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Cyber Security Consultant at Ukroboronprom
Real User
Easy to use with perfect technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The features that I have found most valuable are that it is easy to use and it has good technical support."
  • "It would be good for Cisco to provide certification to our engineers for our IT infrastructure. Basically to train and certify our engineers."

What is our primary use case?

We built all our ground network on Cisco Switches.

What is most valuable?

The features that I have found most valuable are that it is easy to use and it has good technical support.

We cooperate with local Cisco teams here in the Ukraine. They help us to develop our system and support it.

What needs improvement?

It would be good for Cisco to provide certification to our engineers for our IT infrastructure. Basically to train and certify our engineers.

In the next release I would like to see more training and documentations for our engineers.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for about five years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Switches is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Switches are scalable.

We have 300 users using it and 5 guys from the IT department that support our network.

They are basically all engineers and some programmers.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco's technical support is perfect. There is no need to improve anything there.

How was the initial setup?

If we have problems with the setup, we ask the local Cisco team and they help us. We have good cooperation with the local team.

What other advice do I have?

Cisco Switches are very good. They are interoperable with Microsoft solutions, by the way.

On a scale from one to 10, I would rate Cisco Switches about a nine.

I would surely recommend Cisco Switches for other users who want to start using it.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Security Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Can be easily configured and used at data centers and at the enterprise level
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to configure and troubleshoot."
  • "Up to a certain network size, it is easy to scale, but after that, it becomes difficult."

What is most valuable?

I have found the ease of configuration and troubleshooting, compared to those with other solutions, to be the most valuable.

What needs improvement?

The number of bugs that come up on Cisco Ethernet Switches can be reduced, and the stability can be improved, in particular with the recent iOS.

The scalability can be improved as well. Up to a certain network size, it is easy to scale, but after that, it becomes difficult.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for almost 12 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the recent iOS is not good, and every now and then, there are bugs.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is medium, that is, it's neither hard nor easy to scale.

Specifically, it is easy to scale up to a certain network size, but it becomes difficult beyond that.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy, and the whole switching fabric takes a lot less time to configure and be made ready for deployment.

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

The price of this solution is fair.

What other advice do I have?

Cisco Ethernet Switches can be easily used at data centers and also at the enterprise level. However, if you're looking for a solution for a large scale deployment or for a large scale data center, then you should probably consider a different solution.

I would rate Cisco Ethernet Switches at eight on a scale from one to ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network Team Lead at ElSewedy Education
Consultant
Flexible with good configuration capabilities but too expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco as a whole is flexible."
  • "Cisco products are expensive compared to any other solution. Now, there are many competitors that give the same level of services - such as Juniper or Aruba."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for our data center and edge switches. Like a lot of companies, we use (in the data center) core switches on Layer 3, and (on the edge) switches in Layer 2. 

What is most valuable?

Cisco as a whole is flexible. 

The solution can be configured to our specifications.

The solution allows you to monitor CPU utilization and memory usage.

What needs improvement?

You can only configure both switches and routers via the command-line. They should work to take on the newer HP and Aruba approach where you can configure from a URL or command line.

It could be useful if they developed the GUI interface to enable us to configure all features such as VLANs, port assignment, routing, DSP, through the GUI. That would make it easier for beginners. 

Cisco products are expensive compared to any other solution. Now, there are many competitors that give the same level of services - such as Juniper or Aruba.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using this solution for about eight years. It's been a long time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. Cisco offers very reliable products. All of their hardware is quite reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is quite scalable. However, the pricing is a concern. If I need to add switches, I tend to look at cheaper options like Juniper or HP.

In my organization, there were about 150 switches or more. That covered about 4,000 users and covered both wireless and LAN, wired and wireless.

We may not continue to use it, as it is expensive and there are alternatives.

How are customer service and technical support?

There are many vendors in Egypt. Therefore, we can always find someone who can help us with technical support.

On top of that, we've found the website to be quite good in terms of finding documentation to help with troubleshooting.

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

We also use Aruba switches. I've used HP in the past as well.

How was the initial setup?

Depending on the project for configuration, and considering deploying only one switch at a time, it may take about five minutes to handle one switch. Aruba, in contrast, might take ten minutes.  

We had about four people who handled the deployment.

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

The pricing of the solution is quite high. There are lots of comparable products out there that are nowhere near the cost. 

What other advice do I have?

We're just customers and end-users.

We use Cisco switches at Layer 2 and Layer 3.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Cisco to other organizations. After using HP, I found that they had just as good of a product with more features and better pricing.

In general, I would rate this product at a seven 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
reviewer2078835 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Analyst at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5
Reliable and easy to set up with great support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is basically issue-free."
  • "The user interface could be improved."

What is most valuable?

The solution is basically issue-free. They are constantly upgrading their technology.

It's an easy solution to set up. 

Technical support is helpful and responsive. 

It's a stable product. 

What needs improvement?

The user interface could be improved. 

The licensing is too expensive. It's one of the main reasons customers leave Cisco. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Cisco products for more than ten years. I've used the product for a very long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been very good. It's quite reliable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable product. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. It's no problem. 

We've used it in a large company and had no issues. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is the best. Compared to other solutions, like Aruba, Cisco is top-notch. 

Typically, the agents are good and helpful. Sometimes we may run into issues, however, 90% of the time, they are great. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to implement. The process is not overly complex. Technically speaking, it's pretty simple. 

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

The solution is not cheap. Cisco is quite pricey.

What other advice do I have?

We're customers and end-users. 

I'd advise users to try out the product. I've been happy with its capabilities. 

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Responsable Infrastructures, Réseaux & Télécoms at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Customizable interface with good good throughput and the ability to expand
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support has always been helpful."
  • "We'd like the pricing to be lowered."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution in the access layer for connecting EP-phone, PC, and access points. We use Cisco, like 3850, for the aggregation layer, and we use 6500 catalyst switches for the core layer.

What is most valuable?

They have very good throughput and backup for their energy. We find, stock-wise and energy-wise, it's easy to use with the CLA command.  

I can create a lot of interfaces, or SDI interfaces for VLAN and SNMP. I can show it with my SNMP platform. I can gain much access to them. They are really, really, good switches.

The solution is stable.

The scalability has been great.

We find the setup process to be simple. 

Technical support has always been helpful.

What needs improvement?

Stock-wise, the solution can improve.

The patching and updating could be better.

We'd like the pricing to be lowered. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is quite good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the product is great, If a company needs to expand, it can. There is a lot of stacking and cascading that can happen.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support from Cisco has been great. They are helpful and responsive. 

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

We primarily use Cisco in our company.

How was the initial setup?

It's a very easy to deploy product. It's just a question of buying the cable for stacking and getting it done.

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

The pricing of the solution is pretty high.

Compared with other switches, such as Huawei or HPE, it's very, very expensive. ON top of that, the campus network, it's not an area that has a high budget. We have to have work towards minimizing this price.

What other advice do I have?

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

I would recommend the solution to other users and companies. It's great for small to large enterprises. Just the number of ports that we can create makes a difference. We can use a lot of switches with 48 ports. In the smaller cases, we can still use 12 ports. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1767258 - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager at a import and exporter with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Helpful support, reliable, and good feature set
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most valuable aspects of Cisco Ethernet Switches is many engineers can work on the equipment. You can find qualified engineers that can configure Cisco equipment more than any other networking equipment."

    What is our primary use case?

     Cisco Ethernet Switches are used for directing network traffic.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the most valuable aspects of Cisco Ethernet Switches is many engineers can work on the equipment. You can find qualified engineers that can configure Cisco equipment more than any other networking equipment.

    The ease of use and features sets are very good in Cisco Ethernet Switches.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for approximately 20 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability of Cisco Ethernet Switches is very good.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support from Cisco is great. We have trained engineers working and when we need to speak to the technical support of Cisco, it is only because we see there are some errors in the software that we cannot solve ourselves. 

    I would rate the support from Cisco Ethernet Switches a four out of five.

    How was the initial setup?

    The implementation of Cisco Ethernet Switches is a straightforward process.  We're a partner for Cisco via the machine-building program, we integrate ourselves together with those solutions.

    I would rate the implementation process of Cisco Ethernet Switches a four out of five.

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

    They have changed over the years and now you need to purchase a three-year obligatory license and then after three years, you are free to use it or not. The model is a bit difficult for customers. This is why we have been shifting away from Cisco equipment.

    The price of hardware replacements can be expensive.

    I would rate the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches a two out of five.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    When we compare Cisco Ethernet Switches to other solutions it comes down to what you need to purchase besides the hardware. Cisco Ethernet Switches' main issue is not with the hardware, but with the software and support that might not be needed.

    What other advice do I have?

    My advice to others looking to purchases Cisco Ethernet Switches is you pay perhaps a little bit more on the equipment, but there are available engineers to help with the programming, set up, and implementation of the switches. This makes it worthwhile to choose Cisco. If you perhaps have cheap equipment, but if you don't have the people that know how to configure it, do troubleshooting, or analysis, you cannot move forward. 

    The equipment might be more expensive, but when you take total ownership of the configuration, maintenance, and analysis, then it's a large benefit. Sometimes customers see only the first cost of the switches and don't look any further. This is a weak point of Cisco.

    I rate Cisco Ethernet Switches an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Consultant - Smart Buildings at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
    Reseller
    High reliability and super stable for a wide range of use cases
    Pros and Cons
    • "The features that I have found most valuable are the core reliability and the switching group. All the features are very generic switching features with high reliability. That is the main key point I can highlight."
    • "An improvement would be to change their market intention. Almost all the Cisco switches are now coming with a license called DNA. D for Delta, N for number and A for apple. That feature is required, he must purchase it and it is a mandatory thing that has been introduced. This is not matching with the Asian market."

    What is our primary use case?

    The use cases that we have delivered to our customers include for hotel enterprises, government organizations, even military locations. This includes access switches and also distribution switches - perhaps for some organizations in call and data centers, as well.

    What is most valuable?

    The features that I have found most valuable are the core reliability and the switching group. All the features are very generic switching features with high reliability. That is the main key point I can highlight.

    What needs improvement?

    Feature-wise, almost all the features are there, but an improvement would be to change their market intention. Almost all the Cisco switches are now coming with a license called DNA. D for Delta, N for number and A for apple. That feature is required, he must purchase it and it is a mandatory thing that has been introduced. This is not matching with the Asian market, because let's say you are purchasing a vehicle and you don't want to have a reverse camera, right? But if the manufacturer is forced, fully telling you that you definitely should buy it, this is not fair in that way. DNA licenses, in most cases, are not required, but it should be told to the customers and added to the quotation, because we cannot remove it. This is not matching or suitable for the Asian market. It is not a requirement of the customer and it is forcefully added by the vendor. It's just a license, which you have to purchase for one year or three years, and it will never be used in some cases. In some cases, some specific customers may require that there should be the option to add it. But if it is not required by the customer, it should be optional.

    In terms of what I would like to see in the next release, it would be good if they could introduce a switch which can work on cloud and on a local deployment. Maybe the same switch will work. Because some switches are only working alone with local deployments, and some switches are working with cloud based environments. So if the same switch could work on both cloud and from its node, that will be great.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for probably six to seven years.

    I'm an integrator. We are using the latest version. I'm doing the designing and selling. I'm selling the latest version of these switches.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Cisco Ethernet Switches have the best stability.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability in the sense varies with switching. Some switches are fixed, which we cannot expand with the design, but some switches are those you can expand. It's basically the design. So scalability is good.

    How are customer service and support?

    They have great, great technical support from 100 miles to 200 miles.

    How was the initial setup?

    Initial setup is straightforward to complete. It is very user friendly for the engineer to configure the deploy.

    Implementation time depends, but in general, if it is a basic pre-plan implementation, it'll take only a few hours to configure and complete the installation. Maybe one or two hours, also we can complete it if it is a pre-plan, simple deployment. If it is a complex kind of networking fast structure, it'll depend on the solution and the configuration.

    It also depends on the solution. If it is one switch, just one one engineer can deploy it. If it is two switches, also one engineer can, but if it is a complex network, it depends on how many switches and how complex it is. Basically, for switch one you can put only one engineer and that also can be done using a technician level person and by remote logging or you can manage it with over the phone instruction.

    What other advice do I have?

    Cisco is the leader of networking and I would recommend it for anyone.

    On a scale of one to ten, I would give Cisco Ethernet Switches a 10.

    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
    reviewer1693239 - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT support network at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Good features, performance, and reliability
    Pros and Cons
    • "Its performance and reliability are valuable."
    • "Its management should be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    I am using it for core data infrastructure. I am using model 9600. 

    What is most valuable?

    Its performance and reliability are valuable.

    What needs improvement?

    Its management should be improved. 

    It is not easy to scale.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is not easy to scale. We have between 1,000 to 2,000 users.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have not interacted with them. We have a contractor for support.

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

    We also have Surecom and NETGEAR, but Cisco comes under a different class. They differ in price. Cisco is the best for our company. 

    How was the initial setup?

    Its initial setup is simple. The deployment duration can take 10 to 30 minutes depending on the model.

    What about the implementation team?

    We deployed it internally.

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

    It is expensive. There are additional costs besides the license cost.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend it for its features and reliability. I would rate it an eight out of 10.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
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    Download our free Cisco Ethernet Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: June 2025
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    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Cisco Ethernet Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.