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. 

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.
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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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
NOC Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Real User
Easy to install and setup, but the price needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to use."
  • "The pricing needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Catalyst Switches as access switches, for connecting to what we call the last mile within the office. We connect from the patch panel to the wall jack. 

We use layer three switchings to interconnect between branch sites.

What is most valuable?

It is easy to use. I have only had one course on Cisco Switches.

What needs improvement?

The pricing needs improvement.

Price stops entries in Africa. We are not at that level where IT is considered a very big business enabler.

When I compare with the competition, MikroTik or NETGEAR I can purchase the switch and use it for whatever I want. I don't have to add the license, or the BGP routing license, and an ERGP writing license. Other switches are the providers that work out of the box without additional hidden fees.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches since 2005.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 1,500 end users.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have only ever contacted Cisco support once in the time that I have been using it, but it was not related to the switches. Rather, I contacted them regarding Cisco ISE.

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

We started out with Cisco Linksys in 2006, now we are fully using Catalyst.

How was the initial setup?

It was very easy to install. The last switch I implemented took me 15 minutes to install and set up a complete network.

We have 15 admins to manage this solution

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

We love Cisco, but the price is very prohibitive. We don't require any licensing, we scaled down to 2960.

What other advice do I have?

I would not recommend using this solution in Africa.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a six out of ten.

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.
PeerSpot user
Telecommunication Department Head at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Reasonably priced with good routing capabilities but needs to be more stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The installation process is very straightforward."
  • "We would like the solution to be more stable."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used for getting network switching and routing for the telephone exchange here.

What is most valuable?

The solution is rather inexpensive.

The product has very good routing capabilities.

The installation process is very straightforward.

What needs improvement?

We would like the solution to be more stable.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution's stability is questionable. It's something they could work on. It would be ideal if it had better performance and reliability.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've bever dealt directly with technical support as everything so far has been fine. We haven't had any issues or required any assistance so far.

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

We previously used Huawei switches, however, we do not use them anymore. We have completely moved away from them.

How was the initial setup?

We have found that the installation process isn't overly complex or difficult. It was pretty straightforward and simple for us. We didn't face any complexity issues. 

For every switch, it took a few hours to be adjusted and managed.

We only needed one technical person for deployment and maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

We had a manager that was able to handle the initial setup. We didn't hire any consultants or integrators.

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

We found the product to be reasonably priced. It's not too expensive.

We do not pay a licensing fee to use the product.

What other advice do I have?

We use various versions of the solutions, including versions 12 and 15X.

I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. We're mostly happy with the product.

I'd recommend the solution to other users and companies. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sr. Project Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Reliable, with good virtual LAN, and outstanding support
Pros and Cons
  • "This technology is a completely mature technology and I don't think anything needs to be changed."
  • "Scaling can be quite costly."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for LAN and WAN networking.

We are system integrators, and we provide maintenance services for our clients.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is the Virtual LAN.

This technology is completely mature and I don't think anything needs to be changed.

What needs improvement?

Scaling can be quite costly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for ten years.

We are using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's an extremely stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution, but at a high cost.

Our clients have large-sized companies.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have contacted technical support. The support is excellent and they are efficient.

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

We are using other brands but the volume is very small compared to the Cisco Catalyst Switches.

Cisco has advantages in terms of stability, reliability, and scalability as well.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was complex but has since been simplified.

To deploy with one node can take 10 to 15 minutes.

This solution requires long-term maintenance.

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

The price is in an affordable range and everything is included.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise going with Cisco because they have an outstanding support team.

They can support up to the extent of installation. They have other services as well, such as RMN. 

Your network downtime is minimal, and your business will not suffer in case of any trouble in the network. I would definitely recommend going with Cisco only.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine 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
System Administrator at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
This gives us control of our throughput traffic but it comes with mandatory options that increase cost
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to configure throughput is very flexible and improved the performance of our systems."
  • "The availability of resources for learning about the product and doing evaluation of any issues is excellent."
  • "Cisco forces end-users to accept billing for some capabilities or services that they may not want."

What is our primary use case?

Our installation is totally on-premises. It is a backend solution supporting the entire campus. This is used as a three-tier network for our overall networking. We use it as a call switch at the backend, it is also used in the distribution, and it is used on the server farm switches. We use them for these three different kinds of purposes in the data center at the same time. All these servers can function on the network through these switches.  

How has it helped my organization?

The improvement the product provides to our organization is the backend throughput over all the sites. It can give us about 1.4 TB backend throughput overall. We have variable multi-gate support through the ports. So we can connect on the same switch with the 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, and 100G. In that way, we get multi-port throughput on the same switch. Because of this capability, scalability is not a bottleneck for us now.  

We have used Cisco Catalyst Switches to achieve our goals with stability and blanket level of performance. The documentation and help capabilities provided for users are transparent and widely available. You can find and read about solutions to fix your own issues. Virtually anything you want to study about the product or if you want to verify something, information about it is available and doesn't require calls to support and potential wait times.  

What is most valuable?

The volume possible with the throughput is the feature that is most valuable to us. It helps to get things done. For example, we can program the logic and can get more details through the SDM (Service Desk Management) to deliver a better level of support to users.  

The solution is good but the support from Cisco makes it that much better. Even the task of logging into the system is really good. All those things together boost the end user's confidence in the product and performance.  

What needs improvement?

One thing I think should be improved is that billing should be customizable for end-user. If the customer wants a particular feature or upgrade or does not want the feature or upgrade, it should be their choice. If the user rejects the additional services those should be cut off from the pricing and not forced on the billing. Instead, they just include these things and the end-user has no choice. That is a concern for end-users who are trying to be cost-conscious and know what they need — and what they do not need — in their environment.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the Cisco series since incorporating an older series about six to seven years ago. Right now, we are revamping our architecture with the new series that has the Cisco DNA (Digital Network Architecture). It is the latest solution in the Cisco Catalyst Series. We can use multi-gate ports and 100 GM port gate uplinks with the latest high-availability features along with DNA and deploy the latest technologies.  

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the product is quite good. Cisco is a brand that developed a reputation by taking care of the reliability to perform at least as well as any product on the market. The support level also contributes to that stability. Because they give me all the details, all the documentation, all the product details, and they supply that in a good manner, we can get the things that we need to resolve any issues as soon as possible. They are well aware of the product they deliver and we easily benefit from their knowledge and willingness to help keep our systems running.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

My impression of the scalability is that it is there if you need or want it. But some scalability is also built-in. We are getting the multi-gate switches, and the multi-gate can be scaled. If you have a 10G right now, you can change to 25G later, then 40G even after that. You have opportunities to scale out in different always. In our case, we already knew what we planned to do so we had already thought that through. 

As far as handling a volume of users, all the traffic of our whole organization is going to be passing through these switches. These switches are deployed on the call side, the distribution, and the server farm. Because of the setup, the whole of my data center and any user accessing the system is passing through it. We are a large educational organization and we have between 30,000 to 40,000 users total. On a daily basis, there will be 20,000 users on the system.  

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support from the support team is good. Overall with the availability of documentation and resources, it is great. For me, on a scale of one to ten, it would be between seven to eight.  

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

We did not really use a different system. We were using a Cisco solution already and just upgraded to the newest version of the product so we could have its advantages.  

How was the initial setup?

The setup is not very complex. You will spend more time planning the concept than in installation. We need to migrate the things and the migration is not a complex one. We had some new features to incorporate but this was not hard.  
 
If you include all the testing and the proof of concept, the deployment took around about a month. We just needed to get the things for new features tested and working. We did need some support from the OEM team, but it was not on site.  

For maintenance and management, we did not need anything additional as that was already done by our team. We have about two or three people only. One who sometimes shares some responsibilities, so it is two, only, full-time.  

What about the implementation team?

Because we have a good team in the organization already who were already familiar with the previous equipment and we have good access to support materials use an integrator, we did not need a reseller or a consultant to help with the deployment.  

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

I am not exactly sure of the final cost of the upgrade as we are still just finalizing in terms. The teams have to finalize the pricing and their exact needs. They have not placed the entire order yet. We should have the whole thing completed in one or two months.  

One thing I am sure of is that the pricing is a little higher for the new product on average. 
It is also a little bit higher than its competition. That includes any competition with Cisco in this category of solutions, like Juniper, Dell, or anyone else. But the thing is if the customer wants the kind of reliability, support, and transparency that a solution provides, then they need to pay a premium for it.  

What other advice do I have?

Advice that I would give others who are not using this Cisco solution is that maintenance is not a big deal for Cisco products. They deliver on customer support if it is even necessary at all. The Cisco team is always available to provide you the facts about the root cause of any problem or to answer any question. Because they have an excellent knowledge base, you can even research things and find solutions on your own.  

Whether you need this kind of dependability will have to do with your use case. If you are working on some kind of critical industry or environment, you can trust Cisco to be a reliable solution. But if you do not have very critical operations, you want to review other options. Cisco might be a solution you would pay more for and you do not really need it. If you do not need it, then you can go with another product like Juniper or Dell — or any vendor or solution that can supply the services and capabilities that you actually need. But knowing that depends on evaluating your situation and the reality of what you need to do.  

On a scale from one to ten where one is worst and ten is the best, I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches in terms of technology and all the capabilities as a whole as a seven right now. It is a seven to me just because there are problems that I see. The consideration of the rating is just not about the technical capabilities and documentation which are excellent. The problem is that they charge you for what they have supplied that you wanted as well as what they make it mandatory to buy. In the licensing, they include licensing for architecture, for new parts, for the software design, and for the future scheduled upgrades they have over the term of the contract. All these additional things are bundled in the licensing costs. The end-user can not exclude things from the license when you license the new switch. So even if there are items that you feel are not required for you as an end customer, they go on the billing.  

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
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.

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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Supervisor at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Converged Network Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Helpful support, very reliable, but has an outdated operating system and a weird pricing model
Pros and Cons
  • "It is an infrastructure tool, so it is just providing a backend service. Its most useful feature is that it operates on a regular basis. It is reliable."
  • "Cisco is weird about their pricing models, so that's one problem. Their operating system is also a little outdated."

What is most valuable?

It is an infrastructure tool, so it is just providing a backend service. Its most useful feature is that it operates on a regular basis. It is reliable. 

What needs improvement?

Cisco is weird about their pricing models, so that's one problem. Their operating system is also a little outdated.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this solution on and off for about ten years. We are using the Cisco Catalyst 9000 series.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is generally a very stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is weird in terms of scalability. By the time you get to the point of scaling up any equipment, which it is capable of doing relatively easily, it is usually out of date. You end up having to rip and replace everything anyway. So, technically, it is scalable, but in practicality, it is not.

We're sticking with this one for a while. I am not aware of any plans to increase its usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their tech support has always been very helpful to me. I have no issues there.

How was the initial setup?

If you are trained, it is very straightforward. You have to be skilled in order to get it going. They do provide support for those who don't have these skills.

What about the implementation team?

In terms of maintenance, one person could support a thousand people, but that would be a very busy job. It is better with a team.

What other advice do I have?

The best advice would be to get your training done so that you get a good overview of all the solutions.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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.