Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches Reviews

We use the EX series for switching. We use both POE and the standard option. We mainly use 48 port ones because we have quite a large area to cover for networking. We use three or four VLANs on each. The models we use are the EX 2300 and 3300.

We use the Juniper SRX 3040s in a cluster configuration and we have five offices around the globe. And our main office is in Bristol and has two 3034s in the cluster configuration. We've also got a VPN between all the sites. Our other sites use SRX 3020s, which will allow a gigabit to pass through on the firewall.

Our company has about 150 people spread across five continents with multiple offices across the globe. There are four of us at the moment in my team that deal with the actual devices. 

Their web GUI interface needs to be a lot better, especially when compared to HP. The command line is good, but you have to know how to get around it. The GUI is clunky and very slow.  

HP switches, in comparison, are easier to use because you can either have it as an options menu or you can actually just do command line, which is brilliant. When using Juniper and trying to do configurations on the actual switch, some of my team don't know how to do the command line. 

This solution is quite expensive compared to HP. Their support is also costly. A 1900 HP broker of Switch comes with a lifetime warranty compared to an EX 2300 which only has a five-year warranty on it.

I have been using this solution for five and a half years. 

This is a stable solution. 

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10 for scalability.

In the past two years, I've only had to call Juniper twice. One was for a switch issue and one was for one of our SRXs. The support team were brilliant in helping us fix the issue both times. 

The initial setup is really straightforward. It is similar to a plug and play setup. We have an on-premise deployment.

We completed the deployment in-house. Sometimes we get a third party to purchase a unit for us if we can't purchase direct from Juniper. 

If compared to Cisco, this is a well priced solution. Compared to HP, it is a little bit overpriced. Overall, they are priced in the middle compared to competitors.

Overall, I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

It is very reliable, scalable and easy to configure.

Our use case is among the 10 largest Brazilian banks, with more than 6 million accounts and presence in all Brazilian states. The institution showed annual growth of 27.6%. Its main businesses include universal banking, savings, loans and mutual insurance. And Stoneground  has approved equipment from Juniper Networks to improve stability, and also to deliver the performance required to support guarantee high throughput and scalability, and ensure compatibility with new technologies

Juniper EX Series switches benefit our clients organizations by offering simplicity and efficiency in provisioning, deployment, and troubleshooting compared to competitors like Cisco and Dell.

It’s easy to set up and manage network fabrics, apply robust policies, cost-effectively scale, and troubleshoot needle-in-a-haystack problems, such as misconfigured VLANs and bad cables.

The Continuity of the road map promises many new features, I don't see a critical point to be improved, I see that the chosen path must be maintained

We have been sell and implemented Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches for two years

The platform is very stable in terms of consistency and reliability.

It is a very scalable product. I studied a few successful case studies, where they mentioned it efficiently managed around 3,000 access points in larger companies and networks.

The technical support services are satisfactory.

Positive

We are a solutions integrator company and we work with different manufacturers, we evaluate which solution is best for the client's intentions.

The complexity of the initial setup can vary depending on whether they are cloud-based or on-premise. The process for cloud deployment is faster than on-premise. It takes a few minutes to complete. We use the Zero-Touch deployment method. The executives have to connect the cables, and it is implemented automatically.

We don't require a specialist to assist us in configuration. We take help from our in-house tool for managing provisions and troubleshooting.

They offer a more competitive pricing structure compared to Cisco. They often come at around 20% lower cost than Cisco. However, in some regions, there might be even more budget-friendly options.

Our partnerships are carefully evaluated, the solutions were evaluated for their technical, commercial and innovative capabilities

I rate Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches a nine out of ten.

Juniper switches are smart and we have all the features that we want. You can rollback to the previous version if you make any mistake during configuration. This is not possible in Cisco. 

You need to make a few local configurations to work with the solution. We have faced issues with the tool's stability. 

I have been using the solution for ten years. 

I would rate the solution's stability an eight out of ten. 

I would rate the tool's scalability an eight out of ten. We have around 148 ports connected using the solution.

We manage the solution ourselves and do not require any support. 

You just need to copy and paste the template. We do not follow automatic configuration but copy it to the environment. However, the configuration commands are long compared to Cisco. It's not an issue since it is just copy and paste. You need one person to handle the product's deployment. 

The product's pricing is less and almost half of Cisco's. 

I would rate the tool a seven out of ten. 

These are standalone devices. We use them as switches. We use them in the access layer as well as in the aggregation layer. We use them to provide internet services to the end-user.

While it's not necessarily better, we do need to reduce our reliance on Chinese-manufactured solutions to no more than 20%. Therefore, we need a vendor that does not have equipment made in China. 

The setup process is simple. 

It's stable. 

We have found the product to be scalable. 

We needed to change what we use now so that the upper layer, the business layer, was moved to Juniper. We haven't really dealt with any issues.

The price could be a bit lower. 

We'd like to see some form of support for Internet of Things, or IoT devices.

I've been using the solution for six months now. 

The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

We can scale and expand the solution. 

We have more than 500 users on the solution currently. 

I have colleagues that directly deal with customer support. I haven't dealt with them directly. However, it is my understanding that they are helpful.

Positive

We have used Chinese-manufactured equipment. We're working to be less reliant on it. We've used, for example, Huawei. We've also used Cisco.

Huawei has better support. The response time is better. The price is also better, and there is not a complex licensing procedure for Huawei. You can buy two licenses, for example, and they can serve all your needs.

Although the initial setup is pretty straightforward, it is a bit different than, for example, Cisco and Huawei. It takes some time to get familiar with the process. 

We have a partner that handles the maintenance for us. 

We'd like the pricing to come down a bit. 

We're a partner and end-user.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. We are happy with its capabilities overall, and it has allowed us to rely less on Chinese-manufactured technology.

I use the solution in my company for our customers in the retail and financial companies. We are using the switches in data center operations for our customer environment. We are using Juniper for back-end switches.

The most valuable feature of the solution is in the area of MC-LAG, especially for redundancy and backup.

Improvements can be made in the web user interface and web management. The management interface is based on Java, and it is a problematic application. I always use CLI due to black screen issues, but sometimes, I need more than user-friendly operations for customers. If the management interface improves, it would be good.

I have been using Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches for three years. My company has a partnership with Juniper.

It offers a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

My customers are medium and enterprise businesses.

Only once in three years have I used the solution's technical support, and it was good. I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.

Neutral

Compared to Cisco, Juniper offers better stability and low prices.

The product's initial setup phase is not too easy compared to different vendors. We are always using Cisco's interface, but Juniper's syntax is different and sometimes it is difficult. If you are working on Juniper, the setup may seem easier.

If ten means very easy, I rate the setup phase a six or seven out of ten.

The time needed to deploy the solution depends on the project, and it may range between an hour to two.

The solution can be deployed on an on-premises model.

Time is very important for our customers. The switches are not purchased by our users. We operate a data center, and the owner of our old environment is Kindle. I work in the data centers. Directly, our customers do not buy any environment or infrastructure because all the infrastructure owners are Kindle. We offer services to customers, and sometimes we discuss with them which solution is best for them.

Juniper is not problematic and is stable. With the tool, one doesn't need to spend too much time on issues or corruption because the tool is not problematic. I spend time if I make any configuration changes. In other words, I don't spend too much time on issues or bugs.

I don't know much about pricing because I am from the technical side. I think the tool's prices are competitive with the vendors.

I recommend users keep using the tool. If people have experience with the tool, it's enough, but if they don't, I think they should work with people who have experience with Juniper.

I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

We have large offices in New York, India, and in other countries where these switches have been installed for our access layer and core layer.

We have thousands of users. They all use the switches when connecting to LAN or Wi-Fi.

The feature I like the most is the ability to reword changes before committing to the change. We can always reword changes in 10 minutes if they don't work. 

The solution is very streamlined, and the performance is very good.

Support could be improved.

I have used this solution for about three years. 

The stability and uptime is really good. I have never faced any issues with stability.

The solution is scalable.

I have also worked with Meraki.

Setup isn't very complex. The documentation is really good, so it's easy to configure.

We have three network engineers who maintain the solution.

I would rate this solution as nine out of ten. 

For those who are using and investing too much in Cisco, my advice is that you can use Juniper for half of the cost and almost get the same result.

I use it for my customers. 

The solution works well overall. 

It's a switch. Everything which I'm expecting from the switch is on the Juniper EX series.

It is stable.

You can scale the product.

All Juniper products that you use in internet service provider equipment. They start from flash, et cetera. If you don't stop them properly, you have some problems with flash memory.

The setup, if you don't have your own configuration, can be a bit difficult. 

All Juniper documentation is terrible. If you are familiar with Cisco documentation, you have everything you need and you have a good overall picture. In Juniper, you have a lot of text and you have to figure out what they are saying as opposed to just seeing a picture and understanding what's happening. Cisco documentation is much better than Juniper.

I've been using the solution for seven years or somewhere thereabouts. 

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

It is scalable. You can scale with more equipment, more cards, more interfaces, et cetera. In the case of switches, you've got upwards of six so you can scale the solution for your needs.

I tend to work with medium-sized organizations. 

The solution's support is typical. It's not quite different from others. I fid it similar to other vendors. For example, I see no difference between Cisco and Juniper.

I'm also familiar with Cisco. I prefer Juniper's switches to Cisco. The price is good. 

I have to stop the initial configuration, then I have to remove all defaults and start from scratch. In my opinion, it's easier to start with my own configuration rather than going through the initial set up. 

The solution is reasonably priced if you compare it to Cisco.

The exact price depends on the model, the software you are going to implement, and the features you want. In the case of Juniper, you can use its recommended vendors, SFPs, et cetera. 

At one point, I was a Juniper partner. I just use the solution right now. 

I'd advise potential new users to start with Junos. That's the name of the operating system for Juniper stuff. If you are familiar with this, you can do everything. However, if you are not familiar, it could be very, very difficult for you to start with Juniper.

I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

We use it across our whole environment. We use it for everything from our core to our edge. It is basically deployed everywhere. A good percentage of our Juniper switches are in a stacked array. For example, we do four 48-port switches for a wiring closet in a building. They're all stacked together, and they call it ActivChassis. Most companies, such as HP, ADTRAN, also do the same kind of thing. So, we do a virtual chassis formation in our wiring closet. For smaller buildings that only need one switch, we do a single switch at the distant end.

We have a lot from the 2300 Series. We have one 3300 and quite a few from the 3400 Series. We also have one 4550, and we have also been buying the 4350 series ones.

The thing that sets Juniper apart from most switches is that when you're in the command line and you make a configuration change, you just write the command and then say "commit confirmed minutes". For example, I'm configuring a switch here in my office, which is five miles away, and I say, "commit confirmed 5". If I can't get back to the interface within five minutes to be able to make sure the switch came up, it rolls back to the previous configuration. This way I do not get locked out, or the switch doesn't get messed up because of the incorrect configuration. That's an automatic feature, which is pretty slick. I haven't seen that feature with other vendors that I've worked with. That's probably my most favorite feature.

A nice thing about Juniper is that they also have a GUI interface, and it is a little bit better than most other vendors. Their GUI interface does more than a lot of other vendors.

Another nice thing about Juniper is that their training is available for free on their website. I wanted to get certified with Juniper, and I did it for free. On the entry-level exam, they pay for 75% of the exam if you take it through their website.

The negative of Juniper is that their command-line coding is a lot different than any other vendor, so there is a fairly steep learning curve to it. 

The initial setup for Juniper switches is complex. Juniper has a new program that solves that problem a little bit, but it is expensive, so I don't use it. It is Juniper Mesh, Juniper Wire, or something like that where you plug in a switch, and it goes out to their cloud, finds a config, and brings it down. So, you can do everything cloud-based, but there is a fee for that. It is expensive, so I've never used it. If we were starting, we would try to do something like that. It is more for a large enterprise for managing hundreds of switches versus what we're doing. They should make its price more cost-effective or include it for new or smaller companies.

One advantage that Cisco has is that there are a billion people who use it, so there are a lot more publications or books, whereas, with Juniper, you really can't find a current book. Everything that you have is from their website. They have a lot of documentation on their website, which is good, but if you're a person like me who likes having a hardback book, you're not going to find one that's current. If I wanted to be at home and learn something and read about it, I won't be able to do that. It is going to be a PDF, so you either have got to print it out, or you have to read it online. Sometimes, being older and having bad eyes, that's not good.

We probably started using it four years ago.

Its stability is good.

Its scalability is excellent. It is being used extensively. We're going to finish off other vendors this year. It is going to be all Juniper.

Their technical support is good. Our experience with them has been good.

We have been supporting three different vendors: HP, ADTRAN, and Juniper. Our environment was getting old. So, we just started replacing things that were ten or eight years old. This year, we're replacing everything so that we're just one shop, and we don't have to support three different vendors. It is tough to support three different OS, so that's why we are finishing others off.

Juniper's GUI interface is a little bit better than most other vendors, but Juniper's command line is tougher than HP. HP has the easiest interface. On an HP switch, you can just write a command, and it automatically knows where to go. Juniper has a very hierarchal kind of structure, and you have to be within that framework of what you're trying to do to make that change. That's why it is a little bit harder. Juniper commands are also a little bit longer, but it is easy to fill out commands by using a question mark or a tab. It'll then auto-fill if you're typing it correctly, which is nice.

Juniper is better in terms of if you make a mistake. When you make a command mistake on HP, you don't necessarily get to know. On Juniper, if you're using a command and you get it all set up, and then you hit commit, it won't commit if there is a syntax error or some other issue. It will tell you that there is an error and you got to fix it. It also tells you what it is, but knowing the commands is the hard part.

It was complex. The first few that we got were tough, and sometimes, they still can be tough. It has definitely a steep learning curve. If you are an organization that has never used it before, it is going to be tough.

If you know what you're doing, you can get a switch done in a couple of hours. If you're new, it is going to take you days to weeks, depending upon how much you want to get it to work. So, it is kind of complex.

I use SecureCRT to configure all my switches, which replaces Putty and is made by VanDyke software. It is not that expensive and costs around $90. Using SecureCRT has made things easier for me, and it has really helped me with Juniper. If you're familiar with Putty, it works really well. It gives you options to store all of your commands. So, when I'm building a new switch, I have all the commands that I normally use, such as the commands to set up the IP address or a route. I don't have to memorize the commands. I can just double-click the set route command and then just change a variable.

For the first two switches, we used the reseller from whom we bought the switches. Someone from their company came in and installed the first two switches. After that, we looked at his configs and figured out how to do it, and since then, we did it on our own. Our experience with the reseller was good.

Maintenance is handled by two of us in my department, but we do so many other things. We are Network Admins. 

Their prices are competitive and not bad. It is cheaper than Cisco.

We have a yearly license.

It has more features than I'm currently using. Their support is fine, and their prices are also competitive. It is cheaper than Cisco, so I would definitely recommend it over Cisco because of the price. 

Juniper provides training for free on their website. You can do all their courses for free through their website. I would highly recommend doing these courses. They are free, which is awesome. You're not going to get free Cisco courses.

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10. The only reason for not giving it a 10 is its high learning curve. In terms of capabilities and feature set, it is right up there.