Item: Cisco Catalyst Switches
Rating: 7
Author: Brian O'Connor

Cisco Catalyst Product Series

Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We utilize the [Cisco] Catalyst Series Switches in 4 IDFs and our MDF. We are using QoS for our VoIP infrastructure as many VLAN features to segregate the traffic on the network. We are running 12 VLANs for multiple purposes, as well as video surveillance. We haven't had any issues with performance with layer 1.

Being able to investigate the ARP table easily to determine port mapping is also a great feature.

Pros and Cons

VLAN Security
QoS
Port Blocking

Contract Cost
Integration of more models with Cisco Network Assistant

Return on Investment

SmartNET pricing increases every year
The switches tend to go end of life far too often
Performance is the best

Cisco Catalyst Customization and Manageability

We have benefited from the advanced features because with need port security, quality of service, vlan management, port blocking and CDP because of our trunking configuration.

Key Insights

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

Likelihood to Recommend

[Cisco Catalyst] Switches work excellent when you have a Cisco VoIP solution because of automatic VLAN tagging with the IP phones. We've deployed phones in another network with using Catalyst switches, and the implementation time is increased because of some manual configuration. I think these switches are well suite for medium to large business, but a small business may not want to make the investment of contract pricing and configuration expertise.

Catalyst 2960-X PoE best of breed

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst Switches