Top Reasons to Consider Juniper for Your Next Switch Refresh
The network infrastructure needs of modern businesses are very different from those of the past decade. Today’s data centers need flexible fabrics that can automate setup and intelligently adjust to evolving business needs. Campus networks need to be dependable at all times and have a strong security posture to avoid new threats. Now branch access points need simplified setups that don’t compromise speed.
Vendor legacy switches are not always able to meet the demands of the next generation right out of the box. That’s why more networking engineers are updating their networks using Juniper Switches. With more than 20 years of experience in automated and secure networking, Juniper provides a strong switching collection that is tailored to the needs of the modern world.
Overview of Juniper Switches
Juniper offers switching families tailored to the needs of business access, aggregation, and core layers. Among the flagship product lines are:
EX Series:
Campus and branch access switches with Junos OS provide speed, PoE features, and simplified administration in small sizes. Models range from 8-port switches up to the EX9200 line of switches with modular chassis.
QFX Series:
Data center switches are designed for top performance across data, storage, and high-performance computing settings. Supports dense 25/100GbE connectivity and MLAG configurations.
Virtual Chassis:
Allows up to 10 interconnected switches to operate as a single, logical device with a single IP address. Simplifies network administration.
Juniper Switching Features
Juniper’s switches run the same Junos OS that powers the company’s high-end routers. This unlocks advanced features like:
Programmable Interfaces: Works with common tools like Python, Ansible, and Chef to enable workflow automation for teams.
Telemetry & Analytics: Gathers detailed information about network, application, and security issues for rapid fault isolation and smarter capacity planning.
Superior Performance: Combines dedicated ASICS, packet buffers, and engineered airflow to maintain ultra-low latency, minimal packet loss, and consistent capacity.
Strong Security: Includes protected code execution and data planes protected by decryption, access controls, and dynamic threat detection.
Benefits of Juniper Switches
By leveraging the above capabilities, Juniper switches confer advantages over legacy alternatives, including:
Lower TCO: A common operating system reduces the need for retraining and enables easy growth from access to core layers.
Increased Agility: Programmable interfaces and open APIs support customization aligned to any company structure.
Enhanced Reliability & Resilience: Key innovations like multiple power supplies, VRRP, and virtual chassis guarantee uninterrupted service.
Superior Support: Industry-leading experience-first support model backed by knowledgeable engineers available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Selecting the Right Juniper Switches for Your Needs
A key benefit of Juniper’s switching collection is the wide range of choices that fit a range of business settings and installation scenarios. However, with such a wide range of models available, it can be difficult to determine which lines of products meet your particular needs the best.
When selecting between Juniper switches, be sure to carefully evaluate:
Speed and Throughput Requirements
The EX4600 campus access switch operates at low latency and offers up to 1920 Gbps of switching capacity, more than enough for a typical branch installation. In comparison, the QFX10008 core data center switch offers up to 38.4 Tbps throughput using custom ExpressPlus silicon. Understanding throughput needs is crucial.
PoE Requirements
While some switches go one step further with 802.3bt Ultra PoE capabilities, the majority of EX Series models support 802.3at PoE+ right out of the box. If you have remote devices like wireless access points that require more than 30W per port of PoE, make sure to choose a suitable model such as the EX4650.
Data Center Needs
The QFX data center switching product line offers not only massive throughput but also key innovations like flexible MQC/MEC deployment options, MACsec, and specialized VXLAN support. The EX Series could be overkill in an ordinary campus access scenario.
High Availability Requirements
Configuring switches in a backup Virtual Chassis reduces or eliminates the impact of individual equipment outages. EX4300 and QFX Series switches support this while still operating as a single switching layer with unified management and policy.
Interconnect Requirements
Juniper switches can forward traffic transparently between each other via Virtual Chassis technology. However, layer 3 protocols may be needed when interconnecting the QFX, EX, and NFX product families, presenting a potential design consideration.
Ongoing Management Overhead
All Juniper switches run the same Junos OS code base for easier upkeep and administration via automation tools like Ansible, Python scripting, or NetOps-integrated solutions. However, the Junos functionality on smaller access switches may have less advanced capabilities in certain areas, like AppFormix telemetry streaming versus high-end data center routers.
Special Monitoring and Troubleshooting Needs
While telemetry and automation greatly simplify management, the sheer size and complexity of big data center fabrics demand maximum real-time visibility. The most advanced Junos tools, like AppFormix, are currently focused mainly on the QFX data center switching line rather than EX access points.
Conclusion
From the data center to the cloud edge, Juniper switches bring open, automated solutions purpose-built for modern connectivity demands. In combination with a support strategy that values experience, it’s clear why companies are choosing Juniper for their next upgrade cycle.
Reach out to schedule a demo and learn more about the right high-performance switching portfolio to meet your infrastructure needs. Contact us on WhatsApp at +971585811786.
7 Advantages of Using a Juniper Switch Over Cisco
In the enterprise networking space, Juniper Networks has been outpacing Cisco Systems. How do the products and strategies of the two companies compare? And why are they the best option for your data center hardware? Before delving into the differences between Cisco and Juniper switches, it is essential to understand the importance of a switch.
What is a Switch?
Switches are the most essential components of any network. They connect several devices on the same network, such as PCs, wireless access points, printers, and servers, within a building or campus. A switch allows connected devices to share information and communicate with one another. A switch allows numerous devices to use a network while keeping each device’s traffic from interfering with the traffic of other devices. At a busy crossroads, the switch serves as a traffic cop. When a data packet arrives at one of its ports, the switch identifies which way it is going. It then routes the packet to its destination via the appropriate port.
The switch understands which network devices are connected to it and can move data packets directly between those devices. In other circumstances, data packets may be routed to distant destinations on different networks. In this case, a switch forwards the packets to a router, which then forwards them to their network destinations.
Cisco vs Juniper: Which Switch is Better?
After dominating the commercial networking market from the mid-1980s to the 2000s, Cisco began to lose market share due to the introduction of alternative network equipment brands. Today, more and more organizations, particularly those on the smaller side, are looking at their networking options and questioning if Cisco is the only product worth investing in.
Juniper Networks has swiftly grown in recent years, challenging Cisco as the brand of choice for an increasing number of organizations. Coming from a time when Cisco had a monopoly, they have expanded to hold about 30% of the market in a little more than a decade.
So, why should your company consider investing in a Juniper switch rather than a Cisco one for its networks? Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why.
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Better Products for Small-to-Medium-Sized Businesses
Juniper was one of the first companies to notice that smaller companies were largely excluded from high-end networking due to Cisco’s monopolistic pricing. As the Internet evolved and spread, and global data-based telecommunications became the norm, smaller businesses required equipment to keep up.
For the major players in the business, Cisco equipment is probably still the best available even if it is at the highest price tiers and combines their proprietary hardware, software, and support features. Juniper, on the other hand, makes a lot more sense for everyone else.
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Established to Overcome Cisco
Juniper was a company with a mission. They were created as a combined company by unhappy venture capitalists and dissatisfied Cisco consumers. They viewed Cisco in the late 1990s as being sidetracked and not looking into the Internet’s possibilities for business networking. Given that Juniper was the first opponent to breach Cisco’s defenses, it seems that they did well.
Juniper provides greater flexibility to organizations by providing interfaces that do not require the usage of a Certified Expert. It’s all about the customer.
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Extensive Research Focus
Cisco paid a heavy price for its lack of vision. It stopped looking ahead to new technologies and became preoccupied with simply maintaining its large networking market share. Companies such as Juniper were pioneers in virtualization and remote office assistance. Since then, Cisco has been playing catch-up, and it shows in their everyday services. They lack the forward-thinking features that smaller enterprises require.
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A Commitment to Network
Unlike Cisco, Juniper did not become bogged down in the 2000s by a succession of questionable investments in non-networking sectors. While Cisco was investing in things like cable-top TV boxes – 20th Century technologies – their competition was primarily focused on improving business networking. It’s evident in their products.
A Juniper switch is specifically built for enterprises wishing to transition away from traditional copper wire solutions and into virtual and cloud environments.
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High Prices for Cisco Kit
Many of these issues would be more academic if Cisco products were not so expensive. They are just out of reach for many enterprises, with offers that are frequently twice or three times the price of Juniper products for essentially the same features. Even though their name previously demanded those kinds of price tags, it’s difficult to justify the high costs today.
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JUNOS
The JUNOS operating system is the ultimate compelling reason to buy a Juniper switch. It has two main advantages over Cisco’s offerings:
Modular design: Every operation and component in a Juniper network setup is isolated from one another. The failure of one module does not influence the remainder of the system.
Single train compatibility: All Juniper switches, routers, and other products use the same JUNOS operating system. It is designed for simple system interoperability.
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Security
Juniper takes pride in its level of security. Juniper defines device security as having three components: physical hardware security, operating system security, and configuration-based security.
Juniper uses cutting-edge software to offer a secure user experience to meet these three requirements. Juniper’s operating system, for example, supports Terminal Access Controller Access Control System Plus (TACACS+). TACACS+ is an authentication technique for routers and switches. It is administered centrally, and authenticated users can access any router, switch, or gateway on a network.
The latest Juniper switches provide cloud-grade, high-density Ethernet switching throughout your data center, campus, and branch. To buy all of the latest Juniper switches, including the EX and QF series, visit Gear Net Technologies or Whatsapp at +971585811786.