What is most valuable?
Cisco is awesome. Honestly. It's a trusted brand. If you want to set up your network and you have a good night's sleep, you buy Cisco. You know that you set up and go to sleep. That's how awesome it is.
I'm biased since I am Cisco certified. I enjoy working with them since it's easy to use them.
There are moments when the configuration gets to be a bit complex, and then you need to look for an expert that helps you troubleshoot or maybe set up things where you might not have the proper knowledge.
The resilience is great. The equipment is so stable. It will not freeze. When you set up Cisco, you can forget you have a router. Everything just works. Only maybe once in a year, you might think of rebooting it. However, that thing works no matter what.
What needs improvement?
It only breaks if you're not using an up-to-date version of the iOS or are not doing upgrades. Also you are not refreshing your hardware. With Cisco, when you buy it, you know that for about five to ten years, you will not have issues. These assets, you refresh them and every five to ten years, you should be getting new equipment that is supported.
For how long have I used the solution?
For me, I’ve used the solution for years. I worked in the past few years in only two different organizations. However, in both, I've been using Cisco. Personally, in total, I’ve used it for 13 to 14 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable. You set it up and forget about it. It lasts forever.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't interacted with Cisco technical support directly. Many colleagues where I live, and maybe across the country, use Cisco, so when I have an issue I'll just use forums. If I have this issue, I will check on the forum and find a solution without struggling much. That's how it is. I do hear that their support is okay. However, I haven't experienced it directly myself.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I can maybe compare the FortiGate Firewall versus Cisco. Cisco, you need to really understand. You'd have command lines to enter. You can create a rule there and it's very, very easy to use if you know the command line.
I'm trying to buy a firewall and I'm looking to buy a FortiGate 200 series. I had to choose between Cisco and FortiGate, however, on the routing and switching, I like Cisco. On the firewall, Cisco is great, I understand, however, maybe it's myself understanding how to do the rules on the Cisco Firepower device better than most.
How was the initial setup?
With Cisco, depending on what you want, you need to be certified to be able to set up. It's not as easy for newcomers. IT’s only when you know what you're doing, and you understand the Cisco commands that you can set up. I'm Cisco certified, so I find it easy to set up. However, the person who is not certified won't set it up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco is good in terms of pricing. You get good value for money.
They've got different models which come at different prices. If you have a Cisco 3800 router, you may find you are buying it at maybe $4,000 or maybe $3,000. It depends on who's selling. Obviously, the markup is a low code. Sometimes a company exaggerates import duties. If I had to buy directly, it looks cheaper than if I tried to go through a reseller that messes with the costs.
What other advice do I have?
I’m an end-user.
We are using Cisco 800 switches, Cisco 9300 switches, and Cisco 4400 series routers.
These are enterprise routers on-premises.
Using Cisco is the way to go. The peace of mind you get from having a solution that's reliable is invaluable. You are buying reliability, and around it is the value for your money. As a reliable solution, that's what you want, so that you focus on innovation. You configure it, forget it, and focus on other business activities.
I’d rate the solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
*Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.