Cisco Catalyst Switches vs IBM BNT comparison

Cisco and IBM are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4, while IBM is ranked #13. Cisco holds a 27.8% mindshare in LS, compared to IBM’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution.

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Read 176 Cisco Catalyst Switches reviews

7,553 Views
4,381 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM BNT

Read 1 IBM BNT review

81 Views
73 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst Switches

IBM BNT

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Catalyst Switches and IBM BNT based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching.

To learn more, read our detailed LAN Switching Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

July 2025

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Helped 861,524 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Ranking in LAN Switching

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

176

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (7th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)

IBM BNT

Ranking in LAN Switching

13th

Average Rating

0.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 27.8%, down from 31.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM BNT is 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

LAN Switching

Featured Reviews

Joshua Odunsi

I.T INFRASTRUCTURE/SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR at Haggai Mortgage Bank Ltd

Ensures efficient performance and supports network growth with optimal speed

Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization. I experience optimal speed and effective configuration, making them stand out compared to other switches. The PoE switches offer more ports on SFP, and it is efficient in use. Overall, the switches provide me with the value I expect in terms of speed and efficiency.

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VLADIMIR RAMIREZ

Owner at ACANI Soluciones, SA de CV

A low maintenance solution with cybersecurity measures

If we rate the capacity from one to ten, where one is small and ten is big, I will rate it a little more than medium for my customers. In my view, the big ones are the government accounts, but we don't have any because they're too large for us. Our typical customers include pharmacies, for example. These customers vary in size and might need storage solutions of around 50 terabytes. We have a very good relationship with our customers. We provide all the maintenance of our software. For IBM BNT, we and the customer handle all the product analysis, recommendations, and so on. When a customer has an idea or issue, they call us or make a decision and explain the problem. Usually, we have a solution, like making a configuration change—something very simple. If you ask how much time customers spend on maintenance, it's very low because the system is very stable. When advising potential customers about IBM BNT, I often suggest they talk to our current customers. Hearing directly from them about how the solutions work in real-world situations can provide valuable insights. I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"We can have multiple Cisco switches, like seven or eight, on a stack for 300 users. So it is highly scalable and easy to manage."

"Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution."

"Scalable, stable, and reliable product that's easy to install. Technical support is dependable and can be contacted in a variety of ways, e.g. through their ticketing system, hotline number, and community forum."

"The solution offers great scalability."

"The biggest advantage of having this solution is that it is easy to find engineers, and they are cheaper than hiring HP engineers."

"Technical support is very responsive and helpful."

"I like the management of streaming both audio and video."

"I think it is a reliable and scalable solution."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pros

"IBM BNT's latest advancements offer cybersecurity measures for network security. Our customers adapt these solutions to their sites and are very happy with the results."

Cons

"Price could be lower."

"The solution could improve security."

"Cisco has to lower the price of its products to make them more cost-effective."

"Cisco applies restrictions in relation to renewals on a yearly basis. Many other brands don't have restrictions. If Cisco lifted them, they wouldn't lose so many clients to competitors."

"All other modules have comparatively many more functions or power than regular Catalyst switches."

"The biggest issue we are having is with bugs and memory loss, which occurs when developing the IOS."

"For zero-touch deployment, we have to work around a little bit initially because the switches are not exactly zero-touch provision ZTP. Currently, I don't see much AI integration with Cisco Catalyst Switches; though they've started, it still needs improvement."

"The product could be cheaper."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches cons

"In terms of improvement, the price is not an issue; it's very good. However, the range of solutions could be improved. Some of our customers are very small, and the current IBM BNT solutions, such as switches, are too large for them. It would be wonderful if we could have switched with maybe 16 ports instead of the usual 24 ports because they don't use all the ports."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you consider Cisco's price with the Dell, you will definitely lose with Cisco. But Cisco has a major area of equipment in general. Cisco has routers, firewalls, NAC, certain video conferencing, Apple phones, and different security solutions. But Dell doesn't have such areas, Dell only has switching architecture."

"Cisco Catalyst Switches is an expensive solution."

"We must pay a high price for the product."

"We had to pay for the product’s licenses."

"The price of this solution is reasonable."

"Catalyst Switches are costly. When I started working with them 25 years ago, prices were a problem too."

"We are on an annual license to use this solution and the price of the solution could be reduced. We have spent hundreds of thousands on our Wi-Fi network."

"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pricing and cost advice

"The solution is cheap. However, I think the price for the final user, who in this case is my customer, might be higher than the usual price. I emphasize the real value of the entire solution, not just the cost of the hardware and software. It's about how the solution helps the customer improve their internal operations."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

25%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?

Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...

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What do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?

We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?

For pricing satisfaction, I'd say it will be six to seven because Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors. Regarding pricing, there is indeed room for improvement.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BNT?

The solution is cheap. However, I think the price for the final user, who in this case is my customer, might be higher than the usual price. I emphasize the real value of the entire solution, not j...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM BNT?

In terms of improvement, the price is not an issue; it's very good. However, the range of solutions could be improved. Some of our customers are very small, and the current IBM BNT solutions, such ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM BNT?

We create solutions for data protection and redundancy. Sometimes, we have three or four BNT switches backing up one another. We also manage many partitions and operating systems.

See all answers

Comparisons

Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 17% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 11% of the time

ExtremeSwitching vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 8% of the time

Aruba Instant On Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 7% of the time

Alcatel-Lucent OmniSwitch LAN Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst Switches Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst Switches

July 2025

Download Cisco Catalyst Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

July 2025

Download IBM BNT product report

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst

BNT

Overview

Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing.

The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.

Cisco

IBM BNT RackSwitch G8264R Model 64C Browser-Based Interface, has forty-eight 10 Gb SFP+ ports and four 40 Gb QSFP+ ports, four 40 Gb QSFP+ ports that can each be converted to four 10 Gb SFP+ ports with optional breakout cable. redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fans. rack front-to-rear airflow, and latency of less than 850 nanoseconds. The BLADEOS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) software is included with the RackSwitch G8264 (G8264). The BBI software lets you use your Web browser to access switch information and statistics, and to perform switch configuration via the Internet.

IBM

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena

King's College London

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching. Updated: July 2025.

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