Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN comparison

Cisco and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.7, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.6. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Read 90 Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews

12,450 Views
8,044 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Prisma SD-WAN

Read 19 Prisma SD-WAN reviews

2,874 Views
1,440 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Prisma SD-WAN

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Prisma SD-WAN and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN are two leading solutions in the market. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN seems to have the upper hand due to its robust features despite its higher price.

Features: Prisma SD-WAN reviews highlight easy integration, effective bandwidth management, and extensive security measures. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews emphasize advanced routing capabilities, comprehensive analytics, and seamless scalability.

Room for Improvement: Users suggest that Prisma SD-WAN could improve its reporting functions and range of third-party integrations. For Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, the feedback points to a need for better documentation and more user-friendly setup processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Prisma SD-WAN is praised for its straightforward deployment model and responsive customer service. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, although noted for a steeper learning curve during deployment, receives high marks for its knowledgeable support team.

Pricing and ROI: Prisma SD-WAN is noted for its lower setup costs and positive ROI, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious users. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, despite its higher initial investment, is viewed as delivering substantial long-term ROI due to its extensive feature set and scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

2nd

Ranking in WAN Edge

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (5th)

Prisma SD-WAN

Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

4th

Ranking in WAN Edge

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (8th)

Featured Reviews

MOHAMEDELSHERIF

Senior Technical Consultant at International Turnkey Systems - ITS

Good centralization and manageability for edge routers but quite expensive

The setup is quite straightforward and the solution is easy to deploy. Deployment time depends on the size the customer or enterprise. Each customer has its own use case so it is difficult to give a time estimate. In any case, the work is straightforward with no obstacles or challenges.

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CarlosNascimento

Senior Cyber Security Consultant at Compwyre

Has high-speed dynamic routing and a good traffic shaping feature for managing bandwidth

The dynamic routing in Prisma SD-WAN is high-speed and valuable because it quickly adjusts, so users do not realize the link is down. The traffic shaping feature is also handy. In branches with poor internet connections, traffic shaping allows us to restrict and manage bandwidth effectively. This ensures no single user can consume all the bandwidth, and it reserves equal parts of the link for all users. For example, we can share the link equally in a small office with ten people. Prisma SD-WAN is highly effective in handling network failovers and ensuring business continuity. It includes redundancy, failover capabilities, and extensive monitoring tools. If one customer experiences an attack, updates are provided to all other customers to prevent similar threats.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is very stable."

"Cisco SD-WAN's collaborative features are unique and sustainable. I also like the protocols, which use two SD-WAN."

"SD-WAN provides a range of common benefits, including cost reduction, increased visibility, and scalability"

"You get security, all of the service you need, and it's easy to deploy."

"Using SD-WAN to combine services can result in better up time, higher speeds, and much lower costs."

"It's very easy to manage and monitor the network's health and security using the solution."

"It is really easy to deploy and use. It is also easy to use for failovers and designing solutions. The rollout is really quick. It is easy to adjust and roll out."

"Huge companies use SD-WAN. It is largely scalable."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pros

"Prisma's analytics provide a lot of valuable data. I like the internet health chart that shows latency, dropped packets, MOS for data quality, etc. It also runs a continuous speed test in the background. I've used it multiple times to troubleshoot internet connections when the service provider has attempted to claim nothing is wrong with the circuit. It gives me data to send them showing we're not getting the speed we should, or there is constant packet loss."

"Prisma supports all of the applications we're currently using."

"I like that the integration with Palo Alto is easy."

"When it comes to supporting large, complex, network architectures, it's a very simple architecture. The main component is the fabric. It's very easy to troubleshoot if there is an issue happening in the underlying network."

"The AI ops feature streamlines revisions and automates compliance."

"Prisma SD-WAN is recommended due to its comprehensive capabilities."

"The gateway is available on the cloud which allows you access from anywhere and still connects to your home gateway."

"If the MPLS goes down, there is a really smooth transition for a branch site to take traffic over the Internet. It will advertise the routes of that site in a jiffy."

More Prisma SD-WAN pros

Cons

"The solution could be more secure. Security is always a priority for us."

"The process of onboarding the vSmart, vBond, and vManage should be improved to make it easier to manage in general."

"The solution could have a better web interface to simplify changing configurations."

"Better pricing and greater security would be nice to see."

"Some competitors are much faster in providing out-of-the-box solutions, more innovative solutions. In terms of innovation, in many cases, they're lagging behind."

"Cisco could do more to offer bundling of the SD-WAN and other solutions."

"I would like to see revision cycles to be more stable."

"One area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is reporting. The report needs to give more visibility to the customer. The security feature in Cisco SD-WAN also needs improvement, particularly if Cisco wants to challenge other brands, such as Fortinet."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN cons

"They could add more advanced security features to the product."

"Customer support is our biggest pain point. The quality of support has gone down a little since we initially deployed this product. I don't know if this is due to turnover at Palo Alto or a lack of training. It is now taking one or two days to get an initial response that says, "Hey, we've looked into this, can you pull this data for us?" In the past, we'd immediately get a response."

"If Palo Alto could open the platform to manage other SD-WANs, it would be beneficial."

"Sometimes, during the product's initial setup phase, bypass pair or couple ports don't come up normally, and it requires an hour and a half to troubleshoot to reset the box from Prisma SD-WAN to factory default."

"Prisma could be a little cheaper."

"The pricing for Prisma SD-WAN needs improvement."

"I would also like to see improvement in the product training for customers. Palo Alto has not initiated very much training but they have to do so because this is a new product. If you have experience in a legacy environment, and you are moving to Prisma SD-WAN, you don't have a training framework. That is one of the disadvantages."

"The only con is the pricing because it's more premium."

More Prisma SD-WAN cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The costs are a bit on the high side."

"Cisco is more expensive than some competing products."

"The initial cost is quite significant, but the investment is worthwhile."

"The cost of Cisco SD-WAN is high and has room for improvement compared to competitors such as Fortinet which has similar functionality."

"Licensing is on a subscription basis."

"The product's license is expensive."

"We can only buy three-year licenses, not monthly. The cost seems high for us, especially since we're in Vietnam, which isn't a rich country. But we still like the product because it is good."

"The price of Cisco SD-WAN could improve, it is expensive. The cost of the solution is approximately 30 percent higher than competitors."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pricing and cost advice

"It is more expensive than Fortinet."

"If you're already invested in a Palo Alto product, it would be logical to use this solution. If not, there might be some other solutions that are more viable in terms of pricing."

"Prisma SD-WAN is a pretty expensive solution."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"This solution stood out because it cost considerably less than the other SD-WAN solutions out there from Cisco."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

44%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

27%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?

It is expensive.

See all answers

What do you like most about Prisma SD-WAN?

The product's initial setup phase is straightforward.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Prisma SD-WAN?

The price for Prisma is a bit high, but it is a premium service. The higher tier provides flexibility and scalability benefits.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Prisma SD-WAN?

If Palo Alto could open the platform to manage other SD-WANs, it would be beneficial. Currently, it only manages Palo Alto. Also, if there were an option to extend management to other firewalls, us...

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 16% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 12% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 12% of the time

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 7% of the time

Peplink SpeedFusion vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Competitors

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 24% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 17% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 13% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 11% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Prisma SD-WAN

Compared 7% of the time

More Prisma SD-WAN Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

December 2024

Download Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Prisma SD-WAN

November 2024

Download Prisma SD-WAN product report

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN

CloudGenix

Learn More

Cisco

Palo Alto Networks

Overview

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN serves to connect remote offices, reduce MPLS costs, and facilitate cloud and internet access while providing secure connectivity and centralized management for hybrid networks.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is leveraged for secure connectivity, load balancing, VPN, centralized network management, and migrating from traditional networks to SD-WAN. It supports hybrid networks, enabling centralized management across branches and data centers, improving security, and optimizing bandwidth usage. Industries such as banking and retail benefit from its capabilities for secure and efficient network management.

What are the main features of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Centralized Management: Simplifies network operations and administration.
Application-Level Routing: Enhances performance for critical applications.
Segmentation: Provides robust network segmentation for security.
Policy Configuration: Customizable policies for traffic management.
Real-Time Traffic Visibility: Enables monitoring for better insights.
Load Balancing: Distributes network traffic efficiently.
Hybrid Cloud Connectivity: Seamless integration with cloud services.
Deep Packet Inspection: Detailed traffic analysis for security.
High Security: Offers strong security protocols to protect the network.
Ease of Deployment: Features like zero-touch provisioning simplify setup.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Cost Savings: Reduces operational expenses through efficient network management.
Reliability: Proven performance and uptime for critical operations.
Scalability: Grows with the organization's needs.
Integrated Health Monitoring: Proactively identifies and resolves issues.
Industry Trust: Cisco's reputation for quality and support.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN's implementation in banking enhances secure transaction communication between branches and data centers. Retailers utilize it to ensure steady connectivity for point-of-sale systems and inventory management. Organizations benefit from centralized management, making it easier to handle networks across multiple locations.

Simplify management, enable app-defined SD-WAN policies and deliver a secure, cloud-delivered branch today with the Industry’s first next-generation SD-WAN.

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates

Open Networking User Group, Columbia Sportswear Company, Coca Cola

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN

December 2024

Free Report: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Prisma SD-WAN

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