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Cisco Catalyst Switches

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Overview

What is Cisco Catalyst Switches?

Cisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.

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Recent Reviews

Catalyst Switch Review

10 out of 10
February 09, 2024
Incentivized
So in our organization, Catalyst Switches is what everything is connected to get on the internet. So in our organization for ourselves we …
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Awards

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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Video Reviews

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Cisco Catalyst Switches Review
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Cisco Catalyst Switches Review
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Cisco Catalyst Switches Review
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Product Details

What is Cisco Catalyst Switches?

The Cisco Catalyst family of switches includes enterprise LAN access, distribution, and core switches. The vendor says the switches are designed for an entirely new era of intent-based networking, deliver stellar performance and functionality, and prepares a network for the future with breakthrough innovations for security, mobility, IoT, and the cloud.

Cisco Catalyst switches offer advanced security capabilities, scale for IoT, and cloud readiness.

Cisco aims to transform how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Cisco and its valued partners sell Cisco hardware, software, and services to businesses of all sizes, governments, service providers, and consumers.

Cisco now offers a two-question, two-minute interactive tool to identify the Cisco products and services available to help users solve up to 5 network challenges.

Cisco Catalyst Switches Screenshots

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Cisco Catalyst Switches Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Cisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.

HPE Aruba Ethernet Switches, Huawei Ethernet Switches, and Juniper EX Series Switches are common alternatives for Cisco Catalyst Switches.

Reviewers rate Configurability highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of Cisco Catalyst Switches are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(721)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-4 of 4)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Catalyst switches for voip, vlan segregation, port and access control.
  • Vlan
  • Port security
  • Poe for phones and surveillance cameras
  • Trunking
  • None
  • Nada
  • Good as is
Great for any network that has devices with POE and multi vlan
  • Great scalability
  • Reliable hardware
  • Port security
  • Webex Calling
We had already implemented webex calling before hybrid work so we did not have any challenges
N/A
N/A
N/A
Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches, Cisco Packet Tracer (part of Cisco Networking Academy), Cisco Routers
  • Working from home
We were already ready for hybrid work so we did not have any issues when we were forced to switch to hybrid work due to Covid 19
N/A
  • Webex
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Zoom
  • Vlan
  • Port security
  • Network switching
  • POE devices
  • Scalability
  • Ease of Use
Reliable, quality, and great product support.
Follow industry standards and best practices for configurations.
Very helpful in getting best pricing and ensuring we order what we need without hassel.
They are always available if we have any discrepancies or questions.
I did not engage Cisco Services when planning or deploying.
2
Port security and vlan segregation
2
Basic Network knowledge and experience
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • N/A
Ease of use, reliability, and dependable.
No
Wouldn't change a thing. Happy with our choice to go with Cisco.
  • Implemented in-house
  • Not sure
N/A
  • No Training
I was able to learn from my manager guiding me. For basic troubleshooting it worked out for me. Training would be recommended for advanced functions.
It is just right for this type of product.
No - we have not done any customization to the interface
No - we have not done any custom code
N/A
No. Premium support is not needed.
No
When I first started configuring a switch I accidentally wiped the OS. Support assisted me with restoring the OS extrmely fast.
Support tech was very knowledgeable, quick to respond and very helpful
  • Port activation
  • Trunking
  • Vlan
  • None
I am fairly new with no prior experience using cisco switches and I am able to configure and manage cisco switch with only guidance from my manager.
Very easy to deploy and configure
Only issues I see is if the switch is very old and out of support at the point where power module fails.
No performance issues that I have experienced.
  • N/A
N/A
  • N/A
N/A
  • File import/export
Did not integrate.
N/A
Discounted pricing
Have a good relationship and communicate with them frequently.
Yes
still in progress
  • Still in progress of upgrading
  • Quicker connections
  • More security
  • New features
January 21, 2019

Fair Game

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
We are using Catalyst Switches exclusively at our access layer, feeding back into 4500 IDFs. Catalyst is a solid device that is pretty much hands off once configured, with the exception of the occasional IOS update. Updates are fast and versatile, from either USB, FTP, or Serial.
  • port security
  • IOS update
  • SNMP / monitoring setup
  • TACACS / RADIUS setup
  • scalability
  • chassis aggregation
  • enable BPDU guard by default
  • reassign logical interface numbers when renumbering switches in a stack
  • reduce noise
Catalyst Switches are perfect for access layer deployment where 1GB throughput per interface is adequate. Would not use outside of this scenario as there are other product lines with redundant power supplies and a larger backplane. Excellent when used in an environment that may need to scale quickly, as chassis aggregation is quick and painless in most cases as long as the IOS image versions are compatible. Would be nice to see the status of version mismatches though, such as when a switch tries to join a stack that is not compatible with the other members. There should be some feedback regarding auto image deployment from the master to the newly added member.
  • long life
  • low cost
  • many features
We have benefited from the automation feature, and certainly feel that the configuration is seamless. We have not taken advantage of any virtualization or analytic features at this time.
Manageability is very simple. I would like to see more versatility (dummy-proofing) in regards to consoling into a non-master and making changes to the member and not the entire stack. We have had technicians make this mistake in the past and it seems to cause problems down the road when changes are made directly to a non-master.
We are explicitly using Cisco Catalyst switches at our access layer and have not explored alternatives at this time.
  • data forwarding
  • network expansion
  • maintenance refresh
  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Vendor Reputation
  • Existing Relationship with the Vendor
  • Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Cisco leads the market in Layer 2 network equipment
for multiple unit deployment, create a template to deploy. Or load into Cisco Prime to deploy templates
product selection made easy with Sales Engineering, just have your requirements understood
always available for follow up consultations
not at this time, but have frequently brought in Sales Engineers for new deployments and technology
1500
manufacturing employees
2
Network Engineer and IT Manager
  • end-user deployment
  • end-user management
  • greater segmentation
  • expansion
Cisco has great products, easy to deploy, configure, and manage
No
would not change, we made the right choice
  • Implemented in-house
No
Change management was minimal
  • network downtime
  • IOS matching
usually pretty seamless into existing deployments
  • Self-taught
with some basic knowledge of how to use the help system, Cisco IOS is straightforward
Just right for the device classification
No - there is no facility to customize the interface
No - the product does not support adding custom code
We did not customize the interface
No
No
troubleshooting a link flap on a core, Tech team was extremely helpful
Good response time and knowledgeable staff
  • switchport configuration
  • vlan configuration
  • management configuration
  • file copy
  • stack ring configuration between dissimilar models
  • matching IOS versions between dissimilar models
No
very easy to navigate the CLI
Switch stacking feature is flawless
Always in stock
uptime meets expectations
  • PLC network
  • camera network
simple and straightforward
non as of now
  • Single Signon
easily integrate with current environment
deploy slowly and read all requirements
pricing and CLC offerings
be clear about potential volume for better pricing
Yes
very smoothly once the IOS versions and Stack Ring speed are matched
  • Newer features
  • Higher stack ring throughput
  • Higher throughput uplinks
  • Higher throughput
  • improved user interface
No
No
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
  • Catalyst 2960-L Series
  • Catalyst 3650 Series
We use it as an access layer, MAN network, and in our data center.
  • Easy to configure and maintain. Once you have implemented a well-designed baseline your Catalyst Switch will perform with no problems even those related to STP that could worry you.
  • Very long BMTF.
  • I haven't had a failure with Catalyst Switches for so long that I change them because of the need for more capacity, but not for disaster failures.
  • The last time a catalyst switch failed was in 2008 and it went to the secondary/standby supervisor so it was really short. Before that, I had a problem with a 4908 that currently doesn't exist.
  • Very reliable.
  • If you learn how to tune up the device and more importantly how to tune up the interconnection and interrelationships among all the devices in your network, you can sleep confident. And the next time you wake up it'll be because of your clock alarm and not because of a phone call from your boss.
  • Excellent cost/performance relation.
  • Even Cisco has so many great characteristics they have been able to keep all those features in the basic models so it is possible to make a deployment with not a big investment and still have a dependable network.
  • We have been able to simplify our network so we can use 3K switches incorporated in a collapsed core network and have it producing money annually, more than 30 million a year.
  • Good written support.
  • When you look at Cisco web pages, since they have been investing in ML/DL, it is easy to find documentation pertinent to your specific problem and/or confirmation scenario.
  • The legacy information is still there.
  • Graphical interface
  • Modularity
  • Keep stacking capabilities
I really like to have a collapsed core network and have my centralized power and my knowledge handy too. With Cisco, we can use low budget devices which is particularly important because you won't need to invest in your telecommunication room but in your data center. It is easy to interact with Cisco firewalls with trunking and stacking capabilities. Connecting your DMZ to 3rd parties is highly reliable. When SDN comes in we can deploy and manage branches almost at once.

If you are deciding whether or not to buy a Cisco switch, answer these questions: Is my business 24/7? Is my business revenue affected by outages? Do I need a network family device with a full lineup so I can manage my engineer's knowledge? If you answered yes, Cisco is for you.
  • As many options are available, it is easy to fit different budgets.
  • Life cycle does not fit hardware life, so working devices have to be removed from the network. I think hardware has to be rethought so that with software updates we can be able to continue milking it.
  • Increase interconnectivity with master-slave domain with OVT.
It allowed for rapid branch office opening.
Less personnel needed to keep the network running. High security configuration so point to point security can be deployed.
Cisco had know-how management, was easy to use, and has wide documentation.
  • Core
  • Access
  • Branch connection
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Vendor Reputation
  • Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Cisco was well known as a strong player in the market. When we bought they were the strongest.
Get the smart port for fast deployment and then customize it for your own type of business. Remember to apply security by port.
They really were able to come up with a variety of different scenarios for us during the sales process.
They kept a close following and were reachable.
20000
Marketing, finance, operations, and IT. The whole organization uses Cisco switches as a user.
40
CCNA or CCDP experienced people with more than 15 years of experience are required to support.
  • A dark metropolitan area network in a ring topology.
  • We have leased 120 kilometers of dark fiber and connect to those 19 branch offices and are using a well-tuned STP. We have 100% availability for the 14th year in a row.
  • As a layer 3 for 3rd party interconnection in a DMZ.
  • We could use is in any way. We have substituted routers where a layer 3 switch can be used. We've found them very flexible because of the virtual interfaces.
Know-how management, low mean time between failures, and easy and fast deployment.
Yes
It replaced 3com and another I really don't remember since it was many years ago.
Very likely I won't change my selection. I have been considering NSX since we have ESXi on our data center
  • Implemented in-house
  • Third-party professional services
GBM Nicaragua & BPS Nicaragua
No
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled
  • New learning ways
  • Cisco documentation is crucial to obtain better results
It is very important to have a checklist of the different deployment options before beginning. Normally you have to spend a 4-hour session with your implementation partner to get things to work faster. Remember they have the technical knowledge but not the business knowledge.
  • Self-taught
Yes. Broadly recommended
I think it is what a customer expects by now. Cisco were pioneers before, but virtualization is a new kid in the block.
No - we have not done any customization to the interface
No - we have not done any custom code
Not at all
No
Really the equipment doesn't need it. Normally performs so well than it is better to have and additional one just to have your back cover than getting premium support
No
The very first time when I had to deal with high availability 4507 switches connection I needed to understand clearly vbi and others
Good enough for my needs and usage.
  • Smart ports
  • Gui interface
  • Stacking
  • Cdp
  • Till now nothing
Yes, but I don't use it
Really are easy to use Fast deployment
Need more graphical user interface
I have had only 2 outrages in 18 years. Really a very reliable piece of technology Cisco has there
I thing high level (executive) level reports should be automatically generated since budget comes from general and financial manager who usually don't care about technical details
  • Cisco firewalls
  • Radware hardware
  • Face recognition system
Not too deep. It was easy
  • Not by now
Na
  • Single Signon
  • API (e.g. SOAP or REST)
No
Programming was easy
Just take your time to learn some coding
Sow and financial conditions
No. They have a very good service oriented culture
No
Na
  • Eliminate bugs
  • No down time
  • More programming choices
  • Let me be so creative by coding details choices and making a very customized network
  • Some graphical user interface with out of the box codes
No
We are budget tight by now
No
Na
Matthew Cable | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
  • Catalyst 3560-CX Series
We currently utilize a mixture of Catalyst 2960X and 3560CX switches at our edge in 42 locations throughout our county. Overall we have over 900+ catalyst switches deployed. The biggest thing they address for us is the Auto SmartPort feature that provisions edge ports based off of MAC OUI. This allows us to auto-provision end-user computers, phones, and access points without an engineer having to touch each switch to ensure proper VLANs and QoS are set up.
  • Stack up to 8 high providing high port density with a single managed IP address
  • Autosmart ports allow zero touch provisioning of edge connected devices
  • IOS commands are congruent amongst most models (Obviously different features available for different products)
  • My only complain is the boot time for a stack. Just more of an education thing to end users than a nuisance. Letting them know it may be 5-10 minutes before connectivity is restored in the event of a power loss.
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.
  • They have returned engineer hours spent on manually configuring ports and resolving issues related to STP.
  • They have also allowed end to end congruence of configurations. Each location is similar in its configuration which allows for easier manageability.
We most certainly have benefited from the automation features of the catalyst switching line. As mentioned in previous questions, we utilize the Autosmart port feature quite heavily. It has really helped our engineers regain time spent doing menial tasks such as manually assigning VLANs and QoS policies which are now handled by the Autosmart port provision feature. We have done a little bit with analytics and watching NetFlows but only in a troubleshooting scenario. It's not something that we keep an eye on all the time.
Manageability with the Catalyst switches has been pretty simple and straight forward. We utilize a multitude of tools to monitor and retrieve data from the switches for simple up/down notifications, to watching CPU load, or CPU temperature. Since the Catalyst line follows industry standards for SNMP, as long as you can find the respective MIB you can monitor pretty much anything you need to.
We previously had Hewlett Packard ProCurve switches before making the jump to Cisco. The reason that we chose Cisco over refreshing back with Hewlett Packard was due to the auto provisioning features of AutoSmart ports. As well as the TAC support that we receive with Cisco vs HP. Cisco's TAC is very well versed in their product and escalate when appropriate if the first level of contact is not able to resolve your problems. HP seemed to be a crap shoot when it came to support. You either got someone really good, or someone who didn't know the product at all. So, in that respect, we've been very happy with Cisco.
  • Edge switching for our campus LAN environment.
  • Ease of mangement by stacking 8 high and allowing high port density with only 1 management IP.
  • Provides easy no-touch provisioning for end devices using AutoSmart ports.
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Prior Experience with the Product
  • Vendor Reputation
  • Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
Single most important factor for us was the AutoSmart ports feature. Being able to provision endpoint devices without having to manually touch every switch is a life saver. Now we can hand an end user a phone, laptop, projector, really any device and the switch will auto-identify it and wrap port policies around it. It's a beautiful thing!
Number one recommendation hands down is ensure that you secure the devices from the get go. The obvious things like not using default vlans. Don't advertise CDP on edge ports. Only allow VLANs you need on your trunks rather than all vlans. Use DHCP Snooping, ARP Inspection, the list goes on and on. There are tons of best practices guides out there for hardening catalyst switches. But these are a few of the recommendations I can make right off the top of my head.
Our SLED sales team has been nothing short of great. They took a look at our network as a whole and made recommendations based off of our actual environment rather than trying to upsale us more than we actually needed. I also feel like the SLED team does a good job in being cognizant of budget constraints that education customers often face. Our account manager has bent over backwards and gotten his pencil as sharp as he can to provide us the absolute best price possible.
Again this all goes back to our SLED team. They constantly check in with us to ensure that we are happy with the product. They keep us abreast on upcoming technologies and releases and ensure that we know what's coming on the horizon. When we have encountered small issues here and there our SLED engineer has either helped remotely or came on site to either assist with the issue, or just see what we did to solve the issue in case he encounters it as another customer site.
We did not engage in any Cisco services. We purchased the product, configured it, and installed it all ourselves. Cisco does offer a great portfolio of services, we just didn't personally have a need for any of their offerings. We have since looked at other products and used other services not directly related to Catalyst switches and have nothing but good things to say.
We are a school system, so our end users do anything from just browsing the web, presenting content rich curriculum, streaming live or recorded media, assessments, and the list goes on. Catalyst switches play a very large role in keeping our end users connected to an always on world. If our users lose connectivity they are very vocal about the problem, so we want to ensure reliability in our network.
4
We currently have 4 engineers on staff to support our 900+ Catalyst switches and 50+ Nexus switches in our campus LAN environment. All of our engineers are competent with the Cisco product and a couple that are Cisco certified. The great thing about Cisco products is that once you've learned one product from one particular portfolio, you have pretty much learned all within that portfolio since the commands are congruent amongst the different products that utilize the same OS.
  • We've been able to utilize the compact switches in compact environments where cooling and space are limited.
  • Just continue using the product to meet our needs at the edge. With the upcoming release of the Catalyst 9200 there may be some more opportunities to be innovative.
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.
Yes
We replaced aging or out of date HP ProCurve switches at all of our locations. Most of these switches had been in productions for 10+ years and were in definite need of replacement. One of the main reasons for the replacement other than age, is that we needed a more feature rich switch to meet our ever growing needs. Device sprawl has become quite the challenge for the provisioning of proper policies at the edge level.
Honestly if we had to do it again I don't think that we'd change anything about how we evaluated and selected the product. Cisco is the gold standard leader in switching and still continues to hold a majority of the market share. We did look at other vendors during our evaluation and selection process but none of them even came close to being able to offer the usability of the catalyst line for us.
The configurability of the Cisco switches is unlike any other. You can get super granular in your configs and control just about every aspect of the switch if you choose to do so. Or you can go to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and merely configure an IP address on the switch, plug it up, and you're off to the races. That's the best part is that Cisco gives you the freedom to tailor your configs to your particular environment and needs.
No - there is no facility to customize the interface
Yes - we have added extensive custom code
It's not really custom code per se. But we did setup our own AutoSmart port macros on our devices to identify our access points, phones, edge devices, etc. We did this to be able to wrap policies around ports at the edge level so that we can ensure the devices are able to get only to the resources they need.
We didn't add anything special to our Catalyst switches other than the AutoSmart ports. The switches do offer a lot of feature sets that we don't currently utilize in our space. As mentioned in other sections of my review the Catalyst line is vast, from layer 2 switching all the way up to ISP carrier class. They really do have a switch that can fit just about any need.
Yes
We currently carry Cisco SmartNet on all of our devices. The reason we do this is for warranty replacement if hardware was to die. The other reason is for TAC support if we are to run into an issue that we can't resolve ourselves. Having SmartNet on the devices gives us that security blanket in the event of a service interruption issue and we need help immediately!
No
When we first installed the Catalyst series switches at one of our high schools we were having problems with multicasting over wireless. We contacted TAC and were immediately escalated to a tier 2 engineer. The engineer spent a majority of his work day on a call with us to help us resolve the issue. By the end of the call we had resolved our initial issue as well as resolved a couple more that we didn't even know we had. The engineer went above and beyond what was expected!
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.
  • Out of the box configuration is pretty straight forward using the in software setup wizard if you choose to go that route.
  • Setting up vlans and interface policies are pretty straight forward.
  • The CLI in general is pretty easy to navigate. Utilizing the ? feature and tab completion, you can complete just about any task with little effort.
  • Not neccesarily difficult but more time consuming is the the programming of the macros for AutoSmart ports. However, once configured they work quite well and will save you a lot of time in the long run.
  • Multicast can be a bear, but the same as above, once you get it working, it's rock solid.
No
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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