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Big Switch Networks vs VMware NSX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Big Switch Networks
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.6
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Networking (SDN) (9th), Network Packet Broker (NPB) (5th)
VMware NSX
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (2nd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (5th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (7th), Network Automation (3rd), Microsegmentation Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Enterprise Networking solutions, they serve different purposes. Big Switch Networks is designed for Software Defined Networking (SDN) and holds a mindshare of 3.9%, down 4.0% compared to last year.
VMware NSX, on the other hand, focuses on Network Virtualization, holds 33.0% mindshare, down 46.5% since last year.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Big Switch Networks3.9%
Meraki SD-WAN15.1%
Cisco ACI11.4%
Other69.6%
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
Network Virtualization Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware NSX33.0%
Cisco ACI35.2%
Cisco Elastic Services Controller9.4%
Other22.39999999999999%
Network Virtualization
 

Featured Reviews

Jason Best - PeerSpot reviewer
Data center network architect at Cloudwire
A flexible solution that can be integrated with third-party solutions whilst maintaining its automated nature
I think if I was to say something that could be improved, it would be a multi-data center nature of the implementation. Meaning, having an active-active data center with multiple entrance-exit points. I think that feature could be improved to provide a kind of anycast gateway solution into the functionality that would make it a lot more flexible and versatile. Maybe also making the solution a bit more like the NSX-T from VMware, more on the logical part of the solution, like micro-segmentation and the ability to have a distributed firewall across the whole solution, to implement it in an easier way than they currently do with the security aspect of the solution.
TAIYAB HASAN - PeerSpot reviewer
Windows Redhat Linux Vmware & Azure & Cloud & Nutanix Ahv-Vmware & Backup Senior System Administrator at AlDawaa Medical Services
Has improved network visibility and security through micro-segmentation and SDN capabilities
This feature gives us flexibility and allows us to manage everything under one pane. We can see everything on one console, including network operations and behavior. Monitoring and security are among the best features for VMware NSX. For micro-segmentation, it's integrated with our endpoint security. If there are any issues with servers or VMs, it notifies us so we can isolate the servers and investigate. It provides distributed security features such as firewall and intrusion, IDS, IPS. The security level with IPS and IDS in VMware NSX is excellent. It also provides logical switching and routing which gives an extra layer for Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching requirements. The solution provides flexibility, automation, and self-service capabilities, resulting in cost savings as extensive expertise isn't required. Once automation and self-service are implemented, many tasks can be completed automatically. Load balancing is another excellent feature. Multiple servers can run on load balancing features, which is particularly useful since we have many application servers running. Sharing loads between servers provides the best performance.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I think it's an easy, versatile solution to implement."
"What I liked about the solution is the quick and easy way you can build a network data center fabric."
"When using for K8s container platforms or a networking backed for on premises cloud using a CMP(VRA, VIO) then VMware NSX is the best SDN solution."
"The most powerful feature of VMware NSX is the micro-segmentation that allows us to separate the different protocols our application works with."
"It has allowed our customers to scale extend their existing IP subnets and spin up new subnets on-demand for new app web DB tiers, increasing overall VM-to-VM security and policy deployments and helping increase operational efficiency from a network management perspective."
"The most valuable features are stability and low cost."
"One significant advantage of VMware NSX is the ability to provide advanced security at the micro-level, focusing on securing applications and workloads rather than just the network structure or virtualization-based network security."
"The most valuable features of VMware NSX are the tight integration with the VMware Hypervisor natively and the management console, and we have a lot of other integrations where you are able to see the virtual machine's end-to-end visibility."
"It has reduced the number of people on the network team along with the system engineer involved in the security process. So, it is valuable."
"They have a lot of support and specialists who can meet with the customer."
 

Cons

"I think if I was to say something that could be improved, it would be a multi-data center nature of the implementation."
"I think if I was to say something that could be improved, it would be a multi-data center nature of the implementation."
"The product need to be improved. It is too complex."
"The VMware technical support could be better. They're not always reachable and expertise is not widespread."
"To those who say this solution is complex, I would say it is but not for the key user."
"Everybody needs a network to connect to, and VMware doesn't readily provide one."
"It is a bit tricky to install the various components and to get it set up properly."
"It could be cheaper!"
"We would to have a reverse proxy. This would add great value to the solution."
"In the last two months, we had two big incidents."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost depends on the number of switches that are going to be licensed to run the software."
"There is a license required for this solution, we pay annually."
"If five is a good price and one is a high price, I would rate the price a one out of five."
"We have saved man-hours and decreased our security exposure."
"We haven't had to hire a dedicated network engineer because NSX handles 90 percent of it. The reduced overhead in terms of managing networks has been the biggest plus."
"The subscription is on a yearly basis."
"We are using the free version of the solution."
"All the institutions have to pay monthly for the services in the cloud. They have to pay $30,000 every month for this service every three years."
"Our customers have definitely complained about its cost. It's expensive. I'd rate it a nine out of ten in terms of pricing where ten represents a high price. There are other products out there that are equally expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Healthcare Company
11%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise69
 

Questions from the Community

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What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware NSX?
When measuring complexity and costs for our organization, we consider some parameters for effectiveness. In terms of effectiveness in reducing operational complexity, I measure it to be high on the...
 

Also Known As

No data available
VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A10 Networks, Edge-Core Networks, Blue Coat Systems, BlueData, Broadcom Corporation, Canonical, Check Point Software Technologies, Citrix, Dell, FireEye, Garland, Hortonworks, Mirantis, Nexenta, Riverbed
City of Avondale, Lumeta, Kroll Ontrack, Heartland Payment Systems, Baystate Heallth, Exostar, Tribune Media, iGATE, NTT Communications, Synergent, California Natural Resources Agency, Bloomington Public Schools, Columbia Sportswear, Join Experience S.A, Schuberg Philis
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Aviatrix, TP-Link and others in Software Defined Networking (SDN). Updated: March 2026.
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