Student at a educational organization with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 5
Stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that we create a network as a villain."
  • "The technical support has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Ethernet Switches in our data center.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that we create a network as a villain. For some time, we use a port channel and sometimes, the Spanning Tree Protocol for requests. We search for the user's Cisco Internet switches for small packets.

What needs improvement?

The technical support has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for six years.

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Cisco Ethernet Switches
April 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The Cisco Ethernet Switches are very stable and a leader in the market.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable and we have the ability to upgrade our appliances without impacting our services.

How are customer service and support?

The Cisco technical support is good but when compared to other products such as McAfee and Palo Alto they have room for improvement.

How was the initial setup?

For Cisco Catalyst switches, the initial setup was usually automated for large-scale deployments such as Azure, which worked well. However, for newer technologies such as Cisco ACI, the initial setup can be challenging. Once the primary phase is completed, however, the efficiency of the operation requires less support.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution 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
IT Technical Support Manager at kiriazi
Real User
Stable ethernet switches
Pros and Cons
  • "I'm satisfied with Cisco switches. It's stable and beautiful."
  • "Technical support could be better. Firmware upgrades should be better. We have an issue with upgrading the firmware. It's not upgradable. I think it should be easy to improve and upgrade the firmware."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Ethernet Switches for our data center, management center, and at our headquarters.

What is most valuable?

I'm satisfied with Cisco switches. It's stable and beautiful. 

What needs improvement?

Technical support could be better. Firmware upgrades should be better. We have an issue with upgrading the firmware. It's not upgradable. I think it should be easy to improve and upgrade the firmware.

Some of the powerboards could be better. I have about six models or six spots with Model 3550, and all of them have a defect in the powerboards.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for many years. I have many models, and some models are older than 20 years. They have worked up to now, and we have used the newest versions for about five years.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support could be better. I think they take some long time to exchange a switch or replace it.

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

It's a little expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would tell potential users that they should use it if it's within their budget.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco Ethernet Switches a nine.

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
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,246 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Enterprise and Security Manager at University of Fort Hare
Real User
Impressive after-sales support, stable, and scales well as our needs evolve
Pros and Cons
  • "I like their after-sales support more than anything because it's very good."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our datacenter is built using Cisco switches. We use Cisco products for wireless access, routing, and switching.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Cisco switches have helped our organization through good connectivity speeds and stability. In particular, it has improved our wireless capabilities.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature is the after-sales support. I like their after-sales support more than anything because it's very good.

    The sales experience was good because we deal with Cisco directly and then buy through the partners. It means that we developed a close relationship with Cisco in the process.

    Cisco has been adding things on top of their devices, like DNA, which makes managing them very easy.

    What needs improvement?

    For people who are new, the interface can be confusing. For me, however, I don't think that there's anything that can be simplified because I'm used to the command line and the old way of working with Cisco switches. I find them simple.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for between 15 and 16 years, since 2004.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    This is a very stable product that we have barely had issues with.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    This is a very scalable solution. When we started, we didn't have enough switches and other equipment. One of the beauties is that when we add new technologies or buy new switches, it scales.

    We are in a university setting and there are new students every year, so we always have to connect more people to our network. It is definitely scalable and we plan to increase our usage in the future.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    The technical support is very good.

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

    I have worked with products from Juniper, HP, and many other vendors that have switching products. Cisco is the best, not necessarily the team, but the after-sale support.

    In some places I have been, they were using other brands. Based on their experience after I introduced them to Cisco, they stuck with it because of the support.

    How was the initial setup?

    I completed the Cisco training in 2008 and from there, the initial setup was simple.

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

    Cisco products are not cheap, which is something that can be improved.

    What other advice do I have?

    There used to be a problem with programmability, but with the release of the new switches, I don't think that there's anything that needs to be added.

    I would recommend them any day.

    My advice for anybody who is considering this type of product is that when you buy a Cisco device, you don't just buy the device but the whole organization. Cisco will get people to assist you when you've got an issue, and they will make sure that you get that support. They have the best after-sales support that I have ever worked with.

    I would rate this solution a ten 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
    IT Manager at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Stable infrastructure components that scale with our needs
    Pros and Cons
    • "As I am Cisco certified, I like the way that I can program them."
    • "Better manageability and ease of use would be an improvement."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Cisco Ethernet Switches as part of our network infrastructure at two different sites.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Cisco switches has helped provide efficient and stable switching in the organization. Once configured and setup right they work fine without any worries and has helped free up resources to concentrate on other tasks. 

    What is most valuable?

    I love the fact that they can be configured to do exactly what you need them to do, which in my opinion is what anyone with Cisco experience would enjoy doing. They can be set up and configured nicely.

    What needs improvement?

    Ease of configuration for none cisco experts would be an improvement.

    Pricing can also do with some improvement to make it more competitive with competitor products with similar functionality.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using cisco switches for over ten years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    This is a stable product.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Cisco switches are scalable. I manage two large sites and at the first site, we have about 200 people. The second site has about 300 people. We do not have any plan to expand, per se. I do have plans to upgrade the switches and probably redesign the environment for better efficiency. 

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Cisco has a good technical support and I love they way the come in to help when you are doing a research on their site. I have not had any serious need for cisco technical support and so I would not be in the best position to give a conclusive evaluation of this but I must say they do a good job with their certifications so people would need very little of such services.  For a few minor challenges I was also able to get answers from the cisco forums. There is a pretty good database online for any conceivable problems one would face with the cisco switches.

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

    We did not use a different solution prior to this, although we are going to be buying a few Meraki switches that we will add to our environment. We are going to test them to see how well they work with Cisco.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial set was complex. When I came into the project, the features were just put in with no consideration, whatsoever. This meant that I had to start from scratch to design the network, draw up the configurations and setup vlans to easily manage the network.

    What about the implementation team?

    It was implemented in-house.

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

    The price of the product is on the higher side, I feel you pay for the  name of the product as well but it's still manageable for corporate customers. Licensing is simple and straight forward which is something going well for cisco switches.

    What other advice do I have?

    My advice is that if you are going to be implementing Cisco then you should at least have someone in the organization who is knowledgeable and can manage the features. The alternative is to use Meraki because they are easier to manage.

    We have some pretty old switches in our environment and some of them are only 100 megabits. I would like to upgrade them all to at least one-gigabit.

    Some of our uplinks are on ethernet, but I want to upgrade them to fiber to improve the performance.

    I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    ICT Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Good user interface and security but costs too much
    Pros and Cons
    • "The quality of service is one of the main reasons we use Cisco in our organization. It's quite high and very reliable. The switches also end up working for a long time, so there's less need to replace them as often as others. We have some switches in our company that has been running since 2006, for example. They are quite old, but they still work."
    • "The cost is very prohibitive both for us as well as other organizations. It's very expensive to buy Cisco switches. Among our colleagues, we find that we're not alone in thinking it's too high. Everyone's complaining about this."

    What is our primary use case?

    We have a few different buildings within our premises, and we typically use the Cisco switches as the core backbone of our LAN. They are connected with fiber. We use them for our network to handle security and connectivity mainly.

    Our core business is to sell beverages, so we're not your typical telecom or banking institution that would be a typical Cisco client.

    What is most valuable?

    The quality of service is one of the main reasons we use Cisco in our organization. It's quite high and very reliable. The switches also end up working for a long time, so there's less need to replace them as often as others. We have some switches in our company that have been running since 2006, for example. They are quite old, but they still work.

    The security and the user interface are both good. Mainly, I end up using the command lines, but it's okay for me and the way I work. It's my preference, although it's not ideal for everyone.

    There are quite a few features that Cisco offers, but for our business, it's not really necessary. If you are a telecom or a banking institution, you would probably find them to be quite useful.

    What needs improvement?

    The cost is very prohibitive both for us as well as other organizations. It's very expensive to buy Cisco switches. Among our colleagues, we find that we're not alone in thinking it's too high. Everyone's complaining about this. 

    We have many switches that we've used sine 2006 and that are on the old OS, but we don't want to switch them out because the cost to do so would be quite high.

    The graphical user interface could be a bit better. When we have new employees, we want them to onboard quickly and to be able to understand the switches. Having a better graphical interface would help us do that and help them understand the switches faster. While I prefer command line, many are not good with it or do not prefer that method.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using the solution since 2006. It's been more than ten years, so we're quite well versed in the technology.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is quite stable. Cisco is a brand that's known for its stability. Our switches have worked for well over 10 years in some cases, without fail.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We never really directly deal with Cisco, so I can't speak to how well they are from a customer service perspective.

    How was the initial setup?

    We moved from a different type of switch originally. We found switching over was quite straightforward and didn't run into any difficulties. However, now our office and our infrastructure are much more complex, so there is a bit of a learning curve. Companies with complex infrastructures will find that there will be complexity in the setup. They'll have to sort through that when they get started.

    Originally, when our offices were smaller and more straightforward, deployment didn't take to much time. We handled it over a weekend, from Friday to Sunday or Monday. However, at the time, we weren't yet doing segmentation traffic.

    What about the implementation team?

    We had a consultant in Belgium who came in over the weekend to help us with the process when we originally set up the switches. Normally we work within our own team and have our own in-house workers that handle the configuration.

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

    I don't handle the licensing aspect of the solution, so I can't speak to the exact pricing. However, I am aware it's one of the more expensive options on the market. The last time I bought a 24-port switch, which was a while ago, I paid about five or six thousand Euros. In this part of the world, that's quite expensive for us.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I did compare Cisco to Ubiquiti. I was doing this research for a friend who was trying to open a resort but had limited funding. He didn't want to deal with Cisco as he knew the pricing would be out of his budget, so he asked me to look into another option. He asked that I look at Ubiquiti. For him, Ubiquiti ended up being a good option and was quite affordable. I believe you can also use Ubiquiti at an enterprise level as well. 

    What other advice do I have?

    We mainly work with Cisco ethernet switches at our organization.

    Aside from the cost, the Cisco switches are quite stable and easy to use. 

    If you have the money as an organization, I would highly recommend Cisco.

    We are just a customer of Cisco. We don't have a special relationship with the company in any way shape or form.

    I would rate the solution 8.5 out of ten. I would rate it higher, but the price is too high, in my opinion. It's quite good for me in terms of the usage I get out of it, but I find that I don't use other features that Cisco offers now.

    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
    PeerSpot user
    Supervisor of IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
    Reseller
    Top 5Leaderboard
    Has impressive reliability, I have not experienced a failure
    Pros and Cons
    • "Cisco Ethernet Switches have great enterprise features like Cisco DNA Assurance. Cisco DNA Assurance features advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning. Cisco AI Network Analytics, a capability within Cisco DNA Assurance, allows easy management of all devices and services, prioritizes and resolves network issues, and ensures a better user experience across the network."
    • "The typical areas of concern for Cisco Ethernet Switches are not technical but cost including support costs. I’ve never liked the fact that end users cannot download security patches without a support contract. I’ve had trouble getting approval to renew Cisco support contracts due to the cost."

    What is our primary use case?

    Cisco Ethernet Switches are the product line I have the most experience with and have been my go-to solution for many years with mid to large organizations over the years. They are still top contenders for environments that need layer 3 functionality in a switch. They have a product line that covers the entire spectrum of switching technology from the high-end Nexus products through the traditional enterprise catalyst models and all the way down to the small business solutions. They seem to have the market covered with a solution to meet any IT shop's needs.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Cisco switches provide layer 3 functionality on the network taking that load off the security appliance and not requiring a router on the network. This prevents single points of failure for internal data routing and keeps internal routes off the security appliance workload. The CLI is the industry standard and most network professionals learn it and can use it.

    The reliability of Cisco Ethernet Switches is amazingly impressive. Maybe I’m lucky but I have not experienced a Cisco Ethernet Switch fail unless caused by a power event such as lightning. I highly recommend connecting switches via fiber-optic connections due to the lack of electrical conductivity. I learned this the hard way when a building with the electrical systems not properly grounded caused a cascade of switch failures during a lightning storm.

    What is most valuable?

    The CLI is very valuable as it allows network professionals to work fast and customize the configuration however they need.

    Cisco Ethernet Switches have great enterprise features like Cisco DNA Assurance. Cisco DNA Assurance features advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning. Cisco AI Network Analytics, a capability within Cisco DNA Assurance, allows easy management of all devices and services, prioritizes and resolves network issues, and ensures a better user experience across the network.

    Also, appreciate the industrial line of switches for SCADA or other environments where switches are placed in unconditioned space and the temperatures fluctuate a lot during the seasons.                        

    What needs improvement?

    The typical areas of concern for Cisco Ethernet Switches are not technical but cost including support costs. I’ve never liked the fact that end users cannot download security patches without a support contract. I’ve had trouble getting approval to renew Cisco support contracts due to the cost.

    The additional charges for the DNA capabilities of the switches further prices the switches are out of contention for a lot of IT shops. I understand the development of this technology is expensive but costs are sometimes borderline ridiculous.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have 28 years of experience with Cisco switches.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Cisco Ethernet Switches are some of the most rock-solid hardware I’ve had the pleasure of using.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Cisco Ethernet Switches are extremely scalable and have the broadest line of solutions in the market.

    How are customer service and support?

    Cisco's technical support has deteriorated over the years. They have call centers all over the world and sometimes the techs experience levels seem to vary. This seems to be the industry standard though in my experience.

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

    I have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches my entire career. I really like them but they are not always cost-effective.

    How was the initial setup?

    If you know the CLI interface the setup is straightforward. If not you are in for a bumpy ride.

    What about the implementation team?

    We deploy with in-house talent.

    What was our ROI?

    ROI is longer than other solutions in the enterprise space but comparable in the small business area of Cisco’s product lines.

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

    Find a Cisco partner that has a lot of volume and pressure them for a better price. There is a lot of markup on the higher end devices. Plan for support contract expenses for the life of the device. Also check the EOL details prior to purchase so you don’t purchase an older device that will not get the years of software updates and security patches you need. EOL dates are starting to decrease in length.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We compared it to Meraki if cloud management would be helpful. Cisco has more recently started to offer Meraki dashboard management for traditional Cisco switches.

    What other advice do I have?

    You will not be disappointed with a Cisco solution from a technical perspective. Learn the OS via CLI and you will always have job security too.

    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.
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    PeerSpot user
    First Assistant Vice President at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    A good range of products, feature-rich, and straightforward to set up
    Pros and Cons
      • "The local support resources for Cisco in Bangledesh are very poor and should be increased."

      What is our primary use case?

      We are a financial institution and we use Cisco Ethernet Switches as part of our network infrastructure.

      What is most valuable?

      The Cisco product range is quite good and they have a lot of features available.

      What needs improvement?

      For each of the features that I want to use on a Cisco device, we have to purchase a license. For example, if we want the security features then we have to purchase that in another bundle. The price becomes more expensive than products from Juniper.

      The local support resources for Cisco in Bangledesh are very poor and should be increased.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      We have been using Cisco Ethernet Switches for approximately three years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      Cisco products are stable.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Cisco Ethernet switches are scalable. We have approximately 1,500 people using them in the company. We have a plan to increase our usage of Cisco by implementing an SD-WAN.

      How are customer service and support?

      Cisco technical support on the backend, from the OEM, is very good. They are very experienced. However, the local partner and technical support in Bangledesh need to be improved.

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

      Currently, I am also using a Juniper product. The split between Cisco and Juniper devices is approximately 50/50.

      We are switching to Juniper because they are more cost-effective.

      One of the reasons that we still have Cisco devices is that they have offerings that are not available from Juniper. Juniper is good, but they only have routing and switching products, whereas Cisco has products such as Cisco ASA that we use. In that regard, Cisco can provide more value-added.

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup is really straightforward.

      Our deployment took quite a long time. It was between three and six months.

      We have six people in our network team and they are in charge of maintenance.

      What about the implementation team?

      Our local Cisco partner assisted us with the implementation and deployment.

      The technical person from the local partner was not as skilled as we expected, which is something that should be improved.

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

      This is quite an expensive product.

      We do not pay on a monthly basis. The fees are included when you purchase the device.

      When we want an extra feature then we need to purchase another license bundle.

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      We are looking to gain some experience in using Mikrotik routers and switches.

      What other advice do I have?

      I would rate this solution 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
      CGO at TMS Consulting Inc
      Real User
      Easy to manage and configure with the capability to scale
      Pros and Cons
      • "The most valuable aspect of the solution is the ability to manage the switches and the ability to have a certain level of familiarity with setting up and configuring the switches."
      • "One thing we did have to work around is, on the broadcast side, we're reliant on the PTP protocol, precision time protocol, and the Cisco switches in general, don't support that."

      What is our primary use case?

      We're primarily using the solution for Jim basically the whole IT infrastructure, including the broadcast facility on the management side. It uses Cisco switches, which we spread out with the 9500 Series as sort of the main switches. We also use 93180s to create the backbone or spine of our setup.

      What is most valuable?

      The most valuable aspect of the solution is the ability to manage the switches and the ability to have a certain level of familiarity with setting up and configuring the switches. You can link them together and manage them as one single switch.

      What needs improvement?

      The biggest pain point we had was getting the switches delivered. However, that likely was due to COVID and everything else. I don't think it's a Cisco issue. It's just a supplier issue, as they seem to have a hard time getting deliveries in order.

      One thing we did have to work around is, on the broadcast side, we're reliant on the PTP protocol, precision time protocol, and the Cisco switches in general, don't support that. Some do, however, the majority of ones we're using did not. We worked around it, however, that would be one area for us that would have been simply solved with more capabilities for PTP on Cisco's end.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I've dealt with the solution for a long time, however, my most recent project has just been over the last six or so months.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      The solution has been absolutely fine so far and I have yet to run into any scalability issues just yet. A company should be able to expand if they need to.

      We have about 100 people using the product at any given time.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      I don't really have direct knowledge of technical support, however, I haven't heard anybody mention anything about reaching out to Cisco. They tend to work through their vendor CDW. I'm sure they have some support agreement with Cisco, although I'm really not the person that would be able to answer that. In general, I can't speak to Cisco's support as I've never had reason to reach out to them.

      How was the initial setup?

      I wasn't directly involved with the configuration, however, it seemed that the main problem we had was just nailing down the requirements. The way I've worked here is there's a central IT department for the company. They're remotely configuring it. There just was a lot of confusion about specific requirements getting imported. Once those were clarified, then there was no problem setting it up. 

      I don't think it's a Cisco issue. It's really an internal management issue in this company. The tools were there and once we nailed down the requirements and we understood them, then it seemed to work just fine. We haven't had any problems since then.

      In terms of maintenance, there's a core IT team here of about four people with a manager. Then, there are the corporate people that are shared amongst the whole corporation. At any one time, we probably have one of those persons working on some issue here, on average. Overall, we have six people who can handle maintenance, however, it's not full-time. There are other duties too.

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

      The costs and licensing aren't part of my job and therefore I don't know anything of exact pricing.

      What other advice do I have?

      We provide engineering and technical support services with a hardware-software. It's my understanding that w don't have a business relationship with Cisco.

      I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using.

      My advice to other organizations is to make sure to ensure that whoever the supplier is, they can commit to delivering and making deliveries. In our case, we're waiting on one switch for instance. It's in the mail. It got lost. Now they're promising delivery by tomorrow. I don't see that as a Cisco issue, however, it is a problem when it comes to getting everything implemented. I would have locked in the vendor that could ensure delivery if I knew these issues would arise. 

      Overall, I would rate the solution as a solid eight out of ten.

      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
      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: April 2024
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