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Telecommunications Engineer at a university with 51-200 employees
Real User
Feb 2, 2021
Good performance and load-balancing capabilities, and good integration with other brands
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is load balancing."
  • "I would like to see a graphical user interface for the configuration."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and Cisco Catalyst Switches are one of the network products that we provide to our clients. Within the past year, we have implemented Catalyst 2960 switches and Cisco 1900 Series routers.

I am implementing complex solutions with the Catalyst series that include the Spanning Tree Protocol. I build these solutions for educational institutions that are servicing professors and students, including wireless services.

What is most valuable?

The performance is good for complex solutions.

The most valuable feature is load balancing.

The integration with other brands is good.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see a graphical user interface for the configuration. This is something that other brands and models have.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have worked with the Cisco brand for the past seven years.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
February 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I am fine with the stability. With the protocol that was implemented, the network has not gone down.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good and is suitable for an enterprise network.

My clients are normally small companies.

How are customer service and support?

I don't usually contact technical support. I am familiar with the forum, so I search there when I need information. The documentation, manuals, and community support are all good.

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

My client is using switches from MikroTik and Ubiquiti access points. We have also dealt with other vendors, including Cisco and Huawei, in the delivery of solutions to our customers. My clients choose Cisco because of the stability and performance.

I have also worked with telecom enterprises in the past, which included working with Cisco products Catalyst and Nexus. 

How was the initial setup?

I have worked with these switches and know how to configure them.

The length of time required for deployment depends on the size of the network. For a network of 15 switches, it takes me two or three days to configure.

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

The price is too high for this market. Catalyst switches are more expensive than the competing options.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I am currently evaluating several options for my client. Their goal is to improve the reliability and architecture of the network, to give them improved scalability and performance. They need a good switch, but the budget is small so I am searching for the most cost-economical one that suits their needs. In fact, for them, the price is essential now.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, these switches are very good. I like to work with them because they have advanced capabilities. I recommend this product because Cisco has proprietary protocols and we are happy with them.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller and Implementer
PeerSpot user
reviewer1471347 - PeerSpot reviewer
Administrator at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jan 13, 2021
Stable and easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable and good product. It is also easy to install."
  • "Its price can be improved. It is currently expensive."

What is our primary use case?

I am a student as well as a researcher at a university. I use this solution for various simulations. I am using the latest version of this solution. We have 10 to 15 technical people in our team. 

What is most valuable?

It is a stable and good product. It is also easy to install.

What needs improvement?

Its price can be improved. It is currently expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

How are customer service and technical support?

I didn't use any technical support.

How was the initial setup?

It was easy to install. It wasn't complex. It took about 10 to 20 minutes.

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

It is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. It is a good product. There are a lot of users of Cisco solutions in Pakistan. 

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a ten 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.
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Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
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Information Security Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Dec 14, 2020
Useful for core switching, very stable, and quick to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "These switches are very stable. We haven't had any problems. We also have some old switches that are working for almost ten years."
  • "Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco Catalyst Switches are more for core switching because they are enterprise solutions. We mostly use Cisco for all of our infrastructure, so these switches are used everywhere as core switches. 

What is most valuable?

These switches are very stable. We haven't had any problems. We also have some old switches that are working for almost ten years.

What needs improvement?

Their price should be cheaper. We lose a lot of work because of the price that they have.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for more than 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They are very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have a hundred users and maybe a hundred other ports for connecting servers with each other.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have opened a case with them for the FirePOWER Services, not Cisco Catalyst Switches, and it is the first time that I haven't got a response. It has been a week since I've sent the request, which was just a question, but I don't have any response so far. For the previous cases that I had with tech support, they were very quick.

How was the initial setup?

If you have experience in working with Cisco solutions, the initial setup is easy. Otherwise, it may be complicated. 

The deployment doesn't take a long time. We already have the guidelines, and we have been doing it and using Cisco for a long time. It usually takes a maximum of one hour to configure the switches. Two people will be enough for deploying these switches.

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

These switches are expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend these switches to others. We plan to keep using them. 

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a ten out of ten. We are happy with them.

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
reviewer1079556 - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Project Management at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
Reseller
Dec 11, 2020
A reliable brand with good performance that's easy to manage
Pros and Cons
    • "We'd like Cisco to integrate with other solutions, including their own."

    What is our primary use case?

    We're an implementor of the product. We provide this product to our clients.

    What is most valuable?

    The solution's most valuable aspect is the management.

    Our clients really trust the brand.

    The quality of the product is excellent. It offers great performance.

    What needs improvement?

    We'd like Cisco to integrate better with other solutions, including their own.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for the last two years or so.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability of the solution is very good. We haven't had any stability issues. There aren't bugs or glitches. It's good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution can scale. If a company needs to expand, they can do so easily.

    We typically deal with medium-sized companies.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    The technical support of the solution is good. The clients are covered under warranty. Cisco is very responsible when it comes to covering any issues for them.

    The documentation is quite good for the solution as well. It helps people understand the product.

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

    We also use HP and Extreme Networks. We work with a variety of solutions. We don't exclusively work with Cisco. Cisco does, however, have one of the highest product qualities on offer.

    What other advice do I have?

    We help our clients decide which product to use. We use Cisco and a wide variety of other products. We're implementors.

    When it comes to working with Cisco, customers are consistently offered a quality product. Many of our clients need a quality product with good performance. This solution is very reliable which is why we work with it.

    On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the solution at an eight.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1442112 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Product Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Reseller
    Dec 8, 2020
    Good LAN switches with an easy initial setup and good stability
    Pros and Cons
    • "Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution."
    • "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."

    What is our primary use case?

    Typically, the solution is used for a client's official network and several times as a replacement. A client may use it to replace the total network LAN switch. 

    What is most valuable?

    Mostly the LAN switching is the most valuable aspect of the solution.

    Clients often do not emphasize specifications of Catalyst features. They just need a switch for an office LAN and other segments. 

    What needs improvement?

    There are several versions of Catalyst, and yet, they are quite similar. If, in the simplest one, they could create a Catalyst segment where all the possibilities like QSFP, SFP, 10G, that would be ideal. MikroTik, a Latvian company, has that as an option. They include 1G and 10G and QSFP all in one switch. Cisco, however, divides it into several switches across these features. Cisco is likely doing it to make money. However, clients sometimes don't want to pay more for the switches and they ignore Cisco and grab other brands like MikroTik. As distributors, it makes it hard to sell Cisco when features come at such a high price. 

    Another issue is the restrictions on the product. 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.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using the solution for a long time. It's been about seven to nine years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The product is quite stable. It doesn't crash or freeze and there aren't any bugs or glitches. It's quite reliable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    You can scale the solution and you can choose different versions that fit the sizes of a variety of organizations.

    Our clients range in size. Some are smaller organizations. Others are enterprise-level companies.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We talk with the support that is based in Bangladesh. They have an office in our country and provide support as necessary. We have contracts for one to three years and they provide technical and phone support to us. The support is fine, but it takes time sometimes to get the assistance we require. 

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

    As resellers, we work with other solutions, including Huawei, Juniper, MicroTik, and some other brands in China (as well as Cisco).

    Recently, Huawei has been doing good in switching segments. They're bringing some new features that are better than or compete with Cisco, and they are very aggressive in pricing. 

    The problem is they're doing only Enterprise segments. They are not doing SMB.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup isn't too complex. However, we have very well trained technicians that really understand the process. For them, it's easy.

    If our clients request it of us, we can maintain the switches for them after implementation.

    What about the implementation team?

    We can assist our clients with implementation if they request the service.

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

    The pricing of Cisco products is quite expensive. Huawei, for example, costs much less.

    There aren't extra costs for additional features. All features are standard.

    What other advice do I have?

    We are resellers and distributors. We're partners with Cisco.

    We use a variety of different versions of the solution, including 3003, 29603, and 9003. Those are three of the most popular. Which we use depends on the client and their particular needs. Sometimes we only resell the product to our clients and sometimes we also provide the solution and install and configure the Catalyst for the clients. It depends on the client's query.

    Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. Overall, our clients have been quite happy with the results they get from Cisco products.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1454511 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Manager Customer Engineering South (Presales) at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Nov 23, 2020
    Robust hardware with good documentation and good support
    Pros and Cons
    • "Cisco provides very good support services."
    • "The pricing could be better. Cisco is quite expensive."

    What is our primary use case?

    LAN access, distribution and core. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    We are Cisco partner and sell Cisco solutions, we have sold this platform for last 20 years. Its quite robust and work in worst environmental conditions.

    What is most valuable?

    In terms of the switches, the uptime and the robustness of the hardware are the most valuable aspects. 

    Cisco devices are quite good. They do not fail specially the Catalyst Switches. 

    The solution offers quite a robust infrastructure, hardware-wise. 

    Cisco provides very good support services.

    Cisco is improving and investing in R&D right now. They are investing a lot in research, and keep improving their products.

    For example, they have recently launched the SDA, SDWAN, ACI etc. Software Defined-Solutions, in which you can automate your operations and enhance your operations, and avoid manual stuff.

    What needs improvement?

    With their constant innovation and investment in R&D, there isn't really very much the solution isn't lacking or building upon in terms of features.

    The pricing could be better.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using Catalyst for long time. It's a very old Cisco brand, I have been deploying catalyst switches for last 20 years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is extremely stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    You can scale the solution quite well. It's good in that regard.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We're quite happy with their support services. They also offer very good documentation.

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

    Since we are reseller / partner we sell different vendors solutions.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is very easy.

    On top of that, they have complete documentation available on their website. Whatever scenario you are deploying, you can search for an example of it on their website. That can help guild you during the process.

    What was our ROI?

    We are reseller / partner.

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

    licensing model is changing from perpetual licenses to subscription based licensing. Subscription based licensing model is cheaper but reoccur every year or 3, 5 or 7 years.  

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Not relevant. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises

    If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

    Amazon Web Services (AWS)
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
    PeerSpot user
    it_user1454037 - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT & Software Manager at a energy/utilities company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Nov 23, 2020
    A stable part of our network infrastructure, with many resources available
    Pros and Cons
    • "These switches are stable."
    • "In the future, I would like to see better security for this product."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use Cisco Catalyst switches as part of the network infrastructure.

    What needs improvement?

    In the future, I would like to see better security for this product.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    These switches are stable. I use both the switches and the access points.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I am satisfied with the Cisco support. There are a lot of resources out there.

    How was the initial setup?

    This product is complex to install and it takes time to configure it.

    What about the implementation team?

    I deployed it myself.

    What other advice do I have?

    This is a product that I can recommend to others.

    I would rate this solution an eight 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
    it_user773409 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Manager, Information Technology at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
    Real User
    Nov 18, 2020
    Strong features, easy to manage, and excellent support
    Pros and Cons
    • "All features are very strong. It is very easy to manage. It is also certified and popular. Cisco has come up with a new management console to manage the switches. I still haven't tried it, but in my opinion, this is the best way forward. You can use software to manage the switches instead of the common line configuration. You can manage it through software, which is very easy."
    • "It can have more security features to secure the access layer."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it to connect our end users. It is used for DMZ connections behind the firewalls and campus network.

    What is most valuable?

    All features are very strong. It is very easy to manage. It is also certified and popular.

    Cisco has come up with a new management console to manage the switches. I still haven't tried it, but in my opinion, this is the best way forward. You can use software to manage the switches instead of the common line configuration. You can manage it through software, which is very easy.

    What needs improvement?

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

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Catalyst 9300 Series for the last two years. It is a new model. I have been using previous models, such as Catalyst 3750, 3560, and 2960, for maybe more than 15 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is very stable. You just install it and forget about it for years. I had a switch that was running for more than 11 years without a singular restart. That switch had a running time of more than 11 years.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is scalable. We have 400 users.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is great. I was talking to one of my colleagues just two hours back about Cisco technical support. They are brilliant and excellent. If we have any hardware failure, we get it fixed the second day. We get multiple engineers working on the case if it is a critical issue. They are really supportive.

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

    I have been using only Cisco solutions from the beginning. It has been more than 20 years now.

    We plan to keep using this solution. We are going to refresh it with the latest model. We are in the process of acquiring the new model and replacing all obsolete switches with the new Catalyst 9K series. The order will be placed maybe next week.

    How was the initial setup?

    Its setup was easy. It took an hour to configure each switch.

    What about the implementation team?

    I deployed it myself. We have three network engineers to manage the entire network. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I would definitely recommend this product to other users. I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a ten 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
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: February 2026
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.