Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches
74 Ratings
Switch Selector Tool
Dell PowerConnect Switches
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Top Rated
33 Ratings

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

74 Ratings
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Score 8.9 out of 100

Based on 74 reviews and ratings

Switch Selector Tool

Dell PowerConnect Switches

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Top Rated
33 Ratings
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Score 9.2 out of 100

Based on 33 reviews and ratings

Attribute Ratings

  • Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches is rated higher in 1 area: Support Rating
  • Dell PowerConnect Switches is rated higher in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend

Likelihood to Recommend

8.8

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

88%
38 Ratings
9.4

Dell PowerConnect Switches

94%
18 Ratings

Likelihood to Renew

8.2

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

82%
5 Ratings

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Usability

10.0

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

100%
3 Ratings

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Availability

9.1

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

91%
2 Ratings

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Performance

9.1

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

91%
2 Ratings

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Support Rating

9.5

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

95%
15 Ratings
9.1

Dell PowerConnect Switches

91%
3 Ratings

In-Person Training

7.3

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

73%
1 Rating

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Online Training

7.3

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

73%
1 Rating

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Implementation Rating

8.2

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

82%
2 Ratings

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Product Scalability

7.3

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

73%
1 Rating

Dell PowerConnect Switches

N/A
0 Ratings

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

One of the best switch series available today from Cisco is the Catalyst 9300 Series [Switches]. They work as well as other Cisco enterprise products and are just as dependable. It's difficult to just turn these things on and forget about them with the new licensing model. After inserting the smart-licensing token into the switch, one of two options must be granted: internet access or no internet access. We will have to purchase three years of auto-renewing DNA licensing and licensing is a costly venture. Nonetheless, I have yet to encounter anything that I do not enjoy. Since the deployments, we've had a period of trouble-free operation.

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Mst Rahima Khatun | TrustRadius Reviewer
Mst Rahima Khatun
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Dell PowerConnect Switches

We work in the electric industry. These should not be used in a high-heat environment. We like to keep the temperature of the room in the low 60's so they are not suited for our Substation locations due to extreme heat and cold. However, they perform great in a server room.

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Seth Urbanczyk | TrustRadius Reviewer
Seth Urbanczyk
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Pros

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

  • [Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches] provide[s] a stable, reliable switching platform. Typically I end up deploying these and once the configuration is dialed into what the need is I rarely ever have to bother with them again!
  • Multi-speed interfaces are handy if you are using newer Cisco APs.
  • StackPower cables give interesting power sharing options for 9300s living in the same space.

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Derek Benson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Derek Benson
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Dell PowerConnect Switches

  • Reliable.
  • Excellent hardware support from Dell including 4 hour parts/replacement.
  • Excellent technical support from Dell on software, troubleshooting, and configuration.
  • More affordable than its main enterprise competitors.
  • Easy to use CLI.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
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Cons

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

  • Ability to do routing network packets.
  • Servers, printer and PCs have been able to connect to the each other via the Cisco Switch.
  • The price a little bit high.
  • Strong security, advanced QoS, comprehensive IPv6 support, Layer 3 static routing, and true stacking.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 38 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

  • Precarious graphical (GUI) mode, needing to be updated for more efficient technologies such as HTML5
  • Short support time, given how much these devices support in terms of use. I have owned the devices for years, but no longer have a warranty

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Roni Peterson Alvarenga | TrustRadius Reviewer
Roni Peterson Alvarenga
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Pricing Details

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

General

Free Trial
—
Free/Freemium Version
—
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—
Entry-level set up fee?
No

Starting Price

—

Dell PowerConnect Switches

General

Free Trial
—
Free/Freemium Version
—
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—
Entry-level set up fee?
No

Starting Price

—

Likelihood to Renew

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 8.2
Based on 5 answers
Catalyst isn't even the family, it's bigger than that. The current "family" is the catalyst 9000 series. And Cisco keeps pushing the edge of the envelope with each new family.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 5 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Usability

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 10.0
Based on 3 answers
I love them

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 3 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Reliability and Availability

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 9.1
Based on 2 answers
If you install the C9300 as a switch stack, the availability is amazing. This can even be a power stack setup, where the chassis power supplies can provide power redundancy for the other member switch chassis.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 2 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Performance

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 9.1
Based on 2 answers
The C9300 is surfficiently spec'ed to support all the features it provides. We haven't yet experienced any hardware limitations, unless there's a loop in the network, which spanning-tree should take care of anyway

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 2 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Support Rating

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 9.5
Based on 15 answers
Honestly it really depends on who is going to take your case. You may need to contact your Cisco account manager if you don't get good support from the TAC.
Lately the 3850 and 9300 switches are affected by several bugs and sometimes it is frustrating when it's faster if you research the problem by yourself instead of rely on Cisco support. On the other hand I found also some really talented people in the cisco support team.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 15 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

Dell PowerConnect Switches 9.1
Based on 3 answers
Dell ProSupport is outstanding. Dell ProDeploy is likewise outstanding. I prefer them even over traditional Cisco support. I've had repeated cases where Dell immediately addressed or fixed an issue with US-based support, including firmware hotfixes. Not even Cisco can boast that.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 3 answers on this topic

In-Person Training

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 7.3
Based on 1 answer
Cisco Networking Academy partners with many local Colleges and High Schools to provide great hands-on training. You do need to drive to learn the topic. The in-class session only go so far. You really need to apply this to the real world. Cisco makes it easy for business to connect via CLC or Cisco Learning Credits.

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Justin McDermott | TrustRadius Reviewer
Justin McDermott
View all 1 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Online Training

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 7.3
Based on 1 answer
Our training for Cisco switches came from a third party instructor, e.g. CBT Nuggets. This was general training on switches and not in particular only the C9300 series. Nevertheless any hands-on experience from any other Cisco switching platform, will make you feel very acquainted with the C9300. The new switch platform just enables more perfomance and features.

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 1 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Implementation Rating

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 8.2
Based on 2 answers
It's essential to spend a few weeks on a Proof of Concept/Value test, to ensure that the equipment is ready for production. It's extremely hard to revert back to older hardware later. This testing period will also be a great opportunity for hardware burn-in, which will reveal any potential hardware failure due to production defects, etc

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 2 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

We used HP ProCurves at our old office. They offered cheap switching, lots of ports, and lifetime warranties, but you realistically got what you paid for. They were often times confounding, and much more difficult to integrate together and with our firewalls. QoS was pretty much a lost cause on them. We also had many issues with dead ports. While they were covered under warranty, having to take an entire 48 port module offline to get the defective port replaced was quite cumbersome and caused some outages.The inability to push multiple VLAN's across a single port was also a huge impediment, necessitating two ports per cube, whereas we can accomplish the same thing with one port per desk with the Catalyst 9300's

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Kurt Ferguson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Kurt Ferguson
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Dell PowerConnect Switches

I selected Dell mainly due to previous experience using them in a business environment. I've never had a unit fail on me and when my budget for equipment like network switches has been less than a training class on how to use those switches, it's incredible to be able to find quality equipment at the price point Dell offers and even more so when their enterprise support has been as excellent as I have been accustomed to dealing with. In all honesty, even if I had a larger budget, I would have bought these same switches since they were exactly what I needed to suit my needs. We looked into HPE/Aruba network switches, and while they would have performed everything we needed and more, they were almost four times the cost of these Dell network switches. That's a hard sell when it comes to planning a tight budget.

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Chris Funk | TrustRadius Reviewer
Chris Funk
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Scalability

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches 7.3
Based on 1 answer
It seems like a very robust platform, which Cisco is constantly evolving with new features and possibilities. The standard network module gives the opportunity to customize the uplink interfaces, in both bandwidth and SFP type

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Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Verified User
View all 1 answers on this topic

Dell PowerConnect Switches

No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic

Return on Investment

Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

  • The list price of the switch is almost equivalent to the cost for the previous Catalyst Switch models, which is good for the business financial plan.
  • The dedicated management switch port is much easier for out-of-band management purposes.
  • Catalyst 9300 is not compatible with the old switch model, which is a bit challenging for migration in some situations.

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Roger Qian | TrustRadius Reviewer
Roger Qian
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Dell PowerConnect Switches

  • Reports are easily created and very useful.
  • Quick creation of different network connections.
  • Excellent and secure channels for multiple data management.
  • Great data visualization options offered by Dell PowerConnect Switches.

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Annette Gilmour | TrustRadius Reviewer
Annette Gilmour
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