Juniper Networks vs. Cisco

Juniper Networks and Cisco are two networking leaders that offer some of the top networking hardware, software, and services in the market.

Juniper can help companies meet their networking needs and is a global leader in cloud and connected security solutions and artificial intelligence (AI) networking. 

Cisco is a dominant vendor of IT products and services with a broad technology portfolio that can provide simplified networking solutions for a modern technical infrastructure. 

See below for a detailed review to help decide if Juniper Networks or Cisco is the right networking provider for your team:

Juniper Networks vs. Cisco: Portfolio

Sunnyvale, California-based Juniper Networks offers networking products, like routers and switches, security, and software-defined networking (SDN) solutions to enterprises. It has an experience-first approach and delivers AI-driven IT solutions that help improve businesses’ operational efficiencies and innovation capabilities. It also helps in data center interconnection across an open, programmable cloud environment along with standards-based network fabric architectures, assuring reliability and security. 

Juniper Networks provides multicloud landscape services for differentiated customer experiences and strategized network operations. It uses intelligent automation to help in accelerating digital transformation for businesses. Its primary focus is to improve end-user experiences through simplified multi-domain network management.

San Jose, California-based Cisco offers products and services, like networking, data center, the Internet of Things (IoT), security, and collaboration solutions for organizations across different market segments. With a broad technology portfolio, it provides mass-scale networking solutions with open cloud-native 5G architecture that can help businesses streamline their operations life cycle. 

Cisco has designed various hardware and software products and solutions for market segments. It also provides cloud integration solutions that make connecting with AWS, Google cloud, or even private cloud systems easier. From a security standpoint, Cisco is a very reliable option too.

Juniper Networks vs. Cisco: Partners

Both Juniper Networks and Cisco have multiple strategic partners that help them provide value-based proactive services. With deep industry knowledge and expert guidance, they can help in accelerating digital transformation and offer solutions to complex business challenges.

Juniper Networks has authorized professional services partners that can help with proactive network assessments, adopting and deploying emergent technologies, minimizing business risks, and simplifying networking as well as connectivity.

It has an ecosystem of technology partners that help extend its software capabilities and deliver superior solutions. Besides, Juniper Networks also has hardware partners that help it with testing, certifications, and recommendations regarding the best hardware solutions.

Juniper has a program for its partners named Juniper Partner Advantage Program that offers increased incentives, laser-focused sales alignment, and other benefits. They emphasize modernized collaboration with a consistent go-to-market approach that can enhance business margins.

Cisco has thousands of partners worldwide that help design, build, and deploy networking solutions to businesses on a global scale. It has integrators, developers, providers, and advisors that work toward delivering and implementing technology solutions.

Cisco partners also ensure these solutions seamlessly integrate with different businesses’ existing infrastructures and address the challenges involved. It also has a flexibly structured program for its partners, named the Cisco Partner Program.

Although Juniper Networks and Cisco have an impressive partnership portfolio, Cisco has a better reach, as it has multiple global partners. Besides, it has clearly defined roles for its partners, making it easier for businesses to identify opportunities per their needs and requirements.

Juniper Networks vs. Cisco: Use Cases

To meet the demands of today’s high-performing businesses, Juniper Networks offers networking solutions across different industries, like health care, education, and banking. With its team of experts, Juniper prioritizes delivering quality and customer experience to build agile networks for organizations and communities.

Juniper Networks provides businesses with indoor Location Services, Enterprise Wired and Wireless Infrastructure support, Network Firewalls, and WAN Edge Infrastructure, and its clients have been satisfied with the results. The Network Firewalls especially have a high satisfaction rating.

Cisco expands its SD-WAN services across five major use cases. For agile controller-based solutions, it offers on-premises and cloud-based security. With in-depth analytics and historical insights, it becomes easier to establish secure connections and mitigate network issues.

Direct Internet Access (DIA) helps simplify security management and integrate workflows, prioritizing network traffic. With Cisco SD-WAN, consistent quality of experience is ensured that also helps meet the data compliance requirements for businesses related to financial services, utilities, and health care industries.

Cisco also helps organizations in accelerating multicloud access for software-as-a-service (SaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) applications. Other critical SaaS applications, like Salesforce and Microsoft Office 365, can also be optimized. Enforcement of policies and workflow management also becomes easier.

Juniper Networks vs. Cisco: User Reviews

At G2, Juniper Networks has a 4.5-star rating. According to customers, firewall installation is easier, and the equipment seamlessly integrates with the network elements. By comparison, Cisco has a rating of 4.6. Reviewers appreciate the unparalleled support provided by Cisco.

TrustRadius users rank Cisco with a 9.2 rating. It is one of the top-rated networking companies  at the site. Juniper Networks has a 7.7 rating.

Juniper Networks has a 4.9 Gartner Peer Insights rating. Customers express that the setup and installation of Juniper products are easier, and praise the results. Cisco has a 4.4 rating on the same platform.

Juniper Networks vs. Cisco: Recognition

Juniper Networks has been featured in the JUST 100 Companies for 2021, ranked by Forbes. It has provided services for top businesses, like Aston Martin and Zoom. It has also helped Discovery with an improved media experience.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure in 2021 has recognized Juniper Networks as a leader. Its Mist AI extension, a rich portfolio of partner solution integrations and excellent customer experience, have set it apart in the market.

Glassdoor has recognized Cisco as one of the best places to work with in the year 2022. It is also ranked in the LinkedIn top 50 Companies in 2022. Its Military and Veterans Program has made it the second-best Military Friendly Employer in the U.S.

It has a conscious work culture that focuses on fostering development. Cisco has also made it into the list of Fortune 100. Cisco’s excellence in supply chain management has been recognized in The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 in 2022.

Juniper Networks vs. Cisco: Overall

Undoubtedly, Juniper Networks and Cisco offer the best IT networking solutions. While Cisco has much variety in the products and solutions it offers, Juniper provides a vast amount of features with its affordable products.

Also, Juniper can meet all networking needs of your business. Top organizations prefer their core routing technologies. Besides, with its high level of security, much hacking can be prevented too.

As Juniper invests heavily in cloud technologies, it offers innovative solutions for leveraging AI and machine learning as well as simplifying the process of a cloud configuration. With its financial outlook and considerably cheaper price points, Juniper offers specialized network solutions and customer-centric applications.

On the other hand, Cisco has constantly been leading the market with its vast degree of success. It is also one of the largest technology companies. With its diversified product line, Cisco provides a comprehensive package of both hardware and software solutions.

Cisco also provides its clients with consistent network security. It occupies a considerable share of the market. With Cisco Cloudlock, cloud migration computing becomes easier. Besides, it has a vibrant, active community that makes troubleshooting easier, saving time.

Both Juniper Networks and Cisco are two of the top vendor choices for high-technology services and products in the networking space: