We use Cisco Catalyst Switches for the office network.
Senior Executive at a leisure / travel company with 201-500 employees
Reliable, has good support, is easy to install, and is well-integrated
Pros and Cons
- "It can be expanded."
- "While it is scalable, it could be better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It can be expanded.
The integration is quite easy.
What needs improvement?
While it is scalable, it could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than two years.
We are using the latest version.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. We have not had any stability issues with Cisco Catalyst Switches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Catalyst Switches is a scalable product.
We have 450 people in our organization who use this solution.
We have no plans to increase usage at this time.
How are customer service and support?
We don't have any issues with technical support.
When we report a problem, we receive the assistance we require.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use ATI.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is quite straightforward.
The configuration is easy.
The installation took less than an hour.
What about the implementation team?
You can do the installation yourself.
This solution is being maintained by a team of three people.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing, and maintenance fees are paid on a yearly basis.
You can also choose between a three-year and a five-year licensing fee.
When you select the longest subscription period, you will receive a discount.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to configure, scalable, and stable
Pros and Cons
- "We find the product very easy to configure."
- "The solution is expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for our server. It's a network solution as well.
What is most valuable?
It's a very popular solution.
We find the product very easy to configure.
The stability is very good.
The product can scale quite well.
What needs improvement?
Cisco is basically the number one switch in the market. It makes it hard for other options to compete.
The solution is expensive. Sometimes we will choose some cheaper options even though they are not as stable as Cisco's offering. However, if it is a small project, it may not be worth paying Cisco prices to get it done.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for two or three years at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found the solution to be very stable. The performance is good. It doesn't crash or freeze. it's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has been excellent. A company shouldn't have any issues with expanding it if they need to.
We have three to five people that directly work with this product.
We already use so many Catalyst switches. I'm not sure if we intend to add any more.
How are customer service and support?
We don't really need any support as we have a network engineer on staff that can help us troubleshoot if we have issues.
How was the initial setup?
I can't speak to the initial setup. In terms of the installation process, we have a network engineer that will help us to install the switches when we need them.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive. There are other cheaper switches on the market. However, they may not necessarily be as stable as this option.
When you buy the Cisco, the price already includes a software license.
What other advice do I have?
I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using. It might be the latest.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. I've been pleased with its capabilities overall.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network and Security Engineer at a government with 501-1,000 employees
Stable, easy to use, and familiar to local engineers
Pros and Cons
- "Catalyst switches are highly stable and easy to use. It's a technology well known by most engineers."
- "It is kind of expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We are using the Catalyst 9200 series as a network switch and the 9500 as a core switch. We sometimes use a 9300 for the distribution switch.
What is most valuable?
Catalyst switches are highly stable and easy to use. It's a technology well known by most engineers.
For how long have I used the solution?
We are an enterprise end-user. We also consult for other government entities and recommend using certain technologies to them. I've been working at this business and using Catalyst Switches for a year now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Catalyst switches are highly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I'm satisfied with support from Cisco and the vendor as well as their partners here in Egypt.
How was the initial setup?
It is a straightforward installation. You don't need anyone to install Catalyst Switches for you. You just add it to your network and then do the installation and configuration as well as the pre-setup preparations. It doesn't take a lot of time. You take the switch from the box and put it in the network, then configure it directly. The switch will only take about 30 minutes to configure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco licenses are yearly. A single 9000 series Catalyst switch is about 75,000 Egyptian pounds. It is kind of expensive. But compared to other switches, it will save you in the long run. You need to hire specialized engineers who know how to operate those devices, and some of them are rarer in Egypt, like FortiSwitch or HPE Switch. Most engineers know how to use Cisco Catalyst. You would need to hire a specialist engineer and train them, and that will cost money. There are other cheaper technologies, but for Cisco, the price is expected.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches 10 out of 10. I would recommend it. This is a leading technology, and the price is reasonable, especially the Catalyst switches I mentioned. Other types of Catalyst switches are more expensive, but the ones we use are more affordable.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Works at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "Catalyst Switches perform very well, and the network is stable."
- "If we have a major problem, fixing it takes two or three days and six to eight engineers from Cisco. When they escalate a ticket, it goes through too many levels. Every time the issue is passed along to a new person at Cisco support, they ask the same questions repeatedly."
What is our primary use case?
I use Catalyst Switches in the lines of our local networks. We also use ASR routers from Cisco in one. We have other branches and about 20 or 30 buildings. It's a very large network.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Cisco Catalyst are the DHCP features that I use in our routers and the PfR connections. Someone said a long time ago that he who buys Cisco is never fired. They have good solutions.
What needs improvement?
At present, we are adopting many cloud solutions. We are connected to several cloud platforms and do a lot of business in the cloud. So I think that in general, we don't need many features at the moment unless we want to create some applications on the cloud. But that's not the case right now. We are thinking of moving all the people from these 20 buildings to one building. So with all of them in the same building, we'll need to design a new architecture. We have the ACI in our data centers, so we must see how all of this works. We don't know if we'll go to SD-LAN too. So I don't know if we'll use Catalyst or another solution—a solution with ACI, SD-WAN, or SD-LAN. At this moment, I can't say because we are starting to think about this new design.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Catalyst Switches for about 25 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Catalyst Switches perform very well, and the network is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Catalyst Switches are scalable.
How are customer service and support?
If we have a major problem, fixing it takes two or three days and six to eight engineers from Cisco. When they escalate a ticket, it goes through too many levels. Every time the issue is passed along to a new person at Cisco support, they ask the same questions repeatedly. However, if we have a problem that requires a quick fix, Cisco support can handle it in one or two hours. But if we need two or three guys from them, it gets complicated. I don't know if the problem is, but it seems like they spend too much time analyzing the problem and passing it along to other people. Other vendors like Palo Alto and Aruba resolve problems more quickly.
How was the initial setup?
Having worked with Cisco for at least 25 years, I think it's easy, but I don't know if someone with less experience would say the same. It's easy because it's very fast. We have some labs where we implement things, and then it's mostly copy-paste — copy the configuration and paste into a new suite. So it's not difficult. Catalyst Switches don't require much maintenance. Sometimes we have problems in our network, but mostly they're not actually problems with the network itself. The business thinks that the problems are in the network, so we must call Cisco to help us prove that we don't have a problem. We can prove that, but if the data service is from Cisco, it's better. All of them. We have about seven or eight people in my company working directly with the Catalyst Switches.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Catalyst Switches are costly. When I started working with them 25 years ago, prices were a problem too. In my opinion, they are good, of course, and they are the answer to all of our questions. I can say that.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Catalyst Switches nine out of 10. I would recommend them to others. I don't know when they will design a new edition of the bigger switches. Because if you have a branch, for instance, you a small Catalyst. You don't need a large Catalyst. But whether it's a small or big installation, I recommend Catalyst.
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.
Account Manager at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Highly stable, great software and hardware integration, and helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The Cisco software ties all the hardware together better than the competition."
- "Cisco Catalyst Switches do not have an open architecture and you have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them."
What is our primary use case?
We have customers that use Cisco Catalyst Switches for SMB, enterprises, schools, colleges, and universities. We have worked with almost everything except the federal government.
What is most valuable?
The Cisco software ties all the hardware together better than the competition. Cisco used to license their IOS software to HPE for their own switches, which were decent switches as well. HPE has been through a bunch of different changes over the years and now has Aruba switches. 3Com was part of HP for a while and the ProCurve was the original HP switch that I remember.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Catalyst Switches do not have an open architecture and you have to buy into the Cisco architecture to be able to use them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for approximately 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is extremely stable and reliable, this has been proven from many years of use.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Catalyst Switches can be used in any sized company. We have customers in small to enterprise companies, with our largest being General Reinsurance. Multi-national companies would benefit the most from the use of Cisco switches. This is why the international community likes this solution because it can be used anywhere in the world.
How are customer service and technical support?
The paid technical support is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used many other switches, such as HPE, Juniper, and Aruba.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is a definite effort to get everything set up and working correctly. They do not work out of the box. However, these days they have improved a lot and the new Cisco solutions today would be much easier to put together than the ones in the past.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of Cisco switches is a little more expensive than the competition. However, as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for." If you want a reliable solution and other benefits, Cisco Catalyst Switches are worth the money.
There are additional costs for support.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others looking to implement this solution would be to work with a reseller, such as us, that has a good history of working with Cisco and can give the customer a good short and long-term plan.
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. Reseller
NOC Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Support Engineer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to set up with good support and excellent stability
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use."
- "The price of the product is very expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for ethernet WAN connectivity, LAN connectivity, wireless, then integration with other third-party solutions. That's all we use it for, for the most part.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use.
It is very stable and the performance has been very reliable.
The installation process is fairly straightforward.
Technical support has been helpful.
What needs improvement?
The solution should work to become more scalable.
The price of the product is very expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for a long time. It's likely been 15 years or more. It's well over a decade at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good. The performance is great. It doesn't crash or freeze and there are no bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable enough. It could be better.
We have around 2,000 users on the switches currently.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been good overall. We've been in touch in the past. They were helpful and responsive and we've been satisfied with them in general.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not previously use a different solution. We've been using Cisco switches for a very long time.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. If I need to do a new deployment, for example, we just go to the store, get a new one, and install it. We have 40 right now. The installation is very easy.
Due to the fact that we have another of the Cisco products in our environment, Cisco Prime, it helps to deploy switches faster. It's very easy. It doesn't take much time to deploy.
We have five engineers that are able to handle any deployment or maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
I was able to handle the implementation process myself. I did not need the assistance of an integrator or consultant.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do find the cost to be quite high. They should work to lower it if possible.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product itself at a nine out of ten. It's been very good so far and we are satisfied with its capabilities. The cost is quite high, however.
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.
Network System Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Great technical support with very good scalability capabilities and good stability overall
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is always very helpful and fast to respond."
- "The product should work on its pricepoints. It's an expensive solution."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for its switches. It's very similar to Dell or HPE - only much stronger.
What is most valuable?
The product is very strong. It's much stronger than other options on the market, for example, Dell and HPE.
The software is excellent.
Overall, the solution works very well and we don't have any real complaints in terms of its capabilities.
The product has been very stable and extremely reliable over the years.
You can scale the product quite well.
Technical support is always very helpful and fast to respond.
The stability has been great over the years.
What needs improvement?
The product should work on its pricepoints. It's an expensive solution. It's the main complaint I hear from people.
For how long have I used the solution?
At this point, I've been working with the solution for seven or eight years. It's been quite a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. We've been happy with its performance and its stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale very well. When it comes to doing something like stacking - for example, stacking switches, of course, it is very simple to accomplish. It's very easy to stack two or more switches in order to expand the solution out. A company shouldn't have any issues with doing so.
We have a client that has 800 users and up on the solution.
We do plan to continue to use the solution into the future.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technial support responds quickly. They're very good at being timely. They also have a very good forum where you can ask your questions if you want to.
Overall, it's very easy to get in touch with them and to find the answers you need to resolve issues. We're quite satisfied with eh level of support they provide to us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Veeam Backup and Replication High-Rated Course
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not too complex. It's pretty straightforward. For setting up the access layer, it takes about half an hour, which isn't that long. However, for the correlator - and that includes designing and drawing the map of the network and tasks such as that, it takes a few days.
What about the implementation team?
We're actually consulting and doing a project for a state company in Tehran, for more than 800 switches. We can assist clients in the implementation process if they would like s to.
What was our ROI?
Veeam Backup and Replication High-Rated Course
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is quite expensive. There are less expensive options on the market. The pricing can be a pain point for some companies.
What other advice do I have?
I work often with the 3,000 and 4,000 series versions. It's not necessarily the latest version all the time.
I'd recommend this solution to other organizations.
Overall, we've been quite satisfied with their level of service. I would rate them ten out of ten. They've worked perfectly over the years.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2025
Popular Comparisons
Aruba Switches
NETGEAR Switches
MikroTik Routers and Switches
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches
D-Link Ethernet Switches
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access
Arista Networks Platform
TP-Link Omada Switches
Meraki MS Switches
Huawei Ethernet Switches
Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches
HPE Ethernet Switches
H3C Ethernet Switches
Cisco Nexus
NVIDIA Mellanox
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
- Is it necessary to stack power cables while stacking switches in Cisco Catalyst 9300 into HA mode?
- Cisco Catalyst Switch 3560 is not working - looking for advice
- Juniper vs Cisco ethernet switches: Which one is better?
- When evaluating Ethernet Switches, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- Which Ethernet switch do you use? Why?
- What are your recommended Layer 2 and Layer 3 network switches if the main consideration is performance?
- Does anyone have statistics on how often a fire occurs in a computer room?
- Why does Cisco dominate the ethernet switching market?
- Juniper EX4600 vs. Cisco 3850
















