Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Charbel Hajj - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Supervisor at MEPEQ
Real User
Professional, quick, simple to work with and requires little to no maintenance
Pros and Cons
  • "With Cisco Catalyst Switches, everything is working perfectly. We have not had issues with this solution."
  • "For the time being, Cisco Catalyst Switches are working well, but they are not PoE switches, which is why we would consider replacing them."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is used for large networks with 48 ports for example.

More than just a few switches on a small scale, they can be used on the main switch of a small or medium-sized business. It is determined by the size. It's heavy-duty, you only need to configure it once, and it'll keep running for several years. We have run it for ten years with no problems.

What is most valuable?

With Cisco Catalyst Switches, everything is working perfectly. We have not had issues with this solution. 

Everything I need is available.

What needs improvement?

For the time being, Cisco Catalyst Switches are working well, but they are not PoE switches, which is why we would consider replacing them.

If I were to change later, I would go with the PoE version.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches in my company for more than 10 years.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,029 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable.

With the exception of WiFi, we have 40 users connected. We have small switches in some offices, and some users are connected to these small switches via a single cable that leads to the Catalyst.

Currently, we have no plans to increase our usage.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is easygoing.

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

We have experience with Cisco and TP-Link.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to implement on the network, and easy to work with. It is not complicated.

There is little to no maintenance required.

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

There are no licensing fees required.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was looking for the UniFi switch or access point because it was the first time I heard of it, so I was looking for feedback on it in comparison to TP-Link and Cisco.

What other advice do I have?

It's one of the best switches, professional and fast. I would recommend these switches to others who are considering using them.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches 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.
PeerSpot user
Raphael Haroun  Ikyagh - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at Letshego
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Scalable solution used for long connections
Pros and Cons
  • "We haven't needed to contact technical support because we haven't had any issues so far."
  • "Stability could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for long connections. It is deployed on-prem.

We're using seven Cisco devices in the head office.

What needs improvement?

The stability could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable, but it could be better.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We haven't needed to contact technical support because we haven't had any issues so far.

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

Previously, we used Fortinet.

What about the implementation team?

We integrated the solution ourselves.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

I would recommend these switches for those who want to start using 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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,029 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1289460 - PeerSpot reviewer
SOC Expert at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Reliable with good security and helpful technical documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "Its implementation is quite simple as there's good documentation you can reference."
  • "There's a ban on my country and therefore I can't get Cisco support if I need it. It's not allowed."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for switching. Some devices are used for ethernet connections. Some we're using with our data center. For example, it's what's in use in the data center. It's got quite a few different applications.

What is most valuable?

I work in security with various switches and routers, and I find the product, without getting into too much detail, quite secure.

It's a stable solution.

We find the product to be scalable.

The device itself is quite good and reliable.

The security is very good.

Its implementation is quite simple as there's good documentation you can reference. 

What needs improvement?

The cost of the product is a little high. They should work to lower it a bit.

There's a ban on my country and therefore I can't get Cisco support if I need it. It's not allowed.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for more than 15 years at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In terms of stability, the solution has been reliable. We haven't had issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. the performance is pretty good overall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For our purposes, the solution has been scalable. You can expand it if you need to.

We have more than 1,000 people using the switches. 

How are customer service and support?

We tend not to have to worry about dealing directly with technical support. If we run into issues, we tend to reference the technical documentation and that always has included any information we've needed to find the answers we need ourselves. 

That's important as Cisco does not offer direct support to my country. We are banned from getting support services delivered to us.

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

I'm also familiar with Huawei devices.

That said, we only really technically deal with Cisco switches.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of Cisco is easy. They have great official documentation and have a good design overall which makes it easy for everyone who needs to run the installation.

It takes about five to ten minutes to install a switch for our technical personnel.

The team that can deploy and manage the switches include ten to 20. That includes managers and technical support people.

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

The solution can be a bit pricey. That said, I can't speak to exact pricing as a different department handles licensing details. 

What other advice do I have?

We are using various versions of the solution. We don't just use one kind. We have many different ones.

I'm not sure if I would recommend the solution to others. Cisco is a large and technical company. A switch that is just as good with less trouble is Huawei.

That said, I've had no issues with it and would rate the product at 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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1781955 - PeerSpot reviewer
Hybrid Cloud & Infrastructure Operations at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
MSP
A stable and easy-to-deploy solution with quick support and DHCP feature
Pros and Cons
  • "I recently discovered the DHCP feature. There is a feature with which you can make the core act as a DHCP server, and it will distribute the IPs for every device. I discovered this feature recently, and it is very nice."
  • "Its price can be improved. Some devices can be very expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We are supporting many clients. Some of them have Cisco switches, and some of them have HPE. We are supporting their network and solving any requests. We are doing troubleshooting for them. For most of the clients, we do full support of the network, but it also depends on the service that they took from our company. Some of them don't give us access to their core switches, which is very rare. Most of the clients give us full access. If they need, for example, a new route, we edit the VLAN port configuration, port channels, etc.

We are also managing the wireless controller for all clients. We are supporting them by creating the wireless connection and changing the password periodically.

What is most valuable?

I recently discovered the DHCP feature. There is a feature with which you can make the core act as a DHCP server, and it will distribute the IPs for every device. I discovered this feature recently, and it is very nice.

What needs improvement?

Its price can be improved. Some devices can be very expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this solution for around two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If you follow the recommendation of Cisco, it is scalable. Sometimes, when there is anything wrong with it, we open a ticket with Cisco, and they recommend upgrading the IOS. 

We have many clients here. Most of them have Cisco. We have three clients with HPE. 

How are customer service and support?

They are very nice and very quick.

How was the initial setup?

Most of them are easy, especially if you have a stack solution. If it is arranged as a stack, it would be very easy to do an installation, and it also takes a shorter time than the standalone. One of the clients I worked with had a stack solution, and it was very easy. We just had to erase everything, put the new switch in there, and connect the stack cables and power cables. That was it. Sometimes, it can take the configuration from the flash.

The number of people required depends on the topology. If it is a big topology, you need two or three people. If it is a small topology, you need less number of people.

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

It is overpriced. Some devices can be very expensive.

Most of the clients have a contract with Cisco for two or three years.

What other advice do I have?

There are different categories of switches. There are Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches. In Layer 2 switches, 2650 is nice. It is a good switch. In Layer 3, most of the switches are good.

I would rate this solution an eight 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
IT Infrastructure Manager at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy to set up, good support, and interchangeable with other switches
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Cisco equipment is reliability."
  • "These switches should have better compatibility with software-defined technology."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco switches as part of our network infrastructure. We have a LAN and we will be implementing an SD-WAN in the future.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Cisco equipment is reliability.

As we are a Cisco-based company, the interchangeability with other switches is something that is valuable for us.

What needs improvement?

These switches should have better compatibility with software-defined technology.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for approximately 25 years. Our current Cisco equipment is about five years old.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product, which is why we use it. The majority of our equipment is more than five years old.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco switches are very scalable.

We have two organic employees and we outsource between six and ten.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support that we get is great. We have another partner for support, rather than contact Cisco directly.

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

I have been working with similar products from Dell EMC for approximately 15 years. Our most recent Dell product is about five years old. There have been improvements made with some of the newer products that have been released since then.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. We do have experience with Cisco products and also, our setup is not very difficult or complex. It's just a simple setup.

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

I cannot say that the pricing is reasonable because it's a little above our expectations. If we consider the recent price increases, it is not acceptable anymore. They are trying to price us out of our budget.

What other advice do I have?

We want to adopt SD-WAN technology at the switch level. We will be expanding the software-defined capabilities of Cisco equipment to the LAN side of our network. We expect that Cisco will be the primary vendor for the equipment we use to initiate that move. This is not just for the wide-area network, but also the local area network.

In summary, Cisco is a good vendor but they're quite pricey at the moment.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1108698 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Administrator at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Helpful technical support and highly reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Catalyst Switches are highly reliable and stable."
  • "The solution could improve by having a video IP feature."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Cisco Catalyst Switches for corporate and production, such as offices. We have two networks running and the second one is an Everts network and it is more specialized in TV video broadcasting.

How has it helped my organization?

Cisco Catalyst Switches has been very useful in my organization because we do a lot of videos. My company is a TV station. 

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by having a video IP feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for approximately 30 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are highly reliable and stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 500 Cisco Catalyst Switches installed.

How are customer service and support?

The support of Cisco Catalyst Switches is very good.

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

We are a large company and the price is reasonable because we have received a discount. However, the full price is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

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
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Stable legacy switches with increasingly good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "When it comes to Cisco Catalyst Switches, one can say that the legacy switches are stable."
  • "All other modules have comparatively many more functions or power than regular Catalyst switches."

What is most valuable?

When it comes to Cisco Catalyst Switches, one can say that the legacy switches are stable. We have been using them for so long and there are many who feel comfortable with their use. This can vary with the business size, some being entry, medium or enterprise level, which means its use is geared towards every level. 

What needs improvement?

All other modules have comparatively many more functions or power than regular Catalyst switches.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches since the outset, for more than 20 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Being legacy switches, Catalyst switches are stable. We have been using them for many years and there are many who are comfortable with their use. 

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

Nexus, which uses NX-OS, runs on a different operating system than CatOS, which means that the latter tends to run on OS - just like a Cisco router - only with the functioning being a bit different. While NX-OS is very different, even when it comes to the command line, most things are the same. 

However, NX-OS already introduced a different concept, which is more like a carrier level. They have a dedicated command management module. All other modules have comparatively many more functions or power than regular Catalyst switches. 

What other advice do I have?

Catalyst is a legacy system and we are already utilizing the 9000 series, including 9200, 9300 and 9800 for different use scenarios. As Catalyst covers all levels and areas, I cannot think of anything needing improvement. It is getting to be very good, performance-wise, at the moment.

We are talking about a network portion. Catalyst and Nexus switches are all part of the network domain. 

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches as a nine-point-five out of ten, since it is a great, albeit imperfect, product. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Project Manager at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Great equipment with good performance and an excellent warranty
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to implement and quick to deploy."
  • "The technical support, in some cases, should be faster and could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use it to provide a hierarchy in the data center, enterprise solutions, and high availability solutions.

What is most valuable?

The performance of this equipment is much better than other options. The warranty on offer is perfect for me as they attend to issues in a maximum of four hours or within the next business day.

The solution is easy to implement and quick to deploy.

The solution is very stable.

I found the scalability to always be good. 

What needs improvement?

The technical support, in some cases, should be faster and could improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for ten years. It's been a decade. I've dealt with Cisco for a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is 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 potential is very high. I can put many types of equipment on it and the solution will keep in the same level performance. It doesn't dip. 

Currently, we have 1,000 people on the solution. 

I do plan to implement the solution in future projects, as, so far, it has been issue-free and works very well. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support could be a bit more responsive. 

How was the initial setup?

in terms of the initial setup, and how easy or hard it is, it depends on the technical knowledge base and on the person that will be implementing the solution.

I was working with data center providers, and, for us, with our level of knowledge, every time it was very easy to implement this equipment.

The deployment is pretty fast. After a couple of hours, you should have it up and running. We had a big team as well, which helped ensure it didn't take us long.

We have about 15 people at three technical levels that can handle maintenance tasks. 

What about the implementation team?

I implemented the solution myself. I did not need an integrator or consultant to assist. 

What was our ROI?

Likely, after three or so years, you may see an ROI. 

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

The licensing costs vary. If you buy a lot, the costs are lower, however, if you only need a few, the costs are very, very high. 

You can also pay for additional support that guarantees four-hour or next-day resolutions. 

What other advice do I have?

I am a solutions provider. We're consultants and we help other companies implement this solution. 

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. 

I would recommend the solution to other users and organizations. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.