We are using this solution on-premises and in the data center; it enables us to access switches. We have several hundred users.
Senior Manager, Information Technology at a university with 201-500 employees
Used on-premise and at data centers
Pros and Cons
- "It works well."
- "t is one of the most expensive solutions."
What is our primary use case?
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It works well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Catalyst Switches is a scalable solution.
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How are customer service and support?
Cicso Catalyst Switch's technical support is one of the best. They are very fast and knowledgeable.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward for people that know about Cisco Catalyst Switches. For a normal switch, it takes one hour to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to implement the solution on our own. We have three Network Engineers on our technical team that handles the deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco Catalyst Switches is smart networking; we have a yearly licensing subscription. It is one of the most expensive solutions, however, it is one of the best.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.
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.

Team Leader Presales at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Easy to use with good pricing and a simple installation process
Pros and Cons
- "The pricing is quite good."
- "The delivery dates need to be more expedient."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the virtualization infrastructure and for bare metal platforms.
What is most valuable?
We are satisfied with the solution's performance so far.
The stability has been perfect.
The solution can scale.
It is a very easy solution to use.
We have found the installation process to be very simple.
The pricing is quite good.
What needs improvement?
The delivery dates need to be more expedient. This could be improved. Right now, when we need to buy a new Cisco Switch, we may have to wait a few months. It could be as much as six months sometimes. It's far too long of a wait.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for a few years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the solution has been very stable. The performance is excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is quite good. If a company needs to expand, it can do so.
We have hundreds of users that are leveraging this product.
At the moment, we do not have plans to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
We've never contacted technical support in the past. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
A very, very long time ago we used HP Brocade Switches. W removed over to Cisco mostly due to the fact that there is a very rich knowledge base over the internet. Also, the implementation is pretty straightforward and the commands are pretty easy to follow.
How was the initial setup?
When it comes to the initial setup, the solution is very simple and straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult.
How much time it takes depends on the configuration, specifically the complexity of the configuration for the Cisco Switch. Most of the time, a few days are enough for any configuration.
Two engineers are enough in terms of handling the initial setup.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to set up the solution ourselves, in-house. It's not a complex process, and therefore, we did not need outside help from integrators or consultants.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license that is paid with the Switch when you are buying the Switch.
It's reasonably priced.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not sure if we are using the latest version of the solution, although we are often handling product updates.
I'd rate the solution at a nine 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.
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Cisco Catalyst Switches
June 2025

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Product Specialist at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Poor performance, difficult to implement, but helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "I have not opened up a ticket for Cisco Catalyst Switches. However, I have used the support from Cisco and they are very good and responsive."
- "Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features."
What is our primary use case?
The main use of Cisco Catalyst Switches is for enterprise networking.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Catalyst Switches should have better performance and be easier to use. Additionally, they should add artificial intelligence features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Cisco Catalyst Switches within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My clients are not happy with the stability of the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable but the configuration to have it scale can be complex.
How are customer service and support?
I have not opened up a ticket for Cisco Catalyst Switches. However, I have used the support from Cisco and they are very good and responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used other solutions, such as Juniper, HP, Aruba, and Fortinet switches, and they are better than Cisco Catalyst Switches.
How was the initial setup?
The configuration of the solution is difficult. If you are not using the Cisco Prime or Cisco DNA for management then the solution will be complex.
What about the implementation team?
Three or five engineers are needed for the implementation of large projects.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco Catalyst Switches are very expensive.
We have found that we need to purchase a DNA license to be able to use the Cisco Catalyst Switches but we never used it. There is an annual fee to use the solution. There are additional services that can be added at an extra cost.
They need to remove the DNA license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated other solutions, such as Juniper, HP, Aruba, and Fortinet switches
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend Cisco for anyone, many of my customers have had bad experiences with them.
For the rest of the business for Catalyst customers, we replacing all of them for our customers. I saw the many cases the customers were replacing Cisco with another vendor. It is more expensive and it didn't meet their expectations. However, we are using another technology from Cisco but the security from Cisco is not good anymore.
I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a four out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
User-friendly commands and configuration, good support, and feature-rich
Pros and Cons
- "The configuration and command set are user-friendly."
- "The initial setup can be easier in cases where the policy and ruleset are complex."
What is our primary use case?
These switches make up part of our network infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
The configuration and command set are user-friendly.
Cisco switches are feature-rich compared to other vendors.
Technical support is good, as they resolve any issues that we have.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup can be easier in cases where the policy and ruleset are complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for between five and six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This product is stable and our switches have been working fine. These switches are used extensively.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution. We have 5,000 or more users.
We have several Catalyst switches in our environment. Most of them are running version 15.x of the operating system, although some of them are version 12.x and older. These may be upgraded in the future.
We may increase our usage although I don't know at present.
How are customer service and support?
We are not the team that is responsible for contacting support. However, the support from Cisco is good. They easily resolve any issues that we have.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have only worked with Cisco solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be complex, depending on the policy and the rules.
Only a small staff is required for deployment and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco is regularly updating this product.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
It's useful for connecting everything into one big domain, but we've had problems since we upgraded
Pros and Cons
- "Catalyst switches are our dedicated solution for connecting everything into one big domain."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
Catalyst switches are our dedicated solution for connecting everything into one big domain.
What needs improvement?
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.
We have a lease between these buildings, so it's important for us. There are some other SFPs, but we cannot order them at the moment. It's a very slow project. We will order those and receive them after two or three months.
Cisco devices should support Cisco SFPs. Right now, I'm testing it on Cisco and some small devices, like Planets, and it worked. It has changed, but it's working. But it doesn't work using the original Cisco because inside of a Cisco Data Sheet it says they do not support this product on the device.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I thought Catalyst switches were stable, but now I'm not so sure.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying Catalyst switches is complex. We had to add a second one for high availability.
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.
Coordinator of IT infrastructures at UMC Electronics Mexico
Stable and scalable product
Pros and Cons
- "I've had no problems with the stability of this solution."
- "An area for improvement would be the documentation and training on configuring this product."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case is to assign VLAN or a port for VLAN on the main network.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement would be the documentation and training on configuring this product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for four or five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've had no problems with the stability of this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is fine.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex because it was a common line.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licenses are available on a three-yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would give this solution a score of nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CEO at a consumer goods company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to use, but could be cheaper
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is how easy it is to use."
- "This product could be improved with cheaper pricing."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case of this solution is for my company's network connection.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is how easy it is to use.
What needs improvement?
This product could be improved with cheaper pricing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for five to six years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution may be scalable, but I don't have much knowledge on its scalability. It's used for my company's networking and there are about 500 users.
How was the initial setup?
I installed this solution myself.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented through an in-house team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco Catalyst Switches are a bit expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution a seven out of ten. I am satisfied with the performance of these switches and would recommend them to others.
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.
Senior Consultant
Useful analytics, stable, and highly scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution works well with analytics."
- "Cisco Catalyst Switches could improve by having more integration with third-party products."
What is our primary use case?
I use Cisco Catalyst Switches for an SD-Access solution.
What is most valuable?
The solution works well with analytics.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Catalyst Switches could improve by having more integration with third-party products.
In the next release, I would like the solution to be able to integrate easily with third-party WFi products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Catalyst Switches have very good performance and are reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have been satisfied with the technical support. They are very good.
How was the initial setup?
Cisco Catalyst Switches are complex to implement, it takes a lot of time. You need to take a lot of time to learn out to configure the solution.
What about the implementation team?
Cisco does the maintenance of the solution for us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is expensive compared to other products from America or Europe. They should have more competitive pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches an eight out of ten.
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

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Updated: June 2025
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