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reviewer1245285 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Security Advisor at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Highly stable, beneficial central management system, but support could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the simplicity of the central management system(CMS)."
  • "The technical support could improve, they are about average quality."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco Ethernet Switches are used in a network as a relay.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the simplicity of the central management system(CMS).

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for approximately 20 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is the main reason why I used the solution. It is highly stable.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Ethernet Switches can be scaled up.

We are not using this solution extensively, it is not our main solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support could improve, they are about average quality.

How was the initial setup?

Cisco Ethernet Switches are easy to deploy and set up. It takes approximately 30 minutes to do the process.

What about the implementation team?

We have our own team for the implementation.

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

The cost of the solution is by unit.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches a seven 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
it_user1011525 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at a engineering company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Resilience protocol enables the datacenter to continue to function when there is some level of failure
Pros and Cons
  • "A stable product that is absolutely dependable."
  • "The product could improve in the area of simulated switches."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use this solution to connect networks and devices.

What is most valuable?

What I like most about this product is redundancy like Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) or resilience protocol so the datacenter continues to function when there is some level of failure.

What needs improvement?

What I would improve in this product is simulation. You can simulate switches, but you cannot really simulate industrial Cisco switches. The ability to use industrial switches is missing and I would like to see compatibility with industrial switches.

I would like to see an updated feature search toolkit. The ability to look for certain features and select the features that you want or need would help to target desired results and workflow. To know what a tool is able to provide for you and the devices that can be used with those features would make research and configuration a lot easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for about 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product is stable. I have seen no bugs, glitches, or crashes. It is absolutely dependable and was designed to be that way.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think this product is extremely scalable. I am fairly sure everyone in the world who's working with a computer is using it. Even you — whomever you are, and whether you know it or not.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have had the opportunity to use Cisco's support for this product. If I were to rate them on a scale of one to ten with ten being the best (and separately from the product itself), I would give them a six. On some days they take and answer a question easily and they are a ten, and other days they take too long to answer or give the wrong solution. More times they are better, so that makes them a six.

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

Previously we used solutions from HP, MicroTech, and Dell. You name a popular product and we have some familiarity with it. We chose Cisco because we believe it is the best option.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of this product is straightforward.

The deployment time will depend entirely on the size of the project and the plan for what needs to be accomplished.

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

The pricing varies widely depending on the support contract term and the type and number of the devices. The product is on the expensive side.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated other options through our past experiences.

What other advice do I have?

Advice that I would give companies considering this solution is that you need to do your research, find the correct model for your needs and size the deployment correctly. If you don't think first you can pay too much and have more than you need or pay too little and not meet your needs.

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate this product as an eight. It cannot be higher than that because of the pricing.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Benjamin Ighagbon - PeerSpot reviewer
Benjamin IghagbonIT Project Manager at NTSAFRICA Services
Real User

Again i will say you have rightly pointed the key differentiator here which is pricing, aside the good features that this product has, its price choking...for me i will rate it six out of ten.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1505100 - PeerSpot reviewer
Deputy Head of ICT at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Fast, stable and scalable switching
Pros and Cons
  • "We like the stability and scalability of Cisco Ethernet Switches."
  • "I think the price should be cheaper to be able to afford more."

What is our primary use case?

They are used as the access and core switches in our network.

What is most valuable?

We like the stability and scalability of Cisco Ethernet Switches.

What needs improvement?

I think the price should be cheaper to be able to afford more.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for a couple of years.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not had any experience with Cisco's technical support but I have heard they are very good.

How was the initial setup?

From what I know they are easy to deploy for those who know what they are doing but I have not done so.

What about the implementation team?

We had them installed for us.

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

We think the pricing could be cheaper for these switches and that would be a reason we would consider looking at another vendor.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Cisco Ethernet switches based on our experience with the stability of the product.

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
Co-Founder, Architect at Espina IT
Real User
Reliable, with a good reputation, easy to setup, and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco's support is number one in the world."
  • "The price could be improved by being reduced."

What is our primary use case?

We are system integrators. We deal with Cisco solutions for our customers in data centers, enterprise networks, and Service Cloud networks.

What is most valuable?

Cisco's support is number one in the world. 

It is very stable. 

As a company, they have a very good reputation. They invest a lot in research, and they come up with new solutions, new technologies, and new products.

What needs improvement?

The price could be improved by being reduced.

The new software has been released in Cisco Switches, which is meeting with the market's demands. Earlier they used to have many different models.

This solution is still lacking in some areas.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Cisco Ethernet Switches since 2000. Twenty years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Within the twenty years, we have had many issues. There could be a data error, there could be a software bug or hardware failure. It happens, it's a machine.

How are customer service and technical support?

Cisco's technical support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. It's not complex.

They have a very good website. If you get stuck, you can go to the website to get a solution. That's the beauty of Cisco products, everything is available on the website.

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

The price is a bit on the high side.

Normally what they do is go case by case and give discounts based on the customer's budget, and on the competition.

What other advice do I have?

For anyone who is interested in using switches, I would definitely recommend Cisco. They are pioneers in the industry and you can find Cisco engineers anywhere.

Nowadays, everything is fine. They are good, and they move forward with the latest technologies. They are always ahead of their competitors. I feel that now they are on the right track and I don't see any issues.

Customers always choose Cisco.

I would rate Cisco Ethernet Switches a nine out of ten.

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
reviewer1487706 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Technical at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Reseller
Adds value to virtual workloads, the stability is good, and competitively priced
Pros and Cons
  • "You can tap into all of the features for your virtual workload environment."
  • "Cisco has a lot of propriety protocols compared to other products, such as Arista Networks."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Ethernet Switches to improve the latency in the Data Center.

What is most valuable?

Cisco Switches serve their purpose. They add value to the virtual workload. You can tap into all of the features for your virtual workload environment.

What needs improvement?

Cisco has a lot of propriety protocols compared to other products, such as Arista Networks.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for a couple of years.

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product. I have no issues with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution. Our end users are our customers. We have thousands of people using these switches that we have implemented.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The installation was straightforward.

One day is not enough for the configuration. It takes time, and there is a plan. You have to speak with the customer to see what they want and need in their environment.

Planning takes a couple of days, but once you know what you are doing, it only takes a couple of hours.

We have a team of 30 to 40 to deploy and maintain this solution. 

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

It tends to be a bit pricey, but competitive. When you compare with other products, they are more or less the same price.

What other advice do I have?

I have not had any bad experiences with Cisco.

We have plans to continue using this solution. I would recommend it to others who are interested in using it.

I would rate Cisco Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.

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: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good availability and load balancing and relatively easy to scale
Pros and Cons
  • "The security of the switches is pretty impressive. There are many security features available on the product."
  • "The enterprise-level switches should have a simpler deployment. They should make it possible for lower-skilled workers to be able to deploy the product."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for data centers and also for local area networks for enterprises.

What is most valuable?

I've worked with many features on Cisco's switches. However, the newest features I've used were on Nexus switches. The VPC on Nexus switches, supported on Nexus switches, provides high availability and load balancing for virtual port channels. It is a link aggregation we used in data centers. It's been fantastic.

The security of the switches is pretty impressive. There are many security features available on the product.

What needs improvement?

The solution could always benefit from some more security features. For example, they need something which is mainly used for enterprise networks that allow for identity-based security or authentication. 

The pricing of the switches could be lowered. Right now, they are quite expensive.

The enterprise-level switches should have a simpler deployment. They should make it possible for lower-skilled workers to be able to deploy the product. It should be just as easy as turning them on, powering them up, and connecting the PCs, which would be the same as or similar to a generic simple switch. Many users can't use Cisco's advanced features and won't be able to deploy Cisco's advanced CLI or other management tools otherwise.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with Cisco's switches for more than 20 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable and Cisco is very reliable. It doesn't crash. There aren't bugs or glitches. I have experience on switches, which we've not reloaded for more than five years, even. They have been up and running for five years and don't cause us any trouble, which is impressive.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is quite scalable. They support our stacking feature, which means we can stack up to eight switches together to have scalable port numbers in terms of port numbers and also throughput. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I've contacted technical support in the past, and, in my experience, they are very good. They are helpful and responsive. However, I do find that they don't answer all your questions or resolve your issues. Most of the time it depends on the customer's agreement. 

I'm not the owner of the equipment. I work for customers in a deployment project's implementation and support. Most of the time the level of support provided depends on how much money the company we are assisting has paid to Cisco.

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

I've used Foundry switches in the past, which is a brand that does not exist any longer. Those switches were also very good in terms of stability. We used them in industrial ethernet environments. However, they are not products that are produced anymore.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup's level of difficulty varies quite a bit. For ethernet switches with default configurations, it's easy enough for normal operations. However, if you want to make use of more advanced features via Cisco, it requires a lot of advanced knowledge. It's not straightforward. It requires experience and in-depth knowledge of Cisco CLR or other management tools. You need to be an expert, or to hire one.

Simple operations or simple deployments don't take more than one day. For both switches, it takes even less than an hour. However, if you want to deploy more advanced features like .money for the set or more features like routing, etc., it can take one or two days. It shouldn't take longer than that. 

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

Cisco's pricing is quite high. It's on the higher end of the spectrum in comparison to other options on the market.

What other advice do I have?

I've worked with Cisco switches, but not industrial switches. I've worked with the 2900 series switches, as well as the 2800, 3700 series, and 3800 series of switches. Those are Cisco's enterprise and LAN switches.

I would recommend using Cisco ethernet switches.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall.

There are some issues with the product, which is normal. nothing is ever perfect. However, compared to other options, Cisco is your best bet.

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: Integrator
PeerSpot user
it_user1199781 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
High quality product with great VPC features and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The quality, like all Cisco solutions, is very high. The fact that it's Cisco is one of the reasons we chose to use it."
  • "Cisco has a licensing procedure that is very complicated and it changes every six months."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution on our equipment.

What is most valuable?

The VPC feature is the solution's most valuable aspect.

The quality, like all Cisco solutions, is very high. The fact that it's Cisco is one of the reasons we chose to use it.

What needs improvement?

Cisco has a licensing procedure that is very complicated and it changes every six months.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for at least ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scaling and upgrading the solution is easy. Our group has about 500 employees and all of them use Cisco and its switches.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is okay, but they do need to respond quicker to tickets.

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

I have personally previously used Dell, which is very unstable in comparison to Cisco. You must review all documents and if you don't correctly do this, you must open a ticket. It takes  a few days for a simple question about the licenses to get answered. It can be a very frustrating process and should be simplified.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I handled the implementation myself.

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

The cost of licensing is very expensive, especially if you compare it to Fortigate.

What other advice do I have?

We're using the on-premises deployment model.

I'd recommend the solution. It has all the features we need included within it.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Infrastructure Connectivity Engineer at Reputable Service Company
Consultant
Cisco Ethernet Switches are very reliable in any network.

What is most valuable?

Port-based security feature, network virtualization using VLAN, loop-avoidance mechanism using different variants of STP, many others.

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved the network reliability, It has improved the network availability which results to improved productivity of the users ( Increased ROI).

For how long have I used the solution?

4 to 5 years now

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service: GoodTechnical Support: Good

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

Yes, due to demand driven by requirements.

What about the implementation team?

In-house

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Dlink, Mikrotik
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Download our free Cisco Ethernet Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
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Ethernet Switches
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Ethernet Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.