Cisco vs Juniper: Why Cisco is the Best Option

Cisco and Juniper are the two heavy hitters in networking infrastructure. Both vendors offer a wide range of solutions that support different needs. However, the amount of technology both vendors provide may make deciding which is best for you challenging.

Juniper offers highly scalable routers and switches at a competitive price. Cisco offers an entire hardware and software ecosystem—from routers to telephony technology to cloud SaaS. While there may be some situations where Juniper is the preferred vendor, this post will focus on why (and when) Cisco is generally the better bet.

Note: this is a series comparing Juniper vs Cisco. Read more about when Juniper could be the best option for you.

Cisco: The Undisputed King of Market Share

It is no secret that Cisco has the largest market share of any networking vendor. Cisco is almost ubiquitous with routers and switches; it is nearly a household name. Their vast degree of success is not a coincidence. Cisco has consistently provided quality networking software to its clients.

According to Statista, Cisco's market share of the enterprise network infrastructure was a massive 41% in 2022. Its closest competitor is Huawei, which had a 10% of the market share. In 2024, Cisco's market share increased to 46%, Huawei's increased to 13%, and Juniper had just 4%. 

Moreover, Cisco has been participating in a vast number of acquisitions. There were 11 acquisitions in 2023 alone (compared to only two in 2022), ranging from the security to education sectors. In 2024, two occurred, with a third in the process. These acquisitions are sure to diversify Cisco's product line and further increase its technological footprint.

If you are considering choosing Cisco, this is worth keeping in mind. These acquisitions increase the number of goods and services you can get from Cisco. That means less shopping around and a streamlined software acquisition process for your organization.

Lastly, having a strong and diverse market share increases sustainability. By choosing Cisco, you can safely assume the products and services acquired will be supported for the foreseeable future. Unlike other vendors, you won't have to worry about Cisco getting bought out or going out of business. Speaking of support, let's discuss why Cisco's top-tier support is another reason you should choose Cisco in 2025.

Cisco's Level of Support is Unrivaled 

Due to Cisco's time and size in the market, they have an unprecedented level of support. The level of support is measured in two ways here: first, by the amount of help that can be found both by Cisco and on the internet. Second, by the number of employees who are qualified to work on Cisco solutions. Let's walk through the first one of those options now.

Cisco Has an Active Community

It is no secret that configuring routers, switches, and networking hardware can lead to issues. One of the great things about Cisco is that many people have configured their hardware. That means it is fairly easy to find solutions to challenges with a quick Google search. Compared to other networking solutions, their list of search results is far, far higher.

For example, searching for Cisco tags on StackOverflow yields nearly 1,000 results, while searching for a Juniper tag is almost 10 times less than that. Granted, this is just one website where the questions were tagged, but Cisco eclipses its competitors in search engine results just about anywhere you look. 

This is a big deal. Time is money,  and using a vendor with a vibrant, active community is critical to streamlining the activation and troubleshooting process.

A Wide Pool of Potential Employees

One of the hardest parts about working in the IT field is finding qualified experts to manage, maintain, and troubleshoot the technology. That means the more popular the technology, the more experts you will be able to find to maintain it. By choosing Cisco, you will have the widest pool of employees.

Cisco provides several highly sought-after certifications, such as the CCNA and CCIE. These are considered industry standards and are by far the most common certifications professionals will obtain. After all, they know that Cisco is the most common networking solution, so they are hedging their bets. On the other hand, if you choose an alternative vendor, it can be more challenging to find qualified technicians.

The Cisco Ecosystem

Cisco Systems are not just routers and switches. While they compose a sizable amount of Cisco's market share, they offer much more. This is an excellent advantage of Cisco because its all-in-one packages provide software and hardware solutions.

For instance, by choosing Cisco, you can get routers, switches, VoIP phones, and several software solutions, such as WebEx. Unlike Cisco's competitors, however, the amount of hardware you can get will be limited to ethernet-centric items such as routers and switches. This leaves it up to you to find viable telephonic and VoIP solutions.

Cisco is also cloud-ready. They offer solutions to integrate with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or even a private cloud. Cisco has been heaping tons of capital into this initiative, so you can rest assured that there will be a secure solution that will meet your organization's needs. Speaking of security, let's touch on why Cisco is a great option from a security standpoint.

Cisco is Secure

Cisco products have long been synonymous with reliable network security. However, Cisco's expertise extends well beyond network infrastructure. The company has leveraged its deep-rooted commitment to security to build a portfolio of solutions that address the challenges of modern IT environments, including cloud security, endpoint protection, and zero-trust architecture.

Tools like Cisco Umbrella offer DNS-layer security and threat intelligence, safeguarding users and applications wherever they connect. Additionally, Cisco's SecureX platform integrates security across your IT ecosystem, delivering advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

Cisco also offers enterprise-grade firewalls, such as the Cisco Secure Firewall, which provides robust network protection, secure application access, and centralized policy management—perfect for organizations looking to protect both on-premises and cloud-based environments.

Final Thoughts

Every organization is different; therefore, every IT networking solution will be different. However, in most cases, Cisco will be your best bet — certainly if you are a mid to large-sized company with a wide range of needs. However, if you want to learn more about what Juniper has to offer, we go over the benefits in another post.

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