Catalyst Switch Review From HCR
Updated January 16, 2019
Catalyst Switch Review From HCR
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst Switches
- Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
- Catalyst 3560-CX Series
- Catalyst 3850 Series
The switches provide access to our clients for day to day business objectives. They also provide PoE services for cameras, phones, and door locks.
- Provide access to end users
- Easily configurable for basic needs
- Allow devices to be powered via Ethernet
- Price point on a perpetual licensed model is high compared across the industry.
- Licensing model is getting better with Smart Licenses however not all devices support this.
- They last a long time.
- If the switch is running it will generally remain doing so.
- When you install a switch you can almost forget about it since it will keep on running.
We have not benefited with virtualization. We are using the capabilities of flows in the switch to monitor links which helps in capacity planning.
As far as customization goes we utilize VLANs and ACLs to help control traffic. Past that we are not gaining much benefit.
These switches are cheaper but don't tend to last as long.
Cisco Catalyst Addtional Questions
- We utilize these switches for endpoint access; for the value they in my opinion perform the best.
- Like most Cisco products of past these follow the same guidelines; they are super reliable and they are sometimes forgotten about since they continue to work.
- There are many options from non PoE to PoE, port count, and SFP modules these switches work with.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Reputation
- Prior Experience with the Product
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
The single most important factor for me is the prior experience with the product. With these switches being reliable it makes my job easier to focus on other work. If I continue to have to monitor a piece of equipment and either troubleshoot it or otherwise have to do something to it I find its TCO although low in the beginning can be higher in the end.
Cisco supports many different configurations for all types of organizations. The Catalyst Switches can either be locked down tighter than a drum to acting as an old fashioned non managed switch. With such flexibility it offers many different organizations to use reliable equipment for their deployments. Cisco has many recommended guides on how to set these up as well as their Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team who can assist in a variety of ways to get the product going how it best fits in your organization.
When deploying our Cisco Catalyst switches our company, through our internal resources, are generally able to deploy the solution purchased. When we need assistance we are able to contact our Cisco Partner or the Cisco TAC team. Both resources will help you until the deployment is working in the manner it should be.
Using Cisco Catalyst Switches
157 - They are our main client access switches. They provide all of our inter office communications coupled with a router. We utilize Catalyst switches with PoE to power our phones, IP Cameras, IP Clocks, and a host of other items. They are very dependable. Rarely do we have issues with these switches.