Cisco Catalyst Switches Reviews

AWS Direct Connect.

• BGP
• Familiar CLI

We have used BGP over IPSec to AWS but there were problems with bandwidth. I migrated to the Catalyst C3850 because AWS Direct Connect doesn't need IPSec. We have to use the QoS (CBWFQ) function. I understand the function of QoS and it is easy to use.

It's a stable product.

Technical support is average.

The initial setup was easy.

The pricing could be better.

I would suggest looking into the Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X. It has a lower price than the C3850 and high performance, but the CLI is different.

LAN and WAN links in our offices and data centers.

When we started deploying Cisco switches in our new office, we were able to deploy them very quickly. There were no problems at the configuration stage and this allowed us to start work as quickly as possible.

Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime. We work with government companies and we can't allow the business to stand idle.

It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive.

Soon, we plan to migrate to the cloud infrastructure. It would be good if the Cisco switches worked quickly in the cloud, like their hardware devices. Ideally, they would be like OVS-DPDK, but they would work out-of-the-box.

No issues with stability.

No issues with scalability.

We don't use Cisco support. In our company, we have our own support team with various CCNA and CCNP engineers.

Previously, we tried many different solutions but we had some trouble with stability and scalability.

The initial setup was pretty easy. The first setup was not that big and it was deployed in one day with only two engineers, one CCNA and one CCNP.

Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it.

We tried many vendors including D-Link, HPE, and some cheaper vendors.

It's a very good product but the price is high, so I would rate it at eight out of 10. Overall, it's worth it. Cisco switches have rich functionality.

Our primary use is LAN and WAN links for our enterprise network. 

Cisco Catalyst is used to connect all our WAN links to a central data center. 

• Low maintenance and very stable; not much of a problem. 
• It helps keep our network connections in a healthy state. 

• VLAN
• Routing capabilities and security features 
• It can easily be enabled and used as need dictates. 

It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality. This is the reason why some customers opt to buy cheaper brands with same/similar features.

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.

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. This helps minimize infrastructure downtime and impacts internals.

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

The price should go down instead of up. 

• Corporate network
• IP phones
• Video conference
• Security
• Connecting branches with corporate network

Network has increased stability, security, and usability. Cisco Catalyst has the ability to create new services for users, such as IP phones and video conference. We decreased budgets on the support corporate network and increased user satisfaction.

• Flexible deployment: We can add new network segments without hard work.
• Stability: If we lose some network connections, the system automatically creates new connections between equipment. 

• Cloud services
• Machine learning futures
• Virtual reality futures
• More IoT equipment
• Mobile software

The most valuable features, to me, are CDP, VTP, ACLs, and routing.

These products help me dissect my network based on the users within a particular location. They've also provided me the capability to separate network traffic as necessary.

As a user, I would like to see the Layer 2 Switches to have NBAR capabilities as well. It would be nice if the new ISRs have firewall capabilities as well.

I've been using these products since 2008. I have a Cisco ISR 2821 and 2911, Cisco Catalyst 4500, 2960 and 3750 Series Switches.

No stability issues were experienced.

It would be nice to see these products have built-in wireless access points like MikroTik.

I am sorry, but I always go to the forums and not to technical support. I like understanding the system myself. That way it is easier for me to fix issues in the future.

I previously used D-Link Switches (which was a pain) due to the budget constraints. I switched because Cisco was the best option at the time compared to D-Link.

The setup was not complex. I already knew what I wanted and what I needed to do.

Get the best that your money can buy.

Don't ever sacrifice performance, it will stab you in the back if you do.

Cisco was the best and only option that I considered.

Real-world scenarios will always surprise you.

This is the Enterprise Class Switch platform. Technically it supports most deployment scenarios and things that you never know that it supports. 

The hardware is the most reliable, I saw some Catalyst in hot and dusty racks, working hard and with no issues from a lot of years. 

Great switching solution from Cisco!

It's resolved most of our customer communication needs.

It can be a little more cheaper.

We've had no issues with deployment.

We've had no issues with stability.

We've had no issues with scalability.

It's quite pricey.

• Security
• Configuration

At first glance this switch looks exactly like the an Ethernet switch, I would recommend that there be verbage in the documentation on exactly what gbit connectors are required.

We've been using it for eight years.

There have been no issues with the deployment.

The stability has never been an issue.

We've had no issues scaling it for our needs.

It's great.

It's great.

We didn't have anything in place and needed a fiber solution.

It was very straightforward.

We did it in-house with help from the vendor.

There were no other options looked at.

Make sure you get the right connectors.