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Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
8.2
Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista offers a reliable, robust solution with significant ROI despite being somewhat expensive.
Sentiment score
7.0
Organizations achieve up to 80% WAN cost reduction with Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, enhancing scalability, flexibility, and connectivity efficiency.
They are now back to do that with the remainder of their company, so they've realized the value in 12 months and are willing to invest in the remainder of their organization.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.1
Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista's support is praised for responsiveness and expertise, with some suggesting room for improvement and additional integration.
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN's customer service is praised for its responsiveness, expertise, and superior support compared to competitors.
I would consider Cisco support a 10 out of 10.
The principal third-level support is very good.
I would rate Cisco's support, their customer service, and technical support as excellent.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista is scalable, supporting numerous access points, though additional licenses and equipment may be needed for expansion.
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is scalable, integrates with Cisco products, offers flexible licensing, and is ideal for complex networks.
The ease of configuration and features like zero-touch provisioning enhance the scalability of Cisco SD-WAN, especially in disaster recovery situations.
Cisco SD-WAN is highly scalable and can be expanded to more than 10,000 sites.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.8
Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista is highly rated for its stability and performance, with users praising its robust support and reliability.
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is stable and reliable, with improvements, though some challenges arise in complex setups and transitions.
While some software-related issues and bugs were encountered, they did not cause the whole environment to crash.
 

Room For Improvement

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista requires better AI, machine learning, reporting, WiFi visibility, cybersecurity, user role modification, and cost-effective support.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is expensive with complex licensing, needs better security, management, documentation, UI, and improved support.
Now, they change frequently, making it difficult to obtain long-term support.
In terms of market leaders, Cisco is capable of doing anything you want it to do, as far as I can see.
Cisco can improve Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN by simplifying licensing and platform integration with other Cisco products such as Catalyst Center or solutions with Meraki.
 

Setup Cost

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista offers competitive pricing with a cost-effective perpetual license, appealing to enterprises despite higher setup costs.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is costly due to complex licensing and high pricing, favored by large enterprises for its features.
The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.
Its pricing is justifiable due to the comprehensive solution it offers.
It is also relatively cost-effective for smaller businesses when using the Meraki version.
 

Valuable Features

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista provides comprehensive network management with features like monitoring, analytics, scalability, and user-friendly command line tools.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN offers centralized management, robust security, scalability, and seamless integration, enhancing performance and security for enterprises.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN has integrated security features which include base firewall, URL filtering, IPS, and secure segmentation.
It also provides robust security features, including port security, analysis, mirroring, and multiple other security solutions.
The most useful feature for Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is the single pane of glass management because we also use Meraki onsite.
 

Categories and Ranking

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista
Ranking in Network Management Applications
16th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Ranking in Network Management Applications
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
96
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista is 1.8%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is 2.6%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

John Mark - PeerSpot reviewer
An unified solution best suited for network management and connectivity
The support of Omnivista could be better. It's very expensive because it requires a subscription for support, and the licenses are proprietary. If you want to scale or expand your operation by adding more WiFi access points, you have to buy another license. The web-based interface of OmniVista is user-friendly, but for some administrative tasks and functions, you have to use the CLI, which is difficult if you don't have enough training. It relies heavily on CLI guides and manuals. For improvements, I'd suggest making the WiFi access points lighter. Lighter access points like those from TP-Link or Ubiquiti would be better. Additionally, the switches struggle with heat in our environment. They can get very hot and damage the electrical components due to inadequate cooling.
Henry Rosenstiehl - PeerSpot reviewer
Comprehensive support and ease of implementation enhance operational efficiency
With Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, I have centralized orchestration and management. The transport independence of MPLS or connectivity and internet connectivity is another excellent feature. End-to-end segmentation is also provided. I use the application-aware routing feature. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN supports dynamic police-based routing decisions based on application type or different performance metrics such as jitter or latency. The benefit of that feature is that it improves user experience. The principal benefit of application-aware routing is that critical applications are prioritized or routed over the best performing paths to reduce outages and service degradation. There is full visibility of applications. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN has integrated security features which include base firewall, URL filtering, IPS, and secure segmentation, and it supports integration with other Cisco products such as Umbrella or Snort. This feature is beneficial for the client because the information is secure. It is important that Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments for my organization because it allows for scalability and faster deployment in the cloud. It reduces operational needs because I don't need to manage physical controller hardware, and updates and maintenance can be centralized and automated. The zero-touch provisioning feature is very important for the speed of deploying new branch locations. I can deliver the device to the branch, and it is important because simplified deployment makes the implementation start more easily since devices are auto-configured and authenticate without manual intervention.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista?
In version 8.7.70, I am not able to change a user from administrative to room once the user is created. This limitation is challenging and was confirmed by Alcatel as not possible in the 8.7.70 ver...
What is your primary use case for Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista?
The solution is used for auditing and providing audit reports, sending mails, and notifications.
What advice do you have for others considering Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista?
I rate Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista an overall nine out of ten. The issue with changing a user from administrative to room under the user section needs improvement. If this could be resolved, the ratin...
What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
Cisco can improve Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN by simplifying licensing and platform integration with other Cisco products such as Catalyst Center or solutions with Meraki. A license needs to be permanent...
 

Also Known As

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista 8770, OmniVista 8770, OmniVista 2500, OmniVista Cirrus, Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista 2500, Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista Cirrus, OmniVista 2500 NMS, OmniVista 2500 VMM, OmniVista 3600,
Cisco SD-WAN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Blickle and Scherer, Loughborough University, CSF Inox, Caritas Speyer
Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Find out what your peers are saying about Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista vs. Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.