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Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) vs Cisco Catalyst Center comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Alkira Cloud Services Excha...
Ranking in Network Management Applications
25th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Catalyst Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) is 0.0%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Catalyst Center is 3.8%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Catalyst Center3.8%
Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX)0.0%
Other96.2%
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Abiola Olaibi - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior DevOps Engineer and Software Engineer
Unified orchestration has enabled secure multi‑cloud networking and optimized traffic management
Based on my experience, I believe continuous improvement is key for senior-level solutions like Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX). Enhancements in terms of granular cost allocation and visibility for complex environments would be valuable, and deeper integration with existing enterprise tools and improved predictive AI-driven network analytics could enhance operational efficiency and proactive management. I have identified improvements needed for Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) regarding user experience and documentation. In terms of documentation, improvements in reporting would go a long way toward a solid experience with the tool. I rate it an eight out of ten because there is room for improvement. I believe Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) can still be more powerful, integrating extensively into various infrastructures and providing highly effective cost attribution across the cloud platforms. There is definitely potential for improvement with large-scale deployments to manage critical long-term success. We have covered most of the areas that need attention, and many of them have already been addressed.
AadishBahati - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Solution Architect at EchoStor
Unified automation has transformed network operations and simplifies multi‑site management
The learning curve is better with Cisco compared to other products. Everyone has a learning curve because everyone is bringing new technologies, new interfaces, and new ways of doing things. The other products have a steeper learning curve. When comparing Cisco with VMware, I am not comparing Cisco with Arista, Juniper, or HP because those are companies which are doing a very basic level of automation. Cisco is doing way more advanced things. In terms of advanced handling and the advanced orchestration and advanced management plane control that Cisco is delivering, the only competitiveness in advancement is VMware NSX. However, it is really complex. Cisco's platforms are much easier to understand and learn compared to VMware.The only disadvantage with Cisco would be their services and licensing, which is a bit complex and a bit too expensive. Because their services are so expensive, companies end up buying Cisco, but they end up not buying Cisco services to do it. When they turn to external partners, not many people outside know the technology as well as Cisco does. People deploy it, but they do not get the right resources to deploy it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) has positively impacted my organization with significant returns on investment driven by a massive reduction in provisioning time, hardware enumeration, and labor optimization."
"Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX)'s unified network orchestration makes my daily tasks easier by allowing me to centralize management and automate complex repetitive processes."
"What I appreciate most about Cisco Catalyst Center is that it is a product which I am deploying to work."
"The best feature is its availability, easy deployment, and the good support for the solution."
"The architecture and the way Cisco designs it, VXLAN and Cisco Express Forwarding are some of the features I like."
"Since we are using SDA and Cisco Catalyst Center, all the configurations on the switches are uniform now, which has helped my team and organization a lot."
"The features I appreciate most about Cisco Catalyst Center are user accessibility."
"Cisco performs well in the network space, especially in areas like switching, DNA Center, and wireless, where it is known for its stability."
"Cisco Catalyst Center has been pretty smooth with scaling the growing needs of my organization, and it is scaling; we are about to replace all of our switches, so we are anticipating that it will help a lot with that."
"The centralized orchestration of switch templates and wireless LAN controllers in Cisco Catalyst Center has made it very convenient for my engineering staff, as I use standard templates that ensure consistent configurations with virtually no chance for human error, making it easier for me to deploy switches accurately."
 

Cons

"I feel that the user interface of Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) can be more user-friendly."
"I rate it an eight out of ten because there is room for improvement."
"I think Cisco Catalyst Center can be improved overall by making the sandbox setups and documentation more straightforward, as it was a little confusing because the DevNet page documentation, controller URL, and sandbox credentials were separate."
"There should be tighter cohesion between the web-based GUI and the command line configuration."
"I find that root cause analysis is not particularly strong with Cisco Catalyst Center because its suggestions are often general."
"I must be honest: there is nothing to particularly like about Cisco Catalyst Center. Every vendor can do what Cisco does today."
"The initial setup for Cisco Catalyst Center is not a simple process."
"Some features in terms of security should be there, especially in threat detection. Cisco Catalyst Center lacked intelligence in this area and required reliance on third-party appliances like firewalls or threat protection devices."
"Advanced hardware replacement services have seen a degradation in quality, with delays in replacement parts."
"The integration of Cisco Catalyst Center is fine, but the deployment process can be pretty complex, involving some irrelevant or uncertain information during setup."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
37%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Transportation Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Government
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise33
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX)?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) was seamless because I already have extensive experience with various other tools and cloud environmen...
What needs improvement with Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX)?
Based on my experience, I believe continuous improvement is key for senior-level solutions like Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX). Enhancements in terms of granular cost allocation and visibilit...
What is your primary use case for Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX)?
My main use case for Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) is leveraging the solutions for a multi-cloud networking environment, primarily to enable seamless connectivity, security segmentation, and...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Center?
We did not purchase Cisco Catalyst Center through the AWS Marketplace as we used the Cisco DevNet always-on sandbox which gave us temporary access to a hosted Catalyst Center environment for testin...
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center?
I think Cisco Catalyst Center can be improved overall by making the sandbox setups and documentation more straightforward, as it was a little confusing because the DevNet page documentation, contro...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Catalyst Center?
My main use case for Cisco Catalyst Center in the sandbox is to test APIs and integrate network data into the FloodGaurd project, where I tested device inventory, device health, network health, sit...
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Alkira Cloud Services Exchange (CSX) vs. Cisco Catalyst Center and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
921,523 professionals have used our research since 2012.