We primarily use the solution specifically for our internal network - for our users and some servers. We also have servers on the cloud as well, although largely we are on-premise.
Senior Project Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Stable with good routing capabilities and a fairly easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "The product offers very good routing and ranking capabilities."
- "The product could offer more integrations with other solutions."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The VLANs portion of the solution is very good.
The product offers very good routing and ranking capabilities. It allows for better channels.
The initial setup is very simple. An organization shouldn't have too much trouble setting everything up.
We've found the solution to be rather stable. It offers good performance.
What needs improvement?
There aren't any features that are lacking from my perspective. It's pretty complete.
The solution itself is quite expensive. It would be ideal if they could lower the pricing a bit.
The product could offer more integrations with other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have had experience with the solution since around 2000. In 2010 I began on the sales-side of the product. Therefore, I have many, many years of experience with the product at this point.
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Cisco Catalyst Switches
June 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution offers very good stability. We've found it to be reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. It also doesn't seem to have bugs or glitches that affect its performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability depends on the layer you are talking about. Layer 2 is not scalable, however, Layer 3 switches offer very good scalability.
We have about 50 people currently using the solution.
How was the initial setup?
We found the implementation to be very simple, and straightforward. It was easy. There weren't any complexities, therefore, we didn't face any difficulty when setting everything up.
Deployment takes a few hours.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the product is quite high. It's not the cheapest option on the market.
What other advice do I have?
We're Cisco partners. We have a business relationship with the company.
I'd recommend this solution to other organizations. Over the years, I've found that it works very well.
In general, on a scale from one to ten, I would rate it at a nine.
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

Junior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Good scalability with very nice stability and good flexibility
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability is excellent."
- "The configuration process is hard."
What is our primary use case?
We have clients that have application servers and we offer our services to them. The switches are provided alongside Cisco Firewall and they also integrate into Cisco storage.
What is most valuable?
The product is easy to use. It's very user friendly and simple to navigate.
The solution offers very good stability.
We've found the product to be quite flexible.
It integrates well with other solutions, including other Cisco solutions especially.
We've found the technical support to be quite helpful.
The scalability is excellent.
What needs improvement?
The implementation of the solution is a little bit difficult. It would be nicer if the process was a bit easier.
The configuration process is hard.
The pricing of the solution is quite high.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started working with the solution a few months ago. It hasn't been too long just yet. I'm still relatively new to the product. I'd say that it has been almost six months or so.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product offers very good stability. It's reliable. We haven't had issues with bugs. It's not glitchy. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's been very good overall.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is quite scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. It's not a problem at all.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is excellent. It's much better than other solutions. They're very helpful and responsive. They're very good at helping if we run into issues with implementations. We've more than satisfied with the level of support we receive from them.
That said, I have had a bad experience once or twice where we had an issue with an appliance and some licensing. It took Cisco a month to get the license figured out successfully. The issue was that there wasn't enough knowledge about the product and it affected the support.
However, one of the last issues we had, we were assigned a senior level person and she was very good. She sorted everything out and got it deployed in one or two hours.
Therefore, as long as you get a knowledgeable person, you're going to have a very good experience.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
While I am aware of our company using different switches in the past, I was not a part of the project. I'm not sure what product they were using.
How was the initial setup?
The Cisco implementation is tough. It's not straightforward per se. However, it's very important for the network level solutions. It's more difficult than Fortinet or other vendors. At the same time, their support for their solution is very effective and in that sense, they are actually much better than other vendors. That's why everyone prefers Cisco. They offer good help if you run into trouble.
In terms of deployment, the product takes about two or three weeks to deploy. If you are adding Fortinet or other solutions, you're looking at a month and a half for a full deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing for Cisco is expensive. However, they offer very good support services.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not sure of the switch model. I work remotely. It would be hard for me to check.
We're a vendor company. We're Cisco partners. We have almost 10 engineers and about two or three people are dedicated to Cisco.
I'd recommend this solution to other users. I would warn companies, however, that the implementation process is tough. It's good to have some sort of support in order to deploy the solution effectively and correctly. Without help, if you don't know what you are doing, you may run into issues.
In general, I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Support Executive at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
A stable and proven technology for our network infrastructure
Pros and Cons
- "These are a proven technology and I haven't had any problem with them."
What is our primary use case?
These switches were provided by our internet provider and they are used as part of our network infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
These are a proven technology and I haven't had any problem with them.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not configured these switches before, so I'm not sure about the scalability.
We have between 60 and 100 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not been in contact with technical support for this product.
What about the implementation team?
The Catalyst switches are all maintained by our vendors, so we don't have to concern ourselves with maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of these devices can be better.
What other advice do I have?
Based on my experience, I can recommend these switches.
I would rate this solution an eight 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.
Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Stable and easy to install
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable and good product. It is also easy to install."
- "Its price can be improved. It is currently expensive."
What is our primary use case?
I am a student as well as a researcher at a university. I use this solution for various simulations. I am using the latest version of this solution. We have 10 to 15 technical people in our team.
What is most valuable?
It is a stable and good product. It is also easy to install.
What needs improvement?
Its price can be improved. It is currently expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I didn't use any technical support.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy to install. It wasn't complex. It took about 10 to 20 minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. It is a good product. There are a lot of users of Cisco solutions in Pakistan.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a 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.
Information Security Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Useful for core switching, very stable, and quick to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "These switches are very stable. We haven't had any problems. We also have some old switches that are working for almost ten years."
- "Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."
What is our primary use case?
Cisco Catalyst Switches are more for core switching because they are enterprise solutions. We mostly use Cisco for all of our infrastructure, so these switches are used everywhere as core switches.
What is most valuable?
These switches are very stable. We haven't had any problems. We also have some old switches that are working for almost ten years.
What needs improvement?
Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They are very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have a hundred users and maybe a hundred other ports for connecting servers with each other.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have opened a case with them for the FirePOWER Services, not Cisco Catalyst Switches, and it is the first time that I haven't got a response. It has been a week since I've sent the request, which was just a question, but I don't have any response so far. For the previous cases that I had with tech support, they were very quick.
How was the initial setup?
If you have experience in working with Cisco solutions, the initial setup is easy. Otherwise, it may be complicated.
The deployment doesn't take a long time. We already have the guidelines, and we have been doing it and using Cisco for a long time. It usually takes a maximum of one hour to configure the switches. Two people will be enough for deploying these switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
These switches are expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend these switches to others. We plan to keep using them.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a ten out of ten. We are happy with them.
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.
Head of Project Management at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
A reliable brand with good performance that's easy to manage
Pros and Cons
- "We'd like Cisco to integrate with other solutions, including their own."
What is our primary use case?
We're an implementor of the product. We provide this product to our clients.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable aspect is the management.
Our clients really trust the brand.
The quality of the product is excellent. It offers great performance.
What needs improvement?
We'd like Cisco to integrate better with other solutions, including their own.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for the last two years or so.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is very good. We haven't had any stability issues. There aren't bugs or glitches. It's good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale. If a company needs to expand, they can do so easily.
We typically deal with medium-sized companies.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support of the solution is good. The clients are covered under warranty. Cisco is very responsible when it comes to covering any issues for them.
The documentation is quite good for the solution as well. It helps people understand the product.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use HP and Extreme Networks. We work with a variety of solutions. We don't exclusively work with Cisco. Cisco does, however, have one of the highest product qualities on offer.
What other advice do I have?
We help our clients decide which product to use. We use Cisco and a wide variety of other products. We're implementors.
When it comes to working with Cisco, customers are consistently offered a quality product. Many of our clients need a quality product with good performance. This solution is very reliable which is why we work with it.
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the solution at an eight.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Product Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good LAN switches with an easy initial setup and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
- "Cisco applies restrictions in relation to renewals on a yearly basis. Many other brands don't have restrictions. If Cisco lifted them, they wouldn't lose so many clients to competitors."
What is our primary use case?
Typically, the solution is used for a client's official network and several times as a replacement. A client may use it to replace the total network LAN switch.
What is most valuable?
Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution.
Clients often do not emphasize specifications of Catalyst features. They just need a switch for an office LAN and other segments.
What needs improvement?
There are several versions of Catalyst, and yet, they are quite similar. If, in the simplest one, they could create a Catalyst segment where all the possibilities like QSFP, SFP, 10G, that would be ideal. MikroTik, a Latvian company, has that as an option. They include 1G and 10G and QSFP all in one switch. Cisco, however, divides it into several switches across these features. Cisco is likely doing it to make money. However, clients sometimes don't want to pay more for the switches and they ignore Cisco and grab other brands like MikroTik. As distributors, it makes it hard to sell Cisco when features come at such a high price.
Another issue is the restrictions on the product. Cisco applies restrictions in relation to renewals on a yearly basis. Many other brands don't have restrictions. If Cisco lifted them, they wouldn't lose so many clients to competitors.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for a long time. It's been about seven to nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is quite stable. It doesn't crash or freeze and there aren't any bugs or glitches. It's quite reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can scale the solution and you can choose different versions that fit the sizes of a variety of organizations.
Our clients range in size. Some are smaller organizations. Others are enterprise-level companies.
How are customer service and technical support?
We talk with the support that is based in Bangladesh. They have an office in our country and provide support as necessary. We have contracts for one to three years and they provide technical and phone support to us. The support is fine, but it takes time sometimes to get the assistance we require.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As resellers, we work with other solutions, including Huawei, Juniper, MicroTik, and some other brands in China (as well as Cisco).
Recently, Huawei has been doing good in switching segments. They're bringing some new features that are better than or compete with Cisco, and they are very aggressive in pricing.
The problem is they're doing only Enterprise segments. They are not doing SMB.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't too complex. However, we have very well trained technicians that really understand the process. For them, it's easy.
If our clients request it of us, we can maintain the switches for them after implementation.
What about the implementation team?
We can assist our clients with implementation if they request the service.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of Cisco products is quite expensive. Huawei, for example, costs much less.
There aren't extra costs for additional features. All features are standard.
What other advice do I have?
We are resellers and distributors. We're partners with Cisco.
We use a variety of different versions of the solution, including 3003, 29603, and 9003. Those are three of the most popular. Which we use depends on the client and their particular needs. Sometimes we only resell the product to our clients and sometimes we also provide the solution and install and configure the Catalyst for the clients. It depends on the client's query.
Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. Overall, our clients have been quite happy with the results they get from Cisco products.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
IT & Software Manager at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
A stable part of our network infrastructure, with many resources available
Pros and Cons
- "These switches are stable."
- "In the future, I would like to see better security for this product."
What is our primary use case?
I use Cisco Catalyst switches as part of the network infrastructure.
What needs improvement?
In the future, I would like to see better security for this product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
These switches are stable. I use both the switches and the access points.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am satisfied with the Cisco support. There are a lot of resources out there.
How was the initial setup?
This product is complex to install and it takes time to configure it.
What about the implementation team?
I deployed it myself.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I can recommend to others.
I would rate this solution an eight 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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