TrustRadius
Cisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.https://dudodiprj2sv7.cloudfront.net/product-logos/yc/hA/F0JDW2AQTDDO.JPEGCiscoCisco Catalyst Switches Review2019-03-06T16:56:32.733ZCatalyst 2960 X/XR Series
Catalyst 3650 Series
Catalyst 3850 Series
Catalyst 6800 Series
Other,We use the Catalyst range as our access, distribution and internal core routing layer. This pretty much makes up the core of our campus network with recent upgrades to 10 Gig and some movement for 40 Gig within our data center.
We like the idea that we have a lot of control within our layer two environment and are able to implement many security functions within our switching layer.,Spanning-Tree - The ability to handle loops and BPDU Guards is unmatched in my opinion. We heavily rely on this functionality to mitigate some layer 2 issues we sometimes face.
Syslogs and SNMP - We love the detail at which we can obtain syslog information and filter based on levels. Much of our troubleshooting of faults with the detailed SNMP traps assist in mitigating issues early.
L3 Switching - I love the fact that we can easily do routing and switching within the same unit, and for our internal core operations, it's perfect. High-speed port density are coupled with routing into a single unit on the larger Catalyst switches.,For the larger Catalyst 6800 and even the older 6500 switches, while Netflow is supported within the units, experience in these areas has been unsatisfying sometimes. We noticed the supervisor engines over time ramp up their CPU utilization which can cause performance issues. Perhaps take this into account and tailor your Netflow sample configurations differently for the Catalysts.,10,The switching component is always the most expensive area within any investment. It's a justification of capability and resilience over cost, so if you want to be assured of your operations, go Cisco Catalyst.
The challenge is not within the actual Catalyst product line but more within the cabling infrastructure that links into the technology as well as choosing the right switch based on your scenario. This comes with experience and reading a lot of Cisco Design Guides.,We have benefited from automation, but to achieve the benefits, you need the right tools to facilitate such functions. We use Cisco Prime which meets our needs. With the Catalyst range, you won't be disappointed with the ease of integration and manageability.
For example, we can simply schedule an upgrade of all switches at a given time (say 3 a.m.) and rely on Prime to execute this for us. It loads the new IOS, reloads the catalyst upon completion, and then cleans up the old image without issues. It also handles your configuration backup.,Catalyst ranges come with heaps of customization which we use, and it's totally based on feature requirements. It's difficult to explain all the customization capabilities, but we get a lot of analytics from our operations by integrating with Cisco Prime.
Based on the data collected, we can anticipate congestion in our network early and start making plans for augmentation.,Dell PowerConnect SwitchesEdwin SandysCatalyst 2960 fond adieu2019-03-05T18:52:11.251ZCatalyst 2960-L Series
Catalyst 3560-CX Series,We having being using the Catalyst 2960 switches for years. They are very reliable. We use them as part of our CCNA, CCNA Security & CCNP Route course. They provide a "virtual" solution for students who can be on different routed networks.,Connect up students to the routers
Cope with getting their configs regularly wiped over many years
Cope with being turned on and off regularly for many years,These switches are EOL but they are still performing well. Sadly the last IOS was 15.2, so there are labs that where they can't be used for in CCNP.,5,We had a great ROI as we got most of these second hand from the IT department when they upgraded their Cisco gear to Nexus switches.,We have derived great benefits from students trying out different configurations on the switches such as:
Storm Control; Port security mac address; PortFast; BPDU, Root Guard; Loop Guard; VLAN, Trunks.,Peter MckenzieSwitches that are flexible!2019-03-07T18:17:58.915ZCatalyst 3850 Series
Catalyst 6800 Series
Catalyst 9200 Series
Catalyst 9300 Series,We use Catalyst Switches internally, and we sell them as part of our solutions for our clients. We also use them as part of our LaaS consumption based offerings.,Huge amount of features and options, allowing flexibility
Redundancy in power, stacking and virtualisation
Rich set of software features,Often very expensive
Complex for new users,10,Total cost of ownership is usually lower due to the availability of skills in the market, reliability, and lifespan.,Our organisation has not leveraged these features yet.,We manage large volumes of Cisco Switches for our clients, using both Cisco and third-party tools. Cisco’s standards-based approach makes this possible.,HPE Aruba Ethernet Switches, HPE Networking Switches and Juniper Ethernet SwitchesDaniel HoskingCisco 2960X switch - reliable and powerful enterprise access2019-03-07T18:04:30.441ZCatalyst 2960 X/XR Series,Cisco Catalyst Switches are stable, reliable and feature rich. They allow easy expansion with stacking and enabling of advanced features when required.,Wired 802.1x just works, which increases security
Stacking greatly simplifies network management and design
PoE lets you power phones, Access Points, etc.,Boot time of a stack could be improved
Stacking cables are thick and heavy with a large bend radius
Configuration wizard for standard installs would be good (without requiring Prime),10,Feature future proofing with software updates.
Proven and reliable with excellent uptime.
Fits in most racks, even small comms racks.,The 2960 is more aimed towards an enterprise access switch in a typical 3 tier network design with layer 2 edge.,Switch stacking greatly simplifies the management of multiple physical switches at one, logical device. The design is also simplified as port channels can be created to other devices for active uplinks instead of having blocked links with STP.,Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series SwitchesDarren HoskingThe Pros and Bugs of Cisco Switches2019-03-07T18:37:03.943ZCatalyst 3850 Series,Cisco 3850's are being used at all levels of my organization. We use them for our access layer switches and also at some locations to do MPLS or for more advanced layer 3 capability. We have some 3850's running as the core of some locations as well since these switches are so versatile in functionality.,Cisco 3850s are well supported throughout the industry
Cisco 3850s have some really nice features that can be leveraged for enhanced functionality
Cisco 3850s have a decent reliability track record (more on this later),Cisco 3850s code upgrades have introduced many bugs in the last 2-3 years that have caused some downtime and other issues at our organization
Cisco pricing and SMARTnet contracts can be very confusing, especially on 3850s
PoE on 3850s have been less than reliable in the past few years,7,I believe our Cisco gear has mostly had a good impact on our ROI, as downtime is still manageable and most switches do a decent job at staying up and running for many years.
A 3850 (now 9300) can cost upwards of $8,000, so please plan ahead as these can have a negative impact on capital budgets. However, going cheap on switches has never paid off in the long run.,We are currently still in the early stages of planning for a Cisco DNA implementation. Our gear currently supports it, we just have to invest the time in setting up the automation as it does not magically set itself up as some people would lead you to believe. There is definitely a learning curve and lots of work to be done by actual humans before you can automate deployments, switch replacements, etc.,Our organization does indeed benefit from Cisco's ability to bake in a lot of functionality into their products. Need some layer 3 functionality at a location with a 3850? Pay Cisco some money and activate that IP services license! Boom, now you have layer 3 without buying another piece of equipment. This alone makes Cisco a very attractive product for a lot of companies.Verified User
Unspecified
Cisco Catalyst Switches
244 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>
