I primarily work with network solutions like Cisco Ethernet switches, especially when it comes to secure networking through VLANs.
Sales Engineer at Phoenyx Commtech Pvt. Ltd.
Improved organizational operations by being effective and reliable in our environment
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Cisco Ethernet switches include plug-and-play capabilities, ease of deployment, and high reliability."
- "I'd rate the solution ten out of ten."
- "There is a need for improvement on the ordering and delivery side for Cisco Ethernet switches."
- "There is a need for improvement on the ordering and delivery side for Cisco Ethernet switches."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The deployment of Cisco Ethernet switches has improved organizational operations by being effective and reliable in our environment.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Cisco Ethernet switches include plug-and-play capabilities, ease of deployment, and high reliability.
What needs improvement?
There is a need for improvement on the ordering and delivery side for Cisco Ethernet switches.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
February 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Cisco switches for about ten to 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Ethernet switches are reliable, and I have not encountered any issues with their stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco products are compatible with various industries and support scalability efficiently.
How are customer service and support?
I am 100% satisfied with the technical support provided by Cisco.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have mostly used Cisco switches, however, if a customer has budget constraints, I might suggest using Sophos switches.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Cisco Ethernet switches was straightforward and efficient, taking minimal time.
What about the implementation team?
Initially, implementing AI-driven technologies on Cisco switches required some effort, but the results are commendable.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is described as midrange in terms of pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have recommended Sophos switches to customers who have budget issues.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco Ethernet switches are compatible with many industries and reliable for various network implementations.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Last updated: Nov 26, 2024
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IT Manager at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
A stable solution that can be used to provide end-user connectivity in an optimized and balanced way
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco Ethernet Switches are more stable than other products."
- "The solution's pricing could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
I use Cisco Ethernet Switches to provide end-user connectivity in an optimized, balanced, and stable way. Before being a security engineer, I was a network architect or network manager. In that case, Cisco Ethernet Switches were mostly related to the classic set of data centers.
What is most valuable?
Cisco Ethernet Switches are more stable than other products.
What needs improvement?
The solution's pricing could be improved. Cisco is one of those market leaders who always try to benefit from having a market-leading position. Cisco gradually increased prices for the same products they delivered over the decade.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for 17 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches a nine out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Around 3,000 users use the solution in our organization.
I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches a nine out of ten for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's first-line technical support is terrible. The second-line support is always adequate. I always tend to skip the first-line support because most of these people just run by a script book, and they start to panic when they don't see a solution in the script. So, I tend to always ask for second-level agents.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
The solution's deployment time depends on the company's size and client requirements. For the solution's deployment, we start with the analysis phase, the financial aspect, the implementation phase, the operational phase, and hypercare.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Users have to pay an annual licensing fee for Cisco Ethernet Switches, which is expensive.
Cisco asks for an additional fee for the support part, whereby you become eligible to download firmware updates.
What other advice do I have?
In the case of Cisco, users should not limit their knowledge about the hardware from Cisco but should also deep dive into general network services and topologies. Users should not consider Cisco a specific and unique brand but should understand the services that run under Cisco appliances.
Overall, I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
February 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Head, Technology & Managed Solutions at BCN
The most stable and reliable switches that perform better than all other solutions out there
Pros and Cons
- "What we love about the Cisco switches is that they are very reliable. You can deploy them and go to sleep, and you can be sure that nothing is going to go wrong. Our initial equipment was installed by a Chinese manufacturer named Fiberhome a couple of years ago. Their switches were called S engines. They worked, but some days, you just wake up, and the switch has popped up. It was a lot of crisis. Therefore, we are in the process of trying to take out all their switches and replace them with Cisco switches. We are getting good results in terms of reliability and even technical support."
- "Cisco switches are good as they are, but it would be a major feature if they have built-in routers. Some of the Microchip switches have routers built in the same device. They have a router switch. For some of the sites, we deploy such switches because the client does not want a separate router and a separate switch. So, we go for a router switch with maybe 24 ports. Some of them are fiber, and some of them are ethernet. It would be a major improvement to what Cisco is already doing. Behind the scenes, a lot of scripting and stuff like this is happening. A lot of workload can be lifted if Cisco had a good GUI. If you look at Microchip switches, they have a good GUI in addition to the CLI."
What is our primary use case?
We are a fiber-optic provider. We have a lot of switches from Cisco and some from Microchip. We have C3750E, which is one of the main Cisco Ethernet switches. All ports of this switch are fiber.
We have a local Cisco partner here who is quite reliable, so we patronize that partner. They do everything on our behalf, especially the licenses.
What is most valuable?
What we love about the Cisco switches is that they are very reliable. You can deploy them and go to sleep, and you can be sure that nothing is going to go wrong. Our initial equipment was installed by a Chinese manufacturer named Fiberhome a couple of years ago. Their switches were called S engines. They worked, but some days, you just wake up, and the switch has popped up. It was a lot of crisis. Therefore, we are in the process of trying to take out all their switches and replace them with Cisco switches. We are getting good results in terms of reliability and even technical support.
What needs improvement?
Cisco switches are good as they are, but it would be a major feature if they have built-in routers. Some of the Microchip switches have routers built in the same device. They have a router switch. For some of the sites, we deploy such switches because the client does not want a separate router and a separate switch. So, we go for a router switch with maybe 24 ports. Some of them are fiber, and some of them are ethernet. It would be a major improvement to what Cisco is already doing.
Behind the scenes, a lot of scripting and stuff like this is happening. A lot of workload can be lifted if Cisco had a good GUI. If you look at Microchip switches, they have a good GUI in addition to the CLI.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've been using them for a couple of years now. They have been running from day one after we installed them. Besides general maintenance issues, we never really have to turn them off.
They're very reliable and stable. These are the most stable switches that we have. In a country like ours, Cisco switches are the only devices that have second-hand value. You could go to a second-hand shop and buy a second-hand industrial version, not the small business or domestic version, of the Cisco switch or router. It will still serve you well.
How are customer service and technical support?
We've not really used much of the technical support even though for the new switches, we pay for it. The main benefit is the updates on iOS. We've never really had a situation where something went wrong with it, and we had to get in touch with technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. I wonder why some of the new Cisco switches still come with anterior port RS232 and why do they still maintain that.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Price is a pain point for us. We've lost a lot of bids, and the reason has been that we majorly quoted Cisco devices. Some of our competitors quoted other devices like Ubiquity or Microchip. Some even quoted this Chinese product TP-Link, and they won the bid over us because we quoted Cisco. Meanwhile, the major reason why we quoted Cisco is reliability and stability from day one. They also last longer. The prices could be worked on so that they become more affordable.
We had to deploy a city-wide WiFi network, and we were working in conjunction with Google. Because of the price, even Google recommended a product called Ruckus, so we used Ruckus over Cisco. Its price and license were the main reasons. You have to pay to renew the license every year. Even though you also renew the licenses for Ruckus, but they are much cheaper than Cisco. So, while I would recommend Cisco any time, the trouble remains with the pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend it, especially for people who are doing wide-scale deployments like campus networks or a city-wide network square.
I would rate Cisco Ethernet Switches a ten out of ten. I don't see any product that performs better. We had a Chinese company coming in to do a bunch of presentations and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, those of us who are at the back doing the configurations understand that it is nothing closer to what Cisco offers.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Deputy IT Manager at ICAPP (Americana Group)
Reliable, straightforward implementation, and highly scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was for Cisco Ethernet Switches was straightforward."
- "Cisco Ethernet Switches could improve if they removed the command line interface and replaced it with a better GUI. It is too difficult at the moment, we always need to figure out the commands."
What is our primary use case?
I am using the Cisco Ethernet Switches in the food industry.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Ethernet Switches could improve if they removed the command line interface and replaced it with a better GUI. It is too difficult at the moment, we always need to figure out the commands.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for approximately six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Cisco Ethernet Switches is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable.
We have approximately 250 people using the Cisco Ethernet Switches.
How are customer service and support?
I did not have any experience with the technical support of Cisco Ethernet Switches.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were previously using Aruba switches and we migrated to Cisco because of the groups' direction, it was not a fault of Aruba switches. Aruba switches are great. We were working with Aruba for 10 years without any problem, and they gave us a lifetime warranty for the switches. If we had a faulty switch they would give us new ones.
The service from Aruba was very good, but I think that Cisco solutions are more professional for something VLANs. I didn't try Aruba with VLANs, however, we make all of our VLANs with Cisco.
I prefer Aruba solutions because they are easier to use.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was for Cisco Ethernet Switches was straightforward.
I rate the implementation of Cisco Ethernet Switches a four out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation of Cisco Ethernet Switches was done with a partner and our experience was very good.
We are in a manufacturing environment running 24 hours a day. We have a dedicated team of three that works on the switches and network.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a one-year license to have the Smart Net Total Care service. The license to use the Cisco Ethernet Switches comes with the initial purchase of the solution.
I rate the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches a two out of five.
The cost of Cisco Ethernet Switches is expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other switches, such as Aruba.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking to purchase a Cisco Ethernet Switch is the best use case depends on many factors. For example, the number of users, details of the company, type of network, and how large the network is. If the company is small to medium-sized I would recommend Aruba. For larger companies, I would recommend Cisco Ethernet Switches.
I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Security Administrator at NDIC
A stable and robust solution for switching routing
Pros and Cons
- "When it comes to switching routing, we have no doubts about Cisco."
- "I would like for the solution to have more more security features and be more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
We don't work with the latest version, which is why I am currently conducting research. We wish to see if we can move from the existing solution to an upgrade. We have been using 2960 switches for a very long time, say... five, six or seven years, and they have reached the end of their lives, which is why I proposed a change.
What is most valuable?
When it comes to switching routing, we have no doubts about Cisco. It's a robust solution. One cannot find latency, such as attenuations, even within our cables. It's really stable. In contrast, some other switches can switch over, but we found Cisco Ethernet Switches to be stable and robust, even taking into account Africa's infrastructure.
What needs improvement?
I would like for the solution to have more security features and be more user-friendly. It should have a GUI graphical user interface which would allow the person to interact with it. The look and feel should be addressed. As people are in the process of moving away from CLI, it should be something that anybody can manage.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
the solution is really stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We may switch to another solution, although this will depend on the cost. The dollar has multiplied five times over the past ten years, which means that certain things are not affordable in dollars at the moment. I am not saying that the best product would be be cost prohibitive for us. This said, one's budget and the cost of materials must be weighed.
How are customer service and technical support?
Cisco is consistently at the top of its game when it comes to quickly routing our security. Other solutions with which I have experience are less so, such as concern identity service engines. The problem with this is the support. Switches are appliances that, once put in place, hardly require support. However, this is needed for firewalls, routers and other security appliances, but is hard to come by in Nigeria
I'm not saying that I am dissatisfied with Cisco's technical support, but I am looking at what is involved in reaching it and having the app escalated to the second party.
Generally speaking, it is not possible to reach second-line support. One would usually reach the original equipment manufacturer at first-line support. Generally speaking, they would prefer not to escalate an issue. Take, for example, the Cisco security appliance we currently have deployed. It must be unplugged and we are not benefiting from the support that we need.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution can be comparatively cheaper.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I am currently in the process of comparing the solution with that of Huwei switches, which I know can be cheaper, taking into account the exchange rate with Yuan and the dollar increase in Nigeria.
Although I am not looking for a cheaper solution, I am doing so for one that is affordable.
What other advice do I have?
There are between 2,000 and 2,500 people making use of the solution in our company.
I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches as 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.
Engineer -'SF' at NRSC
A stable and easy-to-configure solution that can be used to interconnect servers and workstations
Pros and Cons
- "We use Cisco Ethernet Switches to configure VLANs in the VPN network."
- "The solution's reliability should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco Ethernet Switches to interconnect the 20 to 25 servers and workstations in our control room.
What is most valuable?
We use Cisco Ethernet Switches to configure VLANs in the VPN network. We need to put some subsystems in the VLAN so that other terminals will not access these equipment. We do all these configurations on the solution. The solution is easy to configure.
What needs improvement?
The solution's reliability should be improved. We see that some ports must be reset when in the hang mode. Only after a reset can we make use of those ports. There could be some internal or external reasons for the hang. We are looking for an improved reliability aspect.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with Cisco Ethernet Switches for over 20 years as an end user.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are no issues with the solution’s stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our department is quite big. About 50 engineers are accessing different nodes.
How are customer service and support?
The solution’s customer support service is quite good.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to install. They're all plugin modules.
One engineer can complete the solution’s deployment within one to one and a half hours. We are a government department. Our engineers buy the equipment, follow the installation instructions, and do the installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution’s pricing is reasonable. The solution has a lifetime license because we are not renewing the license every year. It is a one-time purchase.
What other advice do I have?
So far, the failure rate with the solution is very low, and we want to find a spare for the existing unit.
Users must be familiar with the operation and configuration of Cisco Ethernet Switches to use them. They have to familiarize themselves with the solution and know the different configurations and features it supports. Users need to understand the solution properly before using it.
Cisco Ethernet Switches is a good solution.
Overall, I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Tech Leader at a aerospace/defense firm with 201-500 employees
They're useful for routing and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is really easy."
- "There's are other products that are better for network programmability. Cisco isn't as programmable as some preferred vendors. For example, on iOS 6 products, you have to commit the change directly on the running configuration. If you have a generic product you can do this, so it can improve in programmability."
What is most valuable?
We are routing with the Cisco switches, so there are a lot of features, but no single one stands out.
What needs improvement?
There's are other products that are better for network programmability. Cisco isn't as programmable as some others vendors. For example, on devices running iOS XE, you dont have candidate configuration datastore when you use netconf like you would have on arista, juniper or others. Changes are directly applied on running configuration so there is no room for error once you commit changes to devices.
So it will be good for them to implement other config datastores because when it go to programming, review it's important so we need to be abe to have at least a candidate configuration datastore.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Ethernet Switches are stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco support is good once you reach a technician, but the website is a mess. I don't like the website.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I didn't use previous solution and then swith, but evaluate others vendors sometimes because their was in use in a company we bought, sometimes because their were shipped as a bundle with some hardware vendors solution for private cloud or storage solutions etc. Thought ome of them have some good features, Cisco got a better average rate when you take the whole thing.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is really easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Cisco switches could be lower. The cost is growing compared to other products, and it's more segmented. A Cisco switch is more expensive than before. For example, stackable models used to be provided with stacking ports and stacking cable. Now it's split you have to buy stacking kit separately. I don't know if they are the only ones like this or if this is standard now.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes other options have been evaluated but Cisco appeared to be the more easy to operate through the years regarding the stability of the product series, the CLI, support and documentation.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches eight out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Sr. Information Officer at Merino Industries Ltd (Merino Group)
They're reliable and high-performing
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco switches are trouble-free. They are reliable, and their performance is excellent."
- "We have supply issues when ordering switches. It used to be a minimum of six to eight weeks. Now it has become around six months. That's the only issue we have."
What is our primary use case?
We recently replaced the BGP router and L3 switches. We're planning to replace some other switches also. We are having 22 switches distributed through my location with 24 ports. All the users are connected to those. We will increase our usage as we expand all over India.
What is most valuable?
Cisco switches are trouble-free. They are reliable, and their performance is excellent.
What needs improvement?
We have supply issues when ordering switches. It used to be a minimum of six to eight weeks. Now it has become around six months. That's the only issue we have.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Cisco Ethernet switches for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give Cisco Ethernet switches 10 out of 10 for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give Cisco Ethernet switches 10 out of 10 for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco support is excellent.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Cisco switches isn't too complex, but it isn't easy. It could be more straightforward. One engineer can complete the setup in two to four hours.
What about the implementation team?
We engaged the vendor who supplied us and helped deploy the switches.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco Ethernet switches 10 out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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