Enterprise SwitchingCatalyst 9500 Series
Cisco’s lead fixed core and aggregation switch — up to 12.8 Tbps, P4-programmable.
Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series switches are Cisco’s lead fixed-configuration core and aggregation platform, built for security, IoT, and cloud. The 9500X models offer a next-generation programmable (P4) pipeline, switching capacity up to 12.8 Tbps, and high-density 100/400G — the backbone of a high-performance campus. As part of the Catalyst 9000 family they share the same security model and SD-Access foundation. Faltrox deploys and operates them as the secure core.
Overview
What Catalyst 9500 Series is
The Catalyst 9500 Series is the high-performance fixed core and aggregation switch of the Catalyst 9000 family. The 9500X models are the first Cisco network silicon to offer switching capacity up to 12.8 Tbps, with a programmable P4 pipeline, high-bandwidth memory, and a multi-core x86 CPU — purpose-built for a secure, IoT-dense, cloud-connected campus core and edge services.
It brings the family’s security model to the core: TrustSec segmentation, MACsec at line rate, Encrypted Traffic Analytics, and the SD-Access foundation for policy-based automation from edge to cloud. High-density 100G and 400G interfaces aggregate the campus and connect to the data centre and cloud. Faltrox deploys the core, designs segmentation and redundancy, and integrates its telemetry into the monitoring it runs.
Coverage
What it protects
The platforms, threats, and surfaces this product is built to defend.
Campus Core & Aggregation
Cisco’s lead fixed core platform aggregating the campus at high performance.
Up to 12.8 Tbps
9500X models deliver switching capacity up to 12.8 Tbps with high-density 100/400G.
Programmable Pipeline
A next-generation P4-programmable pipeline future-proofs the core’s capabilities.
SD-Access Core
Enforces group-based policy and segmentation from the core across the fabric.
MACsec Encryption
Line-rate MACsec protects high-speed traffic across the core and aggregation.
Cloud & Data-Centre Links
High-density 100/400G connects the campus to the data centre and cloud.
How it works
The mechanism
How the product moves from signal to protected state, step by step.
- 01
Aggregate
High-density 100/400G interfaces aggregate the campus at up to 12.8 Tbps of switching capacity on the 9500X.
- 02
Fabric
As part of the SD-Access foundation, it enforces group-based policy and segmentation from the core outward.
- 03
Encrypt
MACsec encrypts high-speed traffic at line rate, and Encrypted Traffic Analytics surfaces threats without decryption.
- 04
Program
The P4-programmable pipeline lets the core adapt to new protocols and capabilities over its life.
- 05
Operate
Faltrox designs the core segmentation and redundancy, maintains software, and integrates telemetry into monitoring.
Capabilities
Key capabilities
12.8 Tbps Capacity
9500X models offer switching capacity up to 12.8 Tbps for a high-performance campus core.
P4-Programmable Pipeline
The first Cisco silicon with a programmable P4 pipeline, future-proofing the core.
High-Density 100/400G
Dense 100G and 400G interfaces aggregate the campus and link to cloud and data centre.
SD-Access Core
Group-based policy and segmentation enforced from the core across the fabric.
Cisco TrustSec
Identity-based segmentation applied consistently from core to edge.
MACsec Encryption
Line-rate encryption protects high-speed traffic across the core and aggregation layer.
Encrypted Traffic Analytics
Detects threats hidden in encrypted traffic without decryption.
High-Bandwidth Memory
HBM and a multi-core x86 CPU on the 9500X power demanding core and edge services.
Works with
Part of the platform
Cisco products this pairs with, and the Faltrox services that operate it.
Delivery
You buy the outcome, not the console
Managed by Faltrox
Faltrox licenses, deploys, and tunes Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series for your environment, then runs it as part of a managed service, so you get the protection without staffing another security console.
FAQ
Common questions
01What role does the 9500 play?
It is Cisco’s lead fixed-configuration core and aggregation switch — the high-performance backbone that aggregates the campus and connects to the data centre and cloud, with the 9500X reaching up to 12.8 Tbps of switching capacity.
02What does the P4-programmable pipeline give us?
Programmability future-proofs the core — the pipeline can be adapted to support new protocols and capabilities over the switch’s life, rather than being fixed in silicon, which protects the investment as networking evolves.
03Does the core enforce security too, or just move packets?
It enforces security. As part of the SD-Access foundation it applies TrustSec group-based segmentation and MACsec encryption at line rate, and Encrypted Traffic Analytics surfaces threats in encrypted flows — so the core is an enforcement and visibility point, not just a fast fabric.
04How does it connect the campus to cloud?
High-density 100G and 400G interfaces aggregate the campus and provide high-speed links to the data centre and cloud, with MACsec protecting that traffic on the wire.
05How does Faltrox operate it?
We deploy the core, design the segmentation and redundancy architecture, harden and maintain it, and integrate its telemetry into the network monitoring and SOC services we run — delivering a secure, managed core.
Start an engagement
Secure what’s next.
Speak with the engineering team to define scope, walk through the methodology, and decide whether Faltrox is the right team to test and run your environment.
Contact us