Cisco Enterprise Routers Reviews

Cisco is awesome. Honestly. It's a trusted brand. If you want to set up your network and you have a good night's sleep, you buy Cisco. You know that you set up and go to sleep. That's how awesome it is.

I'm biased since I am Cisco certified. I enjoy working with them since it's easy to use them.

There are moments when the configuration gets to be a bit complex, and then you need to look for an expert that helps you troubleshoot or maybe set up things where you might not have the proper knowledge.

The resilience is great. The equipment is so stable. It will not freeze. When you set up Cisco, you can forget you have a router. Everything just works. Only maybe once in a year, you might think of rebooting it. However, that thing works no matter what.

It only breaks if you're not using an up-to-date version of the iOS or are not doing upgrades. Also you are not refreshing your hardware. With Cisco, when you buy it, you know that for about five to ten years, you will not have issues. These assets, you refresh them and every five to ten years, you should be getting new equipment that is supported.

For me, I’ve used the solution for years. I worked in the past few years in only two different organizations. However, in both, I've been using Cisco. Personally, in total, I’ve used it for 13 to 14 years.

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable. You set it up and forget about it. It lasts forever.

I haven't interacted with Cisco technical support directly. Many colleagues where I live, and maybe across the country, use Cisco, so when I have an issue I'll just use forums. If I have this issue, I will check on the forum and find a solution without struggling much. That's how it is. I do hear that their support is okay. However, I haven't experienced it directly myself.

I can maybe compare the FortiGate Firewall versus Cisco. Cisco, you need to really understand. You'd have command lines to enter. You can create a rule there and it's very, very easy to use if you know the command line.

I'm trying to buy a firewall and I'm looking to buy a FortiGate 200 series. I had to choose between Cisco and FortiGate, however, on the routing and switching, I like Cisco. On the firewall, Cisco is great, I understand, however, maybe it's myself understanding how to do the rules on the Cisco Firepower device better than most.

With Cisco, depending on what you want, you need to be certified to be able to set up. It's not as easy for newcomers. IT’s only when you know what you're doing, and you understand the Cisco commands that you can set up. I'm Cisco certified, so I find it easy to set up. However, the person who is not certified won't set it up.

Cisco is good in terms of pricing. You get good value for money.

They've got different models which come at different prices. If you have a Cisco 3800 router, you may find you are buying it at maybe $4,000 or maybe $3,000. It depends on who's selling. Obviously, the markup is a low code. Sometimes a company exaggerates import duties. If I had to buy directly, it looks cheaper than if I tried to go through a reseller that messes with the costs.

I’m an end-user.

We are using Cisco 800 switches, Cisco 9300 switches, and Cisco 4400 series routers.

These are enterprise routers on-premises.

Using Cisco is the way to go. The peace of mind you get from having a solution that's reliable is invaluable. You are buying reliability, and around it is the value for your money. As a reliable solution, that's what you want, so that you focus on innovation. You configure it, forget it, and focus on other business activities.

I’d rate the solution ten out of ten.

I use Cisco routers in my company to provide internet connectivity to all our devices, such as computers and WiFi. Essentially, I use these servers to facilitate internet access for the entire company. HPE is the server we are using in our company.

I am satisfied with the tool overall. Although I haven't used all of its features yet, it's been great for providing internet access to both customers, and employees within the company. I'm looking forward to learning more about the other features and using them in the future.

I don't think I can improve the tool. For that, I would need to learn all of its features and how to use them. But for now, I am satisfied with the tool because it provides me with what I need. In short, I don't have any idea if I want any improvements in the solution.

Sometimes, I find it hard to learn how some features of the router work. So, these are the issues that may arise when a user might not have knowledge about the product.

I have been working with HPE servers since 2019, which adds up to about three to four years. As for Cisco, I have been working with them for two years now, and with Cisco routers specifically, for about one year. I am also working with Cisco Enterprise Routers.

I love all Cisco devices since it has a lot of features, including the ones that are essential to me. Stability-wise, I rate this solution a ten out of ten.

The router I am using right now is enough for my needs. There are many features that I would like to use, and I am learning about them. The tool is sufficient for me at present.

The router is the main device in my company. So, everyone who wants to access the internet will go through it. However, I am the only one with access to the router and its features. Thus, all other people have to access the internet through the router as a user without access to its features, and they may not even be aware of the process. They only have access to the internet without the knowledge of how it works. Since I am in the IT section, I have access to all the necessary details.

I have experience with Cisco UCS C-Series, HPE ProLiant DL, and Linux, specifically Cisco and HPE.

I haven't worked with routers from vendors other than Cisco. Even at home, I have a small Cisco router. Nowadays, some people use TP-Link and D-Link, but I feel that Cisco is the best for me. For small companies or small houses, Cisco routers are very good.

I had someone help me with the setup process, which wasn't a complicated process. Although it may seem complicated the first time you go through it, doing it a second time, you may not feel that it is a complicated process.

It was not just the router but the whole network, which means there were other devices also. So, the deployment process took just one month.

I received help from a consultant.

The pricing of Cisco routers is reasonable at times. But, here in my country, it is expensive because we get the product from outside our country, which involves a lot of processes. But, outside my country also, I don't think it is reasonable. Only owing to the features it provides, it is reasonable.

I don't know the amount paid by the ones who purchased the solution a few years ago, but I know that they bought the license.

My advice for the people who want Cisco routers is that I think they have to learn how to use them because there are a lot of features that they can use in the solution. But if they don't know how to use it, then they shouldn't buy it. They have to learn everything about the router so that they can use the very good features of the router. So, they need to get knowledge about the router and its features. Once you know how to use it, it's satisfying.

To understand the router and its features, I usually rely on Google, Cisco's website, and occasionally other websites. I find the documentation on the Cisco website to be great since they know how to explain the features well since the routers are their products. I rate this solution a ten out of ten, at times a nine out of ten, but not lower than that.

We mainly use the solution for a branch router, and it works very efficiently. We use it for data centers and servers. 

The after-sales service and support Cisco offers are great. It's a great differentiating feature that sets them apart from the competition.

The features are good. They are robust and well-made, unlike other competitors, like Huawei, where the products are not made of good materials. 

The performance is quite good.  

It's scalable.

For the most part, it is straightforward to set up. 

We need more cloud functionality and more intelligent routing features.

They need to improve cost efficiency. It's an expensive product.

I've been using the solution for 15 years. 

This is a stable, robust product. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable. The performance is excellent.

There are different sizes for the routers. You need to get the right sizing base don your needs. 

The solution is scalable. You can have one router per premises and multiple branches and it will work well in an enterprise any size.

They have data sheets online that are easy to access so that you can see the capacity of various routers. You just need to choose the right one for your business.

Support is great. The operator can open a case, and a Cisco support engineer can directly interact with the case to troubleshoot. They have a quick turnaround as well.

Cisco offers quality support. They are excellent. 

I'm also familiar with Huawei, and I find them to be not quite as well-made as Cisco. However, they both have similar functionality and serve the same purpose. 

The initial setup is straightforward. The setup doesn't take a long period of time. 

The deployment is very similar to what you would expect from other vendors. You do need to do some architectural design before implementing. You need to have a good understanding of the layout of the network and what you will need. 

Cisco does provide training online that is available readily from anywhere. Most people are quite familiar with Cisco, and those who are not can learn a lot online. 

How much technical staff you will need will depend on how big of a deployment you are planning. Typically, two to three engineers are sufficient. However, it can vary from project to project. 

The solution is a bit expensive. They should consider better pricing.

They have turned to subscription-based licensing. However, it may not be as cost-effective. 

Prices vary. There are different license models to choose from. 

I use various versions of the solution, from legacy routers to the latest version. It can be deployed on-premises and also has cloud solutions as well. 

Cisco is dominating the market in my region. 

I'd recommend Cisco Routers to others. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten based on the cost of the product, which is expensive. 

We primarily use the solution for connectivity and routing. It offers secure panel access. 

Enterprise routers help us to build a secure panel between our data center going to our other remote sites. It also helps with routing and is the main point of entry for our infrastructure.

The routing features are quite useful.

It is a stable solution.

The product can scale.

It's easy to set up.

Technical support ie very helpful. 

We haven't really had any issues. They have recently upgraded the technology and have recently improved many things. Most of what we needed they recently updated. We aren't missing any features. 

The solution is expensive.

I've been using the solution for ten years. 

The stability is excellent. I would rate it nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches. It is reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

The scalability is good. I would rate it around eight out of ten. 

We have ten people who use it directly right now. 

Technical support has been quite good, and we are quite satisfied with the level of support on offer. 

Positive

We previously used Juniper and Extreme routers. Since I am mostly exposed to Cisco products, I do find Juniper routers to be a bit difficult to manage. 

The solution offers a pretty simple implementation. For the basic setup, it's really easy. The complexity comes to them when it comes to deploying the routing for the whole solution based on the company's requirements.

It usually requires four people to deploy and maintain the solution. That said, it depends on the data center and the size of the environment.

We have witnessed an ROI while using the product. 

I'd rate the solution two out of ten in terms of affordability. It's an expensive product. 

We're using version 15 or thereabouts. We updated it less than a year ago. 

Depending on the budget, I'd advise new users to go with Cisco. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. 

The valuable feature is CLI.

For deployment, you need a tech-savvy individual with extensive CLI experience. Occasional troubleshooting may require remote access, which could pose a minor challenge. The centralized management system simplifies patching, deployment, and configuration tasks, making it easier for tech-savvy personnel to support and maintain the equipment.

I have been using Cisco Enterprise Routers for two or three years.

They are stable. We don't have constraints in terms of deployment.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

We have a team of ten with the main configuration.

I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.

We need assistance regarding the GUI feature.

The initial setup takes around 30 to one hour, depending on the configuration and the person’s technical ability.

I rate the initial setup a five out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

One person is enough for the deployment, depending on the nation and the quantity configured. We don't have a centralized model through which you can deploy configuration.

I would recommend it for security.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We use this solution to secure and separate our network. We use the router to install the internet gateway.

When there is a problem, it hampers the scope of work. So if they could reduce the response time, it'll be helpful to us. In addition, the UI could be more user-friendly.

We have been using this solution for the last two years. It is deployed on-premises.

It is a stable solution. Cisco devices are very stable.

It is very scalable. We have two sites, our head office site and our factory site. We have a total of about 1600 users on the factory site. We only require four to five people for maintenance, and the maintenance has different levels, admin, physical and support maintenance. There are three people in admin maintenance and three to four in support and other maintenance.

We have not used any technical support from Cisco.

We used Cisco Router 2911 before this.

There was some complexity in setting up the existing network to the new network. It took almost six months to implement. However, the timeline was impacted by COVID. There were no issues with the product, but the issue was upping the tunnel and upgrading systems.

Our vendor and partner helped us with installation. The vendor did the initial configuration, and now we are taking care of the maintenance.

I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

I am the head of enterprise and business, leading the presales, system and network architecture teams. 

We use this tool as an IP VPN connecting 50 to 60 branch networks.

Cisco has many features, however, we configure only OSPF and other QoS functions. There are three functions like that, but the routing protocol is OSPF through IP VPNs.

Cisco launched the 8000 series routers, including the SD-WAN features and Viptela, plus the cloud connectivity. They continuously improve and add so many features to the new IOS, mainly in the cloud, the microservice's architecture and  Kubernetes. 

There are no new features required. Cisco has a huge amount of configurations and features built in, however, we use less than 10% of those features. The 4000 series that I am using does not have routing and cloud connectivity, but it is my understanding that this is now included in the 8000 series.

Cisco has acquired other companies, and due to this, there are many API-based integrations. There should be one platform that will enable a smooth integration. For example, Cisco acquired ThousandEyes, AppDynamics and Viptela. These are ideal solutions for big companies in terms of WAN connectivity. Cisco needs to ensure that there is a smooth integration mechanism in order to ease this process or point of integration.

Cisco should also ensure it remains on par with the world technology roadmap as it has been to this point.

I have been using Cisco Enterprise Routers for twelve years. Our organization has forty to fifty users.

Cisco Enterprise Routers are stable. This is one of the best products I have worked with.

Scalability is limited for Cisco Routers. Interface scalability has additional slots to plug the card in and increased the required interfaces and required media, like fiber or copper band. The performance of the router is limited. Cisco Router is a hardware platform with IOS, which is limited for every hardware-based plan. However, whatever limitations there have been, we have not felt any bottlenecks.

The challenge is when the customer wants to have a complete technology change, for example, IP VPN to SD-WAN, they will need to also have a hardware refresh and replace all of the hardware.  

Technical support is good, however, after COVID, some engineers didn't have up-to-date knowledge. This is the case for approximately 10% of the engineers. This also could have something to do with Cisco outsourcing to third parties.

As far as maintenance, Cisco provides top-level support to us here in Sri Lanka. This includes after-sales support. They have the RMA depot located here for Sri Lankan services. 

Positive

I have experience with HPE Routers and Aruba, but that was over five years ago. As far as WAN connectivity, I have used Fortinet. Fortinet does not have browsers, but I used the firewall. For SD-WAN functions, I have used Meraki.

The initial setup is not complex. Cisco has acquired many other companies, so there are many API-based integrations, and sometimes those are not smooth. 

We have in-house engineers that did all the configurations. In some circumstances, we had open tech cases and received help from tech engineers at Cisco.

Cisco is more expensive than other architecture solutions. They have different licensing and subscriptions.

I recommend Cisco Routers because of its stability, support, and availability. Cisco gives premium support, and they offer a solid product. Availability is a challenge right now for everyone because of the worldwide silicon shortage. So, my advice is to get one year ahead.

I would rate Cisco Enterprise Routers a nine out of ten.

We have been using Cisco Enterprise Routers for building micro-networks and Internet networks for main VPN services, high-speed Internet access, and extending the network of customers.

I have found the most valuable feature of Cisco Enterprise Routers to be the simplicity of the command-line interface, it is very intuitive as to how the commands need to be configured for a specific use case. 

Over time things have changed where Cisco has not invested in improving the orchestration and simplifying it for people who do not want to get into the details. Cisco has not gone into that focus. Technologies such as MPLS and VPN, have become very difficult to use for many service providers. This is where you have the admission of software-defined networks which brought in a lot of simplicity when it comes to routing and functionality.

What Cisco Routers needs to do to improve is what they have already done with the SD-WAN solution. It is a very, elegant solution, but even though it is a pretty comprehensive solution, one of the problems with the Cisco solution is many customers do not use all the features. They must have a category of customer premises equipment, specifically for the managed service providers and enterprise networks that can be much more cost-effective from an IT perspective. The configuration can be simplified at the GUI level. It should be easier because any telecommunication provider only has an enterprise network nowadays. 

When I am running an SD-WAN as an enterprise, I have features that are capable of finding an alternate path when there is latency. I have yet to find a solution to integrate them. For example, if I am a managed services provider for an SD-WAN customer, how do I make sure that this feature is automatically taken care of by the service provider side by monitoring its own option. This managing from the service provider side in the SD-WAN solution does not exist, it is all only static provisioning right now. When you are doing the original provisioning it happens, but dynamically when the network changes due to quirks in the network, how does it actually handle it. If there was this kind of features it would help Cisco to become the best in the process. You need to have a more solution-specific understanding.

The parts management teams have to come up with features that will benefit the service provider and the enterprises if they want to be the best.

I have been working with Cisco Enterprise Routers for approximately 30 years.

The stability and bugs are more related to a Cisco internal issue because when I worked in the Cisco team in research and development, their internal procedures were very complex and they had a very bloated OS software. All those problems have been solved in approximately 2007. They have improved a lot of processes and areas. They brought more modularity into the code and they have strict mechanisms for fixing the software. Earlier the problem was that when they fixed the problem for one router, they had to go and fix the same issue in different code bases. For example, if there was a bug in QoS, Quality of Service, code and it was on a router that was also found to be in all the versions which of many other routers, they will fix on few of them. They will not fix many others because that would cause problems later in the deployment of the solution. This method has backfired a lot for Cisco.

They learned from their mistakes and started modularizing the code, they standardized the quality of service across the platforms and those problems went away. 

Now they have much more modular code and have done a very good job standardizing the CLI. This is what is helping the orchestration because the more complexity you have across different platforms it makes it very difficult for orchestration. You are able to do it but it makes it even worse. They needed big teams to manage the bug fixes and to understand how the bugs were going to be fixed. Now with the tools that are available, they have simplified a lot of the processes. The concept of segment routing and how can it be used for micro-segmentation, are wonderful features.

The lack of talent is the major challenge and is something that is widening. However, orchestration solutions will actually help. The more proficient technical support personnel can focus on the troubleshooting whereas the entry-level personnel can focus on the orchestration part and manage the services. The troubleshooting can be taken care of by the more technologically advanced personnel at level two support and the level three technical support should be in the position to go right down through the levels and be able to see what is going wrong and fix the issue.

There was a time when we had excellent technical support in Cisco. It has been 10 years since I left Cisco and one thing I can say is that over a period of time, the technical support of Cisco diminished. The problems were more related to the internal processes within the system and the hiring processes that were used. When you are hiring people for technical support you cannot just hire somebody based on CCIE or CCNA certification. You need people who are real engineers who understand the protocol at the level of detail that is required at the level of implementation and the software must be understood extremely.

Unfortunately, in CCIE they learn how to pass the exams, but they really do not know how to build real networks. There are people who are very good at networking in configuring but they are extremely bad when it comes to understanding computer architecture, what is error correction memory, how does it affect software performance, and what kind of problems it can bring. They have no idea at all. This causes a problem when attempting to troubleshoot the equipment.

These problems are what Cisco and all others face. Cisco has invested a lot in their teams, but if you have managers who do not know how to recruit the right type of people then you face a lot of challenges. Those working on routers, switches, networks, and their environments must have a good understanding of what an operating system is, what is the computer architecture, what is the architecture of the router, and what it is implemented in the protocol. It is very important to be aware of the tools that are in the customer environment, how is the customer using them, are they using them in the right way, or in the wrong way. These things also must be understood.

Most of the help personnel just focus on the software side of the problem. They are not worried whether the customer is getting the connectivity in the right way or not, you have to be supporting in the right way. When I was in a company called Wipro, which is a Cisco partner, I found that they did not know even know how to handle the information correctly. You feel a lot of challenges because of the way hiring is done. 

I am not sure how they handle new features or functionality nowadays but I used to do technology transfer to help people understand how a particular feature or the new functionality that is developed in the platform was supposed to be working, such as certain setup commands that I have used for configuration, the expected outputs, and some of the basic troubleshooting that was needed.

The prices of Cisco are mostly fair. Cisco is similar to BMW for the networking industry. If you compare it with other vendors, such as Huawei, they cannot match the service. Cisco solution serves as the BMW of the networking industry in the way that the others are trying to live up to those expectations. Cisco is justified in some of the pricing, not all the pricing, if you go to the Cisco website, you can see the detailed documentation.

I am currently working with Nokia and it is very difficult to find where the documentation is on the web. They do not even provide the datasheets, and they are only provided them on request for the equipment. How will a person really appreciate a company when it comes to that kind of solution? I can go to the Cisco website and look at the SD-WAN to see the validated designs, all the information, and understand them just by creating myself an account but not with Nokia. I am even trying to figure out what are the protocols that Nokia will use in their SD-WAN solution. It would be much easier to have documentation to compare the advantage and disadvantages. Cisco's openness in their documentation is one of the most appealing strengths of the company, it really gives you an indication of how open they are. The documents detail how much money they spend on it, and how they are helping the industry from an infrastructure perspective. Additionally, Cisco gives you talented individuals. There are people who are self-learners who will go to the website and look at the documentation, learn, and understand the software to find which functionality has a bug. When it comes to a Nokia, they will only help you if you are a managed service with a contract. Otherwise, you cannot even deploy their equipment, this is not a good practice.

I justify part of the pricing that Cisco has but not the full model. There is a 25 percent price increase over the Nokia and it is justified for what Cisco delivers to its customers. I am calculating not just the pricing for just the routers, but the overall price, including openness and how much support they can handle. They are excellent. If you run a network without software support from Cisco and call technical support they will help. For example, they will indicate the problem exists because you upgraded the software and if you have a contract, you can automatically download the software to fix the problem. This would not be the case with Nokia, you will need them to be involved, they select the managed services, and that makes it extremely difficult for people to afford. 

Cisco is way too expensive for small and medium businesses. They must lower their prices in the lower range equipment. They need to make sure that they do not ignore that market segment because they will lose it for good. They will be gone from the Asian market and they will survive with only those companies which are extending their arms into India and South Asia because of the large companies that are there. They will not be able to penetrate the markets in all small and medium businesses and will not thrive.

I have evaluated Huawei and Nokia solutions. Nokia solutions are pretty good. However, in their software, I have heard from many of my friends, they have some type of secrecy that they follow that is very difficult for me to digest.

It is important for smaller companies to focus on understanding how deployments are done. The learning should be done from the perspective of deployment operations because whether you are an enterprise or a service provider you are buying these routers and offering a service to the internal or external customers as a service provider. You need to understand how these platforms and overall solutions help you to build a network faster and which part of it reduces the cost. Many of the smaller companies do not understand the operational expenses well enough, they will end up doing all kinds of Ad Hoc configurations with half the knowledge, and they will run into problems and it will be expensive.

I rate Cisco Enterprise Routers a six out of ten.