Cisco Catalyst 9300 - like a 3850, but better
May 22, 2022

Cisco Catalyst 9300 - like a 3850, but better

Dan Kelcher | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches

Access layer network connectivity - with UPoE and mGig to support new wireless devices and other high-needs tech. They can also run containerized applications on the switches. That makes it easy to deploy ThousandEyes agents throughout an environment without adding more hardware.
  • Container hosting
  • mGig
  • UPoE
  • Lead times
  • Ease of deployment for ThousandEyes agents
The features exist, but for the most part, we didn't leverage them. We already had automation templates built for the 3850s, and those were easily updated to support the Catalyst 9300 Series Switches. The application hosting capabilities were used though. That saved a lot of headaches. We didn't need to provision VMs or deploy the hardware.
The hardware options were probably the main benefit. The port speed options, uplinks, etc. It makes it easy to tailor the configuration to the needs of each site.
The Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches are the newer version of the 3850. They are quite similar, but the 9300 has some advantages. First is simply the increase in hardware - mGig ports, uplinks, UPoE, etc. The application hosting is another nice addition.

Do you think Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches again?

Yes

Campus networks, or anywhere that port density is needed, along with a robust feature set.