1. Home
  2. LAN Switches
  3. Cisco Nexus Series Switches Reviews
  4. User Review of Cisco Nexus Series Switches
Cisco Nexus - The Data Center Switch for the Next Generation
August 13, 2018

Cisco Nexus - The Data Center Switch for the Next Generation

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Nexus

Cisco Nexus switches are being used as core devices and data center server access switches throughout our company. These switches provide high throughput and density, with very little carbon footprint. The variety of switches you can purchase in the Nexus line is also a bonus. Our users want to be able to access data as quickly as possible, with fault transparency. The Cisco Nexus line of switches provides that capability. The modular switches allow my team to get exactly what type of access is needed, without having to buy multiple switches.
  • These switches are easily programmable. If you are looking at SDN but aren't quite there yet, this switch line is a great starting point. They support DevOps tools, which make automation extremely quick and efficient.
  • There are so many options in this product line, making Nexus a great switch for pretty much any deployment. You can stack switches or use the modular switch, whatever fits your need.
  • These switches support VXLAN, allowing for a multi-tenant network environment, and is perfect for cloud services.
  • The Nexus can run in two different modes, which can make it very difficult to configure. ACI mode is controller based, which is the direction Cisco is going. NX-OS mode is more classic switching.
  • While the NX-OS mode is more classic, some configurations can still be different. For example, you have to turn features on before actually using them (dhcp, tacacs, etc)
  • The licensing model is completely different. It is a learning curve.
  • While the capex may be higher than traditional switches, the ability to automate and manage the network with a single pane of glass, and use 3rd party apps to automate, makes the opex extremely low.
  • With the ease of automation and multi-tenancy, you can get the business units what they need in a matter of minutes and not hours.
  • There is a higher learning curve, and a lot of training needed to get the most out of the Nexus switches. So the ROI may not be realized until well after deployment, for newer engineers.
  • Once implemented, I anticipate these switches should support the business units for at least 10 years.
Cisco Nexus is well suited for small and large data center deployments. In controller mode, it is much easier to automate and orchestrate network administration. This frees up hours of time. VXLAN allows for greater flexibility and use of the infrastructure, by using an overlay over the existing layer 2 infrastructure. You are also no longer limited to 4096 Vlans. By using a 24-bit segment identifier, the switch can now handle up to 16 million Vlans. For any deployment, the ability to use open standard network automation tools is a huge advantage and time saver.