Cisco ACI Reviews

We use Cisco ACI for data center software-defined networking. Instead of restricting ourselves to older Cisco data center networking like 6500 switches for servers or Nexus devices or 6500 core switches, I personally like the flexibility of Cisco ACI to grow the data center footprint and stability Cisco was promising with new 6500 like architecture. That is when I decided to go for software-defined networking, where you can program things and do it better.

We also had something coming up on the horizon where two different MUFG entities were likely to come together  and start consolidating Infrastructure, namely MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities. Cisco ACI is like cloud data center networking or cloud networking in your private DCs, where you have a multi-tenancy. The real use case for Cisco ACI was to segment two different entities and put them on the same network hardware but still have a completely segregated separate environment. That was the reason why we went for Cisco ACI.

Cisco ACI has saved us more than 50% of the cost in terms of what we do in networking. Without Cisco ACI, we would have needed two distinct networking stacks, two cores, and two different server connectivity platforms for the two entities I manage today as Head of Network for MUFG Bank and Securities

We are now in a common data center for both entities. Instead of having a duplicate of everything in a data center, I can run two different entities on same networking platform and have the flexibility of the cloud within my own DC.

We are using Cisco ACI primarily for data center operations. We are creating different remote channels for segmentation and structuring our network, building routes for traffic management, and implementing micro-segmentation from end-to-end for traffic management.

Robustness is a key aspect. Stability and robustness are what we are banking on. It is essential for growing our data center connectivity and enablement for our customers. It is a must for us. The routing of traffic is one of our main focuses when utilizing Cisco ACI.

I work as an integrator and reseller for Cisco ACI, which helps in network automation and application deployment.

Cisco ACI was the first product in the market, offering stability with a significant install base. Its features, like easy application deployment, short deployment time for new applications or software, and eliminating the hassle of STP, are appreciated. Additionally, performance capabilities like connectivity of forty gs and one hundred gs and security integration are key benefits.

Cisco ACI is used as an automation solution for the DC environment. The solution is also used for the implementation of agile services with the customer sites.

The most valuable features of Cisco ACI are micro-segmentation, the VXLAN, and the ACI flattening services. The solution's policy extension or unified policy within each remote site is homogeneous to the entire environment.

We primarily use it for network-centric applications and environments. It's mostly used for migrating traditional three-tier networks to the ACI infrastructure.

Automation features have been most beneficial for managing complex networks.

My company was one of the first to deploy Cisco ACI in Montreal six years ago. I work in a multinational company with offices worldwide, such as in Bangladesh and Honduras, apart from Montreal.

My company has data centers fully integrated with VMware and then uses Cisco ACI for server segmentation.

My company bought Cisco ACI for data center extension between two geographical spots, and it's working well and stable.

Cisco ACI, networking-wise, is amazing. It's made for networking—all networking features work. The solution is easy to extend with VXLAN, and you can have the same security features between the data centers if you wish. It's straightforward to move the VMware server from Montreal to another place, for example, from Toronto to the West Coast; it's not a problem.

I also like the newer version's central management and troubleshooting configuration, as it's not complicated.

I especially like the host-based routing feature of Cisco ACI because it's straightforward to do it on different data centers.

Another valuable feature of Cisco ACI is that its management controller works very well with no issues.

I primarily use ACI to design data centers.

ACI's most valuable feature is sizing - you can easily find the sizing of the data, which means the data speed, CPU, and virtualization can be determined.

Over the past six years, I've gained extensive experience with Cisco ACI, working on diverse solutions. This includes multi-site projects, like one involving a private bank with interconnected data centers utilizing Dark Fiber and Cisco ACI for seamless operations. I've also successfully integrated Cisco ACI with Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift to support container-based applications. I've played a dual role as an instructor, teaching Cisco ACI topics, and actively participating in various ACI-related projects. These projects have covered single-site, multi-site, and multi-tenant infrastructures, involving aspects like design, implementation, troubleshooting, and training, giving me a comprehensive understanding of the ACI ecosystem.

Our clients find several features of Cisco ACI particularly valuable, like the ability to create Service Graphs and employ Policy-Based Routing in an Application-Centric manner. One significant attraction for clients in Iran is the robustness of multicast solutions, which has been a major driver for them to migrate to Cisco ACI. It's worth noting that in Iran, the predominant IT infrastructure is on-premises, with limited usage of AWS or hybrid solutions.