Cisco Enterprise Routers Reviews

The use case for Cisco Enterprise Routers is that this product is used as a gateway router towards the ISP.

This product will be used as an enterprise router at the branch level to connect one branch to another if we have the MPLS kind of connectivity.

The best features of Cisco Enterprise Routers are not just about the feature itself, but it's about the Cisco services and support.

The software and bug level addressing for the other features support and update, such as vulnerability and any new feature or if a customer faces an issue that requires a developed and customer-based image, that Cisco also provides.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are quite good in terms of performance based on the model and the placement of the router, and I have seen very good performance.

In terms of improvement, Cisco Enterprise Routers are already stable and that's quite good; however, I see an improvement that could be made in product availability where we face some challenges, such as raising a request and the product not being available locally.

During that time, they do offer some replacement model of similar features, but sometimes customers want to push the same configuration, and if we provide a different model of router, the interface name and everything will be different, leading to a reconfiguration. In that scenario, it becomes a rework situation that we face sometimes, but that is not constant.

It's difficult to specify what features I would want in future updates for Cisco Enterprise Routers because Cisco has a very broad portfolio including SD-WAN, and for SD-WAN routers, they have the capability to use an SD-WAN router or an edge router, so I don't see anything specifically lacking at this point.

I have been working with Cisco Enterprise Routers for three to four years.

When I deployed Cisco Enterprise Routers, it was straightforward, and I didn't face any issues.

The deployment of Cisco Enterprise Routers depends on the type of features a customer wants.

The deployment of Cisco Enterprise Routers may take just a few hours if the design is not complex; otherwise, if the device design is complex, then it will take one to two days.

These are stable products.

We rate the modular design for network expansion in Cisco Enterprise Routers highly.

The modular design is highly scalable.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are modular routers that are beneficial for scaling or expanding, allowing us to add additional modules to serve various purposes, such as additional ports or links, and they even provide additional switching modules for local connectivity.

The best features of Cisco Enterprise Routers are not just about the feature itself, but it's about the Cisco services and support.

I find licensing costs for Cisco Enterprise Routers to be expensive.

Financially speaking, if we are using the old licensing model, when you want to upgrade, they do offer some flexibility if you are running on an existing license.

I don't rate it higher because from a pricing level, they are very costly.

On a scale from one to ten, I rate Cisco Enterprise Routers an eight.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are primarily used for terminating lines from the WAN side. I do not use Cisco traffic prioritization. I primarily utilize Cisco's integrated security protocols on their Firepower series.

Cisco Enterprise Routers provide an extensive stack in terms of routing, and the management is very intuitive for administration. Cisco is well-known, and when discussing routers, it is the first company that comes to mind due to its very large market share in routing platforms. The knowledge base is extensive, making it much easier to configure and deploy, and Cisco support is a key differentiator.

When it comes to the security side, Cisco has extensive support for multi-tiered security models, ranging from basic authentication mechanisms to the latest options such as FTDs or integration with AAA or RADIUS.

When assessing the high-performance bandwidth of Cisco Enterprise Routers, I see that they offer various models providing performance at different levels, allowing me to choose based on the use cases and applications that are deployed.

Regarding dynamic path optimization, this depends primarily on the connections available on the WAN side and on cost considerations. These features are primarily used for application-aware routing, offering extensive flexibility when working on applications or solutions where I need to select the right path for a specific application.

The modular design for network expansion in Cisco Enterprise Routers is extensive compared to other options. If I need to increase the interface capacity, I can simply choose a network interface module. These are primarily aggregation or integrated services routers offering extensive modules that can be added, and their highly modular design is a key differentiator for Cisco.

Looking at the product portfolio, most features are covered. There are different types of interfaces available, whether Ethernet Gigabit or 10 Gigabit, along with various interface modules and different protocol and security protocol options. I do not see anything that has been left out.

Regarding the features and functionalities of Cisco Enterprise Routers, I have not encountered a situation where I found something missing.

I have been working with Cisco Enterprise Routers since the 2500 series from the beginning.

When it comes to the stability aspect of Cisco Enterprise Routers, I have experienced no performance issues or stability issues so far.

I find Cisco Enterprise Routers scalable and it is easy to scale up and scale out.

I would rate Cisco support as a seven out of ten.

I have not worked with any other routers apart from Cisco.

Regarding the setup process of Cisco Enterprise Routers, we have not faced any challenges because most deployments are in the enterprise segment. We use these extensively only to terminate service provider links and WAN links, and we have not encountered any challenges.

Overall, I find Cisco Enterprise Routers cost-effective. When discussing Cisco, you must consider that you are paying for the features offered, the reliability of the product, and the support that Cisco provides, so there are no questions about that.

In terms of licensing, I think it is straightforward. I do not see any issues with licensing for a specific feature, support, or anything else.

We work with authorized Cisco distributors and purchase from them. Given my extensive experience with Cisco technologies, I would say that when it comes to routing, Cisco is amongst the leaders, offering extensive features and comprehensive configurations and documentation. The support is also exceptional. For a specific use case, one can identify the product that matches their technology requirement and choose accordingly. My overall rating for Cisco Enterprise Routers is ten out of ten.

I use Cisco Enterprise Routers for connectivity and network applications.

I have approximately 300 users for the Cisco Enterprise Routers.

The features of Cisco Enterprise Routers that I find most useful for my networking are the enterprise routing capabilities.

The solution is reliable.

In terms of network performance, the performance is actually very good.

They help with network safety and assist with network security.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are scalable only if using their brand.

Cisco Enterprise Routers can only integrate with standard equipment. If using something non-standard, it will not work. By non-standard, I mean the unknown brands that are not generally used.

There is still room for improvement in performance, quality of service, and security in general.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are not easy to set up. They require special skills and don't have plug-and-play capability.

I have been working with Cisco Enterprise Routers for the last 24 months.

They are stable. I don't have any issues.

For scalability, I would rate it a six. Cisco Enterprise Routers are scalable only when using their brand. When mixing them with other brands, there are issues.

The support for Cisco Enterprise Routers is good.

I would rate the support a seven. Standard support is fine, but for customer-specific issues, there are lead times which can frustrate customers, especially with unique problems.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are slightly expensive. If used as a service, it is affordable. But acquiring the actual equipment is more expensive.

I do not have experience using AI, as we are currently gearing ourselves towards using AI for managing or optimizing the performance of Cisco Enterprise Routers.

I would recommend Cisco Enterprise Routers, but with some qualification, as it is a pricey solution.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate this solution a 6.

I am working with HP rack server. The server is also part of my setup. I am just working with a rack server. Unfortunately, I haven't any other products by HP, just servers only.

I am working with Cisco FabricPath and switches. I have normal switches, back end switches, and the main switch. I am not dealing with Cisco FabricPath for LAN switching.

I am still working with Dell. I have one server, one rack server. I am dealing with other vendors such as Sophos firewall. I am using it myself at the central office.

I am using Sophos XG. I have six years of experience with Sophos. I am using an internet connection cable, leased line, and I have Cisco switches only and router.

I have a router by Cisco as well, but it's wired, not wireless. I am using Cisco Enterprise Routers, but I don't remember the version. I have been using them for two years only. I am very satisfied with Cisco Enterprise Routers.

I do not use Cisco's traffic prioritization. I have not used Cisco's integrated security protocols. It's normal. The bandwidth is limited, but I have a leased line bandwidth. I do not use dynamic path optimization.

I have worked with 3Com and Huawei before Cisco Enterprise Routers.

It has several features that make the network faster.

It's a very helpful machine and has helped me increase my performance in the network. It's very useful.

The software cannot be updated usually.

The price is very high here in Egypt. Cisco devices are the most expensive.

The AI technology must be included in the future to make it even better. They need to automate processes. The connection features must be improved by AI technology.

I have been using them for two years only.

All of them are needed for maintenance.

I just have one piece. I couldn't rate Cisco Enterprise Routers correctly; the accuracy is not right. I couldn't tell any fixed number, or rate it properly. I just have one piece only. I would rate them as an eight out of 10, approximately.

I didn't face any problems with technical support in my region. I didn't need technical support yet, until now.

Positive

I decided to switch because the quality of services is greater than any other brand. I didn't remember evaluating any other options.

My email address is a.salah@misrconsult-eng.com.

I would rate this solution 10 out of 10.

The main use cases for Cisco Enterprise Routers among our customers include typical routing, BGP peering, and SD-WAN usage in some cases.

Our customers using Cisco Enterprise Routers span across different industries, including typical enterprise environments and service provider environments.

The most useful features in Cisco Enterprise Routers are the security features related to the routers themselves and typical routing features.

Regarding security features, Cisco has a long history of security built into the routers themselves, including virtualization options on the routers, the ability to implement managed access lists, tagging on the access level, and using these tags on Cisco firewalls and so on. The VPN integrated within the routers and the ability to handle VPN connections, whether that be LAN to LAN or client-oriented VPN connections, are crucial for Cisco Enterprise Routers.

The Cisco traffic prioritization is definitely helpful, as it's one of the important features within the routers, especially in the enterprise environment. It guarantees bandwidth for business-critical applications.

The only complaint from customers about Cisco is price-wise; they tend to be on the higher side compared to some competition, making it hard to compete in today's market.

Although Cisco has made some movements towards something similar to Meraki products to target price-sensitive users, there is always room for improvement regarding cost.

I have been working with Cisco Enterprise Routers for more than 15 years.

There have been no issues with stability regarding Cisco Enterprise Routers at all.

I don't have any complaints regarding scalability; it's quite scalable.

Due to the years I have been working with Cisco, there have been some bugs and issues encountered with the devices, but the support has been satisfactory and they resolved it eventually. Operationally, there were some bugs and issues, but nothing major that would greatly influence the customer experience.

Cisco's support for routers, especially Cisco Enterprise Routers, is above the competition for sure.

Positive

It is easy to set up Cisco Enterprise Routers. You need some type of experience, but it's generally easy, especially now that everything can be software managed. Cisco is moving away from the command-line interface, making it much easier for general users, though we are power users here, so it should be quite easy for us.

The deployment of a typical Cisco Enterprise Router depends on the enterprise environment.

Our customers have seen return on investment and value for money since implementing Cisco Enterprise Routers. They have been using Cisco equipment for a long period and continue to return to Cisco for replacement technologies and everything else, so they are happy with Cisco equipment.

I don't have any general improvement recommendations for Cisco Enterprise Routers, as I consider Cisco to be performance-wise and quality-wise above the competition.

I would give a warm recommendation about Cisco products. I suggest they start with a validated design and architectural part rather than individual products to reap the benefits.

On a scale of one to ten, I rate Cisco Enterprise Routers a nine.

There are many use cases for Cisco Enterprise Routers. The space it is used in now focuses on IoT for edge computing. The heavyweight Cisco industrial solutions are used for manufacturing, automation, and similar applications. The lightweight solutions are used for retail locations, stores, banks, and other similar locations. For establishments with numerous locations, Merakis are utilized.

All of the features in the Cisco Enterprise Routers are excellent. Having everything on one pane of glass is excellent as users are able to monitor everything, bringing everything closer to the edge. Users are able to get good feedback to people within the organization who might be monitoring everything.

The security functionality of the Cisco Enterprise Routers is excellent. They are top-notch with security features.

Support can sometimes be overwhelmed, which is common with many service centers.

I still have experience with the Cisco products and recently completed some work with them.

I would recommend using Cisco Enterprise Routers. If you want the top or best solution, then you have to choose Cisco. We work with Junipers and various networking equipment, but nothing comes close to Cisco.

When comparing Juniper and Cisco, there are many components missing in Juniper. It takes more work to set them up. While their security is good, it does not match Cisco's capabilities. They all have their place, but for large companies with numerous locations and strict security measures, Cisco Enterprise Routers are the superior choice.

Merakis are extremely easy to set up, but most companies do not have the IT staff. Even when it comes to phone systems, companies prefer having someone else handle the setup. Our partners set everything in place. Once the licensing is set up, the systems learn from each other and adapt. Users can then see all connections from a single pane of glass and configure as needed.

For industrial routers, some command line control is still necessary, but most operations have moved to a program base.

Cisco Enterprise Routers require more complex setup. Organizations either need certified staff or must bring in external expertise because there are many components involved.

The pricing and licensing of Cisco Enterprise Routers is high, but the quality justifies the cost.

I recommend continuing to move forward with Cisco products as they have no significant flaws. Cisco Enterprise Routers are very sound. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this solution a 10.

I work in a medium company, focusing on VLAN and security. I use Cisco Enterprise Routers for the network and to implement VLANs.

The best feature regarding security is the shutdown port capability; the fact that you can shut down an unused port is great with Cisco Enterprise Routers.

I use Cisco's traffic prioritization.

I cannot assess the high-performance bandwidth of Cisco Enterprise Routers without knowing the purpose of the call.

I do not use Cisco's integrated security protocols.

I am unable to specify what areas could be improved with Cisco Enterprise Routers.

I have two years of experience with Cisco products.

I cannot provide extensive details, but it is working normally and satisfactorily for me.

I never call Cisco for support because we have everything we need.

Positive

I have experience with Omada Identity.

I have experience with other vendors, specifically TP-Link Omada.

I work with Cisco Enterprise Routers as part of my role.

It is expensive, but I am not the person purchasing the products; I just handle the configuration.

This implementation uses the router and switch, not Cisco Meraki Wireless.

The switch I use is the 2900 series.

The implementation includes Cisco 2900 series and 3500 series, which includes a switch and a router.

I also have experience with Cisco Enterprise Routers.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate Cisco Enterprise Routers a 10.

In my case, I use Cisco Enterprise Routers for voice communication systems, so I need a specific coverage of service between the sites. In our company, we use switches that are validated and certified by our suppliers because if it is not working with them, then we cannot use them. Sometimes, we use Aruba in our company, while at times, we use Cisco, depending on the manufacturer or system supplier. Sometimes, it gets difficult when you mix some things from one supplier to the other, but the product works in the end.

The most valuable feature of the solution is that it makes it possible for users to use encryption and decryption since our company aims to achieve transparency, and without it, the other system on which it is used won't support it.

The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required to be made by making it cheaper.

At times, our company needs to exchange the equipment because it is not supported anymore or because it is out of service. When it comes to Cisco Enterprise Routers, and you look at the cost of ownership, there is a need to consider the fact that my company undertakes projects that are on systems that should be running for more than fifteen or twenty years, which is an area that is always difficult. If you must exchange the equipment because it is no longer supported, then it would be nice if Cisco provided discounts for the new products, especially if you stay with the same supplier. In our company, we may use Cisco, Dell, or Aruba, especially in scenarios where Cisco does not allow or fulfill our requirements. They should be hardware exchange contracts when dealing with equipment from Cisco, Dell, or any independent vendor.

I have been using Cisco Enterprise Routers for four years. My company is a platinum partner of Cisco. I use the solution's latest version as described by our company's security policy since nowadays we are not allowed to use or do the migration or upgrade part of routers or switches, and we need to consider exchanging them instead.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a seven or eight out of ten.

My company mostly deals with small-sized businesses that use the solution.

I rate the technical support a seven or eight out of ten.

Neutral

I would rate the initial setup a seven or eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a difficult setup phase, and ten is an easy setup phase.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The solution can be deployed in a day. At times, the deployment process may take a week, depending on the other interconnections in an environment.

The return on investment from the product is high, considering factors like availability and the name of the product in the market.

I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

The major purpose of our using Cisco Enterprise Routers is to terminate the 0.2 internet links because we don't use net features on the router. We prefer to configure NAS and other publishing through Cisco activities. We use the routers to create GRE channels with our different sites.

We use Cisco routers, firewalls, switches, and the Cisco Eyes and NAT solution in our environment. I have also done some R&D to implement mass cloud infrastructure for my client.

We're using the ISR series at the moment. The version is 4451 or 4431. These are public routers. We have permitted our major internet links on these routers.

This is an edge device for my organization. Normally, the enterprise company has one or two Cisco routers because they use it for internet termination and PLS termination.

I am using version 16.4 of the ISR router.

It's highly stable. We rarely see any bugs or abnormalities in our Cisco routers, especially for the ISR series. We have used the ASR 1000, and that was highly stable.

You cannot configure internet policies or other options on Cisco routers. If you have a very limited budget, you can't afford two different pieces of equipment, and you can't afford yearly licensing.

I would like Cisco to launch a small business router that has firewall capabilities as well. It would be a great initiative for small businesses.

I would like to see two additional features: a remote access VPN with the MFA, multifactor authentication capabilities. At the moment, the ISR series only supports MFA, but not every company likes to use that tool. I think Cisco needs to consider MFA for the remote access VPN and should incorporate other MFA solutions as well.

I would also like there to be some firewall features included in the routers. I'm not talking about a full-fledged firewall feature, but a limited set of features that can be used on the small and medium-sized enterprise level. These two features would be a great initiative.

I would also like to recommend the licensing feature. Previously, the Cisco licensing model was either a perpetual or annual smart license. Now, Cisco has totally shifted over to the smart licensing feature, and perpetual licenses are about to be eliminated from Cisco. The licensing feature is a bit costly if we compare it to other vendors. The licensing features of the F5 are perpetual, but the support has periodic renewal. The license to use Cisco features like a firewall or the routers are actually yearly based and not perpetual.

The lead times are extremely high. Normally, it's six to eight months initially, and they prolong it to up to one year for new device delivery by Cisco.

If you say you need a brand new router, switch, or fiber from Cisco within one month, you will never get it, unless some stock is readily available with your vendor. Otherwise, it will initially take six to eight months, and then that will be prolonged to one year. This is what we're experiencing with our clients right now.

I have used Cisco Enterprise Routers since 2012.

It's highly scalable, but there is some cost involved. If you need one gig throughput, you don't need to procure another offer. You just need to purchase the throughput license, and you can increase the throughput. These are very costly licenses. 

I would rate the scalability as eight out of ten. 

For the initial setup, I would rate it as 10 out of 10. It's very user-friendly and simple to implement Cisco devices.

Deployment didn't take more than one hour.

Even the command line is very user-friendly. A layman could very quickly understand Cisco's command line.

We're an IT consulting company and we have our own engineers to deploy the solution. We provide IT services to the other companies in our country as well.

There are different series for the routers and different licenses for each series. It depends on which series you're going to choose and which router model you're going to choose in that series. There is a base license, throughput license, and boost performance license.

For a boost performance license, the cost is $2,000 to $2,500.

There is an additional cost for more scalability.

I would rate this solution as nine out of ten. I'm only deducting a point because of the licensing cost. Scalability is very costly. Cisco is going to shift to smart licensing, which means you get the license for a specific period of time, and then you need to incur some cost to renew that license.

I highly recommend Cisco. It's highly stable and highly scalable, which is the reason why they're unable to fulfill orders globally.

Before I would recommend Cisco to someone, I would review the project and business needs. Why do they want to use the Cisco Enterprise router or Cisco equipment? What is the business nature? What are the requirements? What is the budget? These things need to be discussed before suggesting any solution. I am a solution provider, so it's the core business of my company to set up IT infrastructures for the other companies.

I always intend to know what kind of business someone is running, what are their prospects, what are the expectations from the infrastructure, and what is the total budget they want to incur on the infrastructure. For a businessman, IT is just an overload. There's a burden on the budget. If you have a garment business and someone suggests that you buy a $4,000 router, you will say, "Why?"

First of all, analyze your requirement, business, and network, and then I can suggest the best possible solution. It could be Cisco or another third party because if you say, "I have only $1,000 for this IT infrastructure," you will need to buy switches, the router, and everything else for $1,000. You can't even get a small enterprise router in the $1,000 range from Cisco.

In my company, the tool is used mostly in our branches.

The benefit from the use of the product in my company stems from the fact that it is a tool that is considered to be a leader in the market while offering good support and stability, making it an overall good product.

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the product's overall look and feel is good, making it a user-friendly tool.

The product's pricing is an area that is too fuzzy to deal with, in my opinion, making it an area where improvements are required.

The product's deployment phase can be made slightly better and more intuitive.

I have been using Cisco Enterprise Routers for ten to twelve years.

It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Around 110 people, consisting mostly of members of my company's IT team and network administrators, use the solution in my company.

During weekdays or normal days, it is easy to get hold of Cisco's support team, but during holidays or weekends, it becomes challenging and problematic for users to reach the support team. It is important to know that the support offered by Cisco is comparatively better than the support offered by its competitors.

The solution's deployment phase is okay since it is a process that may not seem too easy, but at the same time, one may not experience any hassles.

I rate the product's deployment phase a five out of ten.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

Considering the configuration phase that takes time, the solution can be deployed in a time frame between three to four hours to two or three days.

In comparison with other products, I rate the product's ability to provide my company benefits in terms of time and funding at twelve or thirteen, even if the benchmark you provide is ten to the maximum.

I rate the product's price a six or seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is extremely expensive, and ten is very cheap. Apart from the licensing costs attached to the solution, a user has to pay towards the product's RMA and support costs.

My company's support team, consisting of 20 to 25 engineers, deals with the product's upgrades, failover testing, and everything else.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.