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Cisco Catalyst Switches vs IBM BNT comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
173
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
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 30.6%, down from 31.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM BNT is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
LAN Switching
 

Featured Reviews

SameerBali - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed
I like Cisco Catalyst Switches because most of the time, we can do what we want with the product. Cisco has good guidelines that enable us to implement anything, so we can have a multiple ability product on most of the network equipment worldwide. Cisco has communities or forums that help us implement more complicated areas in terms of network, so in addition, Cisco is not just a network equipment company, because they provide us most of the solutions, development, protocols, and new technologies, more than any other company in the world. I also like the availability of Cisco Catalyst Switches, including scalability and reliability. You can find all these in this product.
VLADIMIR RAMIREZ - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is stable."
"The solution is easy to implement and quick to deploy."
"I find their system throughput and Cisco support very useful."
"The Cisco software ties all the hardware together better than the competition."
"Technical support is very helpful, even during implementation."
"We haven't needed to contact technical support because we haven't had any issues so far."
"These switches are flexible and user-friendly."
"The solution has high performance and we do not have to troubleshoot the network."
"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

"The pricing could be better. Cisco is quite expensive."
"We have configurations for port channels between two facilities, and we cannot communicate between these two buildings. An SFP configuration uses one wire to send and receive the signal. It's opt-in. We cannot use it after the upgrade. What can we do in this situation? We already bought it."
"The solution could improve security."
"The support team’s response and resolution time must be faster."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features."
"We need to rely on other devices to provide management features."
"I would like to see a graphical user interface for the configuration."
"The price of the product is very expensive."
"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

"The pricing of Cisco Catalyst Switches could be better in general. There is an annual license required."
"The price for Cisco Catalyst Switches is not cheaper than other solutions."
"There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment."
"It is worth the money. The product is expensive, but the service they provide is very good, which makes it worth it."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very expensive solution."
"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."
"Pricing from Cisco is expensive but we pay for the reliability."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches are a bit expensive."
"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
64%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
3%
Financial Services Firm
3%
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
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.
 

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst
BNT
 

Overview

 

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: January 2025.
831,683 professionals have used our research since 2012.