We are using 29 series. We have three switches that we use for common switches and routing. We also have a number of access switches that we interconnect to the devices in the network, such as telephone, CCTV. We have defined a number of VLANs that are running traffic between the switches, and we have done interconnections within the switches, cable, and fiber.
System Administrator at a consumer goods company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A reliable solution with good stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
- "It is very reliable."
- "It is very scalable; you can almost do any new thing that is coming."
- "Its price should be improved. It is very pricey."
- "Its price should be improved. It is very pricey."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It is very reliable.
What needs improvement?
Its price should be improved. It is very pricey.
Its installation can be simplified. Its installation is a bit complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for four or five years.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
May 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable. You can almost do any new thing that is coming.
Our users will always be around 80 to 90 because the interconnections occur within the switches.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've just been working on Cisco switches.
How was the initial setup?
Cisco solutions are a bit complex to install. They are not easy, and they require training and knowledge. When we changed our switch, it took 30 minutes to one hour.
What about the implementation team?
I installed it on my own, but most people prefer to hire a consultant.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is very pricey. You have to pay for support.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. It is good.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of 10.
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.
Branch Manager / Team Leader at Bank Al Habib Limited
High performance, durable, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are performance, speed, and durability."
- "The most valuable features are performance, speed, and durability."
- "In an upcoming release, adding SD-WAN capabilities would be a big advantage for our company."
- "In an upcoming release, adding SD-WAN capabilities would be a big advantage for our company."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as a network switch in banking and financial environments.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are performance, speed, and durability.
What needs improvement?
In an upcoming release, adding SD-WAN capabilities would be a big advantage for our company.
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?
We have found the stability very good in this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have licenses to have 24/7 technical support from Cisco directly. We have been satisfied with the support we have been receiving.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of this solution is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
In the future, we are going to implement the 2960-X next-generation version instead of this legacy solution we are using now which will have some added benefits.
I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches 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.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
May 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
893,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director of Product Management at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
Reliable, good scalability, and easy to configure through the command-line interface
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features is the MatchBox Switch."
- "It's stable; the Catalyst Switches are reliable."
- "They need to simplify the Web GUI and make it easier to use, and more intuitive for the users."
- "They need to simplify the Web GUI and make it easier to use, and more intuitive for the users."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution for AV, Audio-Video applications, over IP solutions. It's to forward Audio-Video IP packets based on the ITMP protocol. I also needed a POE port to power the transmitters and receivers.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features is the MatchBox Switch.
What needs improvement?
I used to use the CLI, the command line, but some users may want to use the Web GUI.
They need to simplify the Cisco 2960 Web GUI control, but not the entire version or the functionality for the Web GUI control.
IT people will most often use the CLI to configure the Cisco Switch.
They need to simplify the Web GUI and make it easier to use, and more intuitive for the users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have more than ten years of experience working with Cisco Switches.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. The Catalyst Switches are reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not contacted Cisco technical support.
There are several training videos available on YouTube.
If you Google, you can very easily gather material or training videos on how to configure the Cisco switch.
The Cisco website itself is too complicated for the user and there are too many things on it. If the users are not familiar with Cisco, it's very difficult to find useful information on the Cisco website.
In general, I don't use the Cisco website. I just Google the Cisco user manual or training video on YouTube to learn how to configure some features.
How was the initial setup?
If you are familiar with the Cisco Switch, it is pretty straightforward to configure it using the CLI.
If you are not familiar, in general, you will use the Web GUI.
What other advice do I have?
There are several YouTube videos available to help configure the Cisco switches. It is very easy to configure them.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches and eight out of ten. It's a pretty good switch.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Operations Section Head at Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation
Enterprise-grade networking switches that are stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "I like everything about Cisco Catalyst Switches. It's both stable and scalable."
- "I like everything about Cisco Catalyst Switches; it's both stable and scalable."
- "The price could be better. For Cisco, there is no need for improvement except for the price. It's expensive."
- "The price could be better. It's expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco Catalyst Switches for the local area network.
What is most valuable?
I like everything about Cisco Catalyst Switches. It's both stable and scalable.
What needs improvement?
The price could be better. For Cisco, there is no need for improvement except for the price. It's expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for about ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Catalyst Switches are scalable. We have about 1,300 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support was okay.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and installation were straightforward. For configuration, it took around ten minutes. For the maintenance, we have two network administrators—just two personnel.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to new users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco Catalyst Switches a ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Telecommunication Department Head at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reasonably priced with good routing capabilities but needs to be more stable
Pros and Cons
- "The installation process is very straightforward."
- "The product has very good routing capabilities."
- "We would like the solution to be more stable."
- "The solution's stability is questionable."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is primarily used for getting network switching and routing for the telephone exchange here.
What is most valuable?
The solution is rather inexpensive.
The product has very good routing capabilities.
The installation process is very straightforward.
What needs improvement?
We would like the solution to be more stable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about five years or so. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution's stability is questionable. It's something they could work on. It would be ideal if it had better performance and reliability.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've bever dealt directly with technical support as everything so far has been fine. We haven't had any issues or required any assistance so far.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Huawei switches, however, we do not use them anymore. We have completely moved away from them.
How was the initial setup?
We have found that the installation process isn't overly complex or difficult. It was pretty straightforward and simple for us. We didn't face any complexity issues.
For every switch, it took a few hours to be adjusted and managed.
We only needed one technical person for deployment and maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
We had a manager that was able to handle the initial setup. We didn't hire any consultants or integrators.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We found the product to be reasonably priced. It's not too expensive.
We do not pay a licensing fee to use the product.
What other advice do I have?
We use various versions of the solutions, including versions 12 and 15X.
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. We're mostly happy with the product.
I'd recommend the solution to other users and companies.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Project Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 11-50 employees
Offers good, solid hardware and security, with great performance
Pros and Cons
- "The hardware and the security are the product's valuable features"
- "Once it's up and running, configuration is okay, and once it's on the live network, it's fine, no issues."
- "The cost of this product is very high and not all companies can afford it."
- "The cost of this product is very high and not all companies can afford it."
What is our primary use case?
We generally work with small, medium and sometimes government organizations. We do layer 3 switches, as well as 9200 as layer 2 switches. I'm an integrator and we are customers of Cisco.
What is most valuable?
We don't use any specific protocols. For us, the hardware and the security are the product's valuable features and performance of this solution is good.
What needs improvement?
The cost of this product is very high and not all companies can afford it. Government entities can but corporations these days are hesitant to get Cisco. They're looking for other options that can cut their costs by 30% or 40% from the cost of Cisco Catalyst Switches. I think the command line in the platform could be improved because it's divided and can complicate things, maybe they can go direct to GUI. Using all the commands is a bit difficult.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco is stable. There are no issues with outages or integration. Once it's up and running, configuration is okay, and once it's on the live network, it's fine, no issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is not an issue. Cisco is their own market and it works.
How are customer service and technical support?
If I have Smart Net, I get good technical support. Whenever I have an issue I contact them. They're very good.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup can be a bit complex depending on the organization. Deployment time depends on the configuration. I did an installation with around 44 switches of Cisco 3850, which took me around one week to do the installation, configuration, and handover. It depends on the number of switches and configuration required.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
When we propose Cisco to a company, the only issue they are concerned with is price and the yearly subscription. You have to buy Smart Net to get a warranty and that is also expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Cisco is similar to other solutions such as D-Link. They have the same features.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this product an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Head, IT Division at USTTB
Easy to deploy, stable, and have been running without any problem
Pros and Cons
- "They are stable. We haven't had any particular problem with them."
- "We haven't had any particular problem with them."
- "Their price should be improved. They are a little bit expensive."
- "Cisco products are expensive, especially when you compare them to Huawei."
What is our primary use case?
We have the Cisco Catalyst 2940 Series switches. We usually use these switches for connections inside our office. We have a three-story building, so we have quite a number of switches to connect specific departments. These switches are mainly used to share a connection among computers in a specific department.
What is most valuable?
They are stable. We haven't had any particular problem with them.
What needs improvement?
Their price should be improved. They are a little bit expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using these switches for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They are stable. We haven't had any problems. There was a time when due to power failures or outages, we lost some switches and had to replace them. Power is very unstable here, and we are experiencing outages due to heat.
In one of the devices that I am using, I notice lights blinking from time to time. I don't know whether it is related to the equipment, but it seems that the connection is not going through. It only occurs from time to time. I am yet to understand the reason behind this. It is not a big problem, and we are able to use it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our network doesn't grow so much, and it has more or less the same things. We are a public university, and we have three sites. I am at one of the sites. At this site, we have about 60 to 70 people. We also have our campuses where some of these switches are used. All in all, we have about 1,000 people.
We are setting up a national research and education network for which we have acquired some Cisco Catalyst 9000 Series switches, which are new to me. When we start using these, I would have more to say about what they can achieve in terms of scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't have external technical support. Unfortunately, this is not something that works very well in a country like ours. We have to rely on our own technicians.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have had the opportunity, although not so extensively, to use MikroTik. In my experience, they are easy to use, and they are cheaper. Our financial department opted for Cisco, but we are satisfied with Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy. We haven't had much trouble.
What about the implementation team?
I can do it by myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They are a little bit expensive. We are a public institution, so we go through other traders, and sometimes, they put in their own surplus price because it is a government contract. Cisco products are expensive, especially when you compare them to Huawei.
What other advice do I have?
I would surely recommend this solution. We plan to keep using these switches.
I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Extremely stable and very high quality with pretty good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The quality of a Cisco switch is very high. They are extremely stable."
- "Cisco switches are of very high quality, which makes them very stable."
- "Cisco should work to lower its costs. It's quite expensive right now."
- "The cost of the solution is quite high. There are other cheaper options."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for the switching capabilities.
What is most valuable?
The initial setup of the product is pretty simple and straightforward.
The solution is adding more automation capabilities.
The quality of a Cisco switch is very high. They are extremely stable.
What needs improvement?
Cisco should work to lower its costs. It's quite expensive right now. They force the customer to buy the DNA license and that shouldn't be the case.
Instead of making automation cheaper, they are making it more expensive and clients don't like it.
They really need to simplify their licensing and simplify moving to a controller base.
The scalability is limited.
Cisco also owns Meraki, however, they keep these switches as separate products, and customers are confused by that. Meraki has a lot of features and a customer questions why those features are there and not here. Meraki also allows for more integrations with solutions such as HP, and it's harder to integrate Cisco.
The same is true of Nexus switches, which basically do the same thing and yet everything is siloed. It's confusing for the clients.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about 20 years. It's been two decades. I've had a lot of time to get to know the product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco switches are of very high quality, which makes them very stable. It's a very strong selling point for the product. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. It's very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is limited. There are other solutions that can do it better. Cisco is not number one in this respect - especially as more companies head toward the cloud. Luxul, for example, offers better scalability - if that is what a company is looking for.
We tend to use the solution quite extensively.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've used Cisco for 20 years or so and therefore have had encounters with technical support. I would note that the first 15 or so years had been very great and I would describe them as very helpful and responsive. However, as of the last five years, I find they are going south. They aren't as good as they used to be. It's still okay. It's just not as good as it was.
Whereas in the past I've given them five out of five stars, now I would rate them at a four.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't previously use a different solution. We're mostly a Cisco shop.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not overly complex. To set up a switch is not a big issue. I see Cisco is trying to go into the DNA to do some automation.
Every site is different in terms of deployment and the number of switches/users. On every site, we have two engineers and we're also doing web support. The setup is a one-time thing and the switches are pretty stable, and therefore it doesn't take us much time to do an implementation so long as there are no hardware failures.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the implementation myself. I did not need the assistance of a consultant or implementor. I have enough experience to handle it at this point.
What was our ROI?
I've used a few different switches and I wouldn't say that you necessarily get a better ROI just because you use Cisco.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of the solution is quite high. There are other cheaper options. On Cisco, you're paying probably double or triple times the cost.
Many people don't like the complexity. It should be simpler and offer a low cost. The reason people are looking for automation is that they are looking to lower costs, however, if you go to Cisco solutions, the automation solution is very expensive. This is the opposite of the customer expectations.
I do not do the purchasing directly and therefore I can't estimate an exact cost for the product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I've used Juniper and HPE switches, and, if you were to compare them, I'd say there isn't too much of a difference. The functionality is pretty much the same.
You can also compare the solution to Luxul, which has better scalability.
What other advice do I have?
We are a customer.
Cisco tries to move clients over to their own ecosystem so that they are only using Cisco from end-to-end.
The solution is very good for enterprises, however, it might be a bit much for a small company that may only need one switch.
If the costs are not a concern for an organization, I would recommend the product.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We've been very happy with the stability on offer, however, the pricing isn't the greatest and the licensing is confusing.
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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