Item: Cisco Catalyst Switches
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Catalyst Switches

Cisco Catalyst Product Series

Catalyst 2960 X/XR Series
Catalyst 3560-CX Series
Catalyst 3650 Series
Catalyst 3850 Series
Catalyst 9200 Series
Catalyst 9300 Series
Catalyst 9400 Series
Catalyst 9500 Series

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The "older" Catalyst Switches (pre-9k) were all pizza box style for access, mostly Layer 2. The higher-end 3850s could even be used for server access on small "raised floors." The newer 9k Catalyst switches are our current standard for Access Layer, but the 9300s are sometimes Layer 2 and sometimes Layer 3, whereas the 9400 chassis are always Layer 3 and the 9500s are used for Distribution/Core at facilities.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Throughput (per port, backplane, uplink, etc)
Stacking (9300s)
SDA (Integrate with DNA for segmentation, PnP, etc)
Hosting (Hard drives can host Docker and apps)
Monitoring/Telemetry (and ThousandEyes)

Cons

Cost
Lead times/Supply chain

Return on Investment

Long-life relevance (we have many switches still running years past EOL)

Cisco Catalyst Customization and Manageability

Depending on the model of Cisco Catalyst Switch, there are many different levels of customization and feature sets. And, once passing into the current 9k family, there is a lot of interoperability through DNA, ISE, SD-WAN, and more that are of great benefit to larger corporations. We are still at the beginning stages of these newer features, but the main benefit we're receiving right now is the availability and flexibility.

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 is at the high end for quality network infrastructure. If you have a wider base of small sites, it may be beneficial to look at Cisco's Meraki line. And if you're a small business, Cisco may be too costly; though the 9200s may prove useful if not Cisco Meraki. But there's a threshold, once crossed, that you will need for high throughput, reliability, and scalability. The Catalyst family brings the first two, and the last is if you add in DNA-Center to provide Software-Defined Access (SDA), Telemetry monitoring, Plug-N-Play, and so much more. From smaller deployments of 9200s, to larger facilities needing 9400 chassis, the 9k series are all the same base running the same family of code to greatly simplify standardization as well.

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Cisco Catalyst Switches Continue to Mature With 9k Series