Cisco DNA Center vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

Cisco and Progress Software are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Progress Software is ranked #26 with an average rating of 9.5. Cisco holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Progress Software’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

1,783 Views
1,076 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

WhatsUp Gold

Read 24 WhatsUp Gold reviews

1,789 Views
1,432 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

WhatsUp Gold

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

WhatsUp Gold and Cisco DNA Center are network management solutions with distinct advantages. WhatsUp Gold is preferred for budget-sensitive businesses due to its competitive pricing and efficient customer support, while Cisco DNA Center is more appealing to enterprises seeking advanced network control features.

Features: WhatsUp Gold provides intuitive network monitoring, easy configuration management, and real-time alerts. Cisco DNA Center offers automation, comprehensive analytics, and enhanced security measures, offering a complete network management experience.

Room for Improvement: WhatsUp Gold could enhance its advanced analytics, security features, and scalability options. Cisco DNA Center could improve deployment simplicity, pricing structure, and user interface for ease of access.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WhatsUp Gold is known for straightforward installation and strong customer support for quick setup. Cisco DNA Center may have a longer deployment process due to complexity but provides resources and expertise for successful integration.

Pricing and ROI: WhatsUp Gold offers a lower initial setup cost, providing faster ROI for smaller organizations. Cisco DNA Center, despite a higher cost, delivers value through comprehensive features and long-term benefits, resulting in substantial ROI for large enterprises focusing on detailed network management.

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. WhatsUp Gold

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 DNA Center

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

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

WhatsUp Gold

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

26th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (24th), Server Monitoring (14th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (27th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 1.2%, down from 1.4% 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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Tom Condo

Supervisor Information Services Operations at Seminole County Public Schools

If CPU, memory, or disk space is over-utilized, it alerts us immediately via text or email if there is an issue

When it comes to the intuitiveness of the topology mapping feature, our network architect created a vision diagram of our entire network and then created the links tied into the WhatsUp active monitoring to different spots on our topology map. It's one of the more critical functions we do here. We have the map displayed in different places in our room and help desk. We get alerted via emails but we can also see it visually. It does what it says it's going to do. We find this feature very helpful. The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one link. You can go into a particular part of the topology map, scroll in, and see exactly which module it is. All the information is provided. This feature really helps. You can see the correlation between that link and what failed. This feature is very helpful. The interface is fairly intuitive. Some of our users used SolarWinds and Nagios, and WhatsUp is easy in comparison. Once you get set up, the look, feel, and configuration are good. Our network architect had never used it before but he was able to create the Visio and map. It was very simple. He has no problems with 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

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

"Has a good processing feature with a high level of accuracy."

"People like to use the dashboards to get an overview of their network."

"The monitoring is very valuable to me."

"The monitoring features are very useful for network engineers."

"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."

"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."

"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."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"It is easy to access and discover devices, as well as monitor them automatically. The topology discover is also a useful feature."

"We no longer have to manually search for problems because we are alerted when something in the network goes down."

"The user interface is good enough."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"The most valuable feature of WhatsUp Gold is NetFlow and the virtualized maps."

"It handles the basics of monitoring."

"The installation and configuration process are easy."

"The most valuable feature is the monitoring of resources."

More WhatsUp Gold pros

Cons

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

"The tool's IoT integration should be better."

"The solution’s security side could be improved."

"There is a limitation with the number of VRFs that you can have in your network, and this has caused us problems with some customers."

"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."

"They should include UTM features in the product."

"In terms of the clustering part, there are some concerns."

"The solution's setup process needs enhancement."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"The initial setup of WhatsUp Gold is a medium range of difficulty levels. However, if it is your first time it could be difficult."

"You have to invest a few days to become an expert in this solution."

"The new release cadence needs to be improved. It takes a while for them to add new features and functionality. There should be a quicker turnaround with new versions."

"Importing the maps and being able to customize them could be easier."

"Users want SMS available via Whatsapp Gold. They don't want to go through third party SMS servers. The solution should work to make this possible."

"Regional product team support is not very good."

"The pricing for this solution has gone up quite recently, which has led some of our customers to buy an alternative product."

"Pricing is too high relative to how many devices we use. The price list is not linear to number of devices."

More WhatsUp Gold cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is very costly."

"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 rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

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

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

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

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

"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"The price of WhatsUp Gold is good."

"It is per device, per year. The pricing is very clear. If you have a service agreement, you get all of your major upgrades and minor upgrades. It was under $10,000 to go all-in with all of the different add-ons for it."

"The choice of version depends on the number of points, or devices, that you want to monitor, and this makes the product expensive."

"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."

"Pricing is reasonable compared to other products."

"This is a well priced solution."

"The tool's price is reasonable. WhatsUp Gold is cheaper than SolarWinds."

"I'm not sure, but it's expensive. We don't pay any additional fees."

More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

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.

See all answers

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

The cost is very high.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

See all answers

What do you like most about WhatsUp Gold?

The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one l...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WhatsUp Gold?

Clients find the licensing calculator confusing, but we simplify this for them by collecting relevant information first. The licensing is based on devices, providing better cost-effectiveness than ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with WhatsUp Gold?

Improvements are needed in integration, especially for WhatsApp call and messages. Our region heavily uses WhatsApp Messenger for communication, and integration with this platform would be benefici...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 10% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Grafana vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 14% of the time

Zabbix vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 9% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 8% of the time

Splunk Enterprise Security vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 2% of the time

More WhatsUp Gold Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

April 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

WhatsUp Gold

March 2025

Download WhatsUp Gold product report

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

Explore and manage your entire network infrastructure effortlessly with WhatsUp Gold's robust layer 2/3 discovery, creating a detailed interactive map from the edge to the cloud. Monitor devices, wireless controllers, servers, virtual machines, applications, and traffic flows across various environments. Real-time alerts ensure optimal performance, allowing you to meet or exceed SLAs. The platform offers customizable maps, dashboards, and alerts for easy network management. Quickly resolve issues with intuitive workflows, reducing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR). WhatsUp Gold's integrated log management provides easy visibility and control of device log data, allowing monitoring, filtering, searching, and alerting on syslogs or Windows logs. Archive logs to comply with regulatory requirements and preserve historical data, all through a user-friendly interface. Streamline network monitoring and issue resolution with WhatsUp Gold, making network management efficient and hassle-free.

Progress Software

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Artoni Trasporti, Austin Independent School District, Banca Marche, Burke County North Carolina, Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Clayco, Community Integrated Care, Desca, Deutsche Bergbau, Flexi-Van, Gropper, Hamleys, Hammonds Furniture, Knowledge IT, Idras S.P.A., Sibeg, Swann Engineering, Trivium Lindenhof

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. WhatsUp Gold

March 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. WhatsUp Gold

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