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Cisco Catalyst Switches pros and cons

Vendor: Cisco
4.3 out of 5
Badge Ranked 1

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Cisco Catalyst Switches provide automatic network connection management, enhancing reliability.
Features like PoE and UPOE make Cisco Catalyst flexible and efficient for powering devices like IP phones and security cameras.
With stability and performance, Cisco Catalyst Switches offer excellent reliability and scalability, minimizing downtime and ensuring consistent network operations.
Cisco Catalyst has robust security features, such as 802.1X port security, ensuring network safety and preventing unauthorized access.
Cisco support is highly praised for its responsiveness and effectiveness, ensuring technical issues are resolved efficiently.

CONS

Cisco Catalyst Switches require improved integration with third-party products and platforms.
The pricing of Cisco Catalyst Switches is considered high and requires adjustment.
Cisco Catalyst Switches are not fully cloud-managed, which is a downside for some users.
Stability and performance issues have been reported with newer models of Cisco Catalyst Switches.
The licensing process for Cisco Catalyst Switches is seen as complex and could be simplified.
 

Cisco Catalyst Switches Pros review quotes

it_user817434 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Development at a tech vendor
Feb 10, 2018
If we lose some network connections, the system automatically creates new connections between equipment.
it_user845862 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Sales Engineer at Ingram Micro Inc.
Mar 27, 2018
It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco products.
MK
Lead Software QA / DevOps Engineer at a comms service provider
Aug 2, 2018
Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime.
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,768 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AB
Founder and Lead Network Consultant at Airowire Networks
Aug 19, 2018
A good feature of Cisco Catalyst is that it records crash log files which can be used to literally identify the cause of a crash because there is a lot of information. And Cisco Catalyst supports the use of external flash disks for storing of images and file systems.
it_user683622 - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aug 23, 2018
If we are providing a switching solution, it's not just switching, it's a whole solution with DNA. That is where the whole concept of Network Management and Network Assurance comes in. So Catalyst plays a big role in putting everything together and providing a whole solution to the customer.
MC
Technical Specialist at Wipro Technologies
Aug 28, 2018
The most important features are that Cisco is one of the most robust switches, it is easy to configure, and the documentation is pretty good.
it_user408189 - PeerSpot reviewer
User at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Aug 29, 2018
VLAN gives us segregation.
NetworkEb6ab - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Feb 3, 2019
It has become easier for us to troubleshoot and find issues faster in the management software for the switches. It saves us troubleshooting time because if the network is down it has a big impact on production.
NetworkE1c8f - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engeneer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Feb 3, 2019
Their technical support is very good. They know what to do and if they don't know what to do, they give me the person who does know.
ChiefDepbed6 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Deputy Quality Audit
Feb 3, 2019
The stability and Cisco's support are the most valuable features.
 

Cisco Catalyst Switches Cons review quotes

it_user817434 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Development at a tech vendor
Feb 10, 2018
Needs to improve cloud services and mobile software.
it_user845862 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Sales Engineer at Ingram Micro Inc.
Mar 27, 2018
Services should be improved.
MK
Lead Software QA / DevOps Engineer at a comms service provider
Aug 2, 2018
It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive.
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,768 professionals have used our research since 2012.
AB
Founder and Lead Network Consultant at Airowire Networks
Aug 19, 2018
Currently, Catalyst is completely proprietary with Cisco. They should have programmability options, through open-source controllers.
it_user683622 - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Aug 23, 2018
Dell switching is coming up with a solution where you can put your own OS inside their switching infra. That is where they are talking about open networking. We can show that our Cisco is also an open-source. We are open to different switching operating systems if the customer is willing to put it in. We can support multiple operating systems inside the switching infrastructure. It removes the hardware and software dependency on each other. That is where I think there can be room for improvement. Then we can talk about open networking and that is where Cisco can also come up with open networking access.
MC
Technical Specialist at Wipro Technologies
Aug 28, 2018
One feature that I would like to add is for the following: At times, when I add an access-list for a hostname, it doesn't actually add the hostname, it adds the IP address. So in the back-end, if my server changes the IP address I have to go in manually and change the IP address. If the capability was there in Cisco to add a hostname instead of the IP address that would be really good.
it_user408189 - PeerSpot reviewer
User at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Aug 29, 2018
Cisco should focus more on this type of product instead of on data center switches. They stopped improving the software of these switches and they are focusing on the data center. They should focus on this type of product, more than any other thing.
NetworkEb6ab - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Feb 3, 2019
The newer models are not so stable. Other products like 6800, 3750, were stable but starting from 3850 it got worse. We have a lot of issues and a lot of bugs. It's a new product so it's understandable but it should be improved.
NetworkE1c8f - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engeneer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Feb 3, 2019
It should have better security and the prices can always be lower. The cheaper the price, the better but if the quality is good, it's worth it. They also have to improve the firewalling.
ChiefDepbed6 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Deputy Quality Audit
Feb 3, 2019
The prices are high. It's more expensive than other similar options.