Alluvio AppResponse vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

Riverbed and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Riverbed is ranked #58 with an average rating of 8.0, while Cisco is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0. Riverbed holds a 0.3% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Riverbed users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Alluvio AppResponse

Read 17 Alluvio AppResponse reviews

624 Views
379 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

1,823 Views
1,148 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Alluvio AppResponse

Cisco DNA Center

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Alluvio AppResponse and Cisco DNA Center are network management solutions with unique strengths. Alluvio AppResponse has an edge in pricing and customer support, while Cisco DNA Center excels in its feature-rich offering.

Features: Alluvio AppResponse includes deep packet inspection for detailed network analysis, real-time performance monitoring, and efficient troubleshooting. Cisco DNA Center offers advanced automation tools, comprehensive analytics, and robust policy enforcement, enhancing overall network management with its extensive feature set.

Room for Improvement: Alluvio AppResponse could improve by incorporating more automation tools, expanding its analytics capabilities, and enhancing network-wide policy management. Cisco DNA Center can benefit from reducing deployment complexity, improving cost-effectiveness, and making user interfaces more intuitive to streamline operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Alluvio AppResponse is known for its straightforward deployment and responsive customer support, allowing for quick setup. Cisco DNA Center, while offering comprehensive tools, requires detailed planning and possibly longer deployment time due to its wide-ranging features, calling for an initial time investment to leverage its functionalities fully.

Pricing and ROI: Alluvio AppResponse provides a cost-effective solution with positive ROI through efficient troubleshooting. Cisco DNA Center, although initially more expensive, offers long-term ROI with extensive automation and management features, making it a strategic investment for maximizing network efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Alluvio AppResponse vs. Cisco DNA Center Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Alluvio AppResponse vs. Cisco DNA Center

April 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

Alluvio AppResponse

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

58th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (48th)

Cisco DNA Center

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

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

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Alluvio AppResponse is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Ahmet Kilic

Network and Security Unit Manager at Bankalararası Kart Merkezi (BKM)

It's a total solution that gives you end-to-end visibility at all levels

I rate Alluvio AppResponse 10 out of 10. If you work for a financial company especially, you probably face problems on the application side. The problem is easy to identify, but you need to determine the root cause. You can solve issues easily via AppResponse because it shows you all the details of your transactions so you can see the real problem in the database, network, software, etc. For example, you can find the solution easily if you create the right dashboard on your site. If you can't find the problem, you can observe or investigate PCAP.

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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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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"With some APM solutions, it can take a long time to check a periodic report, but you can get all the necessary details quickly with AppResponse."

"We really like the scalability capabilities."

"It provides us with complete visibility of every packet."

"When it comes to the ability to scale up the product, this is suitable for small medium and large environments,"

"I have found the AppResponse, which is a packet capture solution, very good. It gives you the ability to drill down back in time. You've got all the packets there. You can troubleshoot it later, not immediately. It's very interesting."

"It's a stable product. Riverbed has invested a significant amount of research and development into it, so it's a solid tool overall."

"You need a packet capture device to perform any type of network monitoring. It helps ensure that network overloads don't happen with alerts allowing for proactive decisions."

"The most valuable feature is performance monitoring."

More Alluvio AppResponse 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."

"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."

"The monitoring is very valuable to me."

"It does a lot of things automatically, and that's the big thing with it. They're making the software so that you don't need to be as knowledgeable as me on the switching and routing side to get your work done. If you want, you can have DNA troubleshoot your problem for you and give you solutions or fix it itself, if it was something that's just a configuration issue."

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

"The solution has the capability to scale."

"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."

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

More Cisco DNA Center pros

Cons

"The initial setup is straightforward, but you have to know a little about the product. It's not for everybody to just plug and play. If you know how the solution is implemented then it is straightforward."

"The AI features should be addressed in respect of the analysis and intelligence that must be supported and delivered in the tool to predigest the large amounts of data."

"Need to bring back the NetFlow module for AppResponse."

"The recent changes in corporate structure may have caused some decrease in support quality."

"Technical support needs to be more responsive."

"The pricing is on the higher side of things. If they could lower it, that would be ideal."

"The recent changes in corporate structure may have caused some decrease in support quality."

"Integration between NPM and APM solutions would improve efficiency. There is no agent on the server site related to AppResponse."

More Alluvio AppResponse cons

"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."

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

"There are some software problems from version to version. It takes a long time for DNA Center to recognize the video and control access devices."

"The task failure reporting or provisioning failure reporting could be a little bit better in the UI, with more information given to the user."

"Technical support could be better. The price could be better, and it could be more stable."

"Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."

"The weaknesses primarily involve pricing and the ongoing need for increased bandwidth and data throughput."

"We encountered issues with their response times, which had a big impact on our workflow."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing model is expensive compared to its competitors, but the service it gives to your business, and the data quality, means that it's worth it."

"It is costly for small and medium businesses."

"The price is a little bit high, especially because we have to pay an import tax."

"The solution is no more expensive than other products."

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

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

"Cisco DNA Center is a licensed product with multiple levels of licensing available such as basic, advanced, and essential. I don't have the exact figure, but Cisco DNA Center is costly. For example, the box has information about the essential license and costs a considerable amount of money. You need to pay extra to use advanced features in Cisco DNA Center. My company sees Cisco DNA Center as a solution that's worth the money, which is why it invested in the solution. If you want centralized management for your network, especially when upgrading it, Cisco DNA Center is perfect, but it's more suitable for a large-scale rather than a small-scale network."

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

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

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

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

14%

Energy/Utilities Company

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse?

The most valuable feature of Alluvio AppResponse is the actual response time for measuring performance.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse?

The pricing of Riverbed Alluvio AppResponse is really high. Very few customers buy Riverbed because many do not have the sufficient budget. Its pricing is comparatively higher than SolarWinds. Rive...

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What needs improvement with Riverbed SteelCentral AppResponse?

The reporting models need improvement as most of the time, we have to customize the reports manually. Additionally, a feature similar to SolarWinds AppStack, which provides a holistic view of the i...

See all answers

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

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Compared 11% 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 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

April 2025

Download Alluvio AppResponse product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

May 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Also Known As

Riverbed AppResponse, OPNET SteelCentral AppResponse, ACE Live, OPNET, AppResponse Xpert

DNA Center

Overview

Alluvio AppResponse provides fast packet capture and storage that feeds intelligent network and application analysis with fast troubleshooting workflows to speed problem diagnosis and resolution. AppResponse delivers full stack application analysis—from packets to web pages - enabling you observe all network and application interactions as they cross the wire, whether they are encrypted or not. Using powerful, flexible network and application analytics and workflows, AppResponse speeds problem diagnosis and resolution, helping you get to answers fast

Riverbed

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

Sample Customers

N11.com, OneMain Financial, China Bank, Halkbank, Kaust

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Alluvio AppResponse vs. Cisco DNA Center

April 2025

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