Great switches
We have used Cisco L2 and L3 switches in our organization in the past. I found them to be easy to set up and use. I also like that the …
Cisco Catalyst Switches
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Chetan Swaroop
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Multitechservers (Information Technology & Services, 11-50 employees)Video Reviews
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What is Cisco Catalyst Switches?
Cisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.
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What is Cisco Nexus Series Switches?
Cisco Nexus is a series of network switches.
What is Ruckus ICX Switches?
Ruckus acquired the ICX series of campus switches, and in turn Ruckus was acquired by ARRIS in December 2017.
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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
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cisco Catalyst Switches?
Cisco's Catalyst is one of that company's brand of network switches.
What are Cisco Catalyst Switches's top competitors?
HPE Aruba Ethernet Switches, Huawei Ethernet Switches, and Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches are common alternatives for Cisco Catalyst Switches.
Who uses Cisco Catalyst Switches?
The most common users of Cisco Catalyst Switches are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees) and the Unknown industry.
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October 16, 2021
Great switches
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
- Catalyst 3650 Series
We have used Cisco L2 and L3 switches in our organization in the past. I found them to be easy to set up and use. I also like that the switches are long lasting and perform reliably. Some of the models also have POE, which can power other network devices like access points, etc.
- Reliability in performance.
- Good warranty period update from Cisco to be competitive against other brands.
- Good customer support and helpful community forums in some cases.
- Some of the switches are somewhat expensive.
- Although the switches are reliable, occasional failures related to components occur.
October 11, 2021
Cisco Catalyst Switches: Easy to Configure and Manage
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
In our organization, we use the Cisco Catalyst 2960 Switch, which is very easy to repair. Instructions for repairing VLANs and titles are very simple. We are covered with Cisco exchanges and other merchant exchanges and [it] does not give us a problem. It also supports multiple network protocols and security features such as DHCP scanning and port security.
- Easy to detect switching loops in network.
- We can configure the device using both CLI and GUI.
- Initial configuration is easy; there are advanced ways to configuring the device.
- Provides security features like DHCP Snooping and port security.
- Device rebooting time is less compared to other devices.
- Cost of the device is somewhat high.
- Provides only dynamic routing feature.
October 08, 2021
Go for Cisco Catalyst Switches
- Catalyst 3650 Series
The experience of using the Cisco Catalyst switches 3650 series is quite a profound interest in choosing this platform.
Some of the major inadequacies will be solved by using Cisco Catalyst Switches:
- Management overhead cost reduced to a minimal extent.
- Docking down the required number of switches also cuts down the cost of the network.
- This system allows our organization advanced modification and manageability.
- SNP (Simple Management Protocol) supports monitoring of many levels and quantifying traffic flows.
- Security provision integrity is the excellent feature of using this Catalyst Series.
- Many of the devices runs down as a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.
- Other members works together as a consolidate system.
- Apart from reliability this system gives a best support in terms of performance and manageability with our network.
- Input powers issues should be look for this system.
- Cost effective issues should be resolved to the minimum level or some reasonable point.
- Strong routing options should be provided.
- For Licensing Port expensive activation is required.
October 08, 2021
Best Switches for Large Enterprises
- Other
Our organization grew from a few hundred users to more than 2000 users and devices on the network and this growth meant the need for much better and manageable network switches which are able to handle the huge growth in network traffic. Our current network switches went belly up under this load and we decided to replace them with Cisco Catalyst switches. Since the replacement, they have been very reliable and improved the availability of our network.
- VLANs
- SFPs
- RSTP
- NTP
- POE
- Reduce licensing cost.
- GUI based management.
- Cost effective central management tool.
October 05, 2021
Cisco - Expensive but great product
- Other
I use these switches at home and at the office, they are built like tanks and never die, even the old ones still work well and great to use. We are using them with VLANs and POE, most of the switches are using the newer versions of POE as well which can be quite expensive to get in a new switch but very affordable in an old Cisco.
- PoE.
- Reliability.
- Switching/networking.
- Feature rich.
- Old switches have unpatched vulnerabilities.
- New equipment is expensive.
- GUI would be nice in some cases.
September 16, 2021
Short review on Cisco 9200 Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 9200 Series
We use them as core and edge switches. They give us the option to manage VLANs and take advantage of access lists. With advanced VLAN and routing capabilities, we separate our access control, iPhones, regular traffic, and also guest network. Integration is seamless and switches play well with other branded network products as well.
- Vlan.
- Access control.
- Network integration.
- Installing GUI should be easier.
- For edge switches, surge protection should be standard and components should be more durable.
- Console cable should be USB.
September 09, 2021
Excellent capabilities and great reliability
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
We use Cisco Catalyst Switches as access switches in the principal office and in the remote agencies. Also, we use them as top of the rack switches in the datacenters.
- They are very reliable switches.
- The initial configuration is very fast.
- Managing switches is very easy.
- The price is quite expensive.
- The support needs to be improved because it takes too long until you get a diagnostic.
- Needs to add more information in the website like troubleshooting or configurations template.
September 08, 2021
Cisco - Rock Solid In Any Environment
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
We use both the 3850 and 3560-CX switches as endpoint switches and cores for remote locations. Due to the nature of construction, uptime and quick deployment are some of our highest priorities. We deploy these for our remote locations connect via microwave link. In many of these places dynamic routing is required to ensure uptime is maintained, even if a power outage occurs at one of the other locations.
- Switching/Routing
- Stability
- High tolerance to environmental conditions
- Cost!
- Physical size
- Flexibility with port types
May 23, 2021
Cisco Catalyst Switches which you can trust upon always - Never feel disappointed by using them
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
- Catalyst 3650 Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
- Catalyst 6800 Series
Cisco Catalyst Switches are being used in our LAN for connecting users. These switches are enterprise-grade switches and they are made to handle a large amount of traffic efficiently. As our Organization is growing day by day so requirement like these switches are more and more now a days which resolves many issues like by growing of organization, our network traffic also growing significantly and these switches performing well even in higher network traffics. Thanks for the Cisco for making network life easier by launching these devices.
- It does network and VLAN segmentation
- It improves efficiency . A scalable and highly redundant
- Data encryption and security
- GUI can be improved
- Boot time of a stack could be improved
- Many no. of updates and regular license renewals.
May 13, 2021
Very reliable and secure series of switches
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
Controls the networking broadcast very efficiently. Very secure and user-friendly. Also very easy to troubleshoot. Configuring the protocols is also very easy. Very reliable and resilient. It also supports VLAN which helps a lot in the segmentation of physical ports. Better than routers because you get more ports.
- VLAN management
- Bandwidth capacity
- Data encryption and security
- Price
- Cables bundled in the box don’t always work.
- Plenty of updates and regular license renewals.
May 11, 2021
NIST Cybersecurity DoD Requirement
- Catalyst 3650 Series
BC Systems began our NIST 800-171 Cybersecurity Assessment in 2020 which is required by all DoD contractors. We hired a local consultant to guide us through the process and address any issues we may face along the way. Our first task was to replace any outdated hardware on our network with more reliable secure equipment. They recommended we purchase several Cisco Catalyst Switches and run new cable for the best outcome. We have been online for months now and are completely satisfied with the improved performance we see on our network. No dropout, which was a big problem on our old network, and no workstation connection issues. I am glad we made the upgrade.
- Reliability - No dropout between workstation and server
- PoE - Useful in many areas of our building where power is lacking
- Easy to use GUI - For metrics, analysis, and troubleshooting
- Licensing costs are something to be considered
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
- Catalyst 3650 Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
- Catalyst 6800 Series
For our organization, Cisco Catalyst has helped us a lot to segment in a logical way and increase the policies of access to the network, being able to complete the segmentation at a physical and logical level of all the departments of the corporation has been an achievement thanks to this product.
- Network segmentation
- Port security
- VLAN segmentation
- Network access
- GUI administration
- SSH interface
- Web security administration
May 05, 2021
Best Enterprise Switches
- Other
We were using a mix breed of network switches in our organization and they were working fine as long as the number of users was low. But, as the company started to grow and the number of users increased, our network traffic also increased significantly to a point where these switches started to malfunction as they were unable to handle a large amount of traffic. Then, we replaced them with Cisco Catalyst Switches and, since then, they have performed really well and up to the mark.
- Dedicated 1/10G uplinks
- Vlans
- CEF for fast switching
- Cisco Smartnet
- Port security
- Expensive hardware
- Licensing for advanced features
- No support for third party SFPs
May 03, 2021
Cisco Calalyst Review
- Catalyst 3650 Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
- Catalyst 6800 Series
We are using Cisco Catalyst switches in our Local Area Network as well as for our Data Centre networking requirements. Cisco Catalyst switches provides us with the required Ethernet integration for connecting our end-users to our server infrastructure. Our access switches has Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability and can power our VoIP phones, wireless access points etc.
- Stability and Reliability - We have not had many failures over the past years using Cisco Catalyst switches.
- Flexibility - Cisco Catalyst switches offers a wide portfolio of switching equipment which can address a variety of needs. This includes switches with stacking and non-stacking capability, fixed rackmount and chassis options which can be mounted in data centre racks and and also compact switching which may be more feasible for small SOHO offices.
- Scalable Performance - Cisco Catalyst switches offers various port speeds from 1Gbps 10Gbps, 100Gbps etc. This is available in both copper (RJ45) and fibre (SFP). Many models also offer a variety of uplink speed options which future proofs the invest in Cisco technologies allowing us to upgrade depending on our changing business requirements and available budgets.
- Pricing - Cisco Catalyst typically costs more than other brands.
- Ease of Use - Cisco Catalyst still rely a lot on command line. Having a power GUI interface will be welcomed.
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 3650 Series
Our Cisco Catalyst Switches are used to keep our data network in operation and on the other hand, they are used in the Cisco networking laboratory environment for the use of the students of our academy.
- Affordable gigabit connectivity for your endpoints with Cisco Catalyst 2960 L switches.
- Great reliability and easy implementation.
- Catalyst 2960-L make your network administrator life easier.
- Deliver exceptional switching performance.
- The Cisco Switches Catalyst improve efficiency.
- Faster core, faster access.
- Faster core, faster access.
- Switches improve network security.
- Switches improve efficiency in the production area.
- Switches help maintain a fully converged, quality-of-service network.
May 03, 2021
Switch it up
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
Catalyst Switches are used to build the backbone of wired ethernet systems within the core of the business to resources that require direct wired connections for optimal throughput and bandwidth as well as wireless APs and various other smaller switches. A switch may seem like any switch is as good as any other switch but when your infrastructure depends on maximum throughput for distributed rendering, file sharing, or asset collection these accommodate a wide range of applications from day to day to specialized needs in our business.
- Maintain a high bitrate for sustained data connection.
- Mitigate connection disruptions by optimally routing data.
- Provide future flexibility and extensibility for businesses to grow and add more hardware switches or equipment.
- Better built in cooling.
- Cost is a factor.
- They are heavy.
- Catalyst 6800 Series
Overall, the majority of our switching is being handled by the different models of Cisco Catalyst Switches. About 2 years ago we were tasked with upgrading our central/core switch. This project was meant to solve the problem of having a strong network core that has some built-in redundancies.
- Compact (as far as core switches go) but with lots of expansion options.
- Typical good Cisco hardware quality.
- A strong Support team (Cisco TAC) to stand behind the device.
- The disparate expansions and plugins can be hard to mange license-wise.
- The costs for a fully loaded Catalyst core switch is massive.
- Doing upgrades and patches can be a major project.
December 15, 2020
Cisco, the reliable switch
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
- Catalyst 9300 Series
The different models of Cisco Catalyst Switches service different features of our company. The 9300 is our core system, where we utilize the VXLAN feature between numerous sites. The 3850 and 2960 are used in multiple locations for L2 transport. The 3850 gives us the ability to use L2 and L3 functionality where needed.
- VXLAN gives us the ability to present the same environment over a L3 connection
- L2 traffic
- L3 traffic in the retail locations to cut back on the amount of equipment needed
- Cost is always an issue
- DNA licensing required when not needed
- Command line interface
December 15, 2020
Good perfomance and capabilities
- Other
We have dedicated [Cisco] Catalyst Switches handling the connection of our ESX hosts and SANs to the network, it manages all the traffic from our VMs to the core switch and to the end users.
- They are reliable, i have never seen a catalyst switch fail
- They do what they are suppose to do, they are reliable and easy to setup
- Lots of resources available: vendors, professional services, training
- Some of them does not offer power supply redundancy
- Web interface is not the best, you need to use cli
- They are not easy / cheap to stack
December 15, 2020
Some of the best switches in the business!
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
- Catalyst 3650 Series
At our organization we are using Cisco Catalyst Switches (mostly 3560s and 3650s, both the regular and X models) for our main switching backbone for the network. We chose these because they are known industrywide as the top-end switches. They have that reputation because they are rock solid and work for years without needing to be serviced.
- Absolutely solid switches that run for years
- Cisco TAC (Support) is fantastic and knowledgeable
- Compatible with the majority of connected devices
- Cisco is always going to be toward the top price wise
- Could use more intuitive GUI for newer users not used to command line
- More accessories could be included
December 15, 2020
Best for core and access layer of an enterprise network
- Catalyst 3650 Series
In my organization, Cisco Catalyst Switches are at the core of L2 and L3 communication. At Layer2 we use the switches to interconnect all of the access-layer devices including PCs, IP phones, printers, etc. One of the main advantages of these switches is their POE feature set, which allows us to save hugely on power costs. We also have a pair of redundant Cisco Catalyst Switches serving as our OSPF backbone, this pair of switches is used to terminate all connections coming in from branch locations around the country, enabling stable communications throughout the company.
- One thing that is fascinating about Cisco Catalyst Switches is that they really do last
- The CLI configurations is fun once you get used to it
- It's effective in securing access layer devices with ACLs
- The IOS is very stable and can be trusted
- Overall cost--Cisco licenses are expensive
- They could bring some uniformity to the design for ease of integration
- The command line is very complex if you're not familiar with it
December 13, 2020
You can't go wrong with these switches!
- Catalyst 9500 Series
Cisco Catalyst Switches are being used throughout all of our data centers globally. From 100 megabit all the way to 40 Gigabit these switches are workhorses that move all of our data traffic within and across data centers. These switches are capable of providing incredibly reliable and fast connectivity while offering great performance.
- Great performance. Incredibly fast and reliable.
- Automation. Template based, programmable pipeline.
- Scalable and highly redundant.
- Better cloud integration
- More automation features
- Better compatibility with ACI
December 13, 2020
Cisco 3850 A Love Story
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
- Catalyst 9200 Series
- Catalyst 9300 Series
- Catalyst 9500 Series
- Catalyst 2960-L Smart Managed
- CATALYST 3850
- Utilizing the layer3 routing functions to have both our router/switch converged into one platform
- VLANS
- BGP
- EIGRP
- LAYER3
- LAYER2
- MULTICAST
- MULTICAST WITH AV
- 2960
- Using them as strictly LAYER2 devices with layer3 ip mgmt and ip vlans only
- Simplicity / scalability (stacking) @ remote locations where simple switching is only thing that is needed, and some intervlan routing.
- 9500 series @ datacenter
- 40gbit throughput is huge for us.
- Layer3/Layer2 functionality really helps us in the datacenter space with these switches
- VLANS
- LAYER3
- EIGRP
- BGP
- DYNAMIC ROUTING
- MULTICAST
- STP
- STORM CONTROL
- ACL
- 3RD PARTY SFP TRANSCIEVERS
- SUPPORT
- TAC
December 11, 2020
Robust and reliable Switches for enterprise network core
- Catalyst 9400 Series
We have three office locations and we use Cisco Catalyst 4507 Switches at all three locations. They are extremely reliable, have double supervisors (for failover), a dual power supply, and room for 4-5 switch-blades. We have had them for about four years now and had no issues with them at all. Cisco SMARTnet support is great - fast response and solution. We have multiple VLANs setup. The Cisco Catalyst switches are rock solid.
- Dual supervisor, dual power for resiliency.
- Ease of changing out switch blades.
- Network segregation abilities.
- High network bandwidth.
- Software updates and patching.
- GUI can be improved.
December 11, 2020
Cisco is a good investment
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 9200 Series
We have a large campus and these Cisco Catalyst Switches are extremely reliable and are used in various environments from server rooms to maintenance garages. Their failure rate is extremely low and that helps with our tight budgets. They are an industry standard so it is quick to get new support staff up tp speed.
- Solid performance, even with questionable wiring.
- Great reliability; I had a switch that had a AC unit dripping on it for weeks before it failed.
- Stacking allows greater backbone bandwidth between switches.
- More or expandable flash storage.
- Faster software bug fixes.
- Ordering process is cumbersome.