CA Unified Communications Monitor vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

Broadcom and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Broadcom is ranked #95, while Cisco is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.2. Broadcom holds a 0.3% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 50% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

CA Unified Communications M...

Read 2 CA Unified Communications Monitor reviews

436 Views
310 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

Read 43 Cisco DNA Center reviews

7,884 Views
1,892 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

CA Unified Communications M...

Cisco DNA Center

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

CA Unified Communications Monitor and Cisco DNA Center both operate in the network management and monitoring category, with Cisco DNA Center having the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and perceived value.

Features: CA Unified Communications Monitor provides real-time communication monitoring, call quality analytics, and network traffic insights. Cisco DNA Center offers robust automation capabilities, detailed network monitoring, and integration features for modern environments.

Room for Improvement: CA Unified Communications Monitor could enhance its automation capabilities, expand integration options, and advance network analytics. Cisco DNA Center might improve deployment ease, streamline user interface experiences, and optimize resource requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CA Unified Communications Monitor offers straightforward deployment with responsive customer service, while Cisco DNA Center involves a more complex setup with extensive support resources facilitating problem-solving.

Pricing and ROI: CA Unified Communications Monitor is cost-effective with lower setup fees and quicker ROI, appealing to budget-conscious organizations. Cisco DNA Center involves higher initial costs but delivers strong ROI through its advanced features.

To learn more, read our detailed CA Unified Communications Monitor vs. Cisco DNA Center Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

CA Unified Communications Monitor vs. Cisco DNA Center

September 2025

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Helped 869,760 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

CA Unified Communications M...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

95th

Average Rating

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Unified Communications Monitoring (5th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (69th)

Cisco DNA Center

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

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

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of CA Unified Communications Monitor is 0.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco DNA Center	1.4%
CA Unified Communications Monitor	0.3%
Other	98.3%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

itarchit489981

IT Architect at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Good end-to-end voice quality monitoring and offers valuable features

The solution should have automatic baseline detection. On the per hour, per base, per week. That's usually the best. And on a per individual CI level. I know that they're working on it and when that's available then we will definitely implement it because it will reduce the effort we need to maintain all the products. Right now we have to set thresholds for every location, and it needs to be actually dynamic so if we have better thresholding, we'll have faster alarms across all our locations. We won't have to expend effort on it by resetting or checking them on a regular basis.

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Mahir Öztürk

Network Engineer at NGN Bilgi ve İletişim Hizmetleri

Client history has helped resolve past network issues more efficiently

I mostly use the client history feature of Cisco DNA Center. I didn't use the real-time monitoring capability of Cisco DNA Center because I primarily used it for client history regarding issues and problems. I don't use it for real-time monitoring. If there is a problem, I can inspect the situation and see what is happening, which is beneficial.

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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

"Good end-to-end monitoring"

"We use the solution to meet the needs of the customer."

"The product gives a consolidated view."

"I like that we can easily configure any new hardware. It's also easy to deploy and easy to troubleshoot."

"The most valuable features were the monitoring, maintenance, and configuration."

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

"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."

"We have many people from the team who manage a lot of devices. By using Cisco DNA Center, it has taken some of that burden away, we are impressed with it. We did the investment in CAPEX, but in the OPEX was very low."

"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."

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

More Cisco DNA Center pros

Cons

"The solution should have automatic baseline detection."

"All the features and functions of the solution can be improved."

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

"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."

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

"As a user, it would be good if I could plug in controllers, suites, and devices from other vendors to Cisco DNA Center."

"It seems to be a little bit more centered toward wireless than wired. You've got more options you can do wirelessly than you can with the wired switches, but it works for what we need it to do. We would like to see a little bit more about the traffic, and we're looking at what's out there to see about that. We are looking at something that might give us a bit more insight into the actual traffic. If they had the full functionality on the wired side, as they do on the wireless side in terms of being able to view traffic and everything, it would be good."

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

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

"The solution's setup process needs enhancement."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The tool is medium-priced."

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being 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 have a three-year license with them."

"Licensing for Cisco DNA Center is a little bit expensive, just like any Cisco solution. Its cost could still be improved."

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

"The product is very costly."

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

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	25

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

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?

After evaluating other solutions, we will provide feedback.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

We have utilized the software-defined access (SDA) feature of Cisco DNA Center. The AI-driven needs enhancements and Integration and unification of visibility and monitoring to include other areas ...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 43% of the time

Precisely Network Management vs CA Unified Communications Monitor

Compared 31% of the time

ITRS Geneos vs CA Unified Communications Monitor

Compared 27% of the time

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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 16% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

CA Unified Communications Monitor vs. Ixia Hawkeye

September 2025

CA Unified Communications Monitor report

Download CA Unified Communications Monitor product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

October 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Also Known As

CA UC Monitor

DNA Center

Overview

CA Unified Communications Monitor is a unified communications monitoring solution that evaluates and reports on the network’s support of real-time applications in multi-vendor environments, so that Network Administrators can optimize the network’s quality of service and end user experience.

Broadcom

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

BBVA Compass

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

CA Unified Communications Monitor vs. Cisco DNA Center

September 2025

Free Report: CA Unified Communications Monitor vs. Cisco DNA Center

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