Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA comparison

The compared Cisco and SonicWall solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #5 in NMA , with an average rating of 7.7. SonicWall is ranked #2 in UAG , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 42.5% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of SonicWall users who would recommend it.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Read 90 Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews

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21 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 14 SonicWall SMA reviews

64 Views
39 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

SonicWall SMA

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN and SonicWall SMA based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Fortinet and others in Network Management Applications.

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Network Management Applications

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (5th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)

SonicWall SMA

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (8th), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (18th)

Featured Reviews

MOHAMEDELSHERIF

Senior Technical Consultant at International Turnkey Systems - ITS

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…

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Maheshbabu T

Project Manager at CGG

May 26, 2022

It allows us to provide CML-based access to any user, but the reporting could be better

We use SonicWall SMA to provide VPN. Our use is limited right now. We only have 200 users. SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user. SonicWall's reporting isn't good. Reports should be part of a data plan. The login mechanism should be improved. It would be helpful if the…

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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

"The orchestration on the VPN connection between remote locations is a fantastic feature. I used it some time ago."

"It is very stable."

"The product helps to aggregate network links. The tool increases security and makes it possible for you to have remote workers."

"The solution is stable and reliable."

"Cisco SD-WAN is a very good product."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco SD-WAN is its compatibility and integration with the rest of the infrastructure."

"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."

"The most valuable features are zero-disk provisioning and link load balancing on an application basis."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pros

"I am very satisfied with the technical support."

"I like the load balancing capability."

"What I like best about SonicWall SMA is the relationship between its features and its price, because the solution is both affordable and functional."

"Secure Mobile Access (SMA) is easy to configure and the deployment is straightforward. However, this is mostly because of the AWS setup."

"SonicWall SMA has the most valuable feature of proprietary security technologies like Capture ATP."

"This solution has many options for remote desktop and access."

"The management and the dashboard are the solution's most valuable features."

"SonicWall SMA allows us to provide CML-based access to any user."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

"Cisco SD-WAN is not as easy to deploy as the Meraki and FortiGate solutions. The zero-touch deployment could be a lot better. The deployment and initial setup are complicated and could be better."

"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."

"We have had some problems with the licensing model, and it is something that should be improved."

"Compresson deduplication should be added."

"The tool is very expensive."

"The solution should be more user-friendly."

"The whole solution needs to be re-imagined. It's quite complex right now and really needs to be simplified to make it easier for those of us using it. It should offer more simplified management as well."

"The integration of Cisco SD-WAN with cloud solutions could improve. For example, if any of the applications are hosted in the Amazon AWS cloud we can use a virtual transit gateway for integrating Cisco SD-WAN."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN cons

"The only thing that they could try to improve is the support for enterprise customers. Normally enterprises and SMBs can create a ticket, but for enterprises, SonicWall SMA needs to provide a global view, and this is what's currently missing. It's not even a question of timing. It's a question of the global vision because currently, it's lacking. They concentrate on the topic, but not on the means and not on the global picture. In most cases, there's something wrong with the integration of SonicWall SMA with other products, so that could also be improved."

"This is an expensive solution and I think that the price could be improved."

"SonicWall's reporting isn't good. Reports should be part of a data plan. The login mechanism should be improved. It would be helpful if the client could use an agent to log in. An agent-server model would improve the performance of the RDB, which consumes a lot of bandwidth."

"The timed synchronization between the network appliance needs improvement."

"User interface could be improved."

"The problem is that when combined with what the client already has, there are two different logins and two different management systems, and these should be consolidated into a single interface."

"Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface."

"The product's technical support services could be improved."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"Cisco SD-WAN is more expensive than its competitors."

"On a scale of one to five, I would rate Cisco's pricing as a three."

"Cisco is more expensive than some competing products."

"The price is high."

"The pricing of this solution is very expensive."

"Cisco is more expensive than FortiGate."

"For 600 links, the license for Cisco SD-WAN costs us US$250k a year."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pricing and cost advice

"The platform has medium pricing."

"I don't know about the pricing of the SSL-VPN box. I know the SSL-VPN software is free. Global VPN client, by comparison, is licensed for around $150 or something like that. But the SSL-VPN software is free. It is already built-in with the box."

"This solution is priced well and we currently have the maximum number of licenses allowed."

"All the costs are included in a bundled license."

"The cost of the licensing is based on the maximum number of concurrent users, and it costs a lot to add them."

"Our licenses are stackable and can be anywhere from five users to a million users."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

42%

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Construction Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Real Estate/Law Firm

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 SonicWall SMA?

Blocklisting and allowlisting are the most beneficial features for network security.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SonicWall SMA?

The platform has medium pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SonicWall SMA?

Enhancing live tracking capabilities could improve the product, particularly in monitoring user activity and request statuses in real-time on the web interface.

See all answers

Comparisons

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 17% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 13% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 12% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 8% of the time

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

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Competitors

Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 27% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 18% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 14% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

November 2024

Download Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

October 2024

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN

SonicWall Aventail, SonicWall SMA SSL-VPN, SonicWall Secure Mobile Access

Learn More

Cisco

SonicWall

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.

SonicWall SMA is a unified secure access gateway that enables organizations to provide anytime, anywhere and any device access to mission critical corporate resources. SMA's granular access control policy engine, context aware device authorization, application level VPN and advanced authentication with single sign-on empowers organizations to embrace BYOD and mobility in a hybrid IT environment.

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates

UnitedStack, Newport City Homes, Faith Lutheran College Redlands, PRIME aerostructures GmbH, Celtic Manor Resort

Buyer's Guide

Network Management Applications

October 2024

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