Key Metrics Face-Off: Arista Networks vs. Cisco Systems
By Asit Sharma – Dec 28, 2015 at 10:30AM
NASDAQ: CSCO
Cisco Systems

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$279B
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Price as of October 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET
The two rivals are battling each other in court. But in the battle of financial measurements, who wins?
About the Author
Asit Sharma, CPA, is a Senior Investment Analyst and Lead Advisor at The Motley Fool.
Prior to his current position, Asit was a contributing writer and editor for Fool.com, CFO of a middle-market manufacturer, and a finance consultant.
He holds a B.A. in English Literature from UNC-Chapel Hill and a M.A. in English Literature from New York University.