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.
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?
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.
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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.

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.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
April 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
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IT Manager at Misrconsult
Enhanced network stability and easy to integrate with essential IP routing features
Pros and Cons
- "The IP routing is the most important feature."
- "AI technology must be involved in the future."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Cisco Ethernet Switches in my company.
How has it helped my organization?
The solutions meet my sign and safety requirements, integrate easily with my firewall device, and ensure the stability of our network.
What is most valuable?
The IP routing is the most important feature. It has saved my devices and PC printers and it is a very important feature.
What needs improvement?
AI technology must be involved in the future. Also, it would be better to have a little bit lower price or another licensing model.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Cisco Ethernet Switches for about 14 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Till now, I have not placed any maintenance requests because this device is stable all the time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't needed technical support because the device is stable all the time.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Cisco Switches, I worked with 3Com devices, but only a few. I switched because Cisco is the most popular company.
How was the initial setup?
The integration was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco is more expensive in my country. It is usually just one payment, and I do not need to pay for maintenance or support.
What other advice do I have?
I strongly recommend Cisco Ethernet Switches.
I'd rate the solution 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.
Last updated: Oct 2, 2024
Flag as inappropriateSecurity 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.
Sr.Manager-IT at IMI Kolkata
Robust and easy to set up with a fast deployment
Pros and Cons
- "The solution can scale."
- "They need to offer free replacements until the end of life for devices."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as an ethernet switch.
What is most valuable?
The product is very robust.
It offers better reporting than any other OEM.
The solution is easy to set up.
It is stable.
The solution can scale.
What needs improvement?
In India, we have a requirement for free replacement warranties. For example, brands like HP are offering free replacement parts. Cisco needs to offer free replacement parts. They need to offer free replacements until the end of life for devices. They should offer this without requiring renewals.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco for the last 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is totally stable. I've used it for the last ten to 15 years and haven't faced any issues. There are no bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable product. It expands well.
We have about 50 users on the solution right now.
How are customer service and support?
I've never had to contact technical support. I cannot speak to how the support services are.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. We find it more straightforward than HP or Juniper.
The deployment process didn't take too long. If there is pre-planning done and it is okay, it shouldn't take more than one hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is a bit more expensive when compared to other options. However, they are not so different. HP, for example, isn't much cheaper. They are all mostly the same.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are currently considering using Aruba and are evaluating them.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a customer and end-user.
It's a good solution. of course, you need to choose what meets your company's requirements. If you have the capital to buy it, I would recommend it.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It is robust and I have very few problems when dealing with Cisco switches. Also, support is fantastic.
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.
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.
ICT Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good user interface and security but costs too much
Pros and Cons
- "The quality of service is one of the main reasons we use Cisco in our organization. It's quite high and very reliable. The switches also end up working for a long time, so there's less need to replace them as often as others. We have some switches in our company that has been running since 2006, for example. They are quite old, but they still work."
- "The cost is very prohibitive both for us as well as other organizations. It's very expensive to buy Cisco switches. Among our colleagues, we find that we're not alone in thinking it's too high. Everyone's complaining about this."
What is our primary use case?
We have a few different buildings within our premises, and we typically use the Cisco switches as the core backbone of our LAN. They are connected with fiber. We use them for our network to handle security and connectivity mainly.
Our core business is to sell beverages, so we're not your typical telecom or banking institution that would be a typical Cisco client.
What is most valuable?
The quality of service is one of the main reasons we use Cisco in our organization. It's quite high and very reliable. The switches also end up working for a long time, so there's less need to replace them as often as others. We have some switches in our company that have been running since 2006, for example. They are quite old, but they still work.
The security and the user interface are both good. Mainly, I end up using the command lines, but it's okay for me and the way I work. It's my preference, although it's not ideal for everyone.
There are quite a few features that Cisco offers, but for our business, it's not really necessary. If you are a telecom or a banking institution, you would probably find them to be quite useful.
What needs improvement?
The cost is very prohibitive both for us as well as other organizations. It's very expensive to buy Cisco switches. Among our colleagues, we find that we're not alone in thinking it's too high. Everyone's complaining about this.
We have many switches that we've used sine 2006 and that are on the old OS, but we don't want to switch them out because the cost to do so would be quite high.
The graphical user interface could be a bit better. When we have new employees, we want them to onboard quickly and to be able to understand the switches. Having a better graphical interface would help us do that and help them understand the switches faster. While I prefer command line, many are not good with it or do not prefer that method.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution since 2006. It's been more than ten years, so we're quite well versed in the technology.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. Cisco is a brand that's known for its stability. Our switches have worked for well over 10 years in some cases, without fail.
How are customer service and technical support?
We never really directly deal with Cisco, so I can't speak to how well they are from a customer service perspective.
How was the initial setup?
We moved from a different type of switch originally. We found switching over was quite straightforward and didn't run into any difficulties. However, now our office and our infrastructure are much more complex, so there is a bit of a learning curve. Companies with complex infrastructures will find that there will be complexity in the setup. They'll have to sort through that when they get started.
Originally, when our offices were smaller and more straightforward, deployment didn't take to much time. We handled it over a weekend, from Friday to Sunday or Monday. However, at the time, we weren't yet doing segmentation traffic.
What about the implementation team?
We had a consultant in Belgium who came in over the weekend to help us with the process when we originally set up the switches. Normally we work within our own team and have our own in-house workers that handle the configuration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't handle the licensing aspect of the solution, so I can't speak to the exact pricing. However, I am aware it's one of the more expensive options on the market. The last time I bought a 24-port switch, which was a while ago, I paid about five or six thousand Euros. In this part of the world, that's quite expensive for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did compare Cisco to Ubiquiti. I was doing this research for a friend who was trying to open a resort but had limited funding. He didn't want to deal with Cisco as he knew the pricing would be out of his budget, so he asked me to look into another option. He asked that I look at Ubiquiti. For him, Ubiquiti ended up being a good option and was quite affordable. I believe you can also use Ubiquiti at an enterprise level as well.
What other advice do I have?
We mainly work with Cisco ethernet switches at our organization.
Aside from the cost, the Cisco switches are quite stable and easy to use.
If you have the money as an organization, I would highly recommend Cisco.
We are just a customer of Cisco. We don't have a special relationship with the company in any way shape or form.
I would rate the solution 8.5 out of ten. I would rate it higher, but the price is too high, in my opinion. It's quite good for me in terms of the usage I get out of it, but I find that I don't use other features that Cisco offers now.
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.

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