Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switches vs HPE Networking Switches

Likelihood to Recommend

They are best suited for edge switching applications. We do have a couple in the data center doing legacy copper VM hosts that perform ok. But edge switching is most definitely the best suited, at least in our specific situation. I know that some of the higher end catalyst switches have the ability to do layer 3 functionality, but that's not something that we've personally delved into with the catalyst line.

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Matthew Cable

Network Engineer II

Hall County SchoolsEducation Management, 1001-5000 employees

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HPE Networking Switches are great for most any scenario. They are great with low network load and also high network load. They are not exactly the cheapest solution, so they aren't suited for budget conscious users. They are made to work 24/7 with no interruptions, and they have lived up to that promise for us.

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Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Consumer Goods Company, 51-200 employees

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Pros

Simple administration, low occurrence rates, and a wide range of deployment options make it ideal for use in virtually any networking environment.
Great features and good performance combine to form a small and quiet factor.
Servers, printers, and PCs can connect via the Cisco Switch's auto smart ports, allowing zero-touch provisioning of edge devices.

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Nilufa Hossain

IT Specialist

Lamda I-TECHInformation Technology & Services, 11-50 employees

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Well priced. There's something for all budgets.
Choice of managed and unmanaged models. Not all of our customers require (or want to pay for) managed switches, but many do.
Tons of features on the higher end models.

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Verified User

Employee in Information Technology

Information Technology & Services Company, 1-10 employees

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Cons

Cisco's switch code backup tool isn't the greatest and easiest to use.
[It's] a lot more money than competitor's products.
[Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switch] is a very diverse product line for even one model. [It] can be daunting to find the switch you need without Cisco's help.

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Oil & Energy Company, 201-500 employees

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The Enterprise management software always seemed less intuitive than the default software.
More of the parts could be supported across a wider variety of models.
Add-on modules should be cheaper than buying a new switch with modules already installed. So they could really do to serve their customers better with pricing options.

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Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology

Hospital & Health Care Company, 51-200 employees

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Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

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Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

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General

Free Trial

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Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Starting Price

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Likelihood to Renew

Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switches 1.6

Based on 2 answers

We are extremely happy with the Cisco Catalyst series and don't have any reason to switch. As long as we continue to get great use and service out of the products we'll continue to use them for the foreseeable future.

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Matthew Cable

Network Engineer II

Hall County SchoolsEducation Management, 1001-5000 employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Usability

Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switches 9.0

Based on 2 answers

Cisco by and far does a great job with the Catalyst line. From a layer 2 dumb switch all the way up to ISP carrier grade switching within the Catalyst portfolio. The best part about it is command parity among the various tiers of product. The only differences are going to lie in what features are available per switch.

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Matthew Cable

Network Engineer II

Hall County SchoolsEducation Management, 1001-5000 employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Support Rating

Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switches 8.4

Based on 6 answers

So far we haven't had very many support issues with our Catalyst switches. When we have had issues TAC is always a pleasure to work with. They're prompt, knowledgeable, and take ownership of the case from open to close. Also, this isn't attributed to Cisco support directly. But because they are so widely known and have such a great market share you can find a solution to almost any issue with a quick internet search.

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Matthew Cable

Network Engineer II

Hall County SchoolsEducation Management, 1001-5000 employees

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HPE Networking Switches 8.3

Based on 3 answers

We have had very little experience with support and nothing for years really. But when we have needed support we always got what we needed in a timely fashion. Basically good support that you would expect from an enterprise class business. Definitely less hoops to jump through getting help or parts than their desktop or printer divisions.

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Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology

Hospital & Health Care Company, 51-200 employees

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Alternatives Considered

The Cisco Catalyst switch is a robust switch and has a long lifespan regardless of the cost. it is easy to deploy and configure as a layer 3 device. As compared to other devices like Juniper Switch, it is easy to configure on the network.

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Olumayowa Mosuro

Systems Admin

MultiChoiceBroadcast Media, 1001-5000 employees

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HP is a Great balance of everything you need, from cost, quality, and manageability. I have worked with Cisco, Dell, and Ubiquiti, as well as many other brands. Each come with their own Pros and Cons, but are all good products. In the end, I go with HP because the product has never done me wrong. Perception is everything. Downtime makes people question the credibility of the IT managing the systems. HP has never put me in a bad spot where the quality of IT is questioned.

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Jeff Allen

Director of Information Technology ★ Strengthening IT Operations through Processes and Programs

Beavers HoldingsFood Production, 201-500 employees

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Return on Investment

Expansion has been made in our organization. We recently use a 24 port switch but as the company grew, we required a more robust switch
Core switches are able to do MPLS to reach other locations
Most switches are now 48 port and support fiber ports not only Gigabit ports

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Olumayowa Mosuro

Systems Admin

MultiChoiceBroadcast Media, 1001-5000 employees

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I really like the idea of paying for the switches one time and just pay for support going forward. The prices are on the high end but I think it is worth it. I wish they would include all the features in one go so we would not have to pay for every new feature.

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Thayer Ramahi

Director, IMIT

Calgary Foothills Primary Care NetworkHospital & Health Care, 51-200 employees

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Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switches vs HPE Networking Switches