Cisco Catalyst Switches are pretty straightforward. They offer LAN and internal networking. They are for network segmentations and LAN and WAN perimeter networks.
Head Cyber Security at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
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?
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.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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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 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.
Software Engineer at Es'hailSat
Easy to install, simple to configure, and user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "We find the product very easy to use."
- "The product is expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for both corporate and data centers.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable and the performance is good.
It's easy to configure.
We find the product very easy to use.
The solution can scale.
The installation process is easy.
What needs improvement?
You need to predict your scaling considerations at the outset.
The product is expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable, however, you need to plan for future scaling at the outset, otherwise, you will be limited.
How are customer service and technical support?
We are quite satisfied with technical support. They are helpful and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward and simple. It's not overly complex or difficult at all.
What about the implementation team?
We handled the implementation ourselves in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution could be cheaper. It's a bit expensive.
There aren't any extra costs for licensing or customization.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We're quite happy with its capabilities.
I would recommend the solution to other users and companies.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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.
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Reliable and scalable with lots of great features
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is very responsive and helpful."
- "Pricing mainly is the only issue."
What is our primary use case?
We're using it as basic switches - mainly VLANs and SPB, The main focus is actually for just VLANs and VLAN switching, and that's it.
What is most valuable?
There are a lot of features on the device. We're not using all the features that we can use, however.
It's all fine. It works quite well. What we have now is good. We don't have many requirements for these switches except just forwarding traffic.
The solution has been very stable.
We find the product to be scalable.
Technical support is very responsive and helpful.
The solution is very reliable.
What needs improvement?
Pricing mainly is the only issue. For our company, IT is not a major investment, so it would be harder to convince management to invest in Cisco switches. For quality, they are the best, however, in terms of pricing, especially due to the COVID crisis and everything, investment into a network is now a lower priority. Before, when the money flow was better, it was easier to sell. However, now, for this current situation, a major point of pain in the company is price.
Even though my priority is reliability, in order to avoid downtime, management is harder to convince and they just see the price tag.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution since about 2018. It's been around four years or so now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. Since 2018, since we started with them, we haven't faced any issues with these switches, except for one instance where we switched to a new switch and needed to restart to enable the functionality.
Other than that, the switches are working great. There were only two times we restarted them due to an incident with the power equipment. The switches restarted because of a power issue, and not due to the switch itself having a problem.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We're actually using it using iStack. It is stackable and very scalable to add more switches. It's quite easy to expand everything.
We're using these for our core network. It's across all our core network that is going through our IT department. For that reason, many people are on them. It's likely about 50 people 50, plus the user traffic. We're an ISP. We have some servers and portals that use these servers, switches to reach the network. Therefore, many, many users use that. We have a lot of user traffic going through the switches.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is fine. We've had, several moments in these last four years where we've requested Cisco technical support and they were very quick to respond and provide assistance. It's taken, at a maximum, two days to go from request to support. they are very responsive. We are very satisfied with their level of service.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As I understand, Cisco's prices are very high and other vendors might have a lower price. Therefore, we're considering Aruba or Huawei or maybe other vendors as well for both access switches and managed wireless solutions (as in lightweight access points with controllers and these kinds of networks).
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Due to the wireless network upgrade, I'm considering other measures as well as Cisco. We're considering Aruba and we're considering Huawei. I'm considering switching to other vendors mainly because of the price.
What other advice do I have?
We are a customer and an end-user.
We deal with a lot of Cisco products. We use maybe 20 or so Cisco switches.
We have an old 2960-X and a 2960 Plus. We also have three 9300 switches, which are the newer model.
I would advise other users to plan for a larger network than you currently need. For example, if you need 20 ports on a switch and you're ordering this equipment. order a 48 port one, as you'll find that you quickly consume the 20 ports and you need upgrades of two, three, four, five, six. You'll need upgrades quickly and you'll find yourself ordering another switch to replace this one. The most sensible recommendation is to order one bigger switch, which is better than replacing the switch you have within one year.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. The switches are excellent.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Lead Software QA / DevOps Engineer at a comms service provider
Configuration is straightforward and all our switches are working without any downtime
Pros and Cons
- "Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime."
- "It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive."
- "Soon, we plan to migrate to the cloud infrastructure. It would be good if the Cisco switches worked quickly in the cloud, like their hardware devices. Ideally, they would be like OVS-DPDK, but they would work out-of-the-box."
What is our primary use case?
LAN and WAN links in our offices and data centers.
How has it helped my organization?
When we started deploying Cisco switches in our new office, we were able to deploy them very quickly. There were no problems at the configuration stage and this allowed us to start work as quickly as possible.
What is most valuable?
Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime. We work with government companies and we can't allow the business to stand idle.
What needs improvement?
It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive.
Soon, we plan to migrate to the cloud infrastructure. It would be good if the Cisco switches worked quickly in the cloud, like their hardware devices. Ideally, they would be like OVS-DPDK, but they would work out-of-the-box.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues with scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't use Cisco support. In our company, we have our own support team with various CCNA and CCNP engineers.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we tried many different solutions but we had some trouble with stability and scalability.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty easy. The first setup was not that big and it was deployed in one day with only two engineers, one CCNA and one CCNP.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We tried many vendors including D-Link, HPE, and some cheaper vendors.
What other advice do I have?
It's a very good product but the price is high, so I would rate it at eight out of 10. Overall, it's worth it. Cisco switches have rich functionality.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Manager, Information Technology at a university with 201-500 employees
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.
Product Specialist at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Poor performance, difficult to implement, but helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "I have not opened up a ticket for Cisco Catalyst Switches. However, I have used the support from Cisco and they are very good and responsive."
- "Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features."
What is our primary use case?
The main use of Cisco Catalyst Switches is for enterprise networking.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Cisco Catalyst Switches within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My clients are not happy with the stability of the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable but the configuration to have it scale can be complex.
How are customer service and support?
I have not opened up a ticket for Cisco Catalyst Switches. However, I have used the support from Cisco and they are very good and responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other solutions, such as Juniper, HP, Aruba, and Fortinet switches, and they are better than Cisco Catalyst Switches.
How was the initial setup?
The configuration of the solution is difficult. If you are not using the Cisco Prime or Cisco DNA for management then the solution will be complex.
What about the implementation team?
Three or five engineers are needed for the implementation of large projects.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco Catalyst Switches are very expensive.
We have found that we need to purchase a DNA license to be able to use the Cisco Catalyst Switches but we never used it. There is an annual fee to use the solution. There are additional services that can be added at an extra cost.
They need to remove the DNA license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions, such as Juniper, HP, Aruba, and Fortinet switches
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend Cisco for anyone, many of my customers have had bad experiences with them.
For the rest of the business for Catalyst customers, we replacing all of them for our customers. I saw the many cases the customers were replacing Cisco with another vendor. It is more expensive and it didn't meet their expectations. However, we are using another technology from Cisco but the security from Cisco is not good anymore.
I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a four out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
User-friendly commands and configuration, good support, and feature-rich
Pros and Cons
- "The configuration and command set are user-friendly."
- "The initial setup can be easier in cases where the policy and ruleset are complex."
What is our primary use case?
These switches make up part of our network infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
The configuration and command set are user-friendly.
Cisco switches are feature-rich compared to other vendors.
Technical support is good, as they resolve any issues that we have.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup can be easier in cases where the policy and ruleset are complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for between five and six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This product is stable and our switches have been working fine. These switches are used extensively.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution. We have 5,000 or more users.
We have several Catalyst switches in our environment. Most of them are running version 15.x of the operating system, although some of them are version 12.x and older. These may be upgraded in the future.
We may increase our usage although I don't know at present.
How are customer service and support?
We are not the team that is responsible for contacting support. However, the support from Cisco is good. They easily resolve any issues that we have.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have only worked with Cisco solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be complex, depending on the policy and the rules.
Only a small staff is required for deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco is regularly updating this product.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: November 2024
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