At Cistor, we continue to see significant demand for Cisco Data Centre Network solutions—especially in hybrid and managed cloud environments. These networks remain crucial for organizations that require a balance between modern cloud flexibility and legacy infrastructure control. This blog explores the current state of enterprise-scale Data Centre Network architecture and highlights the top three solutions businesses are investing in today.
Over the past decade, three primary solutions have emerged in the Data Centre Network space: Cisco ACI, VMware NSX-T, and Pensando Smart NICs.
Cisco ACI was born from the acquisition of Insieme Networks. This full-stack solution is now a staple in enterprise networking. VMware NSX-T, originally developed by Nicira, offers a flexible overlay architecture that works across different hardware vendors. Lastly, Pensando, now part of AMD, introduces Smart NIC-based SDN, bringing innovation closer to the workload.
Cisco ACI offers a robust Data Centre Network architecture that includes switches, controllers, and software. Using a Spine-Leaf Clos topology, ACI provides high-speed connectivity between workloads. The architecture supports Layer 2 and Layer 3 overlays, micro-segmentation, and consistent policy management across private, public, and hybrid clouds.
With seven years of maturity, ACI remains a trusted platform. Its ability to support bare metal workloads and native zero-trust security makes it a preferred choice. That said, it may not be ideal for smaller environments or businesses seeking vendor-neutral solutions.
One of the key differentiators between NSX-T and Cisco ACI lies in hardware dependency. NSX-T is hardware agnostic and works with network fabrics from vendors such as Arista, Juniper, and HPE. Its SDN overlay includes switching, routing, security, micro-segmentation, and load balancing (via the AVI Networks acquisition).
While NSX-T offers vendor flexibility and integrates tightly with VMware hypervisors, it lacks native support for bare metal workloads. Cisco ACI maintains an advantage in environments with legacy systems and storage requirements.
The upcoming Broadcom acquisition of VMware brings significant uncertainty to the Data Centre Network ecosystem. Broadcom has a history of maximizing profit by cutting costs and raising prices. While some believe this acquisition will strengthen Broadcom’s software portfolio, others are cautious about its long-term impact on innovation and support.
Pensando offers a new approach to Cisco Data Centre Network design with Smart NICs. These devices implement switching, routing, and policy enforcement directly on the NIC. Benefits include reduced reliance on expensive hardware and faster policy execution near the workload.
Despite the promise, many IT teams—including ours—are still learning how to integrate Pensando effectively. As adoption grows, we expect more clarity and best practices to emerge.
At Cistor, we tailor every recommendation through a thorough Network Discovery process based on individual customer requirements. While Pensando continues to evolve and VMware’s future remains uncertain under Broadcom, we remain focused on Cisco ACI as our primary investment in enterprise-scale solutions.
