We performed a comparison between Arista Networks Platform and Cisco Nexus based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: In this comparison, the two products received similar ratings across all categories. However, users of Arista Networks Platform reported seeing an ROI while users of Cisco Nexus did not.
"The configuration capabilities were good."
"It provides telemetry and visibility for many metrics that are not supported by most of the other vendors. Out of the box, no third party solutions are needed."
"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."
"The most valuable feature is the Linux shell, which is useful for troubleshooting or capturing traffic."
"The most valuable aspect of Arista Networks products is their ease of configuration, especially when compared to Cisco products. When we implement advanced features for data centers such as BGP EVPN and VXLAN, Arista's configuration process is similar to that of Cisco's process, but at the same time it is simply much easier, clearer, and more understandable."
"The solution is scalable."
"Arista Networks Platform offers straightforward deployment, and has good features. Support for the platform is also good."
"The best part is the single operating system that they have. Regardless of your model, it's the same operating system functioning across the board, which means you don't have to worry about backward compatibilities between your older switches and the new ones that you deploy."
"This solution provides all of the routing and searching features that we need."
"The setup is straightforward. I'd like to see the firmware and code upgradability to be slightly more intuitive."
"Tech support is good."
"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."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is that it is high-density, ten-gig."
"The scalability of the solution is well beyond anything I would ever need."
"The initial setup is easy."
"An area for improvement in Arista Networks Platform is its integration, e.g. it needs to have more integration with its new products. Incorporating more security and cloud is also another area for improvement in the platform."
"The community is good but is not good enough. It still needs to grow more."
"The product fails to offer functions related to cloud orchestration, making it in areas where improvements are required."
"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."
"My company does face issues in terms of interoperability when it comes to the product, making it an area that needs to be fixed."
"The solution needs to improve their product range."
"The overall price of the Arista Networks Platform is expensive. It should be reduced."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"Nothing is perfect."
"Overall, I wish it was a more intuitive OS."
"One of our switches died last week and we were able to RMA it. Within four hours it arrived on time and worked."
"Areas in which the solution have room for improvement are the interface, management, and reporting."
"There is limited guidance in terms of the use and configuration of Cisco Nexus for specific use cases. The documentation is not comprehensive, and you have to do a lot of online research."
"The operating system needs to be improved. There should be stability in the operating system, and it should not have as many vulnerabilities."
"There is an ongoing problem with the limitation of the TCAM table, which is that it doesn't have enough memory to allow you to be really granular with your policy."
"This solution costs a lot."
Arista Networks Platform is ranked 2nd in Data Center Networking with 21 reviews while Cisco Nexus is ranked 3rd in Data Center Networking with 101 reviews. Arista Networks Platform is rated 8.6, while Cisco Nexus is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Arista Networks Platform writes "Affordable for enterprise-sized companies". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Nexus writes " Offer high performance capabilities and enables efficient data transmission and processing". Arista Networks Platform is most compared with Cisco Catalyst Switches, Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches, Aruba Switches, Meraki MS Switches and Cisco Ethernet Switches, whereas Cisco Nexus is most compared with Cisco Catalyst Switches, Juniper QFX Series Switches, Dell PowerConnect Switches, ExtremeSwitching and VMware NSX. See our Arista Networks Platform vs. Cisco Nexus report.
See our list of best Data Center Networking vendors.
We monitor all Data Center Networking reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.