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Cisco Catalyst 3850-48XS-E - switch - 48 ports - managed - rack-mountable

Mfg # WS-C3850-48XS-E CDW # 4204798

Quick tech specs

  • 48XS-E
  • L3
  • 48 x 1 Gigabit / 10 Gigabit SFP+ + 4 x QSFP+
  • desktop, rack-mountable
  • Switch
  • managed
  • front to back airflow
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Know your gear

The Cisco Catalyst 3850 series switches are advanced, enterprise-class, stackable, access layer switches. They provide full convergence between wired and wireless networks on a single platform.

This item was discontinued on October 06, 2022

Enhance your purchase

Cisco Catalyst 3850-48XS-E - switch - 48 ports - managed - rack-mountable is rated4.53 out of5 by17.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Network has increased stability, security, and usabilityWhat is our primary use case?* Corporate network* IP phones* Video conference* Security* Connecting branches with corporate networkHow has it helped my organization?Network has increased stability, security, and usability. Cisco Catalyst has the ability to create new services for users, such as IP phones and video conference. We decreased budgets on the support corporate network and increased user satisfaction.What is most valuable?* Flexible deployment: We can add new network segments without hard work.* Stability: If we lose some network connections, the system automatically creates new connections between equipment.What needs improvement?* Cloud services* Machine learning futures* Virtual reality futures* More IoT equipment* Mobile softwareFor how long have I used the solution?Three to five years.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-02-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Keeps our network connections in a healthy stateWhat is our primary use case?Our primary use is LAN and WAN links for our enterprise network.Cisco Catalyst is used to connect all our WAN links to a central data center.How has it helped my organization?* Low maintenance and very stable; not much of a problem.* It helps keep our network connections in a healthy state.What is most valuable?* VLAN* Routing capabilities and security features* It can easily be enabled and used as need dictates.For how long have I used the solution?One to three years.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?It has a very high cost, but understandably, due to its very good quality. This is the reason why some customers opt to buy cheaper brands with same/similar features.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-06-13T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Supports external flash disks for storing images and file systemsWhat is our primary use case?I was a Support Engineer with Cisco, I used to support customers who were using Cisco Catalyst features.What is most valuable?A good feature of Cisco Catalyst is that it records crash log files which can be used to literally identify the cause of a crash because they have a lot of information. And Cisco Catalyst supports the use of external flash disks for storing of images and file systems.What needs improvement?Currently, Catalyst is completely proprietary with Cisco. They should have programmability options, through open-source controllers.Also, some features, are very complex to configure.For how long have I used the solution?More than five years.What do I think about the stability of the solution?Catalyst is known for its stability, so there are not many challenges there. Of course, they do have a platform that comes with its own set of bugs, and then the bugs get fixed and then there is a new set of bugs. But it's okay. Compared to other products it is very stable.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?Catalyst is a highly scalable product.How is customer service and technical support?Tech support was good in the past but now it is becoming diluted. Cisco used to have a lot of experienced folks, but now their whole process of hiring and training is diluted, so we don't see as much expertise with the TAC engineers as we once did.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?Generally, Cisco Catalyst would be relatively expensive compared to the competition, it would be on the expensive side. But I am not involved in the commercial part.Which other solutions did I evaluate?There are a lot of options when it comes to switching products. Brocade offers good switches, HPE offers a very affordable set of switches. But the purchase decision depends on a lot of factors. Primarily, Cisco provides an end-to-end solution, all aspects of networking, from UIP to security to wireless to servers. That factor plays into it.What other advice do I have?I would give this solution an eight out of 10. To get to a 10, it should become more open-source friendly, more customizable, easy to configure, and less complex in terms of the licensing.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-20T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Configuration is straightforward and all our switches are working without any downtimeWhat is our primary use case?LAN and WAN links in our offices and data centers.How has it helped my organization?When we started deploying Cisco switches in our new office, we were able to deploy them very quickly. There were no problems at the configuration stage and this allowed us to start work as quickly as possible.What is most valuable?Stability. We have many Catalyst switches now, and they work without any downtime. We work with government companies and we can't allow the business to stand idle.What needs improvement?It would be good if they added some machine learning which would allow us to abandon the rigid rules for processing traffic priorities and, at the same time, save money, because equipment with similar logic (like DPI) is much more expensive.Soon, we plan to migrate to the cloud infrastructure. It would be good if the Cisco switches worked quickly in the cloud, like their hardware devices. Ideally, they would be like OVS-DPDK, but they would work out-of-the-box.For how long have I used the solution?Three to five years.What do I think about the stability of the solution?No issues with stability.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?No issues with scalability.How is customer service and technical support?We don't use Cisco support. In our company, we have our own support team with various CCNA and CCNP engineers.Which solutions did we use previously?Previously, we tried many different solutions but we had some trouble with stability and scalability.How was the initial setup?The initial setup was pretty easy. The first setup was not that big and it was deployed in one day with only two engineers, one CCNA and one CCNP.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?Cisco's prices are not cheap, but the stability is worth it.Which other solutions did I evaluate?We tried many vendors including D-Link, HPE, and some cheaper vendors.What other advice do I have?It's a very good product but the price is high, so I would rate it at eight out of 10. Overall, it's worth it. Cisco switches have rich functionality.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-02T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Supports our entire line infrastructure and is easy to useWhat is our primary use case?We use this solution for the campus network.How has it helped my organization?It supports our entire line infrastructure. It runs from the line under the entire campus and is the backbone of the network. The entire business runs from this product.What is most valuable?The ease of use is the most valuable feature.What needs improvement?They should make it more affordable, improve the cost, manageability, and central management.I would like to see a cloud-managed feature.For how long have I used the solution?More than five years.What do I think about the stability of the solution?The catalyst switches are stable.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?They are scalable. We have are around 2,000 users. We use it quite extensively and we require at least two to three people for maintenance.How are customer service and technical support?Their technical support is good, one of the best in the industry.How was the initial setup?The initial setup was straightforward. The deployment depends on the scale of the network, because all of these devices, they don't work in silo, they work in tandem with each other. So it depends on the scale and size of the network.What about the implementation team?We used an integrator for the deployment. We had a good experience with them.What was our ROI?We have absolutely seen ROI. You will see ROI if you use this solution for a longer duration.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?The price is on the higher side. Licensing is also complicated. Simply, there are multiple licenses required.What other advice do I have?I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. To make it a ten they should simplify the licensing, add the cloud-managed feature, and it should be more cost-effective.Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Partner.
Date published: 2019-02-11T00:00:00-05:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Makes QoS CBWFQ easy to useWhat is our primary use case?AWS Direct Connect.What is most valuable?* BGP* Familiar CLIWe have used BGP over IPSec to AWS but there were problems with bandwidth. I migrated to the Catalyst C3850 because AWS Direct Connect doesn't need IPSec. We have to use the QoS (CBWFQ) function. I understand the function of QoS and it is easy to use.For how long have I used the solution?One to three years.What do I think about the stability of the solution?It's a stable product.How is customer service and technical support?Technical support is average.How was the initial setup?The initial setup was easy.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?The pricing could be better.What other advice do I have?I would suggest looking into the Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X. It has a lower price than the C3850 and high performance, but the CLI is different.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-08T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from A robust solution and it enables us to bring the network up in a very short timeWhat is our primary use case?We use it for connecting the users on the network. The performance has been good.How has it helped my organization?I've used other switches as well but, when configuring Catalyst, we are able to bring the network up in a very short time. If the company wants to extend the network or wants to get some new users on board, the usage is pretty fast and, in no time, it gets moving. For other switches, it might take some time for us to do research and get the system online. So it provides business benefits. The users don't have to wait to get on the network.What is most valuable?Cisco is one of the most robust switches, it is easy to configure, and the documentation is pretty good. Once you install it, you never face an issue with that switch.What needs improvement?One feature that I would like to add is for the following: At times, when I add an access list for a hostname, it doesn't actually add the hostname, it adds the IP address. So in the back-end, if my server changes the IP address, I have to go in manually and change the IP address. If the capability was there in Cisco to add a hostname instead of the IP address that would be really good.What do I think about the stability of the solution?It's a pretty stable product. Once you install it in the network, it keeps running without any issues. You just install it and forget it.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?It's scalable. If you want to install more switches it's pretty easy to pull up a wire, configure the new switch, and connect it to the network. It starts and you won't have to worry if the other switches will be compatible with it or not. In a multi-vendor environment as well, if you want to more switches, it works pretty well.How is customer service and technical support?Tech support is good. The response has been good.How was the initial setup?The initial setup is pretty straightforward. There is a guide, as well as support, on the internet. We just follow it. A person who is doing it for the first time can just follow it and get it installed.What other advice do I have?I would definitely have colleagues go for Cisco Catalyst. It's a pretty good product, stable, and reliable.Most important when selecting a vendor are that the connection should be stable, it should have good support, and it should not be really complex to configure.I would rate Cisco Catalyst at nine out of 10. The one point I'm leaving is for the improvement I spoke about. There is always room for improvement. Cisco Catalyst is pretty good. I have never faced any issues or challenges with it.Disclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:Service integrator.
Date published: 2018-08-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Ease of configuration, the CLI, and the GUI are the key features for usWhat is our primary use case?The use case is for user access. It's good, it's performing very well.How has it helped my organization?Catalyst functions as a core and the main benefit for us is the performance, having multiple users.What is most valuable?The main valuable features for me are* the ease of configuration* CLI* GUI.What needs improvement?My dream is to have the netflow in the port, for the administration and the utilization of user traffic, similar to the Meraki.For how long have I used the solution?More than five years.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?It's very scalable. It's very easy to cover all the services.Which solutions did we use previously?We chose Catalyst because we are looking to the future.When selecting a vendor, the most important criteria for me are the post-sale support as well as the price.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?Catalyst is very expensive.Which other solutions did I evaluate?For our company, Cisco's competition was Aruba.What other advice do I have?The configuration is simple and the support is good. The equipment for networking is the best for an organization. It's working very well.I rate Catalyst at 10 out of 10 because of the performance and support.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-29T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco productsWhat is our primary use case?Switching environments, as part of a LAN management solution, where the customer needs to build, operate, and maintain Layer 2 and Layer 3 networks for internal use.How has it helped my organization?It uses many protocols to ease operations, such as CDP and the interoperability of other Cisco products.What is most valuable?Perpetual POE is a valuable feature, because when the switch reboots, access points do not. This helps minimize infrastructure downtime and impacts internals.What needs improvement?* Services should be improved.* The delivery of the product lead time should be improved as well.For how long have I used the solution?More than five years.What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?The price should go down instead of up.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-04-16T00:00:00-04:00
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Catalysts are very good in the LAN infrastructure, especially for a campus networkWhat is our primary use case?Generally, we are using Cisco Catalyst switches for the campus network. We are currently using the Cisco Catalyst 3800 Series switches with IOS XE, and we also recently onboarded the Catalyst 9300 Series and 9400 Series, mostly for the campus network. We also use the 3800 Series switch for wireless connectivity, which provides UPOE, supporting up to 60 watts for the PoE devices.Performance-wise, Catalysts are so good in the LAN infrastructure, especially for a campus network. But for a data center environment, we mostly prefer the Cisco Nexus series.How has it helped my organization?Cisco Catalyst is one of the most famous and popular devices for campus networks, widely used in most of the country. They are the preferred networking switches with many features that help eliminate the need for a more complex OSPF. They are also easy to configure and manage. With the vulnerability assessment report, we can see there are more improvements coming from Cisco for campus area network switches.What is most valuable?HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol) is one valuable feature. In the 3800 Series, we have the Stacking feature which enables combining switches to get more bandwidth and produce high-availability. The Stacking feature can also actually eliminate the need for HSRP.What needs improvement?I would like to see hosting multiple applications on the existing IOS.What do I think about the stability of the solution?Stability-wise it is good. We have had multiple Catalyst switches running for quite a long period of time without even a single reboot. Performance-wise that is quite okay.What do I think about the scalability of the solution?The way it is being deployed it is expandable. We can add additional devices, so it is good.How is customer service and technical support?I have used support for Catalyst and it was good.Which solutions did we use previously?In most places, we were already using it, and we are continuing to use it. We could see the stability was better and it's quite easy to manage. We are also used to it. In addition, we're able to get technical support as well as vendor support.How was the initial setup?Setup is quite straightforward. You need to understand some of the basic components, how to set up the basic requirements. Apart from that, it is quite easy. You won't struggle much if you have a basic understanding of it.Which other solutions did I evaluate?Another candidate would be Juniper switches.What other advice do I have?The main thing is that Catalyst has been around for quite a long period. Cisco is one of the leaders in campus area networks, so investing in Catalysts, given that they are reliable, is safe.My most important criteria when selecting a vendor are the* product knowledge* support from the vendor and the availability of the technical staff to support it.I would give a Cisco Catalyst a nine out of 10 because most campus networks use Cisco and it is one of the best campus network switches. Its performance is quite good, it’s seamless, and stability-wise it is good.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Date published: 2018-08-26T00:00:00-04:00

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