Cisco is king!
December 27, 2023
Cisco is king!
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches
We utilize Cisco Catalyst throughout our network. This includes both access layer within our organization and to the core of the network. These are also used in our WAN network as we are an ISP that provides internet access. Utilizing a combination of: L3 routed ports, SVI/VLAN, and VRF.
- Great hardware. I've hardly had a device fail due to hardware.
- Throughput. These devices handle quite a bit of processing power.
- Extreme conditions. We have 9300s in NEMA cabinets that reach well into the 110 range and beyond.
- Very diverse. These devices can be placed in an office IDF, outside in a NEMA cabinet, or in an MDF.
- Firmware compatibility. I have some older 9300s that cannot seem to update to any 17.X version. The device will display main board failure, which seems like it would be a brick, but then downgrade to the last 16.X and the switch works.
- As a service provider I need as much processing power and throughput I can get without the need for PoE. All of the higher switching capacity devices are UPOE multigigabit.
- IOS upgrade process. The days of pointing to the new .bin file are gone. The update process has changed twice recently from my understanding. From "software package request" to "install activate".
- Negative - Being a serviced provider in a school district Cisco is difficult to justify. The cost for these devices is quite a bit and when you are refreshing 100 plus switches at $5000 a piece that is a lot of money. Plus if you have SmartNET coverage on a lot of them it adds another 30% or more.
- Positive - Because they are so reliable, I purchase about 5% for break fix. I know when one of these goes out into production it is going to be solid.
- Positive - If you have used Cisco in the past then refreshing to the latest and greatest gear is usually fairly easy. The commands across the different generations are usually the same so there isn't really a learning curve. Another great benefit of the newer generations is potential for backwards compatibility for modules and SFPs. 9300 switches support 3800 series network modules.
I have not leveraged this at all.
We have not leveraged any of the different SDM templates. The access template has served fine in my environment. We have leveraged the customization based on the model purchased. For example needing a switch with multigigabit ports and a switch without the requirement of PoE. From a management standpoint, utilizing SNMP and tools for config change management are based on SSH user accounts.
- 3Com Baseline Switches (Discontinued) and FortiSwitch Secure Access Switches
Cisco flow of commands and the hierarchy of them is unmatched. That is why a lot of other vendors copy near exact this structure.
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