Wireless and Network support at BT - British Telecom
MSP
Top 5
Oct 5, 2026
I have not much experience with that. I cannot give you the full picture. I can work on other aspects. I work as an L3 administrator and at the architect level. For ACI, I would archive normally L2 type of configuration. I can configure those parts, but I am not an architect and I am not working much on ACI. Overall, I would give Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches a rating of nine out of ten.
I rate Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches an eight out of ten. I chose an eight because of the reliability and the scalability for the hardware and the CPUs known as cloud-scale, which are really very good and very smooth in how they handle traffic, providing a stable network and traffic. They also support new features and technologies such as BGP, EVPN, VXLAN, and streaming telemetry, which are amazing. The flexibility for swapping between Nexus OS and ACI is also great, utilizing Nexus API, RESTCONF, and NETCONF, making it close to a 10. However, the licensing and the hardware price, along with booting time, prevent me from giving a 10 out of 10. If these issues are resolved, it would be extraordinary because the devices are amazing. Regarding advice for someone thinking about using Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I personally suggest that most data centers with a good budget, where their enterprise is flooded with data, should consider these devices. If you want to maintain and keep your network stable, I really recommend Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches because it is simply plug and forget. You will not need to maintain what is going on, but you should check and maintain the network. I really recommend them, unless someone cannot afford the licensing or is not aware of the new phrases and features in ACI and telemetry.
We are not utilizing any Cisco tool as of the current date for real-time analytics, considering the cost is one of the major areas. However, we do have Zabbix as a platform for continuous monitoring and analytics, which to some extent has been giving good results. It is able to provide the monitoring we need, and we are also integrated with all the logs. For security purposes, all the logs are being monitored using CrowdStrike as well. Regarding VXLAN support, we are not using Cisco SmartNet support as of the current date. We are in discussions with our partners to look at all the new switches which are about to come in our pipeline to replace the current ones. We are considering SmartNet to include in there. Otherwise, all the current switches are with partner's support coverage. As for network programmability via APIs for operations, it is very well supported. I will not say that we have been using those very heavily, but as I mentioned that monitoring using Zabbix, the API integrations is very much required. We are currently in-house building a lot of automation scripts, and that is where the API integrations are really helping us out. If Cisco may think of multi-layer with SD-WAN technologies and some sort of in-built security layer with integrations with SIEM, then it will be very futuristic with securing from the outside world, and that would really help. The network OS which is loaded onto the firmware must have that layered architecture so that if I need that module, I can add that on top of the Network Operating System. I can just add that layer and it will automatically give me the additional features of securing as a core. I am looking at an all-in-one device which has SD-WAN technologies with the complete balance between external and internal traffic routing. I have given this product an overall review rating of 10 out of 10.
I am currently at a customer's site. Previously, routers were used and maybe due to VPN or specific work requirements, they could be used, but not for every case. I am interested to become a reference for Cisco for this product so they could publicly refer to me as an expert with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches if I wish. I gave this review a rating of 10.
Learn what your peers think about Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2026.
Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches provide robust networking solutions designed to address demanding network requirements. Known for their high performance and scalability, these switches are ideal for data center environments and enterprise networks requiring reliable and efficient connectivity.The Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches stand out due to their advanced capabilities and integration features. They are equipped with state-of-the-art Cisco DNA and Cloud Scale technologies, offering...
I have not much experience with that. I cannot give you the full picture. I can work on other aspects. I work as an L3 administrator and at the architect level. For ACI, I would archive normally L2 type of configuration. I can configure those parts, but I am not an architect and I am not working much on ACI. Overall, I would give Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches a rating of nine out of ten.
Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches is a good product, and my final rating for this product is 10 points out of 10.
I rate Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches an eight out of ten. I chose an eight because of the reliability and the scalability for the hardware and the CPUs known as cloud-scale, which are really very good and very smooth in how they handle traffic, providing a stable network and traffic. They also support new features and technologies such as BGP, EVPN, VXLAN, and streaming telemetry, which are amazing. The flexibility for swapping between Nexus OS and ACI is also great, utilizing Nexus API, RESTCONF, and NETCONF, making it close to a 10. However, the licensing and the hardware price, along with booting time, prevent me from giving a 10 out of 10. If these issues are resolved, it would be extraordinary because the devices are amazing. Regarding advice for someone thinking about using Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches, I personally suggest that most data centers with a good budget, where their enterprise is flooded with data, should consider these devices. If you want to maintain and keep your network stable, I really recommend Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches because it is simply plug and forget. You will not need to maintain what is going on, but you should check and maintain the network. I really recommend them, unless someone cannot afford the licensing or is not aware of the new phrases and features in ACI and telemetry.
We are not utilizing any Cisco tool as of the current date for real-time analytics, considering the cost is one of the major areas. However, we do have Zabbix as a platform for continuous monitoring and analytics, which to some extent has been giving good results. It is able to provide the monitoring we need, and we are also integrated with all the logs. For security purposes, all the logs are being monitored using CrowdStrike as well. Regarding VXLAN support, we are not using Cisco SmartNet support as of the current date. We are in discussions with our partners to look at all the new switches which are about to come in our pipeline to replace the current ones. We are considering SmartNet to include in there. Otherwise, all the current switches are with partner's support coverage. As for network programmability via APIs for operations, it is very well supported. I will not say that we have been using those very heavily, but as I mentioned that monitoring using Zabbix, the API integrations is very much required. We are currently in-house building a lot of automation scripts, and that is where the API integrations are really helping us out. If Cisco may think of multi-layer with SD-WAN technologies and some sort of in-built security layer with integrations with SIEM, then it will be very futuristic with securing from the outside world, and that would really help. The network OS which is loaded onto the firmware must have that layered architecture so that if I need that module, I can add that on top of the Network Operating System. I can just add that layer and it will automatically give me the additional features of securing as a core. I am looking at an all-in-one device which has SD-WAN technologies with the complete balance between external and internal traffic routing. I have given this product an overall review rating of 10 out of 10.
I am currently at a customer's site. Previously, routers were used and maybe due to VPN or specific work requirements, they could be used, but not for every case. I am interested to become a reference for Cisco for this product so they could publicly refer to me as an expert with Cisco N9300 Series Smart Switches if I wish. I gave this review a rating of 10.