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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Scalability Issues

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco DNA Center excels in scalability for medium to large enterprises but may struggle with costs and IP version 6 support.
 

Valuable Features

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco DNA Center streamlines network management with centralized control, automation, and analytics, improving security and performance with scalability.
 

Room For Improvement

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
5.0
Cisco DNA Center needs improved integration, cost efficiency, user control, security, and enhanced interface with third-party compatibility.
 

Stability Issues

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco DNA Center is reliable and robust with occasional errors, requiring updates or rebooting, but overall stable.
 

Customer Service

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
8.5
Cisco's DNA Center support is praised for responsiveness but criticized for delayed resolutions and inconsistent service quality.
 

Setup Cost

No sentiment score available
Sentiment score
2.6
Cisco DNA Center's high costs, influenced by licensing, challenge smaller organizations despite enterprise value, prompting alternatives consideration.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco DNA Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (19th), Network Automation (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Bharath _Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features
The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
20%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

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 DNA Center?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?
I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive.
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process. The time required for downloading and installing packages during upgrades is too long, often taking around ten hours. This is a significant i...
 

Also Known As

No data available
DNA Center
 

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Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Center vs. Cisco DNA Center and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.