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Solutions Architect at ABS Technology
Real User
Jul 9, 2019
Provides fast access to storage and data center resources
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco technical support is a good backup team when you have issues with anything. If you open a case they are very good at following up and making sure that the issue's resolved according to the needs of our network."
  • "This product has improved the way our organization functions by providing fast access to storage and data center resources, and we are getting better performance out of our network by using this platform."
  • "In the next release of the solution, I would like to see varying integration between VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) instances so we can integrate BGB into different VRFs in a more organized way. We have some issues with tunnels and VRFs."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the Cisco Nexus solution is to provide data center access for our customers. This includes providing servers, storage, and interconnecting those to the rest of the network.

How has it helped my organization?

This product has improved the way our organization functions by providing fast access to storage and data center resources. We are getting better performance out of our network by using this platform.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is the capacity of the switches. One of the main advantages of going with the Nexus 9000 is that it can do advanced routing and segmentation with VLANs. 

What needs improvement?

In the next release of the solution, I would like to see varying integration between VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) instances so we can integrate BGB into different VRFs in a more organized way. We have some issues with tunnels and VRFs. 

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Nexus. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of this solution is pretty cool. NX-OS is a solid match. It does run the features and all the protocols very well for us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of this solution is very good. We had different options for physical form factors. It does work for what we need on our enterprise network.

We have a 1GB connection to a data center. Then we upgraded a server. We can quickly get more scalability from the switch by migrating to 10GB or even 25GB connections.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco technical support is a good backup team when you have issues with anything. If you open a case they are very good at following up and making sure that the issue's resolved according to the needs of our network.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We knew we needed to invest in a new solution because upgrading the network is a must for every company. We had to just take into consideration the legacy switches that we were using were not giving the performance needed for the network. The old hardware did not support the demands of our clients connecting to the network.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup, if you know what you are doing, is very straightforward. You have to know what a switch is and what routing protocols are, like any other device.

If you are familiar with the IOS it is a little bit easier to translate to NX-OS and use the switch.

What about the implementation team?

We're the reseller for Cisco Nexus.

What was our ROI?

We have seen new ROI from the previous platform to the new one. We're starting to see that.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Our licensing costs for this solution are approximately $100K a year for the switching part.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The products on our shortlist were mostly Cisco Nexus and Meraki.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from 1 - 10, I would give Cisco Nexus a 9. It's a solid platform. We've been having very good stability from the use of that network device.

Take into consideration the features and the protocols that are in use. Make sure that whatever is being used as a current platform can be migrated to the Nexus and that the features are available before you purchase the hardware. Understand exactly how the infrastructure will work from the operating system of the switch in case you're using any advanced features from another platform. Make sure that the transition is as expected and don't go down a bad path.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
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NetworkEf82e - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
MSP
Jul 9, 2019
Performs well and has good capacity for the number of customers that we can get onto it
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability of Cisco Nexus is good. We've had them for the entire lifetime. We've never had to upgrade them yet."
  • "The most valuable feature is the capacity for the number of customers that we can get onto it."
  • "If I call during a high volume, I might get someone that just doesn't know as much or it takes a little bit of time and they put us on hold more. Otherwise, it's good."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for multitenant switching in our data centers for our edge equipment to go in between our firewalls and out to the internet.

How has it helped my organization?

It's performing well. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the capacity for the number of customers that we can get onto it.

What needs improvement?

I get more of the frustration out of Juniper equipment than I do from Cisco products. Cisco Nexus is more versatile for us in comparison to Juniper. The routing is easier with Cisco.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. We've never had any of them die. They've been very consistent.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Cisco Nexus is good. We've had them for the entire lifetime. We've never had to upgrade them yet.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is good and very helpful. They knew exactly what we needed. If I call during a high volume, I might get someone that just doesn't know as much or it takes a little bit of time and they put us on hold more. Otherwise, it's good. 

What about the implementation team?

We used a consultant for the deployment. 

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Nexus a ten. I like it. I would advise anyone to go through a professional consultant with Cisco training.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Nexus. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
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NetworkEcce9 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a university with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jul 9, 2019
Scales well and supports a lot of servers
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution is that it scales well. It supports a lot of servers. We don't have to come up with different designs for anything. That's the best part about it."
  • "They need to understand that when we call them and have an issue, it's our production and sometimes they want us to do repairs that would cause other issues. That's the biggest problem."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case for Nexus in our company is for the data center. Everybody that has access to our remote server rooms throughout the campus wants 10G data ports all the way across. 

How has it helped my organization?

This product helps us by resolving the issue of not having to install fiber everywhere. If you use Nexus, it has the 10G copper ports. That way we can just use the current infrastructure. Cisco Nexus saves us money in the long run.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is that it scales well. It supports a lot of servers. We don't have to come up with different designs for anything. That's the best part about it.

What needs improvement?

I would like to have the feature where you can install something like operf on it so you can do troubleshooting without having to configure operf on servers.

We had issues with Cisco Nexus during upgrades. When we first got the system, we were having some issues. The whole system crashed. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of this product works great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Cisco Nexus is wonderful. It supports the whole data centers. We have no issues with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

They need to understand that when we call them and have an issue, it's our production and sometimes they want us to do repairs that would cause other issues. That's the biggest problem.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are a Cisco shop. We don't have to worry about learning different commands with Cisco Nexus. It still has different commands because of the platform, but it was a lot easier to understand than if you're going through a different company.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward on Cisco's part. Other customers that we work with didn't understand their equipment.

What about the implementation team?

We installed it ourselves. We just ordered our equipment through a reseller. They weren't involved in any on-site work.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

It was Cisco or Juniper.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate Cisco Nexus an eight. When trying to do the upgrades sometimes there are issues. Sometimes you get a bug that Cisco doesn't know about. When you try to explain it to them, they always say it's impossible and can't be replicated.

You need to understand all the options, the servers and different applications you can run, and how Cisco Nexus supports the overall picture.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Administ4e10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Administrator at a security firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jul 9, 2019
Has good network visibility that enables us to see all of the devices
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution is network visibility; it touches all of the switches, becomes the core switch, and all of the devices connected to it route towards it so we are able to see all of the devices."
  • "The initial setup of the Cisco Nexus platform takes a long time. It's a complex system because we have a lot of security layers."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for Cisco Nexus is for our data center and for collaboration with other switches.

How has it helped my organization?

This product has improved the way our organization functions in the way we communicate with data from devices out there. Everything is on the radar if you deploy it on Nexus.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is network visibility. It touches all of the switches. It becomes the core switch. All of the devices connected to it route towards it and so we're able to see all of the devices. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Nexus is very stable. It's getting better now. The technology is moving to a fast and very innovative switch. It picks up all these new options and integrates them into the device. It's good for our infrastructure.

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution's technical support is very robust. They're able to resolve any issues very quickly. There were not any issues that Cisco could not resolve for us so far.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were using Nexus 6000 and now we're moving towards 9000. We switched because we are doing a cleanup. We are building up our infrastructure from the ground up, adding more new devices, revamping our infrastructure, and revamping our data center. It's just a need because we got too comfortable using our old devices, which are not supportive so we lost our patching. We ourselves were creating security holes. We have a need now for this solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the Cisco Nexus platform takes a long time. It's a complex system because we have a lot of security layers. 

What about the implementation team?

We used a reseller for the deployment. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also looked at PCM. 

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate Cisco Nexus a good nine. Cisco is moving to new technology. It's more advanced. Anyone should invest in it. It's good.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Network Administrator at St Ambrose University
Real User
Jul 9, 2019
Offers increased bandwidth, faster performance, and newer software
Pros and Cons
  • "We got increased bandwidth, faster performance, and newer software which has improved our organization."
  • "They should make it easier to update the code on it."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the Cisco Nexus solution is as a core fiber switch.

How has it helped my organization?

We upgraded from a 6509 unit to a 9504. We got increased bandwidth, faster performance, and newer software which has improved our organization. 

What is most valuable?

We use Cisco Nexus as a switch that houses all of our fiber connections.

What needs improvement?

They should make it easier to update the code on it. Upgrading should also be easier. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is very strong. No downtime with it. No problems. No issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales to just about any use that we needed to throw at it. It's very accommodating.

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution's technical support is perfect. We have had no problems with it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We switched because our current product was end-of-life and falling out of support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It has a simple routing protocol, not very many static routes.

What about the implementation team?

We used a certified reseller for deployment. Our experience with them was excellent.

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't have any other vendors in mind. Cisco is the product that we've used quite heavily, so it made sense to stay with them.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this product a ten. Cisco Nexus is very solid and easy to use. 

Go with Nexus, you won't regret it.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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NetworkE1a81 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jul 9, 2019
Enables us to have much more automation and is very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the automation that we can do with it."
  • "This product has improved the way our organization functions through automation."
  • "I don't really deal with the pricing but I know that it's not cheap."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the Cisco Nexus solution is for our core. We have Nexus 9000 and also Catalyst 9000 floor switches.

How has it helped my organization?

This product has improved the way our organization functions through automation. Before 9000, we were just using the 7000 and the Nexus OS. With 9000 now, we have much more automation. Everything was more manual before. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the automation that we can do with it. 

What needs improvement?

Cisco Nexus is very new. We're still on the learning curve for the 9000.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. We have not had any issues so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The Cisco Nexus platform is very scalable with the modular design.

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution's technical support is very good. It's Cisco. For 9000 they're very responsive. We haven't had any 911 issues so far because it's new to our organization.

Whenever we have a problem or question they're very good and pretty responsive. Any ticket receives almost immediate help. We haven't had anything negative so far.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We switched because we needed automation and because the 7000s were reaching end-of-life.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Cisco Nexus was straightforward. It was good. It wasn't that complex because we already had the 7000. 

What about the implementation team?

We used a reseller for the implementation. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't really deal with the pricing but I know that it's not cheap. 

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I rate this product a solid nine. They've been very good to us.

I would advise reading information online to learn more about Cisco Nexus. See how powerful it is.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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ProductMf527 - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager - Networking & Security at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
MSP
Jul 9, 2019
Easy to use, provides stability, easy to configure, and provides communication to the data center
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are that it is easy to use, provides stability, easy to configure, low latency, and it provides communication to the data center."
  • "In terms of improvement, the stacking between the two switches in the higher availability model should be similar to Catalyst. It's better to have one interface for configuration."
  • "Customers do not understand the new licenses or subscription very well. Cisco should work on this."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is to provide Nexus 9000 in different models for the user on top of our switches or as core switches. It depends on the design and the customer's needs.

How has it helped my organization?

The product has improved the way our organization functions in the way that we have been able to implement this product in many customer's sites and it has been running for one of our main customer's enterprise sine 2014.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are that it is easy to use, provides stability, easy to configure, low latency, and it provides communication to the data center. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of improvement, the stacking between the two switches in the higher availability model should be similar to Catalyst. It's better to have one interface for configuration.

I hope to see more features for high-availability configuration such as a VSS configuration on the Catalyst series. To have one management console for both chassis. I also hope to see the dependency on the management interface for high-availability lowered.

What needs improvement is the price on the DNA subscription. It's obligatory for all the switches and you should have the option to remove it or keep it as optional. Cisco has the option to remove it now. We have agreed that in the future, they will offer a permanent license for it.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Nexus for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nexus has good scalability features. It provides the customer's needs.

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution's technical support is good. We had to deal with some cases and the response times were very good. It met expectations. Response time was amazing. The customer was satisfied. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used to have another solution and used other products. This product provides us with better high-performance support at a good price.

How was the initial setup?

The initial set up was very straightforward. It is easy to follow and we didn't have any obstacles during the implementation.

What about the implementation team?

We used both a reseller and a product consultant.

What was our ROI?

Cisco Nexus has provided a good initial cost for our customers with minimum renewal fees over the next few years.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Customers do not understand the new licenses or subscription very well. Cisco should work on this. 

The subscription for licensing is expensive while other vendors provide a switch with everything at a lower price.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We previously used Catalyst 6500. 

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate Cisco Nexus a nine because it has helped us a lot with our customers. There's always room for improvement.

I would advise someone considering this solution to go for it. It's a stable product. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
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NetworkDd05b - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Director at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jul 9, 2019
Has the ability to grow into ACI and has rock solid stability
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Nexus has been very stable. No issues. It's been rock solid. We haven't had any issues with it in the last twelve months."
  • "I would like to see some development into the SAE world where you can virtualize. That would be the only thing I would like to see because I need to start virtualizing my infrastructure gear at some of the other data centers that I have."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution in our data center core. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is its ability to grow into ACI.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see some development into the SAE world where you can virtualize. That would be the only thing I would like to see because I need to start virtualizing my infrastructure gear at some of the other data centers that I have.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Nexus has been very stable. No issues. It's been rock solid. We haven't had any issues with it in the last twelve months. It's been good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of this solution meets the needs that we have. The density of it is a lot higher than the 7Ks. It's good for us from that perspective. 

I could take two 7Ks that are 16-chassis, get it down into eight and have twice as much throughput. 

How are customer service and technical support?

The solution's technical support has been fine. We haven't had to use it much.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

At this point, the newest solution was purchased out of necessity for end-of-life gear. It was a refresh. Our previous solution was 7K, 5K, 2K. 

The 2Ks and 5Ks were going end-of-life. We're starting to prepare for the 7Ks going end-of-life. We went with the Cisco Nexus 9K solutions because of this.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the Cisco Nexus series is very straightforward. We didn't have any issues. 

We already had a 5K, 7K, and 2K environment. Going to the 9Ks was straightforward. We were experienced in the Nexus area. It wasn't anything new.

What about the implementation team?

Deployment was done by a supplier partner of ours, British Telecom. Our experience with them was good.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's around $160K a year for our license.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have a management contract with Cisco. They are our managed service provider. We didn't have much of a choice.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I rate this product a ten because of the stability. Stability is my biggest key right now. Cisco Nexus has been stable since it was implemented last year.

It's a good product. I haven't had any issues whatsoever. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Jul 8, 2019
Easy to use, reliable, and operates at high speeds
Pros and Cons
  • "It's pretty easy to use and operates at high speed."
  • "The initial setup was somewhat complex."

What is our primary use case?

We use Nexus primarily for our data centers.

How has it helped my organization?

It's pretty easy to use and operates at high speed.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature for us is its speed capacity.

What needs improvement?

Upgrade and promote catalyst switches to the Nexus, it's a lot faster.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

As far as we can tell, it's stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They're pretty scalable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

All of our old stuff was end of life. We used Catalyst 4948 before.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was somewhat complex. There were a lot of moving parts and we needed to get everybody going in the right direction. It didn't take very long though.

What about the implementation team?

We used a reseller called Sirius for the deployment. They were pretty good.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't look at any other vendors.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this product as an eight out of ten, because it's a pretty good product. It's stable and reliable.

It's definitely worth it.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
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NetworkEe9dd - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jul 8, 2019
Enables us to reduce downtime and offers default vPC functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "This product has improved the way our organization functions through the ability to do things in a maintenance window while allowing other teams to continue to work."
  • "Cisco Nexus still needs more stability."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the Cisco Nexus solution is for our data center switches. It's our core switch that we use everywhere.

How has it helped my organization?

This product has improved the way our organization functions through the ability to do tasks in a maintenance window while allowing other teams to continue to work.

There have been a couple of cases where we needed to do emergency support outside of a maintenance window. We were able to make the case that there should be no impact. Luckily, there was no impact. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the Cisco Nexus solution is the default vPC functionality. We can do maintenance with it. We can do core channeling up to the switches and we can manage them as opposed to working on a stack. We don't have to bring the whole thing down and back up. We can reduce downtime.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Nexus still needs more stability. Not that they're unstable. FlexPod in particular. My team doesn't work with that but it's owned by the server infrastructure team. It's in the UTS. They're pretty stable but every once in a while, it's not.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is mostly stable. There have been some times where wacky things will happen, like buggy code. There's a bug in the code where you can't save the configuration. We've had to reboot both devices, and then it fixes itself. There's no known fix. Cisco says that it has been fixed years ago, but it's still not working. There have been weird things like that.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Nexus is very scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Tech support is very good with Cisco. Support for this unit is no better or worse than anything else with Cisco, but still good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the Cisco Nexus platform is straightforward. It's complex, but it's not more complex than anything else.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

From an engineering perspective, the pros outweigh the cons in terms of price.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Nexus an eight. They're not perfect, but they mostly do what they need to do. I don't feel negative about them at all.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Nexus Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Nexus Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.