We're an implementor of the product. We provide this product to our clients.
Head of Project Management at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
A reliable brand with good performance that's easy to manage
Pros and Cons
- "We'd like Cisco to integrate with other solutions, including their own."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable aspect is the management.
Our clients really trust the brand.
The quality of the product is excellent. It offers great performance.
What needs improvement?
We'd like Cisco to integrate better with other solutions, including their own.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for the last two years or so.
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Cisco Catalyst Switches
December 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is very good. We haven't had any stability issues. There aren't bugs or glitches. It's good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale. If a company needs to expand, they can do so easily.
We typically deal with medium-sized companies.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support of the solution is good. The clients are covered under warranty. Cisco is very responsible when it comes to covering any issues for them.
The documentation is quite good for the solution as well. It helps people understand the product.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use HP and Extreme Networks. We work with a variety of solutions. We don't exclusively work with Cisco. Cisco does, however, have one of the highest product qualities on offer.
What other advice do I have?
We help our clients decide which product to use. We use Cisco and a wide variety of other products. We're implementors.
When it comes to working with Cisco, customers are consistently offered a quality product. Many of our clients need a quality product with good performance. This solution is very reliable which is why we work with it.
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the solution at an eight.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Easy to set up and use, stable, and the support is good
Pros and Cons
- "Catalyst switches are easy to use and simple to work with."
- "I would like to see support for one-touch provisioning."
What is our primary use case?
The switches are for network infrastructure in an enterprise.
What is most valuable?
Catalyst switches are easy to use and simple to work with.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see support for one-touch provisioning.
By use zero touch provision , We do need a lot of config for system boot and other, That should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for about 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The Catalyst Switches are stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable product. We have about 1,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support is amazing, although they could be a little faster.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not used other similar products.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. The installation takes about 30 minutes per device.
What about the implementation team?
I install this product on my own. We have about 10 IT staff who can work with these switches.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good product and I recommend it.
I would rate this solution 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.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network Engineer at NHN Techorus Corp.
Makes QoS CBWFQ easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "We have to use the QoS (CBWFQ) function... and it is easy to use."
What is our primary use case?
AWS Direct Connect.
What is most valuable?
- BGP
- Familiar CLI
We have used BGP over IPSec to AWS but there were problems with bandwidth. I migrated to the Catalyst C3850 because AWS Direct Connect doesn't need IPSec. We have to use the QoS (CBWFQ) function. I understand the function of QoS and it is easy to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is average.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing could be better.
What other advice do I have?
I would suggest looking into the Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X. It has a lower price than the C3850 and high performance, but the CLI is different.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Infrastructure Specialist at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Technically it supports most deployment scenarios.
Valuable Features:
This is the Enterprise Class Switch platform. Technically it supports most deployment scenarios and things that you never know that it supports.
The hardware is the most reliable, I saw some Catalyst in hot and dusty racks, working hard and with no issues from a lot of years.
Great switching solution from Cisco!
Improvements to My Organization:
It's resolved most of our customer communication needs.
Room for Improvement:
It can be a little more cheaper.
Deployment Issues:
We've had no issues with deployment.
Stability Issues:
We've had no issues with stability.
Scalability Issues:
We've had no issues with scalability.
Cost and Licensing Advice:
It's quite pricey.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of Network Administration Section at Zemen Bank S.C.
Good for computation and backup; lacks some features and not user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is good for computation and backup."
- "We need to rely on other devices to provide management features."
What is our primary use case?
Our company is in the financial sector and we are customers of Cisco.
What is most valuable?
The solution is good for computation and backup.
What needs improvement?
We need to rely on other devices to provide management features. Other solutions provide more features and Catalyst Switches is not user-friendly. Even the configuration is difficult for our new engineers. Cisco has some weaknesses.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 13 years.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very good, but anything support-related is based on payment. Without paying you won't see any service from Cisco. The same goes for training which requires payment. Other solutions provide training without payment but not Cisco.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The technical support license is very difficult because you can only get support if you've purchased the hardware. After you own the devices you still have to pay for support and pay for the license. Everything is an added cost.
What other advice do I have?
There are alternative solutions now penetrating the market and because of difficulties with configuration in this product, there are now more appealing options.
I rate the solution seven out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IToV Implementation Engineer at a renewables & environment company with 5,001-10,000 employees
A reliable and scalable solution, but the pricing and licensing process could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "I think it is a reliable and scalable solution."
- "The licensing process should be back to how it was before. Now, you have to register online, and it makes staging a bit trickier."
What is our primary use case?
I've been using Cisco Catalyst for switching.
What is most valuable?
I find the quality of the solution to be valuable. I also like that many organizations use Cisco.
I think it is a reliable and scalable solution.
What needs improvement?
The licensing process should be back to how it was before. Now, you have to register online, and it makes staging a bit trickier.
Pricing could be cheaper as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found it to be reliable and stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think that Cisco Catalyst Switches is a scalable solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Dell and HP switches before.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy and took only a few minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented it myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think pricing could be cheaper, depending on the range purchased.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this solution at seven.
It is a reliable and scalable solution, but I think pricing could be cheaper.
I also think that the licensing process could be improved so that staging is not tricky.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Product Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good LAN switches with an easy initial setup and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
- "Cisco applies restrictions in relation to renewals on a yearly basis. Many other brands don't have restrictions. If Cisco lifted them, they wouldn't lose so many clients to competitors."
What is our primary use case?
Typically, the solution is used for a client's official network and several times as a replacement. A client may use it to replace the total network LAN switch.
What is most valuable?
Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution.
Clients often do not emphasize specifications of Catalyst features. They just need a switch for an office LAN and other segments.
What needs improvement?
There are several versions of Catalyst, and yet, they are quite similar. If, in the simplest one, they could create a Catalyst segment where all the possibilities like QSFP, SFP, 10G, that would be ideal. MikroTik, a Latvian company, has that as an option. They include 1G and 10G and QSFP all in one switch. Cisco, however, divides it into several switches across these features. Cisco is likely doing it to make money. However, clients sometimes don't want to pay more for the switches and they ignore Cisco and grab other brands like MikroTik. As distributors, it makes it hard to sell Cisco when features come at such a high price.
Another issue is the restrictions on the product. Cisco applies restrictions in relation to renewals on a yearly basis. Many other brands don't have restrictions. If Cisco lifted them, they wouldn't lose so many clients to competitors.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for a long time. It's been about seven to nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is quite stable. It doesn't crash or freeze and there aren't any bugs or glitches. It's quite reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can scale the solution and you can choose different versions that fit the sizes of a variety of organizations.
Our clients range in size. Some are smaller organizations. Others are enterprise-level companies.
How are customer service and technical support?
We talk with the support that is based in Bangladesh. They have an office in our country and provide support as necessary. We have contracts for one to three years and they provide technical and phone support to us. The support is fine, but it takes time sometimes to get the assistance we require.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As resellers, we work with other solutions, including Huawei, Juniper, MicroTik, and some other brands in China (as well as Cisco).
Recently, Huawei has been doing good in switching segments. They're bringing some new features that are better than or compete with Cisco, and they are very aggressive in pricing.
The problem is they're doing only Enterprise segments. They are not doing SMB.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't too complex. However, we have very well trained technicians that really understand the process. For them, it's easy.
If our clients request it of us, we can maintain the switches for them after implementation.
What about the implementation team?
We can assist our clients with implementation if they request the service.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Cisco products is quite expensive. Huawei, for example, costs much less.
There aren't extra costs for additional features. All features are standard.
What other advice do I have?
We are resellers and distributors. We're partners with Cisco.
We use a variety of different versions of the solution, including 3003, 29603, and 9003. Those are three of the most popular. Which we use depends on the client and their particular needs. Sometimes we only resell the product to our clients and sometimes we also provide the solution and install and configure the Catalyst for the clients. It depends on the client's query.
Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. Overall, our clients have been quite happy with the results they get from Cisco products.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
User at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
VLAN provides us with segregation, but I would like to see ongoing software improvement
Pros and Cons
- "VLAN gives us segregation."
- "Cisco should focus more on this type of product instead of on data center switches. They stopped improving the software of these switches and they are focusing on the data center. They should focus on this type of product, more than any other thing."
What is our primary use case?
We use Catalyst for campus switches.
How has it helped my organization?
As an access switch, it really hasn't made an improvement in our organization. Access switches are similar, in most cases. It's just and end-user switch, so it doesn't really differ if it's Cisco or any other device.
Perhaps the reliability is an improvement.
What is most valuable?
VLAN gives us segregation.
What needs improvement?
Cisco should focus more on this type of product instead of on data center switches. They stopped improving the software of these switches and they are focusing on the data center. They should focus on this type of product, more than any other thing.
It might also help if they integrated their security products with the switches.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I had some hardware failure, a defect, on arrival.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are no issues with scalability.
How is customer service and technical support?
I would evaluate the tech support as "fair". They have multi-tiered support and especially the level-one and two don't know what they are doing. They collect a lot of information, wasting your time, and then they keep moving the tickets from level one to level two and level three, and when the issue is solved, usually level-three are the ones who solve it. They're not good at the lower levels of support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What was our ROI?
The ROI for this product is three to five years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the features-to-pricing ratio at six out of 10.
My advice about licensing is that you should have a perpetual license, not one that is subscription-based.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I use a lot of switches on the campus: Juniper, Extreme, etc. I use multiple vendors. However, Cisco and Juniper are my preferred vendors.
What other advice do I have?
The most important thing I can say is that Cisco is using a proprietary protocol, so you should design your network accordingly so that you don't get vendor lock.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst a seven out of 10 because of the pros and the cons I have noted.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Updated: December 2024
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