Cisco Ethernet Switches Reviews and Pricing

Network Engineer & Web Developer at OneTexh

Jul 21, 2013

It seems a little expensive given the compromises on offerings and features.

The switches used worldwide are basically required to optimize routers’ performance. Users apt to use Cisco switches among which “Catalyst” series are most popular and abruptly demanding produced. The Cisco Catalyst series Switches are mostly wire-speed, low-latency, Layer 2-4, 1-rack-unit (1-RU), fixed-configuration switches. The catalyst series switches provide exceptional performance, bandwidth, and reliability for low-density. The abundant use of switches provides dependability, reliability and constancy by working with servers and workstations because of remarkable features like :
 Layer 2 & 3 switching
 Remote Management Protocols
• Telnet
• HTTP
• SNMP
 VLAN Support
 Multiple spanning tree
 Trivial File Transfer
 DHCP
 Auto IP Routing
 MAC Address Filter
The worst disadvantage lies in the security which particularly belongs to console port to which modems or other router attached to. The console does not support RS232 DCD (Data Carrier detect). Therefore when the executional session comes to a conclusion, one has to manually detach the session.
Another problem related to catering the situation when a modem connection is lost. In this case, switches are unable to reset therefore producing a security hole because of illegal entry of modem call without the authorization.
But in the normal cases, one can take great advantages of blasting and innovative features of these catalyst series switches and other Cisco’s switches.
If you're not a fan of the Cisco switches for price alone, then the catalyst is definitely going to meet your needs. It seems a little expensive given the compromises on offerings and features. The best thing for which you can love Cisco’s is that its VLAN is automatically configured but its counterpart Juniper products need to be configured manually. Another difference Is the presence of VTP (VLan Truncking Protocol) in Cisco’s switches that is absent in Juniper. Cisco’s switches support both 802.1Q and ISL (Inter Switched Link) protocols while Juniper only supports 802.1Q.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user7944Network Engineer & Web Developer at OneTexh

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Jul 26, 2013

Hi Gamerboy.what you noticed is also highlighted by me in this review. Yet it has that drawback but apart from it, cisco switches are still more preferable than other related products.

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it_user1020

Head of Data Center at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Nov 24, 2012

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Cisco 3560X delivers outstanding performance, manageability and reliability. Specialized skills are required for configuring them, so make sure to have someone around during implementation.

Valuable Features:

Cisco Ethernet Switches bring outstanding performance and manageability. We have been using ethernet switches from various vendors like 3Com, Allied Telesis, LInksys and HP before we bought our Cisco ethernet switches as part of our network equipment upgrade project.The results after switching our core networking devices with Cisco switches and routers was undeniable. Network performance improved tremendously, as large file transfers completed faster than before. Intranet web applications also benefited from the improved network speed.While Cisco ethernet switches usually cost a lot more than other comparable devices from other manufacturers, the value of your investment on Cisco does not there. We were also able to acquire the CNAP equipment bundle at a massively discounted rate.

Room for Improvement:

Set-up and configuration of Cisco ethernet switches can be a daunting task, and you need someone experienced with configuring Cisco devices for this task. Configuring a Cisco switch via CLI can be a daunting task for others.If you invest on Cisco switches and use their propriety technology, be prepared for the cost implications and vendor lock-in for the foreseeable future. If these are not problems for your company then the choice is easy.

Other Advice:

Overall, Cisco Ethernet Switches are highly recommended. They really improve overall network performance and gives you the peace of mind you deserve. Just be sure to have someone very knowledgeable about configuring Cisco devices on-hand to help you with the configuration and network set-up.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user2877IT Administrator at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees

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Sep 24, 2013

We have this L3 switch in our network and it does an amazing job functioning as a separator of our Voice and Data networks with the help of VLAN's.

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it_user2622

Tech Support Staff at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

Oct 27, 2012

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Best networking product

Valuable Features:

Reliability. We can rely/trust 100% on cisco ethernet switches to run the networks smoothly.

Room for Improvement:

Need to provision for DC Power Input

Other Advice:

Really great experience with cisco devices

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user1143

Network Manager at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Jul 13, 2012

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Cisco Catalyst 3560G - Reliable switches with exceptional performance

Valuable Features:

Catalyst 3560G is a full duplex and supports layer 3 switching, which provides you with a lot of configuration options.Switch combines power over Ethernet (POE) capability with 10/100/1000BaseT interface / ports for maximum productivity.High performance IP routing, advanced QoS, and access control lists.Very stable switch. We use them as core switches at some of our locations and we never had any issues.

Room for Improvement:

Costly as compared to other brands, but with Cisco you definitely get reliability.

Other Advice:

Cisco Catalyst 3560 is a series of enterprise-class switches with a fixed-configuration. These switches include power over Ethernet (POE), Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet configurations, and are suitable for small enterprise LAN access or branch-office environments.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user1164

Infrastructure Expert at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jul 13, 2012

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Cisco has come up with Ethernet Switches that are high-performance, fully featured, resilient and equipped standard with the policy features of different cards

Valuable Features:

It has 24 x gigabit sfp + 8 x sfp ports, mac address table size96k entries, routing protocolrip-2, eigrp.operates on dc -48/-60 v power. It has the following remote management protocol :snmp 1, snmp 2, rmon, telnet, snmp 3.complies to the following standards: ieee 802.3, ieee 802.3u, ieee 802.3z, ieee 802.1d, ieee 802.1q, ieee 802.3ab, ieee 802.3x, ieee 802.3ad (lacp), ieee 802.1w, ieee 802.1x, ieee 802.1s, ieee 802.1t, has a ram of 768 mb (installed) / 2 gb (max) and a flash memory of 192 mb flash. It has the cisco ios ip base software included.

Room for Improvement:

It is expensive in terms of pricing. A reboot is also required if it jams. It has a minimum operational temperature of 32F.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user1065

Senior Manager of Data Center at a integrator with 51-200 employees

Jul 1, 2012

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Cisco Ethernet Switches have a reputation for delivering high performance, scalability and security features for TCP/IP networks

Valuable Features:

Few pros on the Cisco ethernet switches are: 1 )Power saving design architecture 2) CDP, Cisco network discovery protocol, Smartports which make management and port configuration extremely easy and efficient 3) Increased confidentiality with MACSec layer-2 encryption 4) StackPower which helps in increasing power availability 5) Efficient QoS with priority for critical cooling 6) Added on support with hot swap, redundant power supplies and cooling

Room for Improvement:

Few cons on the cisco switches are 1) Pricing strategies 2) Gigabit EtherChannel 3) Port based ACL 4) Ingress and Egress filtering not present in all 5) IGMP snooping and ISL trunking feature not present in few good series switches

Other Advice:

Cisco has built upon its reputation in delivering high quality ethernet switches for small scale to enterprise level needs. Whether it be the Cisco 100/200 series, a few things which standout are the energy efficient technology for Gigabit ethernet, network performance through QoS, silent operation through fan less design, IPv6 support, and the green technology approach.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user114003Infrastructure Network Architect at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees

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May 29, 2014

I have found the Cisco hardware (routers, switches, appliances) to be very reliable. We recently implement 7 Cisco UCS Chassis. We have migrated our entire Virtual Machine inventory, done several PtoV's, but still have another 100 or so servers/appliances to move into this new environment.

JEGAN N

Founder at SYSTA NETWORKS

Jan 31, 2023

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Stable and scalable solution with responsive tech support

Pros and Cons

"Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable, much more than Jupiter."

"The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer."

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Cisco Switches for seven to eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Ethernet Switches are stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cisco Ethernet Switches are scalable, much more than Jupiter.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco's technical support is very responsive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for on-prem versions is complex and requires a trained, certified engineer. However, the cloud versions are straightforward. Catalyst switches take around fifteen to thirty minutes to deploy, while the Meraki switches take about twenty minutes.

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

Cisco Ethernet Switches are expensive, and you have to pay for a warranty and technical support.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Cisco Ethernet Switches, as long as you have the budget. I'd rate this solution nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

reviewer2226447

Pre-Sales Engineer (Network & Security) at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

Jul 30, 2023

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Easy-to-deploy product with the availability of good technical documentation

Pros and Cons

"We can easily integrate the product with any OEM solutions."

"In the case of an already existing network, we encounter technical issues related to following protocols."

What is our primary use case?

At present, I am evaluating Cisco Ethernet Switches.

What needs improvement?

We can easily integrate the product with any OEM solutions. But in the case of an already existing network, we encounter technical issues related to following protocols.

How are customer service and support?

They provide good technical documentation and webinars.

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

Cisco Catalyst Switches are more scalable than the product.

How was the initial setup?

Deploying the product is very straightforward. With the help of the OEM's datasheet, product guide, and installation guide, we can easily set up the switches.

What about the implementation team?

I help my customers implement the product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Cisco and Aruba have similar functionality. We provide these solutions to the customers as per their requirements.

What other advice do I have?

I advise others to understand their business requirements and goals before purchasing the product. I rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.