Cisco Catalyst Switches Reviews

I use the solution in my company as a data switch. The product is mostly used in the entertainment systems of luxury yachts and not in some banks.

The most valuable feature of the solution is reliability. I have seen Cisco Catalyst Switches working for more than six years without any kind of outage.

Products from Cisco that deal in areas like VLAN management, internal routing, and inter-VLAN routing don't seem to be compatible with other products. When users put Cisco Catalyst Switches in the same environment or infrastructure where other devices or products exist, like HPE, Aruba, and Ubiquiti, it doesn't work properly. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement.

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than twenty years.

It is a stable solution.

It is a scalable solution. Cisco solutions are always scalable.

My organization has around 200 users of the product.

There is a need to increase the number of devices or switches, or it can be done by implementing a change in relation to the old devices in an environment by moving from a 10 GB switch to 40 GB uplinks. A 10 GB switch is enough for now in my business.

Cisco's support team is friendly if you have a maintenance contract active with the technical support team of the tool. You will end up breaking your head on the wall if you do not have an active maintenance contract with Cisco's technical team since they are not responsive or supportive at all until you subscribe to the service contract Cisco offers.

After dealing with the product for more than twenty years, it has become easy to deploy the solution.

I have been installing the tool inside a luxury yacht to manage some internal data switches and for some of the entertainment systems where streaming services are required. VLAN is mandatory for managing the kind of networks in the aforementioned environment.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The time required to deploy the product depends on the dimension of the project undertaken by someone. If you install the system in a 30-meter yard, deploying it takes around four days. If you install the product on a yacht where around 100 meters need to be covered, the deployment process may take over a month.

The number of people required to deploy and maintain the product depends on the project size. One person is enough to take care of the deployment in a 50-meter yard area. Three people are enough to take care of the deployment in a 100-meter yard area. In an infrastructure with around 200 people, only one person can maintain the warehouse system.

I rate the overall product a six out of ten from a price perspective since it is an expensive tool.

There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing charges of the product.

From a technical perspective, I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.

There is a need to use professional devices like the ones offered by Cisco if someone needs a reliable infrastructure that is flexible and scalable.

Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

We use them in multiple projects in the organization.

So we provide access to approximately 600 users. They use access points, and some of them are designated for core features.

The benefits are that it is pretty easy to configure, deploy, and troubleshoot. There are no issues because we have a lot of knowledge-based access from Cisco itself. So troubleshooting is smooth, and it's good for both plugging and troubleshooting.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is one of the most valuable features. It eliminates the need for power supplies every time. 

Then, the stacking capability allows me to stack nine or ten switches. With that, I don't need to log into every switch individually; I can access all of them through one. That's the second thing. 

Third, they can be used with automation pretty easily. Our organization is not currently using automation, but we're planning to. I've used it on virtual platforms, like emulation software, and they work well with automation. That's a good thing. 

Another point is that I've worked with various Cisco switches, including the 3900 series, 800 series, 2900, and 2600 switches. In the past, the environment used to be dusty and tested, but these devices, even the older ones, worked remarkably well. I was amazed because any other device might have failed in those conditions, but these switches performed admirably.

It has everything covered, from automation to a non-automated environment.

Customization is okay, but it's not fully fledged because if it's not modular switches, you can not change it. 

Cost-wise, they are expensive, but the service they provide is very good. However, the solution should aim for a little bit more cost-effectiveness.

There is room for enhancement in customization and pricing models. 

I have been using this solution for more than five years. I am still currently working with the Cisco Catalyst switches, specifically the Catalyst 3900 series in my current organization.

I haven't seen any issues with stability or durability. Even the older ones work well in the worst-case scenarios.

The product is scalable. However, some features or technologies owned by Cisco can be a bit troublesome while deploying. They cannot be embedded with other vendors.

The customer service and support need a bit more improvement and a faster response. So, there is an area of improvement.

Positive

I have also worked with ASR 9000 and XR series routers. I have worked with enterprise routers for a longer duration, around five years.

The deployment is good. The knowledge base and articles are available for normal users, so they can configure it well. If needed, we can raise a complaint ticket, and we get good tech support for that too.

If everything is ready and set up, including detailed information and physical products, it takes around two to three hours, max.

It's not difficult, but it requires maintenance. They have engineers for that, and they come for regular maintenance, check, and update or replace parts if needed. They also have AMCs for regular maintenance.

It is worth the money. The product is expensive, but the service they provide is very good, which makes it worth it.

It is a good product. It's a low-maintenance product, a little bit costly, but worth it. Good technical support also. It is vendor-specific, and you need to have these things for the configuration part and deployment. Everything is good, so there are no issues while deploying with other vendors.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten because I expect a little bit faster support from the technical support team.

In the market, if you are deploying any kind of network in an environment, there is a need for switches to distribute the network. You can use a switch to distribute the entire connection to other users in the company if you have a small company.

I can't think of an area where improvements are required in the product since Cisco seems to be regularly involved in patching the software part. Cisco Catalyst Switches releases regular software updates, so there shouldn't be any issue with the solution.

It is not easy for everyone to configure the product's initial setup part, making it an area where improvements are required.

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for three years. I am a customer of Cisco.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten.

The product is not easy for everyone to configure the initial setup. Sometimes, it becomes a pain point when people are not able to understand everything related to the product, and they run into certain issues, making it a reason why I would say that the tool is not that stable.

Cisco's support team is good and can provide you with solutions quickly since Cisco has not given its support area to vendors. All of Cisco's support teams are handled by Cisco's employees. Cisco has support centers all around the globe, including countries like India, Singapore, Australia, and Europe. As a customer of the switches and routers from Cisco, my company gets twenty-four hours and seven days a week of access throughout the year to contact the support team and its engineers, who are well-trained before they get deployed on the queue to pick up the customer cases.

I rate the technical support a nine and a half out of ten.

Positive

I have experience with switches from NETGEAR and Sophos, but both products can provide detailed functionalities or features like Cisco Catalyst Switches. The functionality and features you get with Cisco Catalyst Switches are incomparable to other tools.

The product's initial setup phase was a bit difficult. A subject matter expert might be required to help with the initial setup phase.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. The product works fine if you have experience with Cisco Catalyst Switches.

The solution can be deployed in a few hours. For the basic deployment, it takes a couple of hours.

The solutions are costly, considering that Cisco provides top-notch support and devices.

Cisco Catalyst Switches have impacted our company's network flexibility since it is a very flexible product. The solution is robust in terms of the equipment provided. As per my knowledge, no other switch provides the same functionalities that Cisco Catalyst Switches provide in the current market.

In terms of network security in our company, I would speak about the number of VLANs that users can probably have on Cisco Catalyst Switches and how we can manage the traffic going from one VLAN to another VLAN, which is a very smooth process with no issues. When you look at network security, the way Cisco implements SCP is tremendous since it has many features that one can use that are not available in other legacy products.

The performance and reliability of Cisco to support our company's critical applications are areas of the tool that can be described as top-notch.

In terms of the tool's management and configuration, if a person is into the networking field and works as a network engineer who has probably dealt with CCNA or CCNP certifications with experience for a couple of years, it will be very easy to use. Cisco Catalyst Switches might be a little difficult for a newbie to learn. Once a person learns about the product in a month or so, everything related to the solution becomes easy.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it, especially the ones who don't have budget constraints and have people or teams who are well-versed in handling devices from Cisco.

I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Cisco Catalyst Switches helps us with VPN connection. 

The tool's administration is easy. 

Cisco Catalyst Switches' pricing can be cheaper. 

I have been using the product for a few years. 

Cisco Catalyst Switches is stable. 

The tool is scalable. My company has 20000 users. My company has plans to increase its usage. 

The tool's deployment is complicated due to the VPN. We have a certified administrator who makes the deployment easier. You need ten resources to help with the deployment process. 

You don't have to pay any additional costs while using the product. 

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten. 

We have different use cases for different verticals. Our network is built mainly on Cisco equipment, including switches, firewalls, and routers. Most of the devices are Cisco products.

The product is stable, and it performs well. We get support and patches from Cisco. It is going well. We have different companies and different verticals. Cisco is our backbone.

The support team’s response and resolution time must be faster.

I have been using this solution for eight to ten years. We are using the industry-standard version.

When we have more than 1000 Cisco Catalyst Switches, we have a failure rate, too. We would hardly notice failure if we had a smaller company with one to ten switches. A couple of times, it has happened that the switches have failed while upgrading.

We design the network according to the environment's requirements. We also keep the network ready for the business requirements. When a request comes in, we help customers get their devices into a specific network zone. We have a huge number of users. My company caters to its internal customers, including JioMart, Jio Payments Bank, and JioChat.

The support is good so far.

We configure and deploy the solution according to our needs. If a product or feature is not available, we discuss and open a ticket with Cisco. Cisco then helps with some patches or other features that we require.

The procurement process for Cisco Catalyst Switches is different. Once we receive the switches in bulk, we divide them among the different verticals. Depending on the needs, we allocate 100 or 1000 switches to each vertical and then start deploying.

I help the team to deploy the solution. We have a different deployment process. When a user requests a deployment, we first discuss their network and how they want it distributed. We then discuss the feasibility of the request and suggest the best possible option available to meet their requirements.

We have an on-premises team who helps us if there is an issue with the device. If the team cannot resolve the issue, we either get a replacement device or ask an expert for help with deployment. If there is a requirement to use multicast streaming, we need to check if our current network supports it. We also need to consider the bandwidth, network resources, and uplink and downlink ports.

The pricing should be improved. We have purchased a one-time license. When we place an order for Cisco Catalyst Switches, the quantity is huge.

I am an implementer. I would recommend the solution to others. People must use the solution based on their requirements. Overall, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten.

It's easy to configure. The forum is good. We can also get help from the forum and Cisco support. Many people use it, so we can get help from anyone if you have any issues.

There is no GUI. Nowadays, many other switches provide GUI features and options that can be configured through the GUI. The Cisco Catalyst series doesn't offer that. It should be configured only through CLI mode. If another GUI option or feature allows configuration through the GUI, that would be beneficial.

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for 15 years.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

It is scalable and provides good performance. It is suitable for enterprise customers.

Support is also good.

Positive

The initial setup is easy. It depends on the larger network. Due to the backbone infrastructure and other passive components we need to complete, such as cabling and structured cabling, it may take time. If the cabling and architecture are already in place, it will take only a few hours.

It provides efficiency followed by cost setting.

The solution is cheap.

Cisco Catalyst Switches handle the network traffic very swiftly during peak loads.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We use the solution for live support systems.

The stability and performance are extremely good.

The solution could be cheaper.

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for 20 years.

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

The solution’s scalability is good. 200 licenses of support systems are used.

I rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten.

The initial setup is straightforward and takes half an hour to complete.

ROI is of 10-15 years. It's very good for long-term investment.

It provides stability to our life monitoring system. The ease of management and configuration is good.

It is attributing the switches and has accessible IT. There's always a web configuration. I manage the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Since Cisco Catalyst Switches don't go online, they are secured. The solution is not on the same network as the users.

The solution’s pricing and stability could be improved.

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for a couple of years.

We haven’t received any complaints from our customers regarding the solution’s stability.

I rate the solution a seven or eight out of ten for stability.

Cisco Catalyst Switches is a scalable solution, and two customers are working with the solution.

We configure the solution for our customers within 30 minutes. You can open the switch console on the device and configure it.

The solution is too expensive for me, and I will never have a return on investment with it.

Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very expensive solution. I do not pay for a license for the solution.

We don't manage Cisco Catalyst Switches once it's configured. Two people from the tech support team are involved in the solution’s deployment and maintenance. I wouldn’t recommend Cisco Catalyst Switches to other users because it’s expensive.

Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

The product is used in the hotels for the network.

Cisco Catalyst Switches are the most stable. The network is secure. I have a lot of options. If a port is not used for a long time, it will be disabled by default. If anyone tries to use it, I will have to enable it for them. The tool helps me secure my network. The product is easy to use. We do not face any challenges.

Cisco is the most expensive product. All hardware tools have become very expensive nowadays.

Cisco is the most stable solution. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

All our reports are based on Cisco Catalyst Switches.

The setup is straightforward. The deployment takes 10 to 15 minutes.

We can deploy the tool in-house.

I prefer one-time payments.

I have worked with all the brands in the market. I will recommend Cisco to others. It is stable. It has good quality. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

We mainly use it for user access in corporate offices, but we have been working on certain projects that require using XE access to support APIs and network connectivity. 

I highly appreciate the durability and the availability. It is also proven to be a very reliable solution that ensures stable and consistent network performance. 

Facilitating and adapting the security updates would be a good improvement because it usually requires use to reboot the router to get them. The whole process is slightly complex and it could be easier. 

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for ten years. 

It offers excellent stability. There are some switches with twenty years of uptime which is quite an impressive number. 

Catalyst Switches provide scalability and accommodate different network demands. 

The quality of the customer support that is provided depends on the line of the product and the model that is used. Sometimes, the first level of support is basic, but mostly it is good. Their customer service is available at all times. I rate it seven out of ten. 

Neutral

The initial setup might be significantly challenging for clients who are not familiar with its intricacies. Their advanced features and configuration options require knowledgeable IT professionals to implement them. 

Once the solution is set up, the process of deployment and configuration is almost seamless. It takes around one hour to be fully completed.

I find the price to be just right, it is not cheap, but it is not expensive. The solution provides a good balance between the features and the cost structure. They offer many options regarding the licensing so it is easy to choose one option that adapts to the needs of the customer. 

I strongly recommend this solution because it delivers high-performance switching, enabling fast data transfer rates with minor to no bugs. I rate it nine and a half out of ten.