Cisco DNA Center vs NetBrain comparison

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Cisco DNA Center

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

NetBrain and Cisco DNA Center compete in network automation and management. NetBrain leads in cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness, whereas Cisco DNA Center stands out for its comprehensive features, justifying its higher price.

Features: NetBrain offers dynamic network mapping, real-time diagnostics, and automatic configuration checks, focusing on simplifying troubleshooting. In contrast, Cisco DNA Center provides extensive automation through intent-based networking, advanced analytics, and AI-driven insights, supporting detailed network management and security enhancement.

Room for Improvement: NetBrain could benefit from more advanced automation capabilities and better integration with third-party tools. Enhancements in user training and scalability could also improve its offering. Cisco DNA Center's complexity could be reduced for simpler integrations and more straightforward operations. More intuitive interfaces for non-technical users and enhanced customization options could boost user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetBrain is known for straightforward deployment and responsive customer support. Cisco DNA Center can be complex to set up but offers robust customer service throughout the deployment process. NetBrain's setup simplicity contrasts with Cisco's intricate but well-supported implementation.

Pricing and ROI: NetBrain presents a lower initial investment, offering quick ROI through its affordability. Cisco DNA Center, with higher setup costs, is geared towards long-term benefits due to its advanced features. NetBrain's cost-effectiveness appeals to budget-conscious users, whereas Cisco positions itself as a feature-rich investment for those prioritizing functionality.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. NetBrain Report (Updated: March 2025).

Cisco DNA Center vs. NetBrain

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Helped 842,651 peers since 2012

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

Ranking in Network Automation

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (1st), Network Monitoring Software (13th)

NetBrain

Ranking in Network Automation

6th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Troubleshooting (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 14.9%, down from 18.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetBrain is 12.4%, up from 6.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Automation

Featured Reviews

AvrahamSonenthal

Senior Network Engineer at Inside Global

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.

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Deborah Gamelin

Vice President at Asset Track for Cloud, LLC

Good monitoring and troubleshoot capabilities, improves overall network traffic visibility

In my organization, we had 130,000 network devices that needed to be brought into the solution and mapped. NetBrain can handle the scale but the engineers that manage those devices have to go in and update all of them to allow NetBrain permission to poll them. It can get a little stressful for everybody when you're trying to roll out new stuff when you've got other issues that have to be addressed with other devices. In some cases, our devices had no automation at all. One example is the Cisco 3650. Right now, if you went through the inventory list, you see that we have different versions running. Some are on one version, whereas others are on another version. The problem with upgrading them is that they need to be done overnight because we don't want to disrupt any network traffic during business hours. Consequently, it could take us years to upgrade the versions before we can even get them onto these new tools. This may be an internal issue but it's a big one when you have a lot of devices. Even if you had 10,000 devices, it's still an issue. You have to consider the compatibility of the device against the tool, and being able to use certain commands to upgrade it.

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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

"Automation is another key highlight. With automation, you can automate everything through a single port."

"The most valuable features of Cisco DNA Center are wireless assurance and visibility."

"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."

"The solution helps in user microsegmentation."

"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."

"It offers automation, security enforcement, analytics, and integration with other Cisco technologies, making it a key driver for efficient network operations and compliance with security protocols."

"The monitoring is very valuable to me."

"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"This product has good network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities."

"Chain management is a good feature. I don't get it on other solutions."

"Enables maps to be drawn out."

"A reliable, time-saving tool for providing accurate layer 2 and layer 3 network mappings."

"NetBrain is a very simple tool."

Cons

"Cisco could improve the security side of their solutions."

"What could be improved is the licensing cost of Cisco DNA Center. It's a little bit expensive."

"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."

"What I want to see in Cisco DNA Center in the future is more support for other platforms so that you can manage third-party products, such as Fortinet."

"The solution can be quite pricey."

"The product doesn’t have good monitoring capabilities."

"The product has many features that do not work properly."

"One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"The IP interface brief isn't consistent."

"Support needs to improve for the installed product and some of the reporting could be more flexible to provide more complete cataloging."

"Each device needs to be configured to allow NetBrain to poll for the information it needs, which can be very time-consuming for a large network."

"It would be nice if the setup was a little simpler. Also, if the solution could provide more training materials for new people coming into our company so they can quickly learn how to use the functionalities."

"The solution could integrate more automation."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."

"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."

"The tool is medium-priced."

"We have a three-year license with them."

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The solution is a little bit expensive but depends a lot on the customer's usage. If you use it in the right place, you can easily pay for it."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"Licensing is based on a per-device basis, which means that it can get very expensive if you have a large number of devices."

"The product is expensive, but less expensive than some of the competition and worth the price."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

11%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

The cost is very high.

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What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

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Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 9% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Huawei eSight vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

ThousandEyes vs NetBrain

Compared 19% of the time

SolarWinds Network Automation Manager vs NetBrain

Compared 13% of the time

Forward Enterprise vs NetBrain

Compared 9% of the time

NetBox.dev vs NetBrain

Compared 6% of the time

Zabbix vs NetBrain

Compared 6% of the time

More NetBrain Competitors

Product Reports

Cisco DNA Center

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

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Also Known As

DNA Center

No data available

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

Managing today’s networks with yesterday’s manual processes is no longer a viable solution. NetBrain’s network automation platform provides actionable insights into your network to help you make better and faster decisions - particularly when you’re troubleshooting, securing, and making changes to the network.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

CompuCon, TD Ameritrade, Move Inc.

Cisco DNA Center vs. NetBrain