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Cisco Nexus  is used in data centers with a simple Nexus OS deployment model. In our environment, we do not use programmability with Cisco Nexus . The switches are used very basically in our infrastructure.

Cisco Nexus is typically used for data centers and layer two connectivity. We do not use ACI, layer three, or any programmability, simply switching. I am currently migrating from the Nexus EX series to the Nexus FX3 series switches. I encountered an issue where different models within the same series, the 95308 DC, do not support VPC between the EX series and FX3 series. Although I asked our account manager to provide a solution for a smooth transition from the EX to FX3 series, we currently have significant work ahead of us. We need to obtain downtime from management because we have VPCs enabled with two switches per cabinet, and we need to replace these two switches with the FX3 series because the EX series is now end-of-life. I am installing them in parallel to minimize downtime. If Cisco could support VPC between the two different models of the same series, the transition would be very smooth.

The biggest problems during migration were corporate issues, including dependencies on other devices such as F5, HSMs, and firewalls from Palo Alto. Everything was connected over the core switches, which made this a quite difficult part to manage and to onboard the teams and to understand the impact of the migration.

We encountered an issue where we have two data centers, and unknowingly we were configuring the devices with the same VPC number on both devices. By doing that, we were not able to terminate the lease lines over those core switches. According to Cisco, we had to change the VPC number of one of the data center's core switches since they are in a VPC. We are still waiting, and it has been more than five to six years just to change the VPC number and migrate back the lease line. Now we are having cabin switches for the lease line and then the core switch. That VPC number issue was quite surprising for us.

However, we have a very frequent issue with Cisco Nexus, particularly with the SFPs. Every time a port or the SFP heats up, it gets faulty. We have almost sixteen Nexus switches per data center. In a year, we experience one or two port issues per annum. We have standard Equinix data centers with standard installations, but somehow the temperature is always maintained and there is no ducting, yet the ports and the SFPs heat up or become faulty. This is a very frequent issue with the SFP-based port.

I have been using Cisco Nexus for about nine years.

Cisco support is helpful. I would rate the support of Cisco an eight out of ten.

We transitioned from the Catalyst  2960 and the Catalyst  6500 series switches to Cisco Nexus switches, which follow our traditional spanning tree and core distribution and access layer models. We kept the same hierarchical models and did not introduce ACI or any other spine-leaf configurations, so VXLAN is not used in our model.

The deployment of Cisco Nexus was very straightforward.

I was part of the team that deployed Cisco Nexus. We have a collective team to deploy Cisco Nexus because we were actually migrating from the Catalyst 6509 to the Nexus 9508, which was our core switch. Although the Nexus configuration was quite easy, the whole migration process was quite difficult and involved almost onboarding all the company.

I participated in the deployment of our core switch 9508 model, Cisco Nexus 9508.

Dependending on the experience and the expertise, I believe a single person can deploy Cisco Nexus.

The migration took about two or three months.

I do not use Cisco Nexus to support multi-tenant environments.

Regarding micro-segmentation, segmentation of the tasks on Cisco Nexus is quite useful.

We do not use the VXLAN feature with Cisco Nexus because VXLAN is used for ACI, and we are not using ACI.

I manage the licensing for Cisco Nexus, but the pricing is handled by a third team, the procurement team. Therefore, I have no idea about how much the cost of all the renewals and the new devices is.

I would rate this product a nine out of ten overall.

We are dealing with Cisco switches and Fortinet firewalls.

I have worked with Cisco Nexus  as well.

In the field, I have been working for the last 20, 22, or 24 years.

I have been recommending Cisco Nexus  because it's good.

Cisco Nexus is good to work on, but we are mostly working on Cisco core switches and edge switches.

I would recommend Cisco Nexus for large enterprises and the government sector, as they can afford it.

Cisco Nexus may not be very popular because of the requirements that we come across, as it will go into the core data centers, whereas we work with most of the corporate sectors, so Cisco Nexus is not a frequent seller, and you'll find more edge switches selling in the market.

It might be pretty expensive for other companies.

I don't think there are any other particular disadvantages of Cisco Nexus besides their pricing.

I have been working with Cisco overall for almost six, seven years.

In my opinion, Cisco's technical support is good.

We are a reseller, and we sell products to our customers.

We deal with Aruba, Cisco, and HP Aruba, so we mostly deal with Cisco.

It's not necessary it has to be Cisco, but mostly we deal with Cisco.

I can share my experience dealing with Fortinet and Cisco now.

I have to check the technical features then; I don't remember them by heart, honestly speaking, so I need to put it to my technical guy for the interview.

If you wish to align a detailed interview, then let's schedule a proper time for that, as I've been receiving calls continuously for the last three, four days.

On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution a seven.

We are not using AWS  and have never used it. We are using the interface onboard. We are using the web application and trying this solution. We want to try Radware solution for cloud WAF .

We tried some software such as Check Point and FortiNet web, though I don't remember the exact names for these types. We are using Microsoft, Cisco Nexus , and normal products on-premises.

There are no special problems at this moment. It runs efficiently. We aren't using special features on the switch.

Regarding maintaining infrastructure, we have achieved uniformity. For us, we have a time advantage because we know the solution, and the technological refresh is easier. The advantage is approximately 20%.

All solutions are very expensive and not an economy solution.

The solution is on-premises and stable.

We haven't tried integration with the network software.

I rate this solution eight out of ten.

The installation is handled by our partners, so this is not our concern.

The solution is on-premises and stable.

We have a partner that solves our problems through contact with our Cisco Nexus  partner.

Regarding maintaining infrastructure, we have achieved uniformity. For us, we have a time advantage because we know the solution, and the technological refresh is easier. The advantage is approximately 20%.

We have never used other solutions. We use Dell for a specific case, but it is installed by Dell for Dell machines. We don't administer these types of switches as the solution is managed by Dell, not by us.

The installation is handled by our partners, so this is not our concern.

We have a partner that solves our problems through contact with our Cisco Nexus partner.

The return on investment is more than 20%.

All solutions are very expensive and not an economy solution.

We have never used other solutions. We use Dell for a specific case, but it is installed by Dell for Dell machines. We don't administer these types of switches as the solution is managed by Dell, not by us.

We are trying this solution and want to try Radware solution for cloud WAF .

We tried some software such as Check Point and FortiNet web.

The installation is handled by our partners, so this is not our concern.

This is private information for Cisco Nexus networking.

The solution is on-premises and stable.

Regarding maintaining infrastructure, we have achieved uniformity. For us, we have a time advantage because we know the solution, and the technological refresh is easier.

I rate this solution eight out of ten.

I use Cisco Nexus  for our data center.

The VPC feature of Cisco Nexus  is great because it provides an active-active way of forwarding the traffic and avoids blocking any of the links. It also helps prevent STP loops, which is a valuable feature. Additionally, Cisco Nexus allows me to connect additional devices, such as FEX devices, when we need to extend services or connect physical servers. This capability of connecting additional factors as uplinks to Cisco Nexus is very beneficial. Overall, it has helped streamline network-related operations with its automation and API capabilities. It provides visibility and configuration options, aiding significantly in network management initiatives.

When I talk about data centers, which are critical infrastructure and centralized application hubs, the Nexus platforms should be highly stable. Initially, the codes I received through ACI were quite unstable, causing me to frequently replace them, which led to significant issues. However, it is much more stable now. Nonetheless, the initial instability with ACI iOS upgrades was a significant problem.

I have approximately seven to eight years of experience working with Cisco Nexus.

The deployment was a few months project. We have a huge data center catering to the entire region as the central application hub, so it took quite a number of months to get into production.

Initially, the stability of Cisco Nexus, particularly with the ACI, was problematic due to unstable codes, requiring replacements. However, the stability has improved significantly.

I would rate the scalability of Cisco Nexus as eight out of ten.

I would rate Cisco's technical support at seven out of ten.

Before Cisco Nexus, I used Cisco's earlier product, the 6500 chassis-based switches. I switched to Cisco Nexus ACI as it offered more advanced capabilities.

The initial setup of Cisco Nexus, especially with ACI, was complex. Understanding the functionality and operation of ACI was a struggle. However, now that I am accustomed to it, it is manageable.

Overall, ACI has provided beneficial capabilities with software-defined code, speeding up our response times and reducing errors and incidents with automation and available APIs.

The price of Cisco Nexus is on the higher side due to the premium services Cisco offers. Despite the cost, it offers valuable features and services.

Nowadays, many people are exploring other products like Sonic, which are white box solutions. However, larger organizations such as banks still rely on Cisco.

I recommend Cisco Nexus depending on the organization's needs. Bigger organizations, like banks or major enterprises, may benefit from implementing Cisco Nexus in their data centers. I would rate Cisco Nexus overall at seven out of ten.

We use Cisco Nexus  as a switching platform in all our data centers. We are running dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP. On a few platforms, we also use MPLS and LDP protocols, along with MP-BGP to facilitate network efficiency.

Cisco Nexus  provides a reliable switching platform for our data centers. It allows us to run dynamic routing protocols and helps improve network efficiency with features like MPLS.

Additionally, it supports integration with third-party security tools, which is advantageous for our network architecture. Security-wise, we utilize Cisco's solutions while exploring other vendor options too.

Cisco's security features are in line with other OEMs, however, for data center security in terms of layer seven security, we prefer to have different OEMs rather than relying solely on Cisco.

I have been working with Nexus for around ten years.

Cisco Nexus satisfies our needs for scalability.

Support-wise, Cisco generally resolves problems. However, some issues require escalation to higher managerial levels for resolution. It sometimes takes time, but issues are always eventually resolved.

The deployment does not take much time because all the SOPs, templates, and planning are in place beforehand, making the deployment process efficient.

The bill of material and calculation is done while comparing Cisco Nexus with other OEMs. Cisco often provides a competitive price with significant discounts, and since it is a proven technology with well-trained resources available, it is our preferred choice.

Cisco pricing is at the same level as many competitors, however, due to competition, they sometimes lower prices and offer large discounts.

People can also look at other OEMs, though we recommend Cisco Nexus.

Overall, I rate Cisco Nexus between eight out of ten. We recommend Cisco Nexus, however, other OEMs should also be considered.