Cisco DNA Center vs NETSCOUT nGeniusONE comparison

Cisco and NETSCOUT are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0, while NETSCOUT is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 1.3% mindshare in NMS, compared to NETSCOUT’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of NETSCOUT users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

1,586 Views
951 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Read 49 NETSCOUT nGeniusONE reviews

2,528 Views
1,747 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE and Cisco DNA Center compete in the network management solutions category. NETSCOUT focuses on deep traffic insights, offering an advantage in network visibility, while Cisco offers advanced automation and integration capabilities.

Features: NETSCOUT nGeniusONE provides NetFlow traffic analysis, packet inspection, and comprehensive features like top-talkers monitoring and dependency mapping. It facilitates effective troubleshooting and proactive performance management. Cisco DNA Center delivers strong analytics, seamless integration with Cisco devices, and automation capabilities, simplifying network management with highlights in wireless assurance and centralized control.

Room for Improvement: NETSCOUT nGeniusONE could improve GUI usability, reduce dependency on physical agents, and adopt better modular pricing strategies. Managing the tool without expert help is challenging. Cisco DNA Center needs pricing considerations and enhancements in configuration management and integration with third-party devices. Users seek better real-time data replication and more user-friendly dashboards.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both NETSCOUT nGeniusONE and Cisco DNA Center primarily offer on-premises deployment with some hybrid options. NETSCOUT often requires dedicated personnel due to complexity, while Cisco DNA Center benefits from its centralized control but demands thorough setup. Customer service for both is generally supportive, although NETSCOUT's complexity may require more frequent assistance.

Pricing and ROI: NETSCOUT nGeniusONE is high-cost but potential ROI is achieved by reducing troubleshooting times and improving network visibility. Cisco DNA Center is also priced high, valued for centralized management, ideal for large enterprises due to the expense. Both solutions contribute to positive ROI by saving troubleshooting time and enhancing network uptime and customer satisfaction.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. NETSCOUT nGeniusONE Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

January 2025

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Helped 838,713 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 Monitoring Software

15th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (1st), Network Automation (2nd)

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

19th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.3%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETSCOUT nGeniusONE is 1.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

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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Ruslan Melnyk

Business Unit Manager at BAKOTECH

Useful for network performance monitoring

My manager can explain the use cases attached to the product. I am a unit leader in my company, and I don't sell the product directly to our partners or customers. In my company, I manage certain processes and a team while building, developing, and providing them with a direction for the market. NETSCOUT nGeniusONE is a good solution for network performance monitoring since it is not cloud-based. My company sells NETSCOUT nGeniusONE in eight to ten countries. I think the solution is not good for capacity planning, but it is better to help find problems in applications because not every infrastructure is good at managing working applications. I think it is a solution meant for applications. The tool is useful for solving problems attached to applications. The tool's real-time network monitoring capability was used when the product was more reactive. In our company, if we use real-time monitoring, then we need to deal with raw traffic. In our company, if we don't see any problem in the real-time systems, we have the possibility to rely on the tool since it acts like a time machine for us, which can allow us to get back to the areas of problem and solve them. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. For many users, it can be a good monitoring system that can be scaled up in the future. I think it is a good product to start with when working systems in an environment. NETSCOUT nGeniusONE is another tool used to manage raw traffic, and I find it to integrate well into our customers' network. I am not using it actively on the system. I use the tool for network packet brokers. I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

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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 helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."

"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 very versatile in terms of analytics."

"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."

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

"We have many people from the team who manage a lot of devices. By using Cisco DNA Center, it has taken some of that burden away, we are impressed with it. We did the investment in CAPEX, but in the OPEX was very low."

"The monitoring is very valuable to me."

"The solution helps with the management and orchestration of campaigns. It helps with visibility and analytics. I also like its SDA configuration."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"The solution helps to troubleshoot and put our hands on the weak points of customer networks."

"The solution transforms packet wire data into real-time data that is actionable. It helps us with faster detection of issues and allows us to create alerts."

"With the Vprobes, we quickly identified issues on the application servers, which we normally couldn't, where it usually would be a full circle round between our NOC and server people."

"We've saved a lot of time in triaging. We have found root cause identities on packet captures and have been able to feed that information back to a specific vendor, because a lot of our technology is emerging. So, we're able to give that feedback to our vendors and have them solve the problems that they need to fix, and they have the evidence to do so."

"The most valuable feature of NETSCOUT nGeniusONE is it helps customer to understand what risks are in their network. For example, if a customer has some wrong configurations. It could cost them some critical services to slow down."

"Deep packet inspection is probably the strongest feature."

"It is a scalable product."

"The installation process is straightforward."

More NETSCOUT nGeniusONE pros

Cons

"The weaknesses primarily involve pricing and the ongoing need for increased bandwidth and data throughput."

"Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."

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

"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."

"The features of Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime could have more parity."

"The tool's deployment is complex. It also needs to improve its GUI."

"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."

"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"Initially, we were having a lot of issues with bugs when using version 6.1.1. There were a lot of problems with the dashboard causing confusion. We worked with our SE and the NETSCOUT engineering team to fix the visibility with the data. There should be a patch release to fix this issue. However, this seems to be working fine for us right now after the 6.2.2 upgrade."

"The stability is only fair. It goes down a lot."

"Another thing that would help out is if they packaged the NetFlow monitor into nGeniusONE. Their NetFlow monitor works with nGeniusONE where you can actually get the netflow of pretty much anything you hook it up to. But it's a separate box that you have to buy. If there was a way that could package that into nGeniusONE, it would be a complete package straight out of the box."

"There is currently less visibility or GUI to analyse the packet for troubleshooting purposes."

"The pricing could benefit from being somewhat lower for broader adoption."

"In previous versions, we used to have an icon on the dashboard when the situation analysis would present an alert. It would be nice if that would be made available on the dashboard again. Something that could be customizable to only illuminate on certain applications."

"The initial deployment is tedious and requires a lot of build, deployment and configuration time. Experience is key to a successful deployment."

"I would recommend enhancing the APM capabilities."

More NETSCOUT nGeniusONE cons

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."

"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."

"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."

"Licensing for Cisco DNA Center is a little bit expensive, just like any Cisco solution. Its cost could still be improved."

"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."

"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."

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

"It is an expensive solution."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"I rate the price of NETSCOUT nGeniusONE a four out of five."

"The scalability becomes very expensive quickly."

"The platform is expensive."

"This solution has saved us more than $50,000 a month and freed up 30 percent of our bandwidth."

"The product is too expensive compared to other products."

"The price is only for acquisition; it's not a licence."

"The biggest problem we have with this product is the expense."

"We have a premium customized contract for the solution."

More NETSCOUT nGeniusONE pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

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.

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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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Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?

I would say if it’s an ISP that will build a scrubbing center, Netscout/Arbor is a good solution. In all other solutions, Imperva is a great choice.

See all answers

What do you like most about NETSCOUT nGeniusONE?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NETSCOUT nGeniusONE?

The pricing is a bit high yet not overly expensive. The cost depends on the size of the customer, as sizing controls the pricing.

See all answers

Comparisons

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 8% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Dynatrace vs NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Compared 14% of the time

Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline vs NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Compared 11% of the time

ThousandEyes vs NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Compared 6% of the time

Ixia Network Packet Brokers vs NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

Compared 6% of the time

More NETSCOUT nGeniusONE Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

February 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

February 2025

Download NETSCOUT nGeniusONE product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

NETSCOUT nGenius, nGeniusONE

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

The nGenius Real-Time Monitor software provides you with tools to monitor and display information about your network both historically and in real time. The nGenius Real-Time Monitor software allows you to understand your current network usage and to plan for future needs. It also allows you to proactively troubleshoot problem areas in your network.

NETSCOUT

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Cerner Corporation

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

January 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. NETSCOUT nGeniusONE

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