Cisco DNA Center vs Zabbix comparison

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Cisco DNA Center

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Zabbix and Cisco DNA Center are leaders in the network monitoring and management category. Based on the analysis, Cisco DNA Center stands out with superior integration and comprehensive network insights, appealing to large-scale deployments.

Features: Zabbix offers open-source monitoring with customizable options, sophisticated network discovery, and low-level discovery without extra costs. Meanwhile, Cisco DNA Center provides strong network automation, centralized analytics, and seamless Cisco device integration, offering valuable network health insights from a single dashboard.

Room for Improvement: Zabbix requires improvements in its user interface, reporting, and documentation; users find setup and dashboard refinement challenging. Cisco DNA Center is noted for its high cost and complexity, requiring better vendor integration and cost-effective reporting enhancements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zabbix supports diverse deployment options including on-premises, hybrid, and public clouds, but often needs technical expertise and community-driven support. Cisco DNA Center is primarily on-premises, with robust technical support despite a complex deployment and steep learning curve.

Pricing and ROI: Zabbix, as an open-source platform, incurs no licensing fees, attractively lowering costs with significant ROI from savings on licensing and support fees. Cisco DNA Center involves high licensing and operational costs, deemed worthy for extensive features in large deployments.

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

Cisco DNA Center vs. Zabbix

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Helped 844,944 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

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

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

Zabbix

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

105

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (8th), Server Monitoring (1st), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (1st), Cloud Monitoring Software (2nd)

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 Zabbix is 13.0%, up from 11.2% 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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ASM Naushad Alam

Network Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Allows any number of customizations but lacks functionality for finding root causes

We have not yet purchased the commercial version so have a lack of technical ability. We do not yet fully know the key points or key features of the solution. We just use what we use along with WhatsUp Gold. Based on our use only, stability is rated a seven 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

"The best feature of Cisco DNA Center is the visibility page, where you can see everything on the dashboard, and you don't have to be a technical person to view the issues."

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

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

"It is simple to manage and it is all done from a single dashboard."

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

"Cisco DNA Center provides operational support, compliance support, security vulnerability detection, and automatic scheduling."

"The automation features are significant, reducing configuration time. This means outstanding functionality. By deploying the controller automatically, the rest becomes automated"

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

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"Zabbix has a roadmap and they are continuously and frequently adding new features."

"The solution is stable."

"The level of discovery-based configuration that lets us auto-configure the monitoring for various systems is a valuable feature."

"Zabbix is good for discovery."

"It's a flexible solution."

"The integration capabilities and APIs are the best part."

"I use the solution to provide a perfect environment for remote connectivity with my clients."

"It has an intuitive UI with beautiful graphs and customizable maps."

More Zabbix pros

Cons

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

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

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

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

"When it comes to deploying wireless fields, integrating defaults into the DNS interface can be challenging."

"DNA Center has been on the market for a few years and they need to update it."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"Implementation is always tailored to the customer and the kind of information we need from the client to carry it out can make them very uncomfortable. Sometimes the clients are not ready to share it."

"There are a lot of areas for improvement, specifically in the dashboards and reports functionalities."

"We would like to monitor other touchpoints such as ATM machines. It would be great if it can provide monitoring of ATM machines. Compatibility with other products would also be great."

"Zabbix does not draw automatic mapping of the network, this is something they should add in the future. There is a lot of effort that is involved in tailoring some of the settings which could be made easier."

"Zabbix isn't very good at automation just yet."

"Sometimes, the documentation is a little bit written in Estonia – a country in Europe. The language barrier and translation to English can sometimes make it difficult to understand what they're trying to get at. It's just a language thing."

"The graphical user interface could be customized a little bit more, and also the dashboard could be more friendly."

"I would like to see a more flexible mobile client, and better HA out of the box."

More Zabbix cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"It is an expensive solution."

"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."

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

"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."

"Affordability is a problem because it's created for large enterprises only. So, some customers, even if their engineers want the solution, might have problems with budget limitations."

"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"It is worth every cent to pay or even study to do your own installation."

"If you have 20,000 hosts, the support costs around €95,000 for a year."

"It's an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."

"Its licensing is fair. It seems to be much cheaper than others."

"This solution is completely open-source, so it is quite affordable."

"The product is an open source and free solution."

"The solution is open source so is free."

"This is an open-source solution that can be used free of charge."

More Zabbix pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

37%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

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.

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

The cost is very high.

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

What do you like most about Zabbix?

The template system in Zabbix is very beneficial as it saves time in configuration.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zabbix?

The cost is minimal. It is literally free.

What needs improvement with Zabbix?

For me, Zabbix is very straightforward. I cannot think of any improvements needed. It's a very mature product. The only issue I can note is that it's Linux-based, and Linux documentation is not the...

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Product Reports

Cisco DNA Center

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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

Zabbix is an open-source monitoring software that provides real-time monitoring and alerting for servers, networks, applications, and services.

It offers a wide range of features including data collection, visualization, and reporting.

With its user-friendly interface and customizable dashboards, Zabbix helps organizations ensure the availability and performance of their IT infrastructure.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

1. IBM 2. Dell 3. Cisco 4. HP 5. Oracle 6. Microsoft 7. Amazon 8. Google 9. Facebook 10. Twitter 11. LinkedIn 12. Netflix 13. Adobe 14. VMware 15. Salesforce 16. SAP 17. Intel 18. AT&T 19. Verizon 20. T-Mobile 21. Vodafone 22. Ericsson 23. Nokia 24. Siemens 25. General Electric 26. Honeywell 27. Philips 28. Sony 29. Samsung 30. LG 31. Panasonic 32. Toshiba

Cisco DNA Center vs. Zabbix