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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in Network Management Applications
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Bharath _Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 13, 2024
Provides visibility and enables plug-and-play features, device onboarding
Most customers have heterogeneous environments. The main drawback of Cisco Catalyst Center is that it can only manage and monitor Cisco devices with a DNA license, specifically the Catalyst 9000 series. Customers often have mixed vendor environments, and platforms like Xtream offer vendor-agnostic solutions. While Cisco's DNA Center does have third-party SDKs that allow monitoring of non-Cisco devices, this approach isn't always practical. Additionally, Kumar mentioned the importance of segmentation, transitioning to SDA, and moving away from traditional VLANs and ACLs towards identity-based segmentation integrated with ISE. Therefore, it's more suitable for customers who primarily use Cisco solutions rather than those with diverse vendor environments.
MOHAMEDELSHERIF - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 17, 2023
Good centralization and manageability for edge routers but quite expensive
Our company uses the solution to provide secure connections for customers.  We have a hybrid data center model that bridges the gap between cloud and on-premises for customers. It is a mixed design to consolidate resources.  We also replace expensive NBLS lines with SDN and the internet to provide…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Cisco performs well in the network space, especially in areas like switching, DNA Center, and wireless, where it is known for its stability."
"The integration of Cisco Catalyst Center is fine"
"The tool is stable, and its troubleshooting capabilities are good. It helps us identify and fix any issues. It simplifies VPN setup for both side-to-side and multisite connections. This allows for easier data sharing between main and branch offices, creating a local network feel even for distant sites."
"It is very simple to deploy. It's a point-and-click type of deployment, so it's fairly simple."
"The reliability is high and we have only had to restart it once or twice over the years."
"The user experience is pretty good."
"The solution's application control and application traffic steering tool are its most valuable aspects in terms of how we utilize the product."
"The regular net routing is a good feature."
"The most valuable feature is the application-level routing."
"The most useful feature for our organization is the combination of on-prem and cloud-based deployments. We connect securely to our hybrid cloud using transit VPCs and cloud on-ramp for fast deployments."
 

Cons

"The deployment process is pretty complex"
"The main drawback of Cisco Catalyst Center is that it can only manage and monitor Cisco devices with a DNA license, specifically the Catalyst 9000 series."
"I would like to see a better, web-based interface to make changes to the configuration or to view statistics."
"Since Cisco acquired Viptela, the stability of this solution has given problems since it is quite new."
"They should enhance the reporting because, as it is today, they need more executive-level reports."
"The solution could be more secure. Security is always a priority for us."
"The platform needs to be updated to be more stable and simple."
"Cisco SD-WAN's clustering mechanism needs to be improved. If there are more than five milliseconds of latency time between installations of the VM manager, the cluster automatically breaks down."
"The deployment is complex."
"Cisco's router and voice gateway has not been available since the launch of SD-WAN."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The Cisco SD-WAN licensing model needs to be simplified. There are currently three types of licenses: enterprise agreements, individual licenses, and DNA subscriptions. This can confuse customers, requiring a dedicated person to determine which type of license is right for their organization."
"The price is high."
"Cisco is more expensive than some competing products."
"The costs are a bit on the high side."
"I give the price a seven out of ten."
"The license consists of an annual fee."
"Cloud subscription management must be paid for, although this does not incur a perpetual fee."
"The pricing is fair, and it's on par with the market vendors. But based on the competition, Cisco could work on the pricing, go deep on discounts and provide more commercially viable solutions to customers."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
43%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Center?
It is the most expensive when you compare it with other OEMs.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center?
Most customers have heterogeneous environments. The main drawback of Cisco Catalyst Center is that it can only manage and monitor Cisco devices with a DNA license, specifically the Catalyst 9000 se...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Catalyst Center?
The solution primarily focuses on visibility into Cisco products and day zero, day one, and day two operations. It enables plug-and-play features, device onboarding, hierarchy definition, and telem...
What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The product pricing is high. Fortinet is cheaper than Cisco. I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco SD-WAN
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Center vs. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,442 professionals have used our research since 2012.