Juniper Contrail Networking Reviews

We're using all three topologies– wireless, wiring, and edge, which are connected using Juniper products. Specifically, for wireless, we use the Juniper product P32 and P33, while for switches, we use EX2300, EX3300, and EX4300. For edge, we use the Juniper sub-products 130 and 120.

We have two sectors, retail and healthcare, and we've deployed this infrastructure in both sectors to connect multiple branches and data centers on the cloud where all applications are hosted. We're using serverless VPN to connect cloud and on-premises, with all applications hosted on Azure. All users access these applications from their offices, and remote workers use VPN to access the data from home. This is the use case we've deployed in our organization using Juniper Control Networking.

There are several features of Juniper Contrail Networking that I find valuable. One of them is Marvis, which provides proactive alerting in a single dashboard solution. This feature helps to monitor events logs and log flows together, ensuring compliance with regulations such as GDPR or ISO. Another valuable feature is configuration management, which eliminates the need to worry about managing the network's configurations. The system also offers SSR's smart routing, which saves bandwidth and enables application bifurcation and quality of service, providing better network management. 

Overall, these features make it easy to manage the network infrastructure as per the requirement and availability of data sources.

Based on my experience in the Indian market, there are four to five areas that need improvement.

First, there is a lack of marketing and awareness about Juniper, making it difficult to reach end-users and deliver solutions.

Second, Juniper's education and awareness centers are costly and not easily accessible like Cisco's resources and their understanding of users' requirements. The information is not easily available on online channels like Youtube.

Third, Juniper needs to promote its Mist integration better, and pricing is also a significant factor.

Finally, Juniper needs to address the market's specific requirements, such as the SME sector, and offer more lower-priced products like a lower-end segment switch. 

In summary, improving marketing and sales, education and awareness, Mist integration, pricing, and catering to specific market requirements are areas that need improvement.

I just want a good feature in the SD-WAN. Juniper should consider integrating its firewall experience with its SD-WAN devices to create a complete package. With everything moving to the cloud, companies require intelligence and security solutions for their on-prem infrastructure.

Moreover, Juniper should integrate its SOC solution into its Mist portal and SD-WAN devices, including IPs, IDS, web and content filters, and messaging. This would provide a complete product and give Juniper an advantage over competitors such as Cisco. I believe that with a bundle that includes SOC and UTM flavors in their Mist portal, Juniper can make a significant impact in the market.

I've been working with Juniper Contrail Networking for the last three years. We are using version 5.3.0, specifically, build 2080.

In terms of stability, it depends on the target industry. If you are targeting the banking industry, for example, Juniper Control Networking is stable. But if you are targeting other industries, it may not be the most stable option. It's important to consider your specific needs and do a thorough analysis before deciding if Juniper Control Networking is the right fit for your organization.

For example, in the banking industry, Juniper does not have a strong presence, and competitors like Cisco dominate the market. However, in industries like retail, healthcare, education, and other sectors, Juniper's products are suitable, stable, and flexible. In the enterprise segment, Juniper is considered the best, with a rating of seven to eight out of ten. However, in the enterprise segment, there is tough competition from companies like Cisco, Aruba, and HP. Juniper needs to provide some benchmark and customization options to compete with them, which are currently not available on the portal.

I do not have a good experience with Juniper’s scalability. In the past eight months, Juniper has not been able to deliver its products. Although I placed an order almost six to eight months ago, they were only able to deliver AccessPoint and SSR, not POS and non-POS pictures. I had to bring in a second device, leaving a Cisco device, and using them as a POE device because Avaya only sells subscriptions to Virus Assure. However, in my experience, the commitment to delivery is a significant challenge and often lacking, especially when it comes to L2 and L3 devices. This is particularly true for PoE devices, as ensuring PoE ability can be very difficult.

In terms of technical support, I haven't had many issues that required me to contact them. However, when I have reached out for assistance, they have been able to resolve the problem about 70-80% of the time. That being said, in the high-end industry where there is heavy utilization, I can't speak to their technical support as I haven't had any experience with it in recent years.

I did have one negative experience with their firewall product. The technical support and expertise were not on par with competitors such as Fortinet or Palo Alto Networks, which negatively impacted the customer experience. Because of this, I stopped selling their firewall products. Their command list is cumbersome, and their user interface is lacking. Their filtering process and STP filter also don't work properly.

I highly recommend against focusing on the firewall part of the Indian market. A gateway-level security solution like UTM, Palo Alto Networks, Firepower, Cisco, or Fortinet is a much better option. If Juniper could integrate its firewall engine with its SD-WAN devices, it would create a smarter product that could compete in the market and help improve Juniper's reputation.

Juniper does have the advantage of a single tech support console to control everything. However, for control purposes, wire assurance and preparation is required.

We're deploying it on the cloud and on-prem. For the cloud, we use Mist, and for on-premises, we use XR 130 and 120.

In terms of pricing, from my understanding, Juniper's pricing can be up to four times higher than competitors like Cisco, HP, or Windows for a solution for 500-users in a 10-branch company. This is likely due to the investment made in their product offerings. However, Juniper also offers different subscription options, such as wireless assurance and security, which can add value for customers.

To improve your product and compete in the market, it's important to focus on specific areas and products. When it comes to the OEM category, there are almost nineteen plus OEMs available that provide proper solutions, but they don't offer an SSR solution like Juniper does. This is an area where Juniper has an advantage.

However, in the wireless category, there are many vendors that offer better pricing, solutions, and management skills. It's essential to keep this in mind while strategizing product offerings. Fortinet is a significant competitor that provides additional security features that are required in the Indian market. To remain competitive, Juniper should consider adding security features to its product range.

There are many vendors in the wireless market that offer better pricing, solutions, and management skills compared to Juniper. Fortinet is a big competitor in the security aspect, as they provide additional features like SDN Plus UTM, IT, ITAS and web filtering, content filtering, Wi-Fi management, and switch management. They have increased their technology, product range, and security platform, making them a popular choice in the market. To compete, Juniper should compare its product to Fortinet and Sophos, as well as other competitors in the Indian market like Cisco, HP Aruba, and SilverPeek. Juniper needs to focus on improving its missed and firewall features to address its lack of security offerings.

Juniper Contrail Networking is quite impressive in terms of its advanced features. With the addition of AI and ML capabilities, it has proven to be one step ahead of its competitors. From a troubleshooting perspective, network administrators face issues related to connectivity association, authentication, time to connect, and throughput. However, Juniper's AI and ML-based Marvis tools provide proactive alerting, making it easier to manage and troubleshoot problems.

It's simple to use and provides a better experience for both users and customers. I am completely satisfied with Juniper Contrail Networking.