PeerSpot user
Founder and Lead Network Consultant at Airowire Networks
Consultant
Supports our entire line infrastructure and is easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "Their technical support is good, one of the best in the industry."
  • "To make it a ten they should simplify the licensing, add the cloud-managed feature, and it should be more cost-effective."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for the campus network.

How has it helped my organization?

It supports our entire line infrastructure. It runs from the line under the entire campus and is the backbone of the network. The entire business runs from this product.

What is most valuable?

The ease of use is the most valuable feature. 

What needs improvement?

They should make it more affordable, improve the cost, manageability, and central management. 

I would like to see a cloud-managed feature.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
771,346 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The catalyst switches are stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

They are scalable. We have are around 2,000 users. We use it quite extensively and we require at least two to three people for maintenance.

How are customer service and support?

Their technical support is good, one of the best in the industry.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. The deployment depends on the scale of the network, because all of these devices, they don't work in silo, they work in tandem with each other. So it depends on the scale and size of the network.

What about the implementation team?

We used an integrator for the deployment. We had a good experience with them.

What was our ROI?

We have absolutely seen ROI. You will see ROI if you use this solution for a longer duration. 

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

The price is on the higher side. Licensing is also complicated. Simply, there are multiple licenses required.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. To make it a ten they should simplify the licensing, add the cloud-managed feature, and it should be more cost-effective.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
it_user845862 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Sales Engineer at Ingram Micro Inc.
Real User
It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco products
Pros and Cons
  • "It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco products."
  • "Perpetual POE is a valuable feature, because when the switch reboots, access points do not."
  • "Services should be improved."
  • "The delivery of the product lead time should be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Switching environments, as part of a LAN management solution, where the customer needs to build, operate, and maintain Layer 2 and Layer 3 networks for internal use.

How has it helped my organization?

It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco products.

What is most valuable?

Perpetual POE is a valuable feature, because when the switch reboots, access points do not. This helps minimize infrastructure downtime and impacts internals.

What needs improvement?

  • Services should be improved.
  • The delivery of the product lead time should be improved as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

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

The price should go down instead of up. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
771,346 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Firewall Engineer at a marketing services firm with 1-10 employees
MSP
Extremely stable, scalable, and excellent technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found this solution to be extremely stable."

    What is our primary use case?

    I am using this solution as a network switch for my clients.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for many years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I have found this solution to be extremely stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable and there are approximately 700 people using the solution in one client's organization. I have plans to keep using the solution in some cases.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    The technical support of Cisco is very good.

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

    I have previously used HP, Jupiter, and Fortinet solutions.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation should be done by someone that knows Cisco solutions very well. I am certified in the solution so it was not difficult for me.

    What about the implementation team?

    I have done the implementation myself but in some circumstances, I need assistance from Cisco.

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

    The price of this solution could be reduced, it is expensive and I am using an annual license.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution to others, it is very good.

    I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Paul Woods - PeerSpot reviewer
    Founder at SDWAN Clan
    Real User
    High level technical support, scalable, and secure
    Pros and Cons
    • "One main feature with Cisco is you know you are going to get a very good switching infrastructure that is secure."
    • "In a future upgrade, I would like to see integrated wireless in the solution."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use the solution as a switch for campus locations.

    What is most valuable?

    One main feature with Cisco is you know you are going to get a very good switching infrastructure that is secure.

    What needs improvement?

    In a future upgrade, I would like to see integrated wireless in the solution.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for approximately 20 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability of this solution is really good because you can attach switches together. We currently have 5,000 users using the solution and we plan on having approximately 30,000 in the near future.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Cisco provides great customer support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The solution installation is straightforward to a degree. It is not as smooth as it could be. You cannot do zero-touch provisioning.

    What about the implementation team?

    It is best to use a technician that understands the configuration file needed for the deployment and then there is some testing that is needed.

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

    There needs to be some improvement with the Cisco DNA licensing activation process, it is difficult at the moment.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution to others. When my customers want security infrastructure on their campus locations this solution is the one I will continue to suggest.

    I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Group Head of IT at a maritime company with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    Very easy to manage with a long lifespan
    Pros and Cons
    • "Easy to manage, with a long lifespan."
    • "Reporting could be improved as well as integration possibilities with other platforms."

    What is our primary use case?

    I'm the group head of IT and we are customers of Cisco. 

    What is most valuable?

    In general, this is a good product with a long lifespan and easily managed. There is good local support available as well as principal support.

    What needs improvement?

    I'd like to see better reporting and also integration possibilities with other platforms. It's quite an expensive product and it would be helpful if they reduced the cost. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using this product for five years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    This product is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's a scalable product. 

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Support can be improved, it's usually a matter of your location. That aside, if you can reach them, the support is fine. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is quite straightforward although deployment takes some time because you need to carry out the configuration and attach some additional equipment. It can take a few hours. Our implementation partner helps with the base configuration, and then they draw on our internet team to work with them. Once completed, it's handed over to our team management. We've deployed the product on five sites and we usually have one or two people dealing with any issues that arise. 

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

    There is an annual license fee. 

    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
    Head of Corporate Security at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
    Real User
    Good communication features, scalable, stable, and has good support
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable feature of this solution is communication."
    • "When you compare it with HPE and Aruba, it should be fancier."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Cisco Catalyst Switches for the LAN connection.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature of this solution is communication.

    What needs improvement?

    When you compare it with HPE and Aruba, it should be fancier.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for three years.

    We are using version 2950.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is great! We have not had any issues with stability.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's a scalable product. It's very good.

    We have approximately 200 users in our company.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is very good. I would rate them a nine to ten out of ten.

    We did not have any issues with technical support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward. It's easy.

    It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to deploy.

    What other advice do I have?

    Plan well before implementing this solution.

    I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches 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_user617499 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Presales Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Consultant
    Provides our customers with feature-rich switching, including Layer 2 and Layer 3
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features are the Stacking and the capacity of the switches because they have more throughput. Layer 2 is also part of its rich feature set."

      What is our primary use case?

      We usually use it for connecting campus switches and to provide access switching to the customer, through which they connect their end-user or end devices like WiFi, CCTV, or IP phone.

      How has it helped my organization?

      The features I mentioned definitely enhance the customer experience.

      What is most valuable?

      The most valuable features are the Stacking and the capacity of the switches because they have more throughput. Layer 2 is also part of its rich feature set.

      What needs improvement?

      For the access switch for distribution, I would like to see them support 100GB, 40GB.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      More than five years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      It is very, very stable. We have not faced any problems with our clients. There have been no complaints. These switches run for many years. They have not complained about the stability of the network because of the failure of a switch. It works fine.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      As I mentioned, one of the great features is Stacking. One of our customers bought two switches. After about three to four months they bought another one. They only stack the switches. They do not need to add more switches at the core or distribution, connected at the base. They can stack up to eight switches, and they will work fine with no issues.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      Honestly, we have not really faced any problems with the Catalyst switches because the configuration is intuitive. Also, our engineers are expert in this area. Very rarely they may have to open a case with Cisco TAC.

      For me, in presales, I can reach the system engineers easily. They support me a lot. Also the documentation is important. There are a lot of forums, discussions. If you have any problem they guide you and they solve the problem easily.

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

      If you compare Cisco with another vendor, they are far and away better, in terms of performance and the rich features.

      For me, in presales, the most important criteria when selecting a vendor are that I'm able to easily access the Cisco website and, if I need any kind of support, I immediately get it from the Cisco team, whether virtually or physically, here in Saudi Arabia. 

      How was the initial setup?

      I'm not directly involved in the setup but from what I understand it is straightforward.

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      HPE comes into the picture because they have a wireless product. It's a good product. We definitely propose their switches.

      What other advice do I have?

      If you need any support you can find it easily on their website, including documentation. You can reach out to Cisco's virtual team. Cisco gives any type of support needed to their partners.

      I give Cisco Catalyst a 10 out of 10. It's scalable, resilient, and has rich features in terms of Layer 2, Layer 3, QoS. They have real vision.

      Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
      PeerSpot user
      DevOps System Engineer at Monash University
      Real User
      Good technical support, stable, and scalable
      Pros and Cons
      • "The solution is very stable."
      • "The solution could improve security."

      What is our primary use case?

      The solution can be used to connect the internet and servers, such as databases.

      What needs improvement?

      The solution could improve security.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been using this solution for approximately 10 years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      The solution is very stable.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Cisco Catalyst Switches is scalable.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      We are satisfied with the technical support from Cisco.

      How was the initial setup?

      The installation is easy and takes approximately 10 minutes.

      What about the implementation team?

      I did the implementation myself.

      What other advice do I have?

      I would recommend this solution to others.

      I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches 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
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
      Updated: May 2024
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.