Cisco Catalyst Has a Solid and Long Track Record
July 09, 2019
Cisco Catalyst Has a Solid and Long Track Record
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst Switches
We use the Cisco Catalyst Switch line as our campus access and core switching platform. They provide us the stable platform to build the rest of our architecture. The hardware is reliable which is a major need in a healthcare environment where replacement may only occur every 7-10 years. Also, the hardware is hardy enough to run reliably in network closets that are not environmentally controlled.
- Hardware Reliability
- Software is extensible to provide future proofing.
- Support for security features on box.
- Software quality assurance could use attention.
- The Catalyst 9K requires subscription based software licensing.
- Support and licensing options make it difficult to procure.
- The Cisco Catalyst Switches generally last longer than our accounting depreciation which gives us an ROI by not having to replace them before they are off the books.
- Cisco's change to subscription-based licensing makes self sparing support strategies more difficult which raises the cost.
- Catalyst's reliability allows for a lower TCO.
The Arista switches have a superior track record with software quality. The last time we evaluated them they did not support POE at the levels needed to support a mass deployment of APs and phones. Arista's software story and pricing do make them an up and coming competitor in this space and once they have their full campus line of POE switches it will be a major competitor for Cisco Catalyst.