Cisco Catalyst Switches vs IBM BNT comparison

Cisco and IBM are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4, while IBM is ranked #13. Cisco holds a 26.4% mindshare in LS, compared to IBM’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution.

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Read 177 Cisco Catalyst Switches reviews

5,572 Views
3,120 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM BNT

Read 1 IBM BNT review

113 Views
108 Comparison Views

0% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst Switches

IBM BNT

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Catalyst Switches and IBM BNT based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching.

To learn more, read our detailed LAN Switching Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

September 2025

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Helped 868,787 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Ranking in LAN Switching

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

177

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (6th), Data Center Networking (1st), AV Over IP Switching (1st)

IBM BNT

Ranking in LAN Switching

13th

Average Rating

0.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the LAN Switching category, the mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Switches is 26.4%, down from 30.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM BNT is 0.7%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

LAN Switching Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Catalyst Switches	26.4%
IBM BNT	0.7%
Other	72.9%

LAN Switching

Featured Reviews

Joshua Odunsi

I.T INFRASTRUCTURE/SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR at Haggai Mortgage Bank Ltd

Ensures efficient performance and supports network growth with optimal speed

Catalyst Switches are efficient and swift, which is valuable for my organization. I experience optimal speed and effective configuration, making them stand out compared to other switches. The PoE switches offer more ports on SFP, and it is efficient in use. Overall, the switches provide me with the value I expect in terms of speed and efficiency.

Read full review

VLADIMIR RAMIREZ

Owner at ACANI Soluciones, SA de CV

A low maintenance solution with cybersecurity measures

If we rate the capacity from one to ten, where one is small and ten is big, I will rate it a little more than medium for my customers. In my view, the big ones are the government accounts, but we don't have any because they're too large for us. Our typical customers include pharmacies, for example. These customers vary in size and might need storage solutions of around 50 terabytes. We have a very good relationship with our customers. We provide all the maintenance of our software. For IBM BNT, we and the customer handle all the product analysis, recommendations, and so on. When a customer has an idea or issue, they call us or make a decision and explain the problem. Usually, we have a solution, like making a configuration change—something very simple. If you ask how much time customers spend on maintenance, it's very low because the system is very stable. When advising potential customers about IBM BNT, I often suggest they talk to our current customers. Hearing directly from them about how the solutions work in real-world situations can provide valuable insights. I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The new series has lots of great features, it's really lovely. From a management perspective, or a policy creation perspective, which we are seeing in the Catalyst 9000 series it is great."

"It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Configuring the solution is very easy. It's quite a straightforward process, and it's not difficult at all."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of configuring a switch."

"These are a proven technology and I haven't had any problem with them."

"The product’s scalability and performance are valuable."

"It helps keep our network connections in a healthy state."

"I think it is a reliable and scalable solution."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pros

"IBM BNT's latest advancements offer cybersecurity measures for network security. Our customers adapt these solutions to their sites and are very happy with the results."

Cons

"With most of the Cisco devices and models, we faced a slight decrease in speed during the initial setup and while restarting the system"

"It can have more security features to secure the access layer."

"It is not easy for everyone to configure the product's initial setup part, making it an area where improvements are required."

"The solution is expensive. They should work on their pricing model to try to make it more affordable for customers."

"The solution’s licensing could be improved."

"I have had a little hiccup working with Catalyst switches. They used a few power integration features but I'm not sure they really resulted in much power saving. But, it caused cross-vendor equipment trouble."

"Cisco has to lower the price of its products to make them more cost-effective."

"I would like to see a graphical user interface for the configuration."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches cons

"In terms of improvement, the price is not an issue; it's very good. However, the range of solutions could be improved. Some of our customers are very small, and the current IBM BNT solutions, such as switches, are too large for them. It would be wonderful if we could have switched with maybe 16 ports instead of the usual 24 ports because they don't use all the ports."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is on a yearly basis. We usually spend up to $20,000."

"The cost of a license before COVID and before the lockdown was approximately three lakh 70,000 in Indian Rupees. After this COVID situation, the cost has gone down to two lakh 46,000 rupees."

"Pricing could be cheaper as well."

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

"This is expensive, even when compared to competitors' products."

"The licenses are definitely expensive. There is a need to make annual payments towards the subscription or licensing costs attached to the solution."

"It is very pricey. You have to pay for support."

"The prices of Cisco devices are too high."

More Cisco Catalyst Switches pricing and cost advice

"The solution is cheap. However, I think the price for the final user, who in this case is my customer, might be higher than the usual price. I emphasize the real value of the entire solution, not just the cost of the hardware and software. It's about how the solution helps the customer improve their internal operations."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	78
Midsize Enterprise	29
Large Enterprise	78

No data available

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?

Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...

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What do you like most about Cisco Catalyst Switches?

We are a vendor for the healthcare sector, especially hospitals, and normally, we use a full Cisco solution for stability, especially for the stability of the Access Points and the security of swit...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Switches?

For pricing satisfaction, I'd say it will be six to seven because Cisco usually is costly compared to other vendors. Regarding pricing, there is indeed room for improvement.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BNT?

The solution is cheap. However, I think the price for the final user, who in this case is my customer, might be higher than the usual price. I emphasize the real value of the entire solution, not j...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM BNT?

In terms of improvement, the price is not an issue; it's very good. However, the range of solutions could be improved. Some of our customers are very small, and the current IBM BNT solutions, such ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM BNT?

We create solutions for data protection and redundancy. Sometimes, we have three or four BNT switches backing up one another. We also manage many partitions and operating systems.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 8% of the time

ExtremeSwitching vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 7% of the time

Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs Cisco Catalyst Switches

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst Switches Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst Switches

September 2025

Download Cisco Catalyst Switches product report

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

September 2025

Download IBM BNT product report

Also Known As

Cisco Catalyst, Catalyst

BNT

Overview

Cisco Catalyst Switches are a reliable and scalable network switching and routing solution, focusing on VLANs and VLAN switching. They are used as access switches, distribution switches, and core switches in various environments, deployed on-premises, and used for long connections. The switches are easy to configure, install, and upgrade and offer good pricing.

The most valuable features include warranty and firmware support, stability, security, good performance, flexibility, etc. The Cisco Catalyst Switches have provided a stable solution for the organizations and are widely used, trusted, and well-known in the networking industry.

Cisco

IBM BNT RackSwitch G8264R Model 64C Browser-Based Interface, has forty-eight 10 Gb SFP+ ports and four 40 Gb QSFP+ ports, four 40 Gb QSFP+ ports that can each be converted to four 10 Gb SFP+ ports with optional breakout cable. redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fans. rack front-to-rear airflow, and latency of less than 850 nanoseconds. The BLADEOS Browser-Based Interface (BBI) software is included with the RackSwitch G8264 (G8264). The BBI software lets you use your Web browser to access switch information and statistics, and to perform switch configuration via the Internet.

IBM

Sample Customers

Afni, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Baylor Scott & White Health, Beachbody, Bellevue, Del Papa Distributing, Explorer Pipeline, Mindtree, Omaha World Herald, Radio 538, Sony Corporation, Telecom Italia, Telenor Arena

King's College London

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching. Updated: September 2025.

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