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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Juniper Mist Edge comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in WAN Edge
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (5th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd)
Juniper Mist Edge
Ranking in WAN Edge
17th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing
The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.
MD Ibrahim Mollik - PeerSpot reviewer
Stands out by offering insight into client data but is costly
The support is evaluated based on levels, ranging from one to three. While Level One might not always provide the preferred support, escalating to Level Two usually gets the right assistance. If needed, there is an option to escalate further to Level Three. However, I generally don't recommend going to Level Three unless necessary.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"You can easily scale the product."
"The solution provides good consolidation, centralization, and manageability for edge routers."
"The orchestration on the VPN connection between remote locations is a fantastic feature. I used it some time ago."
"The solution sufficiently provides ISPs."
"One of the most valuable features is that they have multiple SD-WAN options: you have Meraki for simple management solutions, you have Viptela, and you have the option of having any type of WAN interfaces. Presently, you can also have a single combined solution for both WAN as well as for voice, so you can have a voice bundle as well. These are major unique points of this solution."
"The segmented traffic it provides is the best in the industry right now."
"The reliability is high and we have only had to restart it once or twice over the years."
"Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented."
"Juniper is a remote and AI-enhanced product."
"The visibility of the information that's available about APs through their cloud portal and some of the AI features are most valuable."
"Juniper's technical support is highly responsive."
"The most valuable aspect of Mist Edge lies in its ability to provide comprehensive visibility into all network packets."
 

Cons

"The tool is very expensive."
"One of the major areas that Cisco can improve on with their SD-WAN offering is their security features. When compared with Fortinet, who have what they call their 'security pillars' (e.g. firewall and security features built-in to their SD-WAN solutions), Cisco generally comes up short. With Cisco, if you need a security component, you have to pay more to get it done. So if they could add more security features that come part and parcel with their existing solutions, then I think Cisco could be very aggressive in the market."
"Its license model needs to be improved. They always make the license model too complex. There are too many license models and too many options. They should have a flexible license model. They can improve a lot of things in terms of scalability, templates, and automation, mainly automation for onboarding a number of sites. If you want some new features, it can take quite a long time. If you want a feature and it is not yet developed, you need to have the support of the business units to have the feature developed. If the feature is not on their roadmap, it can take quite some time before you get the feature."
"The main area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is the lack of documentation, which often lags behind the software releases."
"The process of onboarding the vSmart, vBond, and vManage should be improved to make it easier to manage in general."
"Cyber security should also be implemented in the solution, along with maybe implementation of AI/ML."
"Customers require features that are secure for endpoints, on-premises, and for the cloud."
"The technical support is a bit slow."
"I would like to see improvements in ensuring government compliance for Mist Edge."
"I experience a lot of stability issues, so the rating is eight out of ten."
"The product needs an update, particularly in price, as it deters many customers, including myself, from using it despite its convenience and effectiveness."
"The one area that we're specifically looking into is their outdoor APs. The development of their outdoor APs is lagging as compared to their internal APs."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive. The license limitation is there in terms of bandwidth. Basically, Cisco is always good in terms of performance and related things. However, if you want to have a license, for example, for 100 Mbps, they charge you because of their 100 Mbps. If you want to go without the license of 300 Mbps, it is a bandwidth license as well. This is not happening with other vendors. That is the reason why we moved away from Cisco. The bill gets a little bit high. I do remember that one time we were trying to increase the bandwidth for at least five devices, and the license got as high as 20-grand for five devices, only for the license. It was expensive for us at the time. Our company is not a big company, but it is a solid company. The price was very high, and we moved away from Cisco because of the price."
"I give the price a seven out of ten."
"The price of Cisco SD-WAN could improve, it is expensive. The cost of the solution is approximately 30 percent higher than competitors."
"For 600 links, the license for Cisco SD-WAN costs us US$250k a year."
"The cost of Cisco SD-WAN is high and has room for improvement compared to competitors such as Fortinet which has similar functionality."
"SD-WAN as a service is probably something in the neighborhood of $100 to $200 a month per location."
"The price is high."
"The product is not too expensive."
"I believe we're getting some good discounts. We're paying less than $500 per AP. I don't know the annual maintenance cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
45%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Computer Software Company
23%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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 pricing for Cisco SD-WAN is rated eight out of ten, with some variability depending on the reseller discounts and the size of the enterprise. It is also relatively cost-effective for smaller bu...
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
The main area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is the lack of documentation, which often lags behind the software releases. This is especially notable since Cisco acquired the solution and is still ...
What do you like most about Juniper Mist Edge?
The most valuable aspect of Mist Edge lies in its ability to provide comprehensive visibility into all network packets.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Juniper Mist Edge?
The pricing for Mist Edge is generally fine, but it is a bit too high for clients in Bangladesh.
What needs improvement with Juniper Mist Edge?
I would like to see improvements in ensuring government compliance for Mist Edge. Additionally, it could be improved by streamlining its deployment, making it more user-friendly, and enhancing its ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
One Energy, UST Global, i3D.net, Hyland
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Juniper Mist Edge and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,881 professionals have used our research since 2012.