Head Cyber Security at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Straightforward, scalable and stable solution
Pros and Cons
  • "They are pretty good. They are stable. Cisco has been around in the industry for a long time, so they are reliable, as well."
  • "In terms of what could be improved, more integration is the main thing they should be focused on."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are pretty straightforward. They offer LAN and internal networking. They are for network segmentations and LAN and WAN perimeter networks.

What needs improvement?

In terms of what could be improved, more integration is the main thing they should be focused on.

For how long have I used the solution?

I believe the sets of Cisco Catalyst Switches are being used in our company for more than five to seven years.

I myself have been using this for the last two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They are pretty good. They are stable. Cisco has been around in the industry for a long time, so they are reliable, as well.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are quite scalable.

Our organization strength is around 15,000 using it.

How are customer service and support?

We are pretty happy with customer service. As far as my experience with Cisco is concerned, they are pretty up-to-date in terms of their responses.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. They are very easy to install.

What about the implementation team?

We generally do a first model and we have an execution team. They take care of the implementation and everything.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Cisco Catalyst Switches around an eight.

I think they're pretty okay. Cisco is pretty straightforward.

I would absolutely recommend Cisco Catalyst Switches for others.

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.
PeerSpot user
Network Support Engineer at a government with 201-500 employees
Real User
Easy to set up with good support and excellent stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use."
  • "The price of the product is very expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for ethernet WAN connectivity, LAN connectivity, wireless, then integration with other third-party solutions. That's all we use it for, for the most part.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to use.

It is very stable and the performance has been very reliable. 

The installation process is fairly straightforward. 

Technical support has been helpful.

What needs improvement?

The solution should work to become more scalable. 

The price of the product is very expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a long time. It's likely been 15 years or more. It's well over a decade at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. The performance is great. It doesn't crash or freeze and there are no bugs or glitches. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable enough. It could be better.

We have around 2,000 users on the switches currently.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support has been good overall. We've been in touch in the past. They were helpful and responsive and we've been satisfied with them in general. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not previously use a different solution. We've been using Cisco switches for a very long time. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. If I need to do a new deployment, for example, we just go to the store, get a new one, and install it. We have 40 right now. The installation is very easy.

Due to the fact that we have another of the Cisco products in our environment, Cisco Prime, it helps to deploy switches faster. It's very easy. It doesn't take much time to deploy.

We have five engineers that are able to handle any deployment or maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

I was able to handle the implementation process myself. I did not need the assistance of an integrator or consultant. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do find the cost to be quite high. They should work to lower it if possible. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate the product itself at a nine out of ten. It's been very good so far and we are satisfied with its capabilities. The cost is quite high, however. 

I would recommend the solution to other users and organizations. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Ryan Dave Brigino - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at Es'hailSat
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to install, simple to configure, and user-friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "We find the product very easy to use."
  • "The product is expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for both corporate and data centers.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very stable and the performance is good.

It's easy to configure.

We find the product very easy to use. 

The solution can scale.

The installation process is easy.

What needs improvement?

You need to predict your scaling considerations at the outset. 

The product is expensive. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, however, you need to plan for future scaling at the outset, otherwise, you will be limited. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We are quite satisfied with technical support. They are helpful and responsive. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward and simple. It's not overly complex or difficult at all. 

What about the implementation team?

We handled the implementation ourselves in-house. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution could be cheaper. It's a bit expensive.

There aren't any extra costs for licensing or customization.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We're quite happy with its capabilities. 

I would recommend the solution to other users and companies. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Administrator at Calm blue ambassador - abcallcenter
Real User
Straightforward to upgrade, simple to configure, and good online community support
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Catalyst Switches are easy to use, simple to configure, and straightforward to upgrade. Additionally, CDN has been very helpful for separation."
  • "The solution could improve by adding a user-friendly GUI. We use third-party applications for log monitoring that are expensive and if Cisco could provide log monitoring as part of this solution it would be beneficial."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution as a switch for networks.

What is most valuable?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are easy to use, simple to configure, and straightforward to upgrade. Additionally, CDN has been very helpful for separation.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by adding a user-friendly GUI. We use third-party applications for log monitoring that are expensive and if Cisco could provide log monitoring as part of this solution it would be beneficial.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 200 users using this solution in my organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not used the technical support from Cisco. However, we have used Cisco Forums where we can write a question and one of the technical engineers will respond.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is not difficult, it comes with good documentation that can be followed.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of the solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches 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.
PeerSpot user
IT Manager at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Real User
Reliable and scalable with lots of great features
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is very responsive and helpful."
  • "Pricing mainly is the only issue."

What is our primary use case?

We're using it as basic switches - mainly VLANs and SPB, The main focus is actually for just VLANs and VLAN switching, and that's it.

What is most valuable?

There are a lot of features on the device. We're not using all the features that we can use, however.

It's all fine. It works quite well. What we have now is good. We don't have many requirements for these switches except just forwarding traffic.

The solution has been very stable.

We find the product to be scalable.

Technical support is very responsive and helpful.

The solution is very reliable.

What needs improvement?

Pricing mainly is the only issue. For our company, IT is not a major investment, so it would be harder to convince management to invest in Cisco switches. For quality, they are the best, however, in terms of pricing, especially due to the COVID crisis and everything, investment into a network is now a lower priority. Before, when the money flow was better, it was easier to sell. However, now, for this current situation, a major point of pain in the company is price. 

Even though my priority is reliability, in order to avoid downtime, management is harder to convince and they just see the price tag. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution since about 2018. It's been around four years or so now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. Since 2018, since we started with them, we haven't faced any issues with these switches, except for one instance where we switched to a new switch and needed to restart to enable the functionality.

Other than that, the switches are working great. There were only two times we restarted them due to an incident with the power equipment. The switches restarted because of a power issue, and not due to the switch itself having a problem.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We're actually using it using iStack. It is stackable and very scalable to add more switches. It's quite easy to expand everything.

We're using these for our core network. It's across all our core network that is going through our IT department. For that reason, many people are on them. It's likely about 50 people 50, plus the user traffic. We're an ISP. We have some servers and portals that use these servers, switches to reach the network. Therefore, many, many users use that. We have a lot of user traffic going through the switches.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is fine. We've had, several moments in these last four years where we've requested Cisco technical support and they were very quick to respond and provide assistance. It's taken, at a maximum, two days to go from request to support. they are very responsive. We are very satisfied with their level of service.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

As I understand, Cisco's prices are very high and other vendors might have a lower price. Therefore, we're considering Aruba or Huawei or maybe other vendors as well for both access switches and managed wireless solutions (as in lightweight access points with controllers and these kinds of networks). 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Due to the wireless network upgrade, I'm considering other measures as well as Cisco. We're considering Aruba and we're considering Huawei. I'm considering switching to other vendors mainly because of the price.

What other advice do I have?

We are a customer and an end-user.

We deal with a lot of Cisco products. We use maybe 20 or so Cisco switches.

We have an old 2960-X and a 2960 Plus. We also have three 9300 switches, which are the newer model.

I would advise other users to plan for a larger network than you currently need. For example, if you need 20 ports on a switch and you're ordering this equipment. order a 48 port one, as you'll find that you quickly consume the 20 ports and you need upgrades of two, three, four, five, six. You'll need upgrades quickly and you'll find yourself ordering another switch to replace this one. The most sensible recommendation is to order one bigger switch, which is better than replacing the switch you have within one year. 

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. The switches are excellent.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Network Security Coordinator at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
The 802.1X port security works well and helps keep the network secure
Pros and Cons
  • "The 802.1X port security and other security features work well and help keep the network secure."
  • "The CLI is pretty much the same across all switching and routing platforms from Cisco, making deployment of new switches, replacement of damaged equipment, or upgrades to newer platforms very easy."

    What is our primary use case?

    Access layer Switches. VLAN Segmentation, Inter-VLAN and LAN Routing. 802.1X network access device.

    How has it helped my organization?

    This platform has enabled reliable connectivity across the entire campus network. Great performance and stability ensure that the network is available where you need it. The 802.1X port security and other security features work well and help keep the network secure. PoE helped us deploy WLAN APs, security cameras, and IP phones with minimal cabling.

    What is most valuable?

    • Very stable and dependable switches.
    • The wide range of features will be enough for almost any LAN environment.
    • The CLI is pretty much the same across all switching and routing platforms from Cisco, making deployment of new switches, replacement of damaged equipment, or upgrades to newer platforms very easy.

    What needs improvement?

    I have found no major drawbacks in the Catalyst platforms. The price is high, but for seemingly the best LAN switching platform available, coupled with Cisco's excellent support, the price doesn't seem to be too much.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    More than five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    No issues with stability.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    No issues with scalability.

    How is customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is the best I have worked with.

    How was the initial setup?

    Basic switching functionality works out-of-the-box, as with any other switch. Complexity will depend on the task at hand, but if you're familiar with the Cisco CLI you should have no problem finding your way.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Pricing of Cisco equipment is high, but I think these switches are worth the price.

    What other advice do I have?

    I have been working with Catalyst switches for 10 years. Cisco support is among the best there is. Use it.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    IT Support Team Leader at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
    Real User
    Great managed switches that are stable and easy to set up
    Pros and Cons
    • "The scalability is good."
    • "The technical response could be faster in the future."

    What is our primary use case?

    I'm using almost six Cisco switches.

    We use the solution for the LAN, Local Area Network, for the organization, or for business. 

    What is most valuable?

    The solution is very stable.

    The scalability is good.

    They are managed switches, and we can control and manage almost all of these switches - even individually, one by one, or through a central control center.

    The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

    What needs improvement?

    The device age becomes an issue. For example, with the 2960 version, they're not supporting that one anymore. I find that the device or the model age is a little bit short. It is five or eight years. When we have a big organization, we have 100 or 200 switches, and suddenly it's out of support, end of support, or end of life, or whatever, it's difficult as we cannot change switches every five years. At a minimum, they should last ten years. That's better. To upgrade, it's a huge budget. Therefore, the age of the product itself is a little bit short. They really should make it longer.

    The technical response could be faster in the future. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for maybe ten years or so. It's been a while. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is perfectly stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability is pretty good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. It's not a problem.

    We have up to 600 or 700 users. It's not measured per user. Rather, it is per device. We have many devices on top of users.

    We do plan to increase usage in the future. 

    How are customer service and support?

    I have contacted technical support in the past. They are fine, however, they are a little bit slow.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We did not previously use a different solution. We've always used Cisco products.

    How was the initial setup?

    The solution is easy to install for administrators and network engineers. People who are qualified in networking shouldn't face any issues. It's fine, it's easy.

    The amount of time it takes to deploy a switch depends. If it is at layer switch, it will not take more than one hour, maximum, for each switch. However, if it is a core switch, it might take one day.

    The size of the team you need for maintenance also depends. If we are going for an upgrade, we need a big team. However, if it is just for troubleshooting, only two engineers are required.

    What about the implementation team?

    We can handle the implementation ourselves. We do not need any integrators or consultants. 

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    We can use the switches without licenses. However, with licenses, yearly licenses, it is better, as we will have more troubleshooting options and control options, through a control center device.

    What other advice do I have?

    We use various versions of the solution. For the access layer switch, we have different models, including 2950 and 2960. Now, we are using the 9K series, 9200. The latest one. This is for the access layer. For core and distribution switches, we have 6500 and 4500 versions.

    I'd recommend the solution to others.

    I would rate them at 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.
    PeerSpot user
    IT Coordinator - Networking Team at a maritime company with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Reliable but not very flexible
    Pros and Cons
    • "Catalyst Switches are reliable. We don't have major problems like lost connections, and we only have a minor issue with something every few months. In the last five years, a switch broke down once, and that was due to human error."
    • "I can't use older Cisco devices with newer versions of the controller or switches. For example, if a switch was manufactured in 2014, I can't use it with a controller made in 2019. I have to change the switch so that I can upgrade my network or my devices. I don't have the option to update the version I have on the image of the AP or the controller."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Catalyst switches to extend our network throughout the facility. It's a big facility, so we need to use switches the ABS to get the signal out to the entire facility.

    What is most valuable?

    I like Cisco because you are dealing with something old that the new generation doesn't know about, like telnet or how to configure the switch. I don't like simple GUIs where you can do everything with a click. 

    What needs improvement?

    I can't use older Cisco devices with newer versions of the controller or switches. For example, if a switch was manufactured in 2014, I can't use it with a controller made in 2019. I have to change the switch so that I can upgrade my network or my devices. I don't have the option to update the version I have on the image of the AP or the controller.

    Also, in the K5 Series of the switches —  Cisco calls them "Core" switches — they have some commands that Catalyst doesn't support, so you have to know the command lines for two different devices to configure them. It's a bit confusing when you are working on both at the same time, and you have some problems, then you notice that you didn't use the correct command for that switch.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using Cisco Catalyst for five years, but I've only been working with the solution in-depth for the past few months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Catalyst Switches are reliable. We don't have major problems like lost connections, and we only have a minor issue with something every few months. In the last five years, a switch broke down once, and that was due to human error.

    How are customer service and support?

    Cisco customer service is excellent. We had some issues with devices, and Cisco replaced them for us. We had some significant problems with one of the switches because they changed the image. It took a while, but overall, the support is good.

    How was the initial setup?

    It's not hard if you have some networking experience. I didn't deploy the switches by myself. We had some help from the vendor, and I supervised them.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    With some competitors, yes, it's about, let's say very high price. Half the price you can get Jupiter, or I think also, I forget the brand, TP-Link, you can have something like that, but half the price with it, with maybe also advanced features to deal with it.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate Cisco Catalyst switches seven out of 10.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: March 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.