Cisco provides the Catalyst to your networking!
Updated August 14, 2023
Cisco provides the Catalyst to your networking!
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- Cisco Catalyst 3560 - CX
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst Switches
- Catalyst 2960-L Series
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
We use Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX switches for our core and IOT networking across our enterprise. They enable us to use the latest protocols, services, and maintain the highest level of uptime for our business users.
- Aggregating different network protocols together and enable very fast network speeds.
- Ease of management and low incident rates.
- Versatile to deploy into almost any networking situation.
- Cisco's switch code backup tool isn't the greatest and easiest to use.
- [It's] a lot more money than competitor's products.
- [Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX Series Switch] is a very diverse product line for even one model. [It] can be daunting to find the switch you need without Cisco's help.
- Less network downtime
- Better network speeds than predecessor hardware
- Versatile to handle business growth and change based on business needs
We have benefitted from a greater scale with virtualization. We have reached a 98% virtualization effort across the organization due to networking changes and from business acceptance because of our proven uptime across our infrastructure. We are not large enough as an organization to look at automation tools and needing analytics on our network gear. We strive to keep our IT group small and nimble which is why we chose Cisco gear and it [has an] extremely well-proven track record of low downtime/outages.
Our organization is not large enough to need these tools nor have the funds to pay for them. If we were larger we would add this to our operations as we can see their benefits. It may take us a little longer to deploy each device, but when its one or two at a time it's not that much effort versus if you were deploying 10 or more. These tools are for efforts of scale in saving time and resource budget.
- Cisco AnyConnect
Our greatest challenge was understanding how long the hybrid work model would run for. In our case, between citrix and cisco AnyConnect for vpn services it facilitated all our needs for users to work from home.
Cisco's AnyConnect service worked great before the hybrid work mode. and works just as great afterwards. we set up vpn services in our computer image and deploy to laptops as build. therefore, any user who gets onboarded as a laptop user gets access to remote services at any time during their work day/weekend.
Hybrid work is a double-edged sword. productivity is great for those self-motivated. For those who need mentoring, help from team members then its more problematic. For the short time we were in hybrid mode it worked great for us. And, adapted to government controls of the time.
We currently use Nexus, Meraki, and Catalyst gear in our operations. All [these products] are very successful for every need they fill. In the case of Catalyst switches, we use them for more unique situations where diverse products need to connect together as this brand has some of the most flexible connectivity options available.
Do you think Cisco Catalyst Switches delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Cisco Catalyst Switches's feature set?
Yes
Did Cisco Catalyst Switches live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Cisco Catalyst Switches go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Cisco Catalyst Switches again?
Yes
Cisco Catalyst Addtional Questions
- Enterprise switching and routing requirements
- 24x7 support options
- Robust code management and ease of use
- Scalability
- Integration with Other Systems
- Ease of Use
We were able to remain leveraging one vendor for purchasing, licensing, and support. and these switches easily integrated to our network
We use Cisco Prime Infrastructure and from it we can easily roll code, and basic configurations to a new switch. Then customize from there.With our core network being optimized. Adding a new Cisco switch to it is pretty easy.
No, we have technical expertise in house for setup, install, and roll out to install at the location.