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reviewer1597503 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Coordinator - Networking Team at a maritime company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Reliable but not very flexible
Pros and Cons
  • "Catalyst Switches are reliable. We don't have major problems like lost connections, and we only have a minor issue with something every few months. In the last five years, a switch broke down once, and that was due to human error."
  • "I can't use older Cisco devices with newer versions of the controller or switches. For example, if a switch was manufactured in 2014, I can't use it with a controller made in 2019. I have to change the switch so that I can upgrade my network or my devices. I don't have the option to update the version I have on the image of the AP or the controller."

What is our primary use case?

We use Catalyst switches to extend our network throughout the facility. It's a big facility, so we need to use switches the ABS to get the signal out to the entire facility.

What is most valuable?

I like Cisco because you are dealing with something old that the new generation doesn't know about, like telnet or how to configure the switch. I don't like simple GUIs where you can do everything with a click. 

What needs improvement?

I can't use older Cisco devices with newer versions of the controller or switches. For example, if a switch was manufactured in 2014, I can't use it with a controller made in 2019. I have to change the switch so that I can upgrade my network or my devices. I don't have the option to update the version I have on the image of the AP or the controller.

Also, in the K5 Series of the switches —  Cisco calls them "Core" switches — they have some commands that Catalyst doesn't support, so you have to know the command lines for two different devices to configure them. It's a bit confusing when you are working on both at the same time, and you have some problems, then you notice that you didn't use the correct command for that switch.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Cisco Catalyst for five years, but I've only been working with the solution in-depth for the past few months.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Catalyst Switches are reliable. We don't have major problems like lost connections, and we only have a minor issue with something every few months. In the last five years, a switch broke down once, and that was due to human error.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco customer service is excellent. We had some issues with devices, and Cisco replaced them for us. We had some significant problems with one of the switches because they changed the image. It took a while, but overall, the support is good.

How was the initial setup?

It's not hard if you have some networking experience. I didn't deploy the switches by myself. We had some help from the vendor, and I supervised them.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

With some competitors, yes, it's about, let's say very high price. Half the price you can get Jupiter, or I think also, I forget the brand, TP-Link, you can have something like that, but half the price with it, with maybe also advanced features to deal with it.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Cisco Catalyst switches seven out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at Saudi Customs
Real User
Stable, scalable, and it is easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to install."
  • "The price could be improved."

What needs improvement?

The price could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for 25 or 30 years,

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't have any issues with the stability of Cisco Catalyst Switches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable.

We have approximately 20,000 people who use this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not contacted technical support.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to install. Most of the engineers already know about it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing could be cheaper.

There is a one-time license, but we pay for the smart net license every three years for support.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user1456230 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Cyber Security at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Straightforward, scalable and stable solution
Pros and Cons
  • "They are pretty good. They are stable. Cisco has been around in the industry for a long time, so they are reliable, as well."
  • "In terms of what could be improved, more integration is the main thing they should be focused on."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are pretty straightforward. They offer LAN and internal networking. They are for network segmentations and LAN and WAN perimeter networks.

What needs improvement?

In terms of what could be improved, more integration is the main thing they should be focused on.

For how long have I used the solution?

I believe the sets of Cisco Catalyst Switches are being used in our company for more than five to seven years.

I myself have been using this for the last two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They are pretty good. They are stable. Cisco has been around in the industry for a long time, so they are reliable, as well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite scalable.

Our organization strength is around 15,000 using it.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are pretty happy with customer service. As far as my experience with Cisco is concerned, they are pretty up-to-date in terms of their responses.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. They are very easy to install.

What about the implementation team?

We generally do a first model and we have an execution team. They take care of the implementation and everything.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Cisco Catalyst Switches around an eight.

I think they're pretty okay. Cisco is pretty straightforward.

I would absolutely recommend Cisco Catalyst Switches for others.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1429659 - PeerSpot reviewer
facility manager
Real User
Easy to configure, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "Configuring the solution is very easy. It's quite a straightforward process, and it's not difficult at all."
  • "Compared to other switches, the Cisco products are expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the LAN and WAN.

What is most valuable?

Configuring the solution is very easy. It's quite a straightforward process, and it's not difficult at all.

The solution has proven itself to be very stable.

We've found the solution to be quite scalable.

The initial setup is quick and simple. Technical support is very good.

What needs improvement?

You need to have dual powers, dual power points for each to take into account the redundancy.

Compared to other switches, the Cisco products are expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a long time now. It's been ten years. It's been at least a decade.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. There are no bugs and glitches. It doesn't crash and freeze. It's reliable and the performance is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. If a company needs to expand it out, it can do so with relative ease.

Everyone in our company uses the solution. We have about 4,000 employees currently.

We do plan to continue to use the solution going forward.

How are customer service and technical support?

Cisco is available for support. We've been satisfied with them overall. I have no complaints.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

When I started with this company, they were using Cisco, and they've used Cisco since then. I do not know if any other solution has ever been used.

How was the initial setup?

The solution was not complex to set up. It was very straightforward and simple. It's a hot spot, and therefore everything happened very quickly. The experience was very good.

It took our IT department about three hours to set everything up for us.

We have 11 IT personnel in our organization that are capable of handling maintenance and deplyment.

What about the implementation team?

I'm just an end-user. Our IT department handled the installation and it was very simple. They didn't need the assistance of consultants or integrators. They handled it in-house themselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is higher, however, I would argue that with the price you are getting a lot of value for money. That said, compared to other switches, the Cisco switches are expensive.

We pay a yearly licensing fee to Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

We keep changing the version as it comes in. Every time we are going a new installation, we do the new modem.

Cisco switches are superior. They're a robust product. Therefore, I would rate them at a nine out of ten overall. We are very satisfied with the technology. 

I'd recommend the solution to other organizations.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1042635 - PeerSpot reviewer
Science Technician at a government with 201-500 employees
Real User
Is easy to configure and resolves our internal problems
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the interface, it's easy to configure. The command line uses a switch that gives us security."
  • "They should also have a graphic interface for the switches too without the command line."

What is our primary use case?

We have an Academy, we know how to manage it. We have the knowledge to manage it and it gives us security. We can configure the switch to resolve our internal problems. We can use one switch for five to six years.

It's used for our processor, a small data center, and we have our network with at least 500 users.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the interface, it's easy to configure. The command line uses a switch that gives us security.

What needs improvement?

In the next release, they should lower the price. It's too expensive. 

They should also have a graphic interface for the switches too without the command line. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 500 users. 

It requires us to have at least 10 technicians. Five technicians and other administrative staff.

In the future, we need to do disaster recovery in the cloud. We are working on-premise and our future is to use it on the cloud for our disaster recovery.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have a contract with a company that gives us support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not very complex. 

What about the implementation team?

We used a consultant for the implementation. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Licensing is on a yearly basis. We usually spend up to $20,000.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it because it's a good solution that gives you security and is easy to use.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches an eight out of ten. They respond to all of our needs. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Works at Thomson DeRienzo Engineering
User
Stable and have a long service life, but they are expensive and should be more cost-effective
Pros and Cons
  • "They don't ever fail and they have a long service life."
  • "The price is high and it should be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for networks linking SMB Offices and remote access VPN.

What is most valuable?

They don't ever fail and they have a long service life.

What needs improvement?

The price is high and it should be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for twenty-five years.

How are customer service and technical support?

The service is good.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I'm satisfied with this solution.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Certified partner agreements
PeerSpot user
reviewer1567812 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager, Information Technology at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Used on-premise and at data centers
Pros and Cons
  • "It works well."
  • "t is one of the most expensive solutions."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution on-premises and in the data center; it enables us to access switches. We have several hundred users.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It works well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is a scalable solution.

How are customer service and support?

Cicso Catalyst Switch's technical support is one of the best. They are very fast and knowledgeable.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward for people that know about Cisco Catalyst Switches. For a normal switch, it takes one hour to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We were able to implement the solution on our own. We have three Network Engineers on our technical team that handles the deployment and maintenance.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is smart networking; we have a yearly licensing subscription. It is one of the most expensive solutions, however, it is one of the best.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Administrator at Calm blue ambassador - abcallcenter
Real User
Straightforward to upgrade, simple to configure, and good online community support
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Catalyst Switches are easy to use, simple to configure, and straightforward to upgrade. Additionally, CDN has been very helpful for separation."
  • "The solution could improve by adding a user-friendly GUI. We use third-party applications for log monitoring that are expensive and if Cisco could provide log monitoring as part of this solution it would be beneficial."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution as a switch for networks.

What is most valuable?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are easy to use, simple to configure, and straightforward to upgrade. Additionally, CDN has been very helpful for separation.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by adding a user-friendly GUI. We use third-party applications for log monitoring that are expensive and if Cisco could provide log monitoring as part of this solution it would be beneficial.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 200 users using this solution in my organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not used the technical support from Cisco. However, we have used Cisco Forums where we can write a question and one of the technical engineers will respond.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is not difficult, it comes with good documentation that can be followed.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of the solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.