Cisco Ethernet Switches Reviews and Ratings

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are using Cisco switches across our entire organization and i often use them in side jobs as well. They are very reliable and fairly easy to use, their is a lot of documentation out there on them as well which makes troubleshooting easier. They are expensive though, so we often will buy older model switches instead of brand new ones.

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco switches are great for medium to large businesses, while they would work in small business setups as well they may not be as affordable to them. We often use "grey market" refurbished switches that are much more affordable but their are some cons involved with that as well, but overall we get along great doing that.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently utilize Cisco Ethernet Switches in all our wiring closets and in our datacenter. With our migration to Cisco VOIP we have begun utilizing them for our phone system as well with POE capability. We have 3 primary racks of Cisco switches in the datacenter that have patch panels above and below. We also use fiber SFP modules to connect the switches from floor to floor and for longer runs. We also connect our Cisco Wi-Fi points to these switches as well.

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco is a name well known in the IT field. The technology is tried and true and they have built a reputation on a solid platform. Though many people do not like the cost of the devices and the continued fees associated with long term ownership, you get what you pay for. I dont hesitate to recommend Cisco because I know people will get a solid product that will last a long time.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Cisco Ethernet Switches exclusively across the organization, we use it for our core switches, routers and all outlying switches. We have 1 GB, 10 GB and 40 GB network connections and they all interconnect very easily and the ease of management is superb.

Likelihood to Recommend

Would recommend Cisco Ethernet Switches for any environment that spans multiple locations and VLANs. It is an expensive option, but you get what you pay for...very high quality equipment and good support.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We've been using Cisco switches on all connectivity levels in our organization for decades now. From manufacturing plants, remote offices, main offices, for engineering workloads, datacenters... Cisco is our standard for Networking equipment, for both Datacenter network and distribution layer network.

Likelihood to Recommend

Probably it suits better to medium - large companies as it can be a little expensive to small companies.

If you need to build a reliable and performing network, for both your end users or your datacenter, Cisco is probably the best choice.

It is a well known player on the network industry and their product has a very high availability ratio.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Cisco switches for all of our switching needs within our organization. From access switches to datacenter switches to even ruggedized switches, we use Cisco. They have been rock solid for us and we rarely have any issues with them.

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco switches are well suited for any scenario or environment where there is technical expertise. If you are a business with less technical expertise you can look toward the Cisco Meraki line. Otherwise the Catalyst and Nexus line of switching is more ideal.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Cisco Small Business (SG) switches at almost all of our client sites. They provide all of the features that we need at an attractive price point, plus have the advantage of Cisco's support, both in official and community-based forms. They provide basic network connectivity, the functionality to segregate networks for different tasks (VLANs), and power to IP phones and other network devices (Power over Ethernet).

Likelihood to Recommend

In my field, I honestly can't think of a scenario I wouldn't want to use an SG switch. Even if someone needed a simple desktop switch, I would advise they purchase a $150 8 port SG350 over spending $50 on a SOHO Netgear or similar switch. The flexibility of functionality offered by these switches in unmatched.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Since Cisco entered the industrial ruggedized market for their switching products I have had used 1000s of the IE3000, 4000, 5000s and they are great products. They brought the Cisco IOS and those advanced features into a world where we see temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (ambient).

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco Ethernet Switches are well suited for industrial applications.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cisco ethernet switches are used in many environments in our data centre and also in our office networks. We have been using Cisco Catalyst and Nexus devices for many years and they are enablers for all data communication in our company and provide us the possibility to focus on our core business.

Likelihood to Recommend

Cisco switches will fit into multiple locations in a data centre as well in campus area for small to large organizations. In very tiny installations other options might be more cost-effective.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cisco Ethernet Switches are the industry standard for enterprise level networks. I have installed and helped configure the 6500 series all the way through to the 3850's which seem to be the most widely used now. I was totally against changing from the "blade" type switches to the stackable switches like the 3750 and 3850, but now I wouldn't change back even if it were possible.

Likelihood to Recommend

I would recommend Cisco Ethernet Switches for any established company, or education system of just about any size,. Basically the only place that I would not recommend Cisco Switches would be a startup that is on a limited budget, because they could get out much cheaper going with another cheaper brand.

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cisco networking gear is the gold standard in the industry. We had a number of Cisco switches in production when I took over responsibility for managing them. They are by far the most reliable network hardware I’ve ever used. Coming from smaller shops where budgets don’t always optimize IT equipment, the cheaper hardware just doesn’t compare to Cisco switches.

Likelihood to Recommend

For mid to large organizations where you have multiple layers of switches and routing, Cisco is a perfect fit. If you have a smaller shop, with less than 100 nodes, Dell, HP, Juniper, other cheaper solutions may be a better fit.