We are using the Cisco Nexus as our core switch for our main backbone.
Lead Presales at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Exceptionally stable, scalable, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
What is our primary use case?
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Nexus for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
Nowadays, every five years technology changes. However, you will find customers who are using the same Cisco switch which has a life span of five years or seven years, will still be using them for more than 10 years without raising a single ticket. This is the confidence they have in Cisco. This is my personal customer experience, it makes it difficult for us to generate business. We can do a technology refresh or a product replacement But when there is Cisco, it is tough for any person to replace that solution. Cisco has that X factor in their solutions, and specifically with networking. Nexus is definitely their bread and butter. It is an exceptional solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Nexus is scalable.
We have approximately two customers.
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August 2025

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How are customer service and support?
The Technical support of Cisco is really good. It is a core switch, you require three to four hours, same business day support. They give you a good resolution within that time. They are good at troubleshooting.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward. If you have someone who is certified to do the implementation of Cisco Nexus they can do it quickly.
All other switches, such as distributed switches and access switches connect to the Cisco Nexus switch. If you have done everything correctly including the sizing, there should not be an issue at the time of installation.
What about the implementation team?
we have one manager and one engineer for the deployment and maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The subscription model and price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Cisco Nexus an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator

Sr. Backbone Architect at NTT Global Networks Incorporated
Scalable, stable and easily installable, but more expensive than Juniper switches and lacks a single switch for multiple ports
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is easy."
- "It would be nice if the solution offered multiple types of port support."
What needs improvement?
Cisco Nexus could also have better documentation.
Moreover, it would be nice if the solution offered multiple types of port support. It does not have, for example, a single switch for both internet and fiber ports.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Nexus for around 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has demonstrated stability thus far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
For Cisco, we use Nexus and 2900.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As I deal with the technical aspects of the solution, I am not in a position to comment on the price.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We consider Juniper switches to be more affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I use the solution in my own company. It works.
There are around 500-plus devices being utilized in our organization.
My advice to others is that they get initial hands-on experience in a lab environment. This should involve a proper grasp of the solution's features, such as that which concerns troubleshooting and may involve a different setup. Only at this point should one enter the production stage.
I rate Cisco Nexus as a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Cisco Nexus
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco Nexus. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Robust architecture, reliable, and useful automation
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the solution is robust, you are able to use it for fabric architecture as well as SPAN on exit with the controller."
- "Nexus switches should be able to support network function virtualization (NFV)."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for many purposes. For example, to automate Nexus switches and to view the modern architecture network, such as SDN.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the solution is robust, you are able to use it for fabric architecture as well as SPAN on exit with the controller.
What needs improvement?
Nexus switches should be able to support network function virtualization (NFV).
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found Cisco Nexus switches highly scalable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is very scalable because of the architecture. We have approximately 400 users using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am satisfied with the Cisco support, they are very good.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is very easy and it took me approximately 10 minutes to install.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of the solution ourselves. We have a few administrators that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution. We do not need a really big team because it can be automated, we need them mostly for orchestration.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco Nexus a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Manager at a transportation company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Low latency, good performance, and very stable
Pros and Cons
- "Its low latency is most valuable. Its performance is good, and it is also very stable."
- "The operating system needs to be improved. There should be stability in the operating system, and it should not have as many vulnerabilities."
What is our primary use case?
We are using it for the data center. We have its latest version.
What is most valuable?
Its low latency is most valuable. Its performance is good, and it is also very stable.
What needs improvement?
The operating system needs to be improved. There should be stability in the operating system, and it should not have as many vulnerabilities.
It is very expensive. Its price could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a really good scalable product. Currently, we have about 50 users. We don't have any plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
I don't have experience with the technical support of Cisco.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't use any other solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
Its installation is straightforward. It only takes 15 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We do it ourselves. We have about four admins for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is very expensive. Its licensing is on a yearly basis.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We didn't evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. Cisco is a good vendor to work with.
I would rate Cisco Nexus an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Digital Transformation at a consultancy with 1,001-5,000 employees
Beneficial logical tenant segregation, installation straightforward, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "We have found that logical tenant segregation to be the most useful feature."
- "The software is not as mature as it could be and needs some integration improvements with other orchestrators."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution in a data center farm.
What is most valuable?
We have found that logical tenant segregation to be the most useful feature.
What needs improvement?
The software is not as mature as it could be and needs some integration improvements with other orchestrators.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
When it comes to the stability we had some issues with some software features due to a release bug. The hardware itself is pretty stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial installation is pretty straightforward, it takes approximately an hour. When you start with the configuration and moving forward from there, which is not only a matter of technical configuration or the key component but the integration into the environment, this can take several hours.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others before implantation this solution to study. There are some big changes in respect to the previous concept of networking. There is a learning curve that needs to be considered.
I rate Cisco Nexus an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO at a construction company with 11-50 employees
Stable and easy to use modular and fixed port network switches
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to use, and the performance is great."
- "The price could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco Nexus for the switches. It's a switch product, and I think we have 350 users on our network.
What is most valuable?
It's easy to use, and the performance is great. I like the VRF IP route for the network. It's five minutes of work.
What needs improvement?
The price could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cisco Nexus for the last three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Nexus is stable, and the performance is great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Nexus is a scalable product.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have contacted technical support many times, and I am satisfied with my experience.
How was the initial setup?
The installations were easy. The time to deploy depends on the model and the size of the product you will be using. But it will definitely take hours. We have ten people in our team to implement and maintain this solution. But it depends on the project. Sometimes we will have 15 people working on it.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented this solution by ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The problem with Cisco, from what I see, is that their costs are much higher. The costs depend on the features you need, and the license is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
From a functional and technical point of view, I would recommend Cisco Nexus to potential users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco Nexus a nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Chief Technology Officer at Interlink Engineering Pvt Ltd
Reliable, easy to setup and deploy
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco Nexus meets all of our requirements."
- "I feel that this solution should be more flexible and scalable."
What is our primary use case?
The primary uses of this solution are for managing email servers, EIP modules, and file servers.
What is most valuable?
Cisco Nexus meets all of our requirements.
What needs improvement?
I feel that this solution should be more flexible and scalable.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Nexus for approximately seven years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. We do not have any issues with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability needs improvement.
How are customer service and technical support?
We use a local distributor for support, which is very expensive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, and the deployment was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not aware of the costs for this solution, it is handled by the accounting department.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution to other users who are interested in using it.
I would rate Cisco Nexus an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enables us to have fewer devices and fewer physical interfaces, yet retain a more extensive logical setup
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the 7700 series is probably the multi-context subset VRS, which lets you use multi-VRS, multi-context, and also VPC setup, where you have two logical devices that are still separate in terms of management planes, but have shared, virtual core channels."
- "The initial setup was pretty complex, mostly because of our environment, having to do multi-context. That's where you have a lot of different logical routes that are in one physical device, and it can get kind of complex trying to think about how to set all that up. You really have to whiteboard it out a lot."
How has it helped my organization?
It helped us have fewer physical interfaces by being able to share it with multiple virtual contacts. By doing that, we can have fewer devices and fewer physical interfaces, yet retain a more extensive logical setup. So it helps us to have a smaller footprint.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the 7700 series is probably that it lets you have multi-context, and also VPC setup, where you have two logical devices that are still separate in terms of management planes but have shared virtual port channels.
What needs improvement?
They should make sure that the back address auto is baselined. I think it might even be baselined, so it might be that one of our team members had messed that up, but it just wasn't a very straightforward command. You should have multi-context, multi-port channel enabled on the underlay of the Firepower. The way the Firepower firewalls work is they have a management plane, and then you make the virtual ASAs on the Firepower, where you're assigning multiple interfaces or core channels on there. have fewer devices and fewer physical interfaces, yet retain a more extensive logical setup.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been very stable so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has been very scalable, from what we've seen.
How are customer service and technical support?
The few times we have had to talk to technical support it's been pretty decent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The previous solution we used was the Catalyst 6506 series. We switched to 7706 at that time because it was pretty much comparable to that. It was either a 6506 or moving to a 6807, which was the Catalyst's next series for the next device. The difference between the Catalyst and the Nexus was that Catalyst was doing VSS, where you kind of had two physical switches acting as one logical switch. We had had some issues, especially with upgrades of VSS, so we were trying to avoid using VSS. The 7706 is just more stable than what the Nexus 9000 was at the time we were purchasing this. The Nexus 9000 wasn't fleshed out enough yet to use as the core, so it just made sense to go with the 7706 instead.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty complex, mostly because of our environment, having to do multi-context. That's where you have a lot of different logical routes that are in one physical device, and it can get kind of complex trying to think about how to set all that up. You really have to whiteboard it out a lot.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We talked with a lot of vendors, such as Juniper, FortiGate, and some of the other players. Cisco was our chosen solution, because of the level of support and familiarity we had. A lot of us trained in Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
When we were purchasing this, it was the best solution. Now, you might want to look at the Nexus 9000 solution, or maybe the Catalyst 9000 series. You might consider your environment and see what you need. Do you need personal contacts and device management? Or do you need devices acting as one switch for easy management? It just depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for more of the software-defined stuff, and this is going to be in your data center, or maybe you want ACIs, then you're obviously going to be looking at Nexus 9000 there. It just depends on your situation.
I would rate this solution as a nine or ten of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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Updated: August 2025
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