Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance Reviews

Name: Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance
Brand: Cisco
Rating: 4.4 (24 reviews)

Vendor: Cisco

4.4 out of 5

24 reviews
100% willing to recommend

2,461 followers

What is Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance?

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance offers real-time application and network performance monitoring, VPN management, and network diagnostics across multiple sites.

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Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is the #32 ranked solution in APM tools and #37 ranked solution in best Network Monitoring Tools. PeerSpot users give Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance an average rating of 8.8 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 24 most recent Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 6.9. Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is most commonly compared to Dynatrace: Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance vs Dynatrace. Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 68% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 39% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance

December 2024

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Featured reviews

Sylvain Germe

Application and Network Performance Engineer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees

This solution is geared towards on-premise setups, and would not be useful if the company plans to move to the cloud within the next two years, such as Google Cloud for example. If the goal is to monitor bandwidth at remote sites and identify performance issues because the network is under the control, this solution is useful. However, if a company primarily uses cloud-based servers and does not manage the internet connection of its remote sites, the solution becomes less useful. I rate Accedian Skylight a seven out of ten. I have a positive opinion of the tool, but it can be challenging to set up. It is also limited in its applicability to certain use cases. I am familiar with the engineers behind the solution and have a good impression of them. However, I am not pleased with the fact that the company removed many features and raised prices after it was acquired by Accedian.

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reviewer1447356

CTO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For us, the most valuable feature is something called TWAMP that allows for real-time traffic in a way that is 10 times lighter than things like SolarWinds. It's in the sub-milliseconds of accuracy, and you can divide tasks so that you can literally see things like the tagging for Quality of Service. That had been incorrect with the carrier, but there was no way on this planet you'd be able to tell a carrier that they're wrong. I have dozens of scenarios where we found "No, that's not right," and got it resolved instantly. I like the reports that are very standardized and so repeatable, which is amazing. I've got CSOs who, in a prior life, would be doing application support for institutions that are 10 times larger than ours, and they were unaware of what is possible. It's one of those solutions which completely educates really smart technical people as to what is possible. It's extraordinary.

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Min Wang

President at AIP US, LLC

The user interface is very good, because it's all GUI-based. It's not command line. I know a lot of people don't like to type commands, so it's all GUI-based. For the active monitoring, we can put up a very nice dashboard. For example, for circuit performance, if you have 10 locations, then you have a dashboard for those 10 locations connecting to the headquarters. The dashboard will tell you the latency, jitter, and throughput. You can log in and see those number very quickly. If there's a problem, you will see it on the dashboard. On the diagram, you will see where the peak is or where the burst is. It will also tell you at what time. You can set it up to see the last minute, five minutes, hour, day, week, or year. You can set the interval you want.

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Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance mindshare

Product category:

As of December 2024, the mindshare of Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category stands at 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance vs Datadog	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance vs Dynatrace	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance vs New Relic	Dec 18, 2024	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Dynatrace	4.4	12.4%	95%	344 interviews Add to research
Datadog	4.3	10.1%	96%	187 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is praised for ease of use, offering comprehensive network visibility and analysis. Key attributes include network control, bandwidth monitoring, application performance analysis, and insightful diagnostics for protocols like HTTP and SQL. Users appreciate real-time traffic monitoring, customizable dashboards, standardized reporting, and a user-friendly GUI. The ability to capture and analyze packet data, along with efficient latency and throughput metrics, further enhances network troubleshooting and management capabilities, making it valuable for IT migrations and overall network performance scrutiny.

"One valuable feature we have is real-time monitoring for connection issues."
"One valuable feature we have is real-time monitoring for connection issues."
"The performance of Accedian Skylight is better than other vendors."

Room for Improvement

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance users suggest enhancing database systems to avoid data truncation, improving virtual poller licensing, and integrating RADIUS server support. They desire better scalability, faster query performance, more flexible licensing, and an improved user interface. Reporting features and Layer 4 to Layer 7 analytics are in demand. Export options, sFlow protocol support, and a local cloud option for regions with connectivity restrictions are also requested, along with cost reductions and seamless updates.

"Human resource costs can be high when dealing with connection issues."
"Human resource costs can be high when dealing with connection issues."
"The UI interface of Accedian Skylight could improve."

ROI

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is valued for its ability to save time and money by reducing network troubleshooting times and preventing unnecessary hardware purchases. Users highlight the tool's efficiency in pinpointing issues, leading to quicker resolution and improving IT teams' productivity. It assists in managing agreements with network providers, offering refunds for service disruptions. Although ROI measurement is challenging, its cost-effectiveness is noted due to significant savings in time and operational efficiency.

Pricing

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is perceived as a valuable yet somewhat expensive solution, offering good functionality and competitive pricing compared to similar products. Users highlight the complexities of licensing, which can add to the costs. While cost savings on time are noted, installation costs remain unclear for some. The solution is appreciated for its flexibility, allowing enterprises to scale their needs; however, licensing complexities and additional fees for advanced features are factors to consider.

"The solution was previously well-regarded, but after being acquired by Accedian, the prices have significantly increased. This has made it challenging to sell the product due to its high cost. It is an expensive solution."
"The price is competitive overall, depending on the type of customer."
"The pricing of Accedian Skylight is really good. The sensors are low cost. Their model to analytics for sensors is by license, endpoint, or session. With the probes for their analytics, if they get deployed virtually, they are free. The licensing is only based on flows. So, you can effectively deploy probes everywhere in your network. Then, if you want to look at a specific type of traffic, you can enter into it with a very low cost license. You can just use things like spam ports, mirrors, TAPs, and aggregators to optimize what sort of traffic you send to these analysis tools. Then, if you want to start looking at more, you can up your licensed as you go. You are not getting forced into expensive appliances or subscription models."

Popular Use Cases

The primary use case of Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is identifying and resolving network and application performance issues. Organizations use it to troubleshoot application slowness, understand network bottlenecks, and monitor overall network health. It aids in proving infrastructure reliability and optimizing performance, especially for enterprises with complex infrastructures like hospitals and media companies. Users benefit from real-time performance insights, ensuring network capabilities meet current demands and expectations.

Service and Support

Customers describe Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance customer service as responsive, efficient, and satisfactory, with access to developers during problems. Technical support is praised for being knowledgeable, responsive within hours, and providing competent assistance. Many value the expertise and professionalism of support staff, with some noting a more hands-on approach where support agents also develop. Both customer service and technical support receive high ratings for being dependable, quick, and knowledgeable across various interactions.

Deployment

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance's initial setup was generally straightforward with well-documented instructions. Some found it simple but time-consuming, especially when configuring extensive network settings. Experienced users noted that deploying on diverse network scenarios was manageable. Common tasks like defining zones or capture ports were easy, though complex configurations required more planning. Using Accedian Skylight for troubleshooting aided in overcoming installation challenges. The setup process varied from quick and effortless to occasionally extending over a week for larger networks.

Scalability

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is generally scalable with no significant concerns reported by most users. Although some face scalability issues due to evolving infrastructure needs, the company is moving towards virtualization to enhance scalability. The use of distributed solutions like Skylight and SSDs is anticipated to improve future scalability. Licenses allow flexibility in deployment by adding new probes and servers. Larger environments with multiple data centers, switches, and servers report efficient scaling capabilities.

Stability

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance is viewed as stable by users. Many experience no issues, appreciating its reliability and low maintenance needs. Users report minimal downtime with effective performance. Even when minor problems occur, they are resolved efficiently, not impacting stability. Users find it suitable for heavy usage without frequent reboots. Some mention improvements needed in human resources for connectivity but regard the system as dependable without requiring frequent upgrades.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

39%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Real Estate/Law Firm

Educational Organization

Media Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Non Profit

University

Construction Company

Consumer Goods Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Logistics Company

Healthcare Company

Hospitality Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Retailer

Insurance Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Wellness & Fitness Company

Compare Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance with alternative products

Learn more about Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance

Organizations use Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance for active and passive monitoring, stress testing, and troubleshooting performance issues. Deployed both on-premise and in the cloud, it supports IT infrastructure, security, and analytics with end-to-end performance measurement across cloud data centers. The modern, intuitive interface features TWAMP for real-time traffic accuracy and standardized reports, along with insightful dashboards for circuit performance, latency, jitter, and throughput monitoring.

What are the most important features?

TWAMP: Provides real-time traffic accuracy and standardized reporting.
Insightful Dashboards: Monitor circuit performance, latency, jitter, and throughput.
Security Integration: Compatible with tools like Splunk for enhanced security.
Application Support: Facilitates comprehensive network performance analysis.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in reviews?

Quick Corrective Actions: Immediate response capabilities for performance issues.
Easy Navigation: User-friendly layouts simplify monitoring and troubleshooting.
Comprehensive Analytics: Advanced tools for in-depth network performance insights.
Cloud and On-Premise Options: Flexible deployment to meet different needs.

In industries like finance and healthcare, Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance ensures robust performance monitoring and quick diagnostics for VPNs and internet lines. It aids in maintaining the integrity and security of data transference, facilitating active and passive monitoring, stress testing, and performance troubleshooting across geographically dispersed locations, ensuring seamless operation and compliance with industry standards.

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance was previously known as Accedian Skylight, Accedian SkyLIGHT PVX, SkyLIGHT PVX, SecurActive, Performance Vision.

Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance customers

T-Systems, Thomson Reuters, Bordeaux Metropole, CGI, Citadelle Regional Hospital Center, Lorraine Institute of Oncology, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Groupe BPCE, Group S, Splitpoint, Horus-Net, Audatex, Indexis, Province de Liège, EASI, Spie Batignolles, Faymonville