Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs SonicWall SMA comparison

The compared Cisco and SonicWall solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #6 in NMA , with an average rating of 8.1. SonicWall is ranked #2 in UAG , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 50.0% 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 92 Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN reviews

129 Views
67 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

SonicWall SMA

Read 14 SonicWall SMA reviews

51 Views
33 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, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetScaler and others in Network Management Applications.

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Network Management Applications

March 2025

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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

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)

SonicWall SMA

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (2nd), SSL VPN (8th), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (20th)

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden

Engineer at Routz

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.

Read full review

Maheshbabu T

Project Manager at CGG

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

I rate SonicWall SMA seven out of 10. If you're planning to implement this solution, I suggest checking the version to ensure it's compatible with your other technology. I say go for it if it's suitable for your use case. Multifactor authentication technologies are built into the product, whereas some products lack multifactor authentication. We need only one or two. They provide authentication, gateway integration, OTP integration, etc.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution's application control and application traffic steering tool are its most valuable aspects in terms of how we utilize the product."

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

"There have been no issues with stability."

"When we have had power outages for a few hours we have had no issue with Cisco SD-WAN coming back online and functioning."

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

"There is minimum blind space in this solution."

"The first part that we like is that we can reuse certain hardware, which is a valuable asset. You can use hardware SKUs that already exist in the network. The second part that we like is the integration with the cloud and the measurement of the cloud's quality. These are the two values that this solution gives as compared to other implementations that we have seen."

"I have found the performance and the Zero-Touch provisioning helpful which makes it easier for us to develop."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pros

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

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

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

"I think they ask for a fair price."

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

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

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

"The performance is good."

More SonicWall SMA pros

Cons

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

"Since Cisco acquired Viptela, the stability of this solution has given problems since it is quite new."

"Integration with other OEMs and the API part needs improvement to be more user-friendly, especially in terms of GUI."

"Cisco's router and voice gateway has not been available since the launch of SD-WAN."

"Integration with other OEMs and the API part needs improvement to be more user-friendly, especially in terms of GUI."

"The user interface needs improvement. Users should be able to find various features faster without much tweaking."

"What I find should be improved is the possibility of really separating the software layer from the hardware layer since today the current offer is not well adopted by the service providers"

"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."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN cons

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

"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."

"The solution has 2FA, it will generate a token and send it to an email, but multifactor authentication is not available. I would suggest that there should be MFA integration and provided with the appliance."

"The product itself is very good, but Dell needs to work on product visibility in their advertising."

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

"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."

"The solution could integrate better with other platforms."

"SonicWall SMA is difficult to use and it does not provide easy access to different parts of the network."

More SonicWall SMA cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In the Russian market where we operate, this solution is expensive."

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

"You have to pay between 3000 and 10,000 euros, or something in that range. The core switches Nexus cost me between 10,000 and 20,000 euros."

"The license model is too complex with too many flavors and options. You might not be able to see it from an end user's point of view, but from a telco point of view, their license model is too complex. They should have a flexible license model. If you want to have good pricing, you need to buy it for a two-year, four-year, or five-year license immediately. Some other vendors have much more flexible license models."

"It is expensive."

"The pricing of this solution is very expensive."

"The price is high."

"Cloud subscription management must be paid for, although this does not incur a perpetual fee."

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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."

"The platform has medium pricing."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

45%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

17%

Construction Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services 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 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...

See all answers

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 ...

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 15% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 12% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 11% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 10% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Compared 8% of the time

More Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Competitors

Peplink SpeedFusion vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 24% of the time

SonicWall Netextender vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 19% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 17% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs SonicWall SMA

Compared 16% of the time

More SonicWall SMA Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

April 2025

Download Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN product report

Buyer's Guide

SonicWall SMA

March 2025

Download SonicWall SMA product report

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN

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

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.

Cisco

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.

SonicWall

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

March 2025

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