Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Logo

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN pros and cons

Vendor: Cisco
4.0 out of 5
Badge Leader
976 followers
Start review

Pros & Cons summary

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN offers scalability for SMBs and large enterprises, with centralized management for network control. It enhances security through application control and encryption while integrating with cloud services for hybrid cloud deployments. However, its high cost, complex licensing, setup, and insufficient documentation pose challenges. Security concerns exist regarding user data in the cloud. The efficient deployment process aids rollout speed but documentation lags behind updates.

Buyer's Guide

Get pricing advice, tips, use cases and valuable features from real users of this product.
Get the report

Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is scalable from SMB to enterprise level.
Policy configuration manager and application-level routing are valuable features.
Transition and ease of deployment are seamless, leveraging centralized management.
Reliable with minimal downtime, demonstrating high operational stability.
Trusted brand recognition offers security and efficient problem-solving capabilities.

CONS

Pricing is a major concern as Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is considered expensive compared to its competitors.
Setup and deployment are complex, requiring more simplified management and implementation processes.
Security features need enhancement, especially in alignment with competitors offering integrated solutions.
Documentation is lacking and should be improved to provide better guidance and resources.
The licensing model is complicated and needs simplification for better user comprehension.
 

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Pros review quotes

OM
May 15, 2021
It is very stable with very good firmware.
Read full review
Samuel Romero - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 17, 2023
Cisco products are rated to handle the heat and are very rugged, making them a good corporate standard.
Read full review
reviewer1295121 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 23, 2020
Using SD-WAN to combine services can result in better up time, higher speeds, and much lower costs.
Read full review
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
April 2025
Free Report: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Reviews and More
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.
HN
Aug 17, 2023
The cloud environment, including cloud security integration, is very valuable because of the many API integrations with the SD-WAN.
Read full review
UH
Dec 28, 2022
The most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include the DIA and its integration with Cisco Umbrella for DNS security.
Read full review
VENKATESHREDDY - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 10, 2022
It is very stable.
Read full review
Ehsan Emad - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 25, 2021
Customizing SD-WAN is very easy because you can define two colors. You can define two different operators. You can deploy a partial mesh, a full mesh, or hub-and-spoke totally differently. If you want to do this on a DMVPN solution, that's really hard.
Read full review
Malith Chandrasekara - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 3, 2021
From my observations, Cisco has been rolling out new features every other day, so I would say their speed of innovation is one of the most valuable aspects for me.
Read full review
reviewer1273860 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 2, 2020
The segmented traffic it provides is the best in the industry right now.
Read full review
reviewer1281732 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 5, 2020
Cisco is an industry leader, so customers have a high level of trust with the brand more-so than with some newcomers that might have some more revolutionary solutions, but no name recognition.
Read full review
Show 10 more reviews (out of 92)
 

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Cons review quotes

OM
May 15, 2021
Some competitors are much faster in providing out-of-the-box solutions, more innovative solutions. In terms of innovation, in many cases, they're lagging behind.
Read full review
Samuel Romero - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 17, 2023
The initial setup is complex and can be improved.
Read full review
reviewer1295121 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 23, 2020
Cisco could do more to offer bundling of the SD-WAN and other solutions.
Read full review
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
April 2025
Free Report: Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Reviews and More
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.
HN
Aug 17, 2023
I would like to see revision cycles to be more stable.
Read full review
UH
Dec 28, 2022
One area for improvement in Cisco SD-WAN is reporting. The report needs to give more visibility to the customer. The security feature in Cisco SD-WAN also needs improvement, particularly if Cisco wants to challenge other brands, such as Fortinet.
Read full review
VENKATESHREDDY - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 10, 2022
We need them to start focusing on the SD-WAN compatibility with other environments and not being so vendor locked with Cisco environments.
Read full review
Ehsan Emad - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 25, 2021
In the next release, Cisco should focus on simplifying the configuration of SD-WAN. SD-WAN has a lot of room to grow.
Read full review
Malith Chandrasekara - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 3, 2021
One of the major areas that Cisco can improve on with their SD-WAN offering is their security features. When compared with Fortinet, who have what they call their 'security pillars' (e.g. firewall and security features built-in to their SD-WAN solutions), Cisco generally comes up short. With Cisco, if you need a security component, you have to pay more to get it done. So if they could add more security features that come part and parcel with their existing solutions, then I think Cisco could be very aggressive in the market.
Read full review
reviewer1273860 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 2, 2020
Cisco's router and voice gateway has not been available since the launch of SD-WAN.
Read full review
reviewer1281732 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 5, 2020
The client portal needs to be improved in order to make the solution much better.
Read full review
Show 10 more reviews (out of 91)

Product Categories

Product Categories
Network Management Applications
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
WAN Edge

Popular Comparisons

Popular Comparisons
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Logo
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
See all alternatives

Product Categories

Product Categories
Network Management Applications
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
WAN Edge

Popular Comparisons

Popular Comparisons
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Logo
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
See all alternatives
Related questions
  • 206
What is the biggest difference between Cisco SD-WAN and VeloCloud?
  • 72
I'm looking for a comparison report to choose an SD-WAN solution for a university: Cisco Viptela vs VMware VeloCloud vs Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect
  • 6
What is the biggest difference between Cisco SD-WAN and Citrix SD-WAN?
  • 28
Would you choose Cisco SD-WAN or Fortinet FortiGate?
  • 38
Which solution has the best SD-WAN features in terms of deployment, robustness, and management: Cisco SD-WAN or Fortinet Secure SD-WAN?
  • 59
Which Network Management System is better, IBM Netcool or HP Node Manager?
  • 3
When evaluating Network Management Applications, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
  • 48
Which Network Analyzer and Network Configuration Manager do you recommend?
  • 20
Which device do you recommend to use for traffic shaping & bandwidth optimization between P2P links?
  • 6
Installing the new IBM Tivoli "NOI" Application