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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs VMware NSX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (4th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)
VMware NSX
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (2nd), Cloud and Data Center Security (1st), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (7th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (8th), Network Automation (5th), Microsegmentation Software (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

MS
Jul 24, 2024
A stable and scalable solution for internet traffic and bandwidth but have high cost
Customers collaborate with ISPs and currently work with three ISPs, using options like LSM VPN and MPLS VPN to reduce line costs. They are considering moving from their current setup to an MPLS VPN and might also consider using a DIA line for internet access. However, due to government regulations and audits of internet access, they are cautious about using an internet line. They are still deciding which bank should be the first to implement this change. If I want to improve the SD-WAN in the future, they might consider integrating it with technologies like SignalR and SRv6 into the SD-WAN control plane. This would enhance functionality, such as SRv6 video capabilities. They can simply use an SD-WAN solution based on SRv6.
NN
Sep 18, 2024
Enhanced network security and manageability with robust updates
We use VMware NSX for our cloud and public cloud environments in different data centers. It supports our network virtualization and data center operations VMware NSX has greatly improved our network manageability and security. Since deployment, we've done various upgrades and health checks…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable features are manageability, scalability, and simplicity."
"The user experience is pretty good."
"The most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN are reliability and scalability."
"The regular net routing is a good feature."
"Initial setup is easy."
"This solution can scale from SMB to the enterprise level. It is very impressive."
"The scalability is the most valuable feature."
"Encryption, which is native to the solution, is a valuable feature. Also, central management, onboarding of devices, QS, and routing applications are all okay."
"Some of the key features I find most valuable are the highly graphical user interface, virtualization of networks, and Microsoft application compatibility. It has all the functionality that we require."
"Technically, VMware NSX is more advanced technology-wise when compared to others. We have been studying it and so far, so good. We know that the NSX product is superior when it comes to software virtualized networks. </p> <p>If you are looking to work with new and future technologies, then NSX is one of the best options. It costs less for power consumption since it will be a virtual network and not a pure physical network that consumes more energy."
"The alert features are the most valuable."
"The ability to scale from different clouds. At the moment, the scalability of the product is the number one thing that I saw."
"The stability is great. That's one of the things that we can quantify and leverage through NSX, because it's less complex. We have the availability to manage multiple things at the same time. You can identify problems before they manifest."
"The solution is easy to use and is good for management control."
"We secured our organisation with Micro-segmentation."
"One significant advantage of VMware NSX is the ability to provide advanced security at the micro-level, focusing on securing applications and workloads rather than just the network structure or virtualization-based network security."
 

Cons

"The initial setup could be a bit less complex."
"The whole solution needs to be re-imagined. It's quite complex right now and really needs to be simplified to make it easier for those of us using it. It should offer more simplified management as well."
"Cisco SD-WAN could improve the integration with the cloud."
"We have found that their SD-WAN has a lot of scope for improvement."
"It's an expensive solution."
"Some configurations or procedures could be more user-friendly. Adding a bandwidth management feature would make Cisco SD-WAN more scalable and less resource-intensive."
"Cisco products are a little bit complicated, so making them a little bit easier would be an improvement."
"We need them to start focusing on the SD-WAN compatibility with other environments and not being so vendor locked with Cisco environments."
"The solution is complex but for the key user, it's not really complex. You just need to learn the standards and mechanics for your specific product."
"The solution could improve by having a more streamlined setup."
"A room for improvement in VMware NSX is that it has some security vulnerabilities, which means my company has to apply the patches every once in a while."
"We would like tenant segmentation available in future releases."
"The price could be better. The non-enterprise version of the product should also be improved. I would like VMware to expand beyond the network and provide some VLAN technologies and more. I think we have one, but it's more on the distribution side because it's more on the upper side of the network. I'm looking forward to that."
"It isn't easy to deploy."
"The initial establishment can be complex."
"Everybody needs a network to connect to, and VMware doesn't readily provide one."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is reasonable. I would rate the price as seven out of ten."
"It's expensive. If you compare Cisco with Fortinet and Juniper, you'll find that Cisco is more expensive than other vendors."
"The costs are a bit on the high side."
"Cost-wise, Cisco SD-WAN is comparatively high."
"When purchasing, there are so many features available that it's quite confusing deciding which to choose. And some of the devices force you to buy licenses you don't want."
"There is a monthly subscription to use this solution."
"The cost of Cisco SD-WAN is high and has room for improvement compared to competitors such as Fortinet which has similar functionality."
"The pricing of this solution is very expensive."
"VMware NSX is expensive and everything is licensed. We have to pay for each individual feature."
"Pricing and licensing could be improved as we are a government entity. Lower pricing could always help."
"The pricing model for VMware NSX is good."
"The price of this product is too high."
"You can scale NSX if you have the resources, but it's usually expensive and complex to scale up."
"We are using the free version of the solution."
"We have saved man-hours and decreased our security exposure."
"The solution is free and the price for the support can be expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
40%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
Customers collaborate with ISPs and currently work with three ISPs, using options like LSM VPN and MPLS VPN to reduce line costs. They are considering moving from their current setup to an MPLS VPN...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode &amp; the UCS server wh...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
What do you like most about VMware NSX?
The product has valuable features for security and network extension.
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
VMware Nicira, Lastline Defender
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
City of Avondale, Lumeta, Kroll Ontrack, Heartland Payment Systems, Baystate Heallth, Exostar, Tribune Media, iGATE, NTT Communications, Synergent, California Natural Resources Agency, Bloomington Public Schools, Columbia Sportswear, Join Experience S.A, Schuberg Philis
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Fortinet, HPE Aruba Networking and others in Network Management Applications. Updated: September 2024.
801,634 professionals have used our research since 2012.