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Cisco Optical Networking vs Juniper QFX Series Switches comparison

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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

Cisco Optical Networking
Ranking in Data Center Networking
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Juniper QFX Series Switches
Ranking in Data Center Networking
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Ethernet Switches (25th)
 

Featured Reviews

Abdul Samad Irfan Shaik - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Lead at Numeric Technologies
High-speed fiber links have protected critical data and keep our multi-city cloud services running
In terms of improvements, one thing is about how data is transferred. Predictive monitoring would help by using artificial intelligence to identify optical signal degradation, performance issues, downtimes, glitches, increasing error rates, or potential fiber issues such as cuts. Predictive monitoring will definitely assist in this area. Faster troubleshooting could be enhanced by providing a knowledge base related to regular activities. A simpler dashboard is preferred rather than a complex one, as clubbing everything into a single user interface is not helpful for grasping everything easily. Supporting integration with third-party optical equipment and existing network monitoring platforms will play a major role, and the connectivity should be easier with improvements in third-party integration being essential. Regarding support documentation, I would prefer to speak about support rather than documentation. One enhancement needed is better automation capabilities. We aim to reduce manual intervention during network failures by enabling faster automated alarm triggers that should automatically fix issues and control recovery workflows. We have covered all of the necessary improvements.
reviewer1912536 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Technical at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Comprehensive management tools and robust performance drive network efficiency
Juniper QFX Series Switches are very good data center switches, and they are the core part of their fabric. It's a very good solution with excellent performance. They are easy to use and flexible to deploy in any kind of environment. The Juniper QFX Series Switches is not one switch. When building a fabric, multiple switches must be implemented, including spine, leaf, and other components. Regarding working in a data center environment, they are feature-rich. They work with EVPN solutions, providing a Layer 3 fabric, which is a very good capability. AI is not an integral part right now, so it should not be discussed here.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco View allows me to see when circuits are up or down very quickly, and I can connect circuits very quickly by a virtual picture."
"After implementing Cisco Optical Networking, I could transport terabits of traffic over long distances, which has amazed us while also reducing the effort and thought involved in network management."
"Cisco Optical Networking provides high-capacity bandwidth and fiber connectivity between the data centers, supporting data replication, backups, disaster recovery, and managing how data is transferred across great workloads."
"Cisco Optical Networking has positively impacted my organization by providing cost reduction, better network performance, high reliability, and most importantly, business growth."
"Cisco Optical Networking has positively impacted my organization by helping add resilience and redundancy."
"The most valuable features are the VxLAN and the EVPN."
"Juniper QFX Series Switches are very good data center switches, and they are the core part of their fabric."
"Juniper QFX Series Switches provide a great platform for all of our requirements and are easy to use."
"EVPN-VXLAN feature offers the most benefits."
"The QFX series is a good choice for large data centers, particularly for Spine-Leaf architectures."
"Technical support is good."
"Support is good and customer-friendly"
"I do see a return on investment with Juniper QFX Series Switches because I can use this device for a long time, and it's still very stable until now."
 

Cons

"Customer support is good only if you pay for it; if you forget to renew a license and you need support, it is not always so great."
"Cisco Optical Networking could be improved by having more documentation and more training."
"In terms of improvements for Cisco Optical Networking, I believe we can enhance monitoring by improving real-time optical power, signal quality, link error, and bandwidth utilization, which leads to better network monitoring."
"There is much work that needs to be done, and providing more proactive artificial intelligence-driven monitoring will definitely help mitigate failures."
"When it comes to features or tools that stood out to me in Cisco Optical Networking, I faced issues such as wavelength allocations due to fixed grid limitations, which led to spectral inefficiencies when mixing different wavelengths."
"I don't think there's any improvement needed on Juniper QFX Series Switches, but I would like to see other cheaper plans for the license on the QFX series."
"The price could be cheaper."
"There have been some issues sometimes. When you upgrade the device, it doesn't come up. It gets stuck."
"Integrating QFX switches was the first point of challenge."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing model. It is too high."
"It is very costly."
"Sometimes parts are not available in stock, then you have to wait for replacement time."
"I faced issues with the deployment and upgrade. In the QFX5110 series, features like ISSU and DSSQ should be improved. Upgrades should be smoother."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The solution is cheap, especially compared to competitors like Cisco."
"The price of Juniper QFX Series Switches is expensive because we are running some enterprise hardware. However, they are less expensive than Cisco or HPE hardware."
"The cost is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Optical Networking?
The pricing is a bit high, but considering the features, it is reasonable. If Cisco adds more AI assistance, I do not believe the pricing is excessive, so I am satisfied with it.
What needs improvement with Cisco Optical Networking?
In terms of improvements for Cisco Optical Networking, I believe we can enhance monitoring by improving real-time optical power, signal quality, link error, and bandwidth utilization, which leads t...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Optical Networking?
Cisco Optical Networking's main use case is to convert data center connectivity by connecting data centers over high-speed optical links for large-scale data transfer and disaster recovery. It ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper QFX Series Switches?
The price depends heavily upon the level of relationship you have with the OEM. We are a number one, tier-one partner of Juniper. Therefore, we normally get better discounts than with Cisco because...
What needs improvement with Juniper QFX Series Switches?
I don't think there's any improvement needed on Juniper QFX Series Switches, but I would like to see other cheaper plans for the license on the QFX series.
What is your primary use case for Juniper QFX Series Switches?
I use Juniper QFX Series Switches just for layer 2 switches. I'm not using layer 3 on Juniper QFX Series Switches; usually, I use MX series for layer 3. For layer 2, I think it's very simpl...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Linode, VPRO, West Chester University
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Optical Networking vs. Juniper QFX Series Switches and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
921,523 professionals have used our research since 2012.