Item: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI)
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure is used as a Nexus 7000 replacement (network centric) in the datacenter for L2 connectivity.

Pros and Cons

Configuration through API
Ease of switch deployment/replacement

The APIC gui is slow
Being able to rename objects
Nexus 9k switch reliability has been an issue

Alternatives Considered

We haven't tried any thing else, it was the logical step forward from N7K.

Scalability

We have a fairly static environment so the scalability isn't really a factor for us.

Automation

We're using it network centric still, so not much has changed yet compared towards the N7K we had before.

Key Insights

Do you think Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI)'s feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) go as expected?

Would you buy Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Cisco AnyConnect, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Deployment in dynamic environments. Integration with virtualization platforms to simplify network deployment (vmware integration). Manage multiple pods from one apic cluster. As a 1:1 replacement for traditional layer-2 switches and when L3 isn't used. Overall it's a steep learning curve and quite different from the traditional switch management/usage.

Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure, it can make life easier

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI)