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Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] comparison

Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime [EOL] are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 89% of Cisco DNA Center users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Cisco Prime [EOL] users who would recommend it.
Cisco DNA Center
Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews
  • 7,007 Views
  • 4,089 Comparison Views
89% willing to recommend
Cisco Prime [EOL]
Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews
    91% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

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    Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

    Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime are both competing in the network management platform category. Cisco DNA Center has the upper hand with its innovation and integration with new technologies.

    Features: Cisco DNA Center offers modern network automation, policy enforcement, and analytics. Cisco Prime [EOL] provides robust monitoring, configuration, and troubleshooting tools essential for traditional networks.

    Room for Improvement: Cisco DNA Center could enhance its user training to aid those less experienced with advanced technology. Some users find complexity in initial setups. Compatibility with legacy systems might be improved. Cisco Prime [EOL] could benefit from integration with newer technological standards, improved user interface, and enhanced automation capabilities for modern network environments.

    Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco DNA Center focuses on seamless deployment with automation to reduce complexity. Cisco Prime [EOL] might require more manual configuration but is supported by reliable customer service valued for solving connectivity issues.

    Pricing and ROI: Cisco DNA Center involves a higher initial cost but offers long-term ROI benefits through automation reducing operational expenses. Cisco Prime [EOL] appeals to budget-conscious buyers due to its lower upfront costs yet may struggle to provide the same ROI as network technology evolves.

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    Buyer's Guide
    Network Management Applications
    December 2024
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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 DNA Center
    Average Rating
    8.0
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.3
    Number of Reviews
    41
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (1st), Network Monitoring Software (16th), Network Automation (2nd)
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Average Rating
    7.8
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.5
    Number of Reviews
    35
    Ranking in other categories
    No ranking in other categories
     

    Featured Reviews

    AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
    Efficiently manages our wireless network and provides valuable monitoring features
    The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage. We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks. The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective. Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play. I rate it an eight.
    Read full review
    ZeeshanAli1 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Robust, cost-effective, and provides good visibility, but the scalability could improve
    We are extremely satisfied with the reliability and robustness of Cisco Prime Infrastructure, which we have been using for many years. Compared to newer products such as DNS centers or others, it has proven to be much more stable, which is important for large-scale operations. Stability is a primary concern for us, and we are glad that Cisco Prime Infrastructure meets our expectations in that regard. Furthermore, in regards to Legacy Plus new hardware, Cisco Prime has proven to be a reliable and adaptable solution thus far. Not only can it support older hardware, but it also has the capability to handle new features with the latest updates. If we consider new solutions such as DNS Center, we may have to sacrifice some legacy features that we still rely on. We may need to continue using these legacy features for a few more years due to various reasons such as budget constraints or the site not being a high priority. However, if we switch to a new product at this stage, we may lose a lot of the monitoring and other capabilities that we have with Cisco Prime. We have a close relationship with Cisco and understand that they are not prioritizing investments in Cisco Prime as they are encouraging customers to adopt the Cisco DNA Center. This means that we don't anticipate many new features to be added to the product in the future. While we know that we will eventually have to transition to a new solution, in the meantime, we plan to do a quick refresh of our legacy products.
    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

    "I like that we can easily configure any new hardware. It's also easy to deploy and easy to troubleshoot."
    "The most valuable features were the monitoring, maintenance, and configuration."
    "What I found valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the Software-Defined Access Network, so the entire LAN network can be centralized and managed from a single dashboard. Cisco DNA Center is suitable for centralized management and lets you deploy switches in a centralized fashion. You can also do multiple switch port configurations simultaneously and segregate your traffic into multiple fabrics. Another valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is enhanced security through Scalable Group Tags. Cisco DNA Center can be integrated with your Cisco ISE to enhance the port securities, and this paves the way for Software-Defined Networking in the LAN segment, which is the main advantage of Cisco DNA Center. I also like that you can use Cisco DNA Center for data assurance or correlation. The solution shows your network and client health parameters, which I find convenient for troubleshooting."
    "Cisco VXLAN is a protocol that has been around for some time, but the practical implementation and operational capability of Cisco DNA Center bring it to life."
    "It is a stable solution."
    "What's most valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the ability to manage any Cisco infrastructure and device through it. Setup was straightforward."
    "The solution helps in user microsegmentation."
    "Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."
    More Cisco DNA Center pros
    "I have found the solution to be scalable."
    "The dashboard is a valuable feature. It's very clear, and the metrics make it easy to see the current network situation."
    "Cisco Prime has been around for a long time, and it keeps getting better and better."
    "As a large organization, it is difficult to individually monitor every device. Instead, we use Cisco Prime to keep an eye on the network and services. We do not use it as a node tool, as we have other tools for network operation centers. When services go down, it can cause issues, we rely on Cisco Prime to monitor and notify us of any service disruptions. We mainly use Cisco Prime Infrastructure for configuration-level tasks."
    "We use Cisco Prime for network mapping and surveys."
    "Has a good wireless heatmap and search management features."
    "We use this solution to troubleshoot our wireless systems, specifically regarding signal strength."
    "The installation is easy."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
     

    Cons

    "An area that needs improvement is the integration with other vendors."
    "The tool's IoT integration should be better."
    "The network, data center, and SD-WAN are all being treated as different services, but I would like to have only one solution to manage all of them."
    "The solution's technical support is an area with which my company's clients have a problem. Cisco doesn't provide good technical support unless a user has a big account that Cisco wants to retain."
    "An area for improvement in Cisco DNA Center is the latency in data correlation. For example, sometimes, when an issue happens, and I check the logs, I can't find the corresponding log. There's a delay in log replication, so this is what needs improvement in Cisco DNA Center. Reporting in Cisco DNA Center could also be improved because it only has a few templates, and you can't customize it based on your requirements. There aren't many options available in Cisco DNA Center regarding reporting, versus Cisco Prime, which has excellent features for different levels of detailed reports. I'd like to see real-time data replication in the next release of Cisco DNA Center, similar to what's done in Meraki. Data in Meraki is real-time with no delay, so data is immediately replicated in the cloud. Currently, there's a lag in Cisco DNA Center, and addressing that lag is the enhancement I'd like to see in Cisco DNA Center. The solution also needs to be more user-friendly."
    "From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."
    "The cost is very high."
    "Requires more focus on the digital side of things."
    More Cisco DNA Center cons
    "The reporting could be simplified and the information made clearer to the user."
    "Cisco Prime could improve the notifications in the system. Having more details about what is happening would be useful, such as traffic numbers or who is connected. We can see them through the firewall controller, but it would be better if you can see them from one place."
    "I want the tool to improve data visibility."
    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    "I rate Cisco Prime seven out of 10 for affordability. All Cisco solutions are expensive."
    "If you look at some of the wireless site-survey tools that are available in the commercial space, Cisco should include similar solutions, which would help our on-plant engineers when they're doing a site survey."
    "The product needs to improve its interface and reporting."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."
    "The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."
    "Cisco DNA Center is expensive."
    "Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."
    "We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."
    "I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."
    "The tool is medium-priced."
    "The solution is expensive."
    More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice
    "If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."
    "I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."
    "Cisco Prime is an expensive solution."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    "The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "We update the license every five years."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Computer Software Company
    19%
    Government
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    9%
    University
    6%
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Government
    14%
    Manufacturing Company
    10%
    Educational Organization
    6%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
     

    Questions from the Community

    What do you like most about Cisco DNA Center?
    The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it gives some kind of ease in operations, especially since our company is moving from CLI to GUI-based configuration.
    See all answers
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?
    I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
    One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process. The time required for downloading and installing packages during upgrades is too long, often taking around ten hours. This is a significant i...
    See all answers
    What do you like most about Cisco Prime?
    The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Cisco Prime?
    The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive.
    See all answers
    What is your primary use case for Cisco Prime?
    We use Cisco Prime for centralized configuration management backups and monitoring.
    See all answers
     

    Comparisons

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    Compared 10% of the time
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    SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 7% of the time
    Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 4% of the time
    HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    HPE Intelligent Management Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 3% of the time
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    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco DNA Center
    January 2025
    Cisco DNA Center reportDownload Cisco DNA Center product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    January 2025
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
     

    Also Known As

    DNA Center
    Cisco Prime Infrastructure
     

    Learn More

    Cisco
    Cisco
     

    Overview

    Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.

    Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.

    What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?
    • Robust Analytics: Provides detailed insights into network health with AI-driven analytics.
    • Centralized Security: Integrates with ISE for comprehensive security management.
    • Automated Device Management: Simplifies device provisioning and configuration transfers.
    • Wi-Fi Analytics: Offers deep insights into wireless network performance.
    • Zero-Touch Provisioning: Streamlines new device deployments with minimal human intervention.
    • Scalable Segmentation: Efficiently segments network traffic ensuring security and performance.
    What benefits should users consider?
    • Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces potential errors and streamlines workflow.
    • Enhanced Security: Integration with Cisco ISE bolsters security capabilities.
    • Network Visibility: Comprehensive dashboards and analysis tools enhance monitoring.
    • Troubleshooting: Real-time monitoring aids in identifying and resolving issues swiftly.

    In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.

    Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

     

    Sample Customers

    Information Not Available
    Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare
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    December 2024
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