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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Steelhead 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:
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN's customer service is praised for responsive, knowledgeable support, despite occasional delays and outsourced assistance issues.
No sentiment score available
Riverbed's support is professional and helpful, with responsive technical assistance and quick responses from higher-level engineers despite call center difficulties.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
4.2
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN needs better pricing, easier setup, enhanced security, improved documentation, flexible licensing, user-friendly interface, and advanced features.
Sentiment score
4.6
Steelhead must enhance performance, security, integration, monitoring, availability, cost-effectiveness, and add SDN, DDoS, and IPS features.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is highly scalable and integrates well with other Cisco products, suitable for various sectors.
Sentiment score
8.5
Steelhead is praised for scalability and ease of adding sites, though some scaling issues require additional purchases.
 

Setup Cost

No sentiment score available
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is costly but valued for reliability, quality, and comprehensive features despite a complex licensing model.
No sentiment score available
Steelhead's high costs are justified by exceptional support, though some users prefer more affordable alternatives like SolarWinds.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
9.0
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is generally reliable and effective, though some users encounter occasional bugs and suggest improvements for reliability.
Sentiment score
8.7
Steelhead is highly rated for its stability, reliability, and uninterrupted operation, ranking number one in WAN optimization.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
8.2
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN offers ease of management, enhanced security, scalability, cloud integration, reliable failovers, and strong technical support.
Sentiment score
7.9
Steelhead offers optimized performance, faster data access, easy setup, cost savings, and enhanced network visibility through SDR, TCP optimization, and compression.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in WAN Edge
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (5th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd)
Steelhead
Ranking in WAN Edge
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
WAN Optimization (3rd)
 

Featured Reviews

MOHAMEDELSHERIF - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Chaudhary Muhammad Moez Manzar - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptionally stable and reliable but costly
I have had hands-on experience with the initial setup of Steelhead, particularly in deploying it for a banking system in Pakistan. The deployment involved two cities, Karachi and Larkana, with around sixteen to eighteen branches. To start, we needed licenses for both Steelhead devices, crucial for optimizing traffic. Understanding the volume of traffic between the nodes is essential. For instance, if there is a 1 GB traffic requirement, we need to select a license capable of optimizing that volume. While the claim is that Steelhead can optimize up to 90%, we typically set realistic expectations, aiming for 60-70% optimization. Choosing the right device, analyzing its processing capabilities, ensuring hardware compatibility with the selected license, and understanding the specific requirements are key aspects of the setup process. The initial installation of Steelhead is more about careful planning than complex configuration. The trickiest part is deciding on the right device, box, and license. Figuring out which box suits the purpose and which license can handle the expected traffic volume is crucial. Once that is sorted, the configuration itself is relatively straightforward, mostly done through a user-friendly GUI. The key for engineers is understanding how to analyze the graphs and reports. During deployment, the focus shifts to selecting the appropriate box, software version, and license. The reports become essential for ongoing optimization. The full installation of Steelhead typically takes around one day. However, I usually monitor the system for about a week after deployment to gather mature data and generate comprehensive reports. The deployment of Steelhead is a team effort, not a solo task. Typically, it involves a presales person and a technician, especially if we are setting up in a data center. The infrastructure management and operations team, including system, network, and software teams, are also part of the process. In total, around nine to ten people might be involved, depending on the specific needs.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
43%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Computer Software Company
23%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

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.
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.
What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
We just did an assessment for our 47 datacenters around North America. The top two enterprise-level network monitoring solutions were ExtraHop first, Riverbed SteelCenter second. Their negotiated c...
What do you like most about Riverbed Steelhead?
One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users.
What is your primary use case for Riverbed Steelhead?
The tool is useful as an optimization tool, especially in scenarios with limited bandwidth, like intra-connecting sites. It optimizes WAN traffic so that critical traffic gets priority and is optim...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
RIverbed Steelhead
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
ElAraby, SFK Leblanc, Bobst Group, Northwest Pipe Company, Halkbank, Tradebridge, EFG Hermes
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Steelhead and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.