We compared Cisco Catalyst Switches and Cisco Nexus based on our user's reviews in several parameters.
Overall, the user reviews highlight that Cisco Catalyst Switches are valued for their stability, performance, scalability, ease of use, and flexibility, with emphasis on excellent customer support and significant ROI. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus is praised for its ease of use, scalability, redundancy capabilities, and technical support, with attention to its reliability and suitability for data center management. The key differences between the two products lie in their target markets, feature sets, and user experiences.
Features: The valuable features of Cisco Catalyst Switches include flexibility, ease of use, stability, performance, scalability, easy configuration, interconnectivity of devices, streaming audio and video management, and robust security features. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus is praised for its stability, user-friendly GUI, scalability, helpful technical support, and features like VDC and VPC that enhance flexibility and redundancy capabilities. It is especially suitable for data center management. ISSU feature allows for changes and testing before implementing them in the production environment.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Catalyst Switches are known for their reasonable and competitive pricing in the market. The setup cost is straightforward and easy to integrate into existing networks. The licensing process is hassle-free and flexible. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus also offers competitive pricing, with a straightforward and hassle-free setup cost. Users appreciate the flexibility of licensing options provided by Cisco Nexus., Cisco Catalyst Switches offer a significant ROI with improved network performance, reliability, security features, and scalability. Users appreciate the ease of installation and management, leading to increased efficiency and cost savings. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus also provides a highly positive ROI with increased network performance, enhanced security measures, improved scalability, and simplified management. It offers cost savings through reduced downtime, improved productivity, and streamlined operations. Users praise its reliability, ease of implementation, and comprehensive feature set.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Catalyst Switches could benefit from enhanced firmware stability, better compatibility with third-party software and devices, improved user interface, faster response times, and enhanced troubleshooting capabilities. In contrast, Cisco Nexus could be improved in terms of reliability, performance speed, configuration simplicity, and compatibility limitations.
Deployment and customer support: The reviews for Cisco Catalyst Switches mention that deployment can take either three months or just a week, with some users using "deployment" and "setup" interchangeably. On the other hand, Cisco Nexus reviews indicate varying durations, with some users spending three months on deployment and an additional week on setup, while others only need a week for both., The customer service for Cisco Catalyst Switches has been praised for its prompt, reliable, and effective support. Users value the helpfulness and knowledge of the support staff. On the other hand, the customer service for Cisco Nexus is also highly regarded for its prompt, knowledgeable, and efficient support. Users appreciate the helpful and attentive support representatives and the availability of comprehensive documentation and online resources to assist them. Overall, users are satisfied with the assistance and support provided by Cisco Nexus.
The summary above is based on 87 interviews we conducted recently with Cisco Catalyst Switches and Cisco Nexus users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"I have found that the protocols that Cisco Catalyst Switches support are beneficial for my customers."
"They don't ever fail and they have a long service life."
"The technical support is at an expert level."
"I like the management of streaming both audio and video."
"The 802.1X port security and other security features work well and help keep the network secure."
"The solution is highly reliable."
"The product is very robust."
"Cisco Catalyst Switches is very stable, configurable, and durable. It is also easy to manage."
"This solution has saved us both time and money because we now have the ability to control all of these telephony devices that are deployed nationwide."
"We got increased bandwidth, faster performance, and newer software which has improved our organization."
"Nexus has improved my organization in the way that it provided enhanced security in a point in the network that was critical."
"The most valuable features of the solution are capacity and scalability."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is stability. We have a pretty large campus."
"The initial setup is pretty easy."
"A very solid and reliable solution."
"Its low latency is most valuable. Its performance is good, and it is also very stable."
"t is one of the most expensive solutions."
"The technical support, in some cases, should be faster and could improve."
"All other modules have comparatively many more functions or power than regular Catalyst switches."
"The price can definitely be lower."
"The technical response could be faster in the future."
"Cisco switches are expensive."
"Cisco applies restrictions in relation to renewals on a yearly basis. Many other brands don't have restrictions. If Cisco lifted them, they wouldn't lose so many clients to competitors."
"When you compare it with HPE and Aruba, it should be fancier."
"I don't really deal with the pricing but I know that it's not cheap."
"Cisco Nexus needs to add the SDN capability and lower the price."
"The licensing is the area that we are working that's a challenge."
"The software is not as mature as it could be and needs some integration improvements with other orchestrators."
"Nothing is perfect."
"Nexus switches should be able to support network function virtualization (NFV)."
"There may be many bugs which remain unresolved."
"The initial setup wasn't simple or user-friendly."
Cisco Catalyst Switches is ranked 1st in LAN Switching with 166 reviews while Cisco Nexus is ranked 6th in LAN Switching with 99 reviews. Cisco Catalyst Switches is rated 8.6, while Cisco Nexus is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Cisco Catalyst Switches writes "Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Nexus writes " Offer high performance capabilities and enables efficient data transmission and processing". Cisco Catalyst Switches is most compared with Arista Networks Platform, Dell PowerConnect Switches, HPE ProCurve, ExtremeSwitching and Aruba Instant On Switches, whereas Cisco Nexus is most compared with Juniper QFX Series Switches, Arista Networks Platform, Dell PowerConnect Switches, VMware NSX and Juniper QFabric. See our Cisco Catalyst Switches vs. Cisco Nexus report.
See our list of best LAN Switching vendors and best Data Center Networking vendors.
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