What is our primary use case?
I primarily use
Cisco Catalyst Center for monitoring large enterprises. It offers an additional option to tools like SolarWinds to monitor the Cisco estate specifically. It provides features like observability and management of the network.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of
Cisco Catalyst Center is its dual functionality of observability and management. Unlike SolarWinds, which provides only network observability, Cisco Catalyst Center offers both management and monitoring capabilities. This dual functionality is crucial for monitoring large enterprises, providing a robust solution for IT teams.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in introducing auto-heal AI capabilities. In the current setup, incidents are always reactionary, and it would be beneficial if Cisco Catalyst Center could proactively handle issues such as bandwidth crunches and packet drops. Additionally, the initial setup, especially when loading the software on new devices, is time-consuming and can be further improved by reducing the time required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with
Catalyst since 2020.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
When setting up Cisco Catalyst Center, loading the software onto the hardware is time-consuming, taking at least 30 minutes. This time delay can lead to increased costs when hiring external technicians for installation.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Catalyst switches are reliable and stable. They provide a robust and secure solution for critical workloads.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Cisco is good. When purchasing a device, I get a specific type of support and credit backs. I have no issues with their support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is seamless for using and managing Cisco Catalyst Center. However, the initial process of loading the iOS software on new devices is time-consuming. Reducing this time would lower installation costs, especially when most companies outsource this task and pay technicians by the hour.
What about the implementation team?
Most companies hire external vendors to install these devices, as few have in-house network engineers for such tasks. To reduce costs, it is better to have pre-staged hardware.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Although there are other solutions in the market, none are as stable and cost-effective as Cisco Catalyst switches for critical workloads.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There are other market solutions, but none as stable and robust as Cisco Catalyst switches.
What other advice do I have?
One improvement that could be made is offering preloaded iOS to reduce setup time, especially in remote locations such as oil rigs, where sending a technician just to load iOS is difficult. Overall, I rate Cisco Catalyst Center an eight out of ten. The cost, while stable and robust, could always improve.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
