Juniper and Cisco Comparison
Park Place Hardware Maintenance
Juniper Networks has been gaining ground on Cisco Systems in the enterprise networking space. How do the two companies’ products and strategies compare? And what makes them the right choice for your data center hardware?
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks was founded in 1996 and specializes in network infrastructure, including routers, switches, management software, security products, and software-defined networking technologies. It is estimated that Juniper holds 25% of the market share for both core routers and firewall products.
When to Select Juniper
Juniper Networks appeals to cost-conscious IT pros looking for high-quality gear that not only performs, but also provides a clear and concise evolution strategy. The hardware regularly outperforms Cisco in terms of speed. For corporations with a well mapped network vision and a reasonably homologous environment, Juniper can be the right choice. You can also lock down Juniper support and maintenance from Park Place Technologies should your equipment reach its Juniper EOL.
Advantages
- Lower hardware costs
- ASIC hardware integration for faster speeds
- Simple design interface and OS that supports open source and user-defined modules
- Facilitates software-defined networking (cloud-based virtual networking)
Disadvantages
- Significantly smaller market share than Cisco
- Does not have a product line in every network category
- Market lacks engineers with high-level Juniper experience
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems was founded in 1984 by two local area network (LAN) pioneers from Stanford University. As of December 2016, Cisco is the most valuable company on the planet, worth $555.4 billion dollars.
When to Select Cisco
Cisco networking equipment remains the premium option in the enterprise space, and if the budget is there, it is almost always an excellent choice. The company’s extremely broad portfolio of hardware and software is unsurpassed by any other vendor in the game, but they do have a strategy beyond Cisco EOL lifecycles that promotes lock-in to their products.
Advantages
- The biggest name in networking
- Leading switch and router manufacturer in the data center
- Extensive portfolio breadth
- Only vendor delivering an “all unified ports form factor” switch that supports all know Ethernet and storage protocols
Disadvantages
- High costs
- Complicated configuration
- Hardware design results in slower backbone routing speeds
- Proprietary implementation of networking standards can lead to vendor lock-in
Fortunately, you can maintain your Cisco equipment past its warranty or end of service life and get direct access to our technical support when you choose Cisco hardware support through Park Place.
Park Place Technologies Is Always the Right Choice
No matter which networking equipment you purchase to connect your systems, Park Place Technologies is a resource when hardware hits end of warranty, end of life, or end of support life. Our networking hardware support solutions provide OEM-quality expertise with key advantages:
- Configuration assistance from experienced network engineers
- Enhanced support options—beyond patches and updates—that outperform the OEM
- Pre-configured backup hardware ready for installation in case of failure
- No end-of-life considerations, resulting in extended hardware lifespans and CAPEX savings
- Rapid customer service with immediate escalation to minimize downtime
Park Place support service also costs less—as much as 60% less than a comparable OEM contract. To find out how much you stand to save on your annual networking support costs by using our third party hardware maintenance, request a free quote and we’ll get right back to you.