Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Reviews

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is mostly used for data centers where many customers run their critical enterprise applications and databases on Cisco switches. This is because it provides low latency and ultra-high bandwidth. Since it comes with different SKUs, even if you are running some small workload, you have a dedicated switch for that with different models offering different throughput and different port capabilities.

We use a policy-driven approach with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. Nexus 9K can run in two modes: either ACI mode or as a standalone NX-OS. With ACI, you can create a lot of policy-based configurations in an application-centric environment. Based on the application, you can create the policy and apply it to those switches and the ports connected to the devices. If you have Nexus Dashboard, you can use those policies and apply them to those Nexus switches.

The high-density interface definitely benefits connectivity. It is not only about connecting to the internet. If your workload requires a lot of east-west traffic because of microservices-based deployment, you need a more dense port. For example, if you have a 400 gig switch, you can run multiple workloads and a lot of east-west traffic can traverse using those.

With Cisco DNA integrated, it facilitates agile network management. With DNA in place, you can create a large fabric and integrate your Nexus switch so that you can manage it through a policy-driven approach.

The most critical and important feature in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is VPC.

Apart from VPC, there are many other features in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series that stand out as advantages. You can apply access control lists on that. You can do Layer 3 capabilities. You can configure HSRP. You can implement VRFs. You can isolate the L3 network within your data center. It has a lot of features including network segmentation capabilities. You can apply a lot of security hardening and manage the access on the switches through auditing to see who is doing what and restrict access based on the network admin role. These are great features.

The overlay technology support in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is good for large-scale deployment where you are going to build something like a hyperscaler. You need more network segments, and with VXLAN, you can definitely build a large fabric with those Nexus switches.

Regarding Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, I think there are hypothetical improvements in the future. However, from the Nexus point, I cannot think of anything at this point in time.

In general, regarding automation in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, I think it could be better. They have a lot of automation through Python or Ansible, and Ansible support is there. Automation is already very solid with Nexus.

I started working with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series a long time ago. Previously Cisco had Nexus 5K, and I started working during that time, then moved into 7K, and after that it is 9K. I have been working on 9K since inception.

Regarding the ROI of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, there are many customers who are using Nexus. I can tell that for one of the customers, one of the biggest European customers, they deployed Nexus for their core networking. It has been running for a few years without having a single downtime. This is a great investment because if you are not having any downtime, which means your business is not getting affected. Your dollar value is always up to the mark because your customers who are using your services are also not getting impacted. Therefore, your revenue and your return on investment is always good. It is a quite stable product.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is quite scalable and very scalable. The only thing you need to do is design it properly based on the Cisco scalability guide, and you can scale massively.

I would apply the same improvement suggestions to Nexus in terms of support. However, I will rate the support a little bit higher at eight for Nexus.

I think the support rating for Cisco Nexus is higher because since Nexus is a core DC product, it supports network and everything, so the experience will always be good. Because it is a core networking product, when you deal with compute, there are multiple factors. For example, I might be running Kubernetes on that compute, and the engineer who is picking the case might be very good in virtualization but not good in Kubernetes. You might get affected because of that support thing due to the technicality of that support engineer. However, with Nexus, it is pure network. If I open a case, it could be related to the network, so it will always land to the right queue or to the right engineer. This definitely helps to get good customer support.

I can compare Cisco Nexus 9000 Series with other products on the market. I work on NVIDIA switches and Mellanox switches. However, this could be a biased answer because I have been working on Cisco Nexus for quite a long time, so I am very much familiar with the operating system it has, which is NX-OS. When I talk about NVIDIA switches, they run Cumulus operating system. It is all about familiarization, but definitely the Nexus switches have more options. I feel it is a little bit more simple if I compare it with NVIDIA switches or Mellanox switches.

As for the installation part of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series deployment, I find it quite easy. Even if you want to upgrade Nexus switch, that is straightforward. I have a few members in my team who are very new to Nexus, but they are able to work on Nexus and do the configuration whenever it is required. I feel that they do not need to refer to me, and I need to really appreciate the documentation as well. The configuration guide which Cisco has for Nexus is very detailed and you can do a lot of configuration with it. They have also given a lot of examples and snippets that you can use and follow.

Regarding the ROI of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, there are many customers who are using Nexus. I can tell that for one of the customers, one of the biggest European customers, they deployed Nexus for their core networking. It has been running for a few years without having a single downtime. This is a great investment because if you are not having any downtime, which means your business is not getting affected. Your dollar value is always up to the mark because your customers who are using your services are also not getting impacted. Therefore, your revenue and your return on investment is always good. It is a quite stable product.

As for the price of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, it depends upon which model you are going into. Cisco Nexus switches now have Silicon One switches as well, and those will be a little bit costly. If you are looking into a low bandwidth switch, I think that is quite cost-effective. However, with high throughput and ultra-low latency switches which have the latest ASIC or silicon, that will be a little bit costly.

I can compare Cisco Nexus 9000 Series with other products on the market. I work on NVIDIA switches and Mellanox switches. However, this could be a biased answer because I have been working on Cisco Nexus for quite a long time, so I am very much familiar with the operating system it has, which is NX-OS. When I talk about NVIDIA switches, they run Cumulus operating system. It is all about familiarization, but definitely the Nexus switches have more options. I feel it is a little bit more simple if I compare it with NVIDIA switches or Mellanox switches.

I was looking into additional features for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series earlier, such as integration with Kubernetes. They have already added that feature, so I can do a native integration to my Kubernetes using Nexus. I would rate this review as a nine overall.

We are using Cisco FTDs 2100 series, then we have Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches. We also have Catalyst series switches and Cisco 8500 series routers. We have evaluated Cisco Nexus Dashboard as well. We haven't used it in our company, but we have a POC for that one.

The VPCs are functioning well and other switching is adequate. We are not using Cisco Nexus 9000 Series for the purpose it is intended to be used. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is quite a complex machine, but we are using a very simple configuration with basic Nexus switching. We don't have many issues with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series at the moment in our present infrastructure.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series and the routers are good, but the FMC or FTDs still need some improvement. We have Palo Alto firewalls and Next-Generation Firewalls in our environment. In comparison to the main firewall, we moved from Cisco FTDs to Palo Alto. We still have FTDs in our environment, but the majority of the firewalls have been moved to Palo Alto. They are more user-friendly, give more visibility, and are more efficient. The performance is better than Cisco. With the new features, Cisco is having some improvement for the FTD. I am currently evaluating the FTDs. The new version has better features like the encrypted visibility engine and user-based changes in FMCs, and other things are quite useful for us.

FTDs do have limitations and other issues. We communicated that limitation and feature support to the Cisco account manager. We do have support for the devices. We currently have a weekly call with Cisco and they are making progress regarding new versions of the FMCs and introducing new features. The performance of deployment has improved quite a bit compared to four or five years ago.

We have been using Cisco Nexus 9000 Series for more than five to six years.

One issue we faced is not purely for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, but the SFP modules we are using have had issues. We have Cisco modules, but they frequently heat up or there are packet error issues. This is something we have frequently faced for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, but not directly to Cisco Nexus 9000 Series itself.

Cisco support is quite good as compared to Palo Alto.

Positive

We migrated from Catalyst to Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, which was not a big deal for us.

We have a complex setup in our data center. For an individual change, such as a one-switch migration, it is not a big deal and is a single-day task to migrate the switch. However, the whole data center migration took a lot of time because there are schedules and other dependencies from the server side and other devices dependent on it. We are running on high availability with zero downtime, so we have to schedule migration on weekends during green time. That is why it took a lot of time to move the whole switching.

The VPCs are functioning well and other switching is adequate. We are not using Cisco Nexus 9000 Series for the purpose it is intended to be used. Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is quite a complex machine, but we are using a very simple configuration with basic Nexus switching. We don't have many issues with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series at the moment in our present infrastructure.

Usually the project is taken by two or three persons.

I am still working on Cisco FTDs 2100 series and FMCs.

We haven't been using many advanced features for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. Simple VPC and switching is all we have in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. We asked our company to use the ACI, and we tried to convince them, but our infrastructure is still a very simple one. We are a medium-scale company, so we don't have much on the switching side. The security side is adequate, particularly on the firewall side. We are more focused on the firewall side.

I don't have much information regarding Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

My review rating for this product is 9 out of 10.

My usual use cases for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series involve various companies, particularly when they are in need of a new automation solution or just an upgrade of the data center.

Everything is interesting about Cisco Nexus 9000 Series because it's Cisco, and it's very easy to apply. There is a lot of information online or through community platforms or forums. When it comes to features, I have done both enterprise and data center solutions for Cisco, so overall it is very positive.

The integration with Cisco DNA has facilitated agile network management for me. It was actually very easy to do. You just had to make sure that the dashboard was up and running, and it discovered the devices itself, so overall it was very easy to do.

At this point, not much could be improved about Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. Automation GUI based is not the core of the 9000, so this is a different device or a different solution.

I do not find anything that could be improved. I think maybe if this would be a larger environment, you might see some bottlenecks, but at this moment when I'm using the 9Ks, there is nothing that I find blocking or that I feel could be improved.

I have been working with this solution for probably about ten years.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very scalable. There are a lot of options to extend the default setup.

The stability and reliability of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series are robust. Once you put it on, it does not just fail. That takes a long time, maybe even years.

The scalability for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very high, so it can adapt to any customer's needs, basically.

The quality of technical support and customer service for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is normal. If you have real big issues, you still have TAC to reach out to, so I do not see that as any problem. The support is very good.

I would rate the technical support for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series an eight out of ten. This rating is not because of their lack of expertise, but just the assignment period. The time it takes to have cases or tickets assigned just takes a bit longer.

Before Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, I used different solutions for these use cases. Normally, we had the 7200s, 6600s, and 85, which are the previous models of Cisco. Sometimes, there were solutions like Brocade or Juniper that were installed before the 9Ks took over.

The usual initial setup process for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is actually straightforward.

I have had challenges during the initial setup sometimes. The iOS was not probably loaded, but most of the time that is just a human error. Overall, it is actually a very straightforward installation.

Before choosing, I was not really choosing between other options. I just chose a new version of Cisco Nexus basically, and it depends how much and how important the core is. Normally, you can just choose based on customer requirements, and if you do not feel that the 9000 is good enough, then you should go to other models. Once I am using the 9Ks, I have never had any issue with replacing them.

I am very satisfied with this solution. However, it is more about whether it is actually possible to do the solutions, and normally people already know what they want. They only need to have the right vendor and the models with it. I understand what you are meaning, but the features themselves, because they are not specific, focus more on the core of the network, which means they mostly all do the same thing.

I do not use the advanced policy-driven approach in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

I do not assess the overlay technology support in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series for enhancing network flexibility. This is something that you can activate using VXLAN or something like this. But it really depends on when you need this overlay because not all parts of the network need an overlay technology.

I do not utilize the high-density interfaces for Ethernet in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

Regarding Ethernet, it is a logical feature inside the 9000.

I cannot comment on how Cisco Nexus 9000 Series has benefited my connectivity. Normally, you just choose it, and you are not going to compare it anymore to other vendors or models. It is just stable. If you configure it correctly, it will stay stable.

I have integrated Cisco Nexus 9000 Series with Cisco DNA.

I cannot share examples of how Cisco Nexus 9000 Series has positively impacted my workflow because the benefit is that they hire me to create a solution, and mostly the solution is generic. Multiple vendors are doing this. But then it is up to sales to see where they can get the biggest benefit, and then they start a purchase, and then I will start designing and implementing.

Pricing and licensing of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is actually outside my expertise.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is deployed on-premise in my company. They call it cloud, but it is just still a data center. There are three things cloud could refer to: Azure, AWS, or Google. Then you have the data center option that you can place somewhere else, and you also have data center on-premise. If you have only two options, then I would say on-premise, but that does not mean that on-premise is on location.

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

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series serves as a core router and core switch for users, and provides interconnectivity between the core switch and the access switch, as well as remote access switch for smaller divisions.

Trunking is usually found to be the most valuable feature in this solution, using it for trunk ports between other switches, and it functions well.

Trunking is important because it carries more VLANs since we work on VLANs, allowing VLAN routing and other functionalities.

Regarding the advanced policy-driven approach in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, the advanced policy-driven approach is utilized in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

The advanced policy-driven approach has helped network management because most times this policy management is essential when using it for a multi-cloud environment and hybrid workforce.

After the initial integration, the focus has been on support rather than further development. Cost-wise, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very expensive.

The pricing could absolutely be improved.

So far, there is nothing to improve other than the pricing.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series has been used for two to three years, and we do not usually get more customers on it; it is just one customer, and the client has been satisfied.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very durable and very reliable, and there has never been any issue with it.

Stability with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very important; if the stability was not as good as it is now, we would have upgraded to a higher version.

The stability is very important.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series scalability is rated as eight.

In terms of durability and availability, the scalability has been satisfactory; in terms of expansion, it has also been satisfactory.

The technical support of this solution has been interacted with several times, and support partners have been reached out to.

Regarding interactions with them, everything was fine; after the ticket was raised, it was resolved.

Positive

Only Cisco has been used before Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

Regarding previous technology, Cisco 6000 series and Cisco 6500 were also used as a core switch seven years ago, and it has been a wonderful experience as well.

The switch from the previous solution to Cisco Nexus 9000 Series was due to a different organization, as the job changed.

Participation occurred in the initial setup of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

During the initial setup, it was necessary to bring it up to speed in terms of security, updating the security packs, the ports before final configuration based on the client's requirements, and firmware upgrades.

There were no challenges during the initial setup due to past experience with Cisco.

I am a customer of this solution and also a distributor.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is usually integrated with other Cisco tools or third-party tools, including 3750, 3850, 3650, and 3750 as access switches to Cisco Nexus 9000 Series.

The opinion on this integration is that it has been excellent.

A seven-kilometer client is running on fiber and on STM-1 fiber with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series connecting to the 3750 Gigabit Catalyst switch, and it functions well; there has never been downtime.

For now, there are no questions, but if there were questions, the inquiry would be about when Cisco is trying to bring their price down.

This review is rated nine overall.

My work focuses on non-cloud solutions, as there is another team handling cloud solutions within our organization. My scope encompasses all security devices including external firewalls, Fortinet, Firepower, reverse proxy F5, FortiWeb, mail security devices, forward proxy, and Forcepoint.

I do not work exclusively with Fortinet, as I also handle all Palo Alto and different vendors. My scope is on-premises solutions rather than cloud, with another team managing cloud solutions in our company.

We are already still with AWS, but my scope is different right now, focusing on AWS activity with another team. I am not engaged with the latest updates from AWS.

I have experience with Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco devices including Firepower, Forcepoint, PAM solutions such as BeyondTrust, and DNS Security solutions such as Infoblox.

I work with several products from Fortinet including firewalls, FortiWeb, FortiSwitches, Forti-Access Points, and FortiSandbox. I also use FortiEMS.

We have a recent order with a certain project involving FortiVoice, but I do not recommend FortiVoice anymore. I have experience with FortiVoice, but I can only explain it in a special case and comparison with Cisco, where there is no comparison as Cisco leads in this aspect.

Stability is the feature I value most. When comparing Cisco Nexus 9000 Series with FortiSwitches or any other vendor such as Huawei, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series leads especially for big data and high-importance data centers. Performance has been great with no abnormal behaviors detected, and the network remains stable even in failover scenarios, supporting vast environments with high availability.

I have experience integrating Cisco Nexus 9000 Series with Cisco DNA solutions and Cisco Prime from previous work. Integration between these solutions was not complex for me. Integration of Cisco DNA with network management was not complex either.

In terms of potential improvements for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, I do not have many features in mind as it fulfills our needs as a standard switch for data centers.

I have been working with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series for almost three or four years.

I would rate the stability of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series as ten. Stability relates to business continuity, disaster recovery, and dealing with bugs and updates. Other customers need frequent upgrades to address vulnerabilities, whereas Cisco has less occurrence of this circumstance.

For scalability, I estimate it as ten based on ACI, although I have not physically tested it in my environment or a customer's environment. My insights come from lab reflections and training.

Cisco technical support can be rated very well, especially for ESA switches. My support from them was mainly focused on one particular RMA, and in general inquiries, the support is quite good.

Positive

When comparing Cisco with FortiSwitches, Cisco is better due to its complexity, although I acknowledge that FortiSwitches are simpler for new engineers. I am more familiar with CLI, and while Cisco's setup requires time, it provides far more stability than FortiSwitches, which have scalability issues and potential downtime during upgrades.

When upgrading Forti solutions, the operational structures dictate that all interconnected items must be upgraded together, presenting compatibility issues. Unlike Cisco where upgrades can be done independently without excessive coordination.

The initial setup for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very simple.

It is a partner relationship with Cisco. I work directly with Cisco for the purchase process and not through other partners or AWS Marketplace, although it is not me personally.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series is very expensive compared to Middle East standards. Medium and large companies are the only ones that can purchase these switches, and renewing licenses and yearly support becomes a budget concern. The market has around fifty percent small businesses, but few buy Cisco. Those who do often do not renew the support.

Competitors in the market would be FortiSwitches and HP switches, especially Aruba.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches are used as data center switches. Cisco is mainly for switches, utilizing different switches from the Catalyst part and the data center Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, along with IronPort for email security. I have worked with IronPorts.

When upgrading Forti solutions, the operational structures dictate that all interconnected items must be upgraded together, presenting compatibility issues. Unlike Cisco where upgrades can be done independently without excessive coordination.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches are used for VBC stacking in data centers as an example of positioning. Stability relates to business continuity, disaster recovery, and dealing with bugs and updates. Other customers need frequent upgrades to address vulnerabilities, whereas Cisco has less occurrence of this circumstance.

I rate this product a ten overall.

We are using the core capabilities of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Ethernet switches, and it is performing well. We are using the VRFs and other capabilities, and everything is working very smoothly.

I don't see any problems with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. Once, there was a problem when we were migrating to another connection. When we were creating new IPs, we had some issues in the VRF and HSRP. Those are the two protocols that gave a little bit of a problem, but not much. For example, in the VRF, the ports automatically shut down, so we have to manually push them back to normal. The HSRP is flapping. These are the two things I have noticed from the last two projects.

For Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, I think we need to work on the HSRP. Whenever it flaps or something happens, it creates an issue. That is the only thing.

The HSRP flapping is the issue. Whenever the connection is flapped, the HSRP gives a problem.

I have worked on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Ethernet switches for almost two-plus years.

Technical support is good enough for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches. For the pricing, I have no idea because we are not dealing with the pricing.

The technical support is good. For the last seven to ten years, I've had experience with the technical support, and it's good.

Technical support receives a rating of ten out of ten.

We have a mix of firewalls. In my last project, we had Cisco ASA and Check Point. In my current project, we have Check Point, Cisco ASA, and FortiGate again. So we have different products.

For the advanced policy-driven approach, we have a firewall already.

I have not yet worked on the overlay technology support in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, but I have worked a lot on the core capabilities.

I don't remember the SFP we are using for high-density interfaces for Ethernet in Cisco Nexus 9000 Series. I don't exactly remember which ports we are using. When we are configuring, we just need to know that the interface is working fine and the policies and protocols are there. Most of the time, I didn't check what type of ports we are using.

In this project, I just got Cisco DNA, but right now I don't have much experience with DNAC.

This is the one thing I have found so far. I would rate this review as nine out of ten.

The product from Poly that we are currently working with mainly is video conferencing and headsets. We sell their hardware to facilitate meetings, such as the X72.

The product that we are mainly working with intensely is AV, audio visual, and that is where the Poly headsets and Poly presence solutions come in.

We find that Cisco has been left behind by the other vendors. The other vendors have adopted new technology, and we find Cisco lagging behind.

We are still selling Cisco networking, mostly networking products.

We still work with Poly, which is now called Poly rather than Polycom.

We used to sell X70, but we have stopped.

Today, we have sold an X72 with a TC10.

RealPresence works effectively.

I rate this solution a 9 out of 10.