We use this solution for our new data center.
Sr Network Engineer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Provides important redundancy for our new data center
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol)."
- "I would like to see better collaboration with other, low-end devices."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has improved our redundancy.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol).
What needs improvement?
I would like to see better collaboration with other, low-end devices.
Buyer's Guide
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.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think that it scales well. For what we use it for, it has been great. Right now, we have a ten-gig network, but it can scale up to forty-gig, which is really good.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support for this solution is great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to this solution, we used ePlus. We switched in the move to newer technology.
What other advice do I have?
We have a vendor for products, but we do not just go with what they suggest. We do our homework, in-house, as well.
There are many good things about this product including the reliability, scalability, and of course, security. This is a product that I recommend.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Service Validation Engineers at a tech consulting company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A scalable product with high throughput to connect our regional and local data centers
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of this solution are scalability and throughput."
- "One of the problems we have is that there is no confirmation for when you try to test a system command."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as an aggregate router in our data center environment so that we can have an extended VLAN port between different data centers, regional and local.
The company has multiple data centers and most of the connections between them are through the 9K switches. We also have a couple of them in our lab for testing. These are used to test throughput, the system reliability, accuracy, and scalability for how many VLAN extenders we can have in our infrastructure.
We are using Spine-and-Leaf architecture for our data centers.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are scalability and throughput. We are extending the VLAN to multiple data centers.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see this solution support routing.
One of the problems we have is that there is no confirmation for when you try to test a system command. It just accepts it and does not give you a response.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is very good. We have been using it a lot and for a long time. It is being upgraded all the time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our environment is very large. We have multiple regional and national data centers, where data is sent between them.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support for this solution is very good. I have been working with them for a while. We have dedicated line support for HTTP.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is not very complex. The problem is reliability. We get help from Cisco technical support and Cisco sales, and the deployment has to be coordinated with the Cisco architectural team to get it working on our network. There are a lot of people involved in the deployment, and before anything, it has to be tested.
We have advanced engineering, where they do the testing to make sure that the problems are being captured. If there are any issues then they are sent back to operations before they can deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We use a Cisco consultant for deployment. They are a reseller for the whole region. Everything is taken from the warehouse, prepped, and tested to make sure that everything is working. Their response is very good, and we have been working with them for a long time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our licensing fees are paid annually.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The company is currently investing heavily in new technology from Cisco. This includes the SD-WAN, a network administration system, and NFV for the virtual firewall.
For this solution, we did not consider other vendors. However, we do use multiple vendors for our firewall and routing solutions.
What other advice do I have?
For anybody researching this solution, I would recommend looking at the 9K, but you have to look at all of the metrics and compare them between vendors. This is the way to come up with the best solution. Everything, including technical support, has to be considered because, for example, you can have the product but if you don't have support then you are going to have to deal with issues by yourself.
Overall, this product is good, but nothing is perfect. It is important to have competition.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
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.
Network Engineer at Archer Daniels Midland
Helps us stay ahead in a field where uptime is crucial
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the Bluetooth console."
- "They need to offer fibre switches in the 9K series."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use for this solution is as headend switches at remote sites.
How has it helped my organization?
These are the same as the old headend switches, but newer and nicer.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the Bluetooth console.
What needs improvement?
They need to offer fibre switches in the 9K series.
I would like to have the ability to identify ports by flashing port lights, so I can tell the user "We need to look at port four", and then I can flash the light remotely using the command line.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of this solution is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability with this solution is easy.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support for this solution is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We moved to this solution because it is an ever-growing field. You need to stay ahead, and uptime is crucial.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We used AT&T to assist us with the implementation.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
AT&T is our primary vendor. Verizon was on the short list, and Cisco themselves was on the list as well.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good switch, overall, and there are only a few other features that we'd like to see.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr Manager of Network and Telephony at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Integrates well with FEX and streamlines our configuration
Pros and Cons
- "This solution streamlines how we have to configure things because we can do everything from one device, whereas if we had individual devices we would have to go to each one and configure them manually."
- "I would love to see Active/Active FEX connectivity, which is enhanced vPC, where we could also do a vPC from a server in that type of configuration."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for the core network infrastructure of our data centers. We use Nexus and the FEX line of products to interconnect all of the server infrastructure, as well as external connections that come in from our outside vendors.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution streamlines how we have to configure things because we can do everything from one device, whereas if we had individual devices we would have to go to each one and configure them manually.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the flexibility of the blade infrastructure, as well as the FEX integration.
What needs improvement?
I would love to see Active/Active FEX connectivity, which is enhanced vPC, where we could also do a vPC from a server in that type of configuration. It's still a limitation that's been carried over from the 7K that I'm surprised is still absent from the 9K. Including this would give us the highest level of redundancy without risking having orphaned ports, which we do have at times.
For how long have I used the solution?
Approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
At this point, I am happy with the stability of this solution. It has been better than the 7K line.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability seems pretty solid. We're not a very large company, so we don't max out any of the limitations of the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not dealt directly with technical support, although I have received feedback from my engineers. What little support we've needed has worked out very well.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have nearly ten years of experience with the Nexus 7K line. Our change was primarily driven by the company's requirement to maintain our equipment. With the 7K line going out of support shortly, we had to move to a supported platform to meet regulatory requirements.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is straightforward. The similarities between the 9K and the older 7K helped with the transition. It didn't complicate things because the functionalities are so similar that it was easy enough to transfer our current configuration over. We were even able to make slight adjustments for improvement.
What about the implementation team?
We used CompuNet to assist us with the implementation.
The engineer was great, but the project manager wasn't so great. He didn't really manage the project. I came in late, in the middle of the project, and ended up putting it on hold because there was no plan. They were trying to implement within a couple of weeks. So, I had to put it on hold for about three months before we actually were able to move our core over to the new 9K infrastructure.
What was our ROI?
With the implementation of the FEX infrastructure, it is going to save us a lot of time. We are incapable of implementing new connectivity for new hardware devices without having the ability to manage multiple devices.
Besides, the ROI for this solution is that it gets me off of the audit list.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We only have a yearly support contract, as we do not use any of the subscription-based functions at this time.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We only evaluated solutions by Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
With the feature set we are using now, I cannot think of any major changes that we would require. In the future, as we move into a hybrid cloud strategy, I may see opportunities for improvement.
There are still limitations within the product.
My advice for anybody researching this solution is to make sure that it meets your requirements. From a stability standpoint, it works, but not every feature set that you may need or require is there, so you have to look at it closely.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Engineer at Google
Provides SDN for our access layer, but there are lots of bugs that need to be fixed
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the access layer security, OpenConfig, and OpenFlow."
- "Stability is not really up to the mark."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for the access layer of our network.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution is helping us in terms of providing SDN, software-defined networking.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the access layer security, OpenConfig, and OpenFlow.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see OpenConfig covering most of the industry standards. The YANG models, for example, and also support for OpenFlow.
The areas that need improvement are MACsec, OpenConfig, and OpenFlow.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is not really up to the mark. There are a lot of bugs in MACsec and OpenFlow.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good enough for now, and not really an issue for us.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not spoken with technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did use another solution prior to this one. We have had a lot of different switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is straightforward. For the configuration, we used zero-touch provisioning, so it was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We had assistance with the deployment of the solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are multi-vendor, so whoever gives us the best product is the one we purchase from.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is to start their testing early, as the features need time to run.
This solution needs a lot more improvement, such as the bugs that need to be fixed.
I would rate this solution a six out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Technician at a individual & family service with 10,001+ employees
Adds high-performance and availability to our network
Pros and Cons
- "It speeds up the network data transfer time."
- "Standardization across iOS and Nexus operating systems would be an improvement."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use for this solution is bridging servers and storage arrays and networks across multiple domains.
How has it helped my organization?
We move massive amounts of data across the network at a time, so the fact that we can do it over a ten-gigabit pipeline is incredible. It speeds up the network data transfer time.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the high performance.
What needs improvement?
I really wish that Nexus and iOS commands were more similar than they are different. Standardization across iOS and Nexus operating systems would be an improvement.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of this solution is great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution has great scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
We are a partner, and most of our programs are air-gapped, which means that we don't get to have real-time customer support. Somebody who is cleared has to come on-site to look at what our problems are.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. There is a pre-configuration wizard that will prompt you whenever you connect any device for the first time. It is pretty simple that way.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The only solutions that we considered were by Cisco. We have used other products, for example from HP, but we were not as satisfied by those as we were with Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
If you want high performance and availability then Nexus is the way to go.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
Network Analyst at Marion County
Enhances our security through integration with other Cisco products
Pros and Cons
- "This solution has given us the ability to use Cisco ISE for security."
- "This solution costs a lot."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution in our data centers.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has given us the ability to use Cisco ISE for security.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ability to integrate with other Cisco security products.
What needs improvement?
This solution costs a lot.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a very scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't had to use technical support yet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had two Cisco switches, but they were very, very old.
How was the initial setup?
Our initial setup was complex because we were installing the other data center equipment at the same time.
What about the implementation team?
We used a consultant for our deployment, and our experience was not great. We have had a lot of problems with our vendors.
What was our ROI?
We haven't seen ROI yet because we're still in the middle of deploying it.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I can recommend that people use.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager of Network Engineering at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Allows us to scale well, but the code quality has worsened and needs improvment
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is that it is high-density, ten-gig."
- "The code quality for this solution has gotten worse and needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution in our data center.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has allowed us to scale bigger than ever.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it is high-density, ten-gig.
What needs improvement?
The code quality for this solution has gotten worse and needs improvement.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The hardware is stable, but the code quality has gotten worse.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of this solution is great.
How are customer service and technical support?
Cisco's technical support is great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have always used Cisco products.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is complex, but that is expected. You have to put a lot of thought into it.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to anybody implementing this solution is to plan ahead six months.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Nexus Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2025
Popular Comparisons
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers
NETGEAR Switches
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Arista Networks Platform
Juniper QFX Series Switches
HPE ProCurve
Aruba Instant On Switches
ExtremeSwitching
Juniper MX Series Universal Routing Platforms
Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches
Dell PowerSwitch N-Series
Cisco FabricPath
Juniper QFabric
Arista Campus LAN Switches
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Nexus Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- When evaluating LAN Switching, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- Compatibility between Dell PowerConnect 6224 and Cisco SG500x (L3 switches)
- What are your recommended Layer 2 and Layer 3 network switches if the main consideration is performance?
- Does anyone have statistics on how often a fire occurs in a computer room?
- What LAN switching solution do you recommend?
- Managed vs Unmanaged Switches: What should a business take into account when choosing?
- Does FiberHome S6800 switch support bi-directional SFP modules and how to enable them?
- Can someone please help me with Fiberhome 40G S6800 Switches?
- Why is LAN Switching important for companies?