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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Catalyst Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco DNA Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (12th), Network Automation (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmad Attal - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivers strong analytics and integration capabilities but requires regular updates and training
My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues. Furthermore, the complexity of the solution can be challenging for some customers as they often require extensive training to fully understand and utilize the product. They have concerns about the high number of software bugs and the need for regular updates to address these bugs.
AvrahamSonenthal - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Catalyst Center allows me to manage all the fabric SD Access from one location."
"The best feature of Cisco is its industry-standard nature."
"The integration of Cisco Catalyst Center is fine"
"Cisco performs well in the network space, especially in areas like switching, DNA Center, and wireless, where it is known for its stability."
"The architecture and the way Cisco designs it, VXLAN and Cisco Express Forwarding are some of the features I like."
"Cisco Catalyst switches are reliable and stable."
"Cisco Catalyst Center was flexible in terms of scalability, offering advanced security features and reliable performance."
"The customer service is very good. They are excellent and efficient."
"Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."
"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."
"The solution helps in user microsegmentation."
"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."
"It gives us automation capabilities for pushing out the configuration to branch networks. It also provides visibility into the health of user network devices."
"It is a stable solution."
"It offers automation, security enforcement, analytics, and integration with other Cisco technologies, making it a key driver for efficient network operations and compliance with security protocols."
"Automation is another key highlight. With automation, you can automate everything through a single port."
 

Cons

"The initial setup of Cisco Catalyst Center is complex."
"The deployment process is pretty complex"
"Cisco Catalyst Center could improve its graphical user interface. Currently, it is CLI-based, which makes it challenging for those without Cisco training."
"The retention period of data could be improved from seven days to 30 days. This change would help in cases where users are on leave for extended periods."
"My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues."
"There should be tighter cohesion between the web-based GUI and the command line configuration."
"For someone new, the documentation is not very clear."
"The only limitation is when integrating with other products due to Cisco's proprietary protocols."
"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."
"The tool's IoT integration should be better."
"I would like is to have a small information pointer available. It could be a plus feature that I want to implement. When I hover my mouse over the user interface, it should provide a brief explanation. It would be helpful to have it incorporated into the UI."
"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."
"The product doesn’t have good monitoring capabilities."
"When it comes to deploying wireless fields, integrating defaults into the DNS interface can be challenging."
"The tool's deployment is complex. It also needs to improve its GUI."
"Cisco DNA Center should improve its configuration management. It is better to have a dev version before pushing it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."
"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."
"The product is very costly."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The tool is medium-priced."
"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."
"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."
"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Healthcare Company
10%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Center?
The cost is relative and depends on the market and one's budget provision. While Cisco provides a good return on investment, they are also facing competitive pricing challenges from Huawei.
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center?
If they can add a layer of portable hotspots with some licensing flexibility for 20 to 50 users, it would be a great feature.
What is your primary use case for Cisco Catalyst Center?
We use Cisco Catalyst Center ( /products/cisco-catalyst-center-reviews ) for managing switches in our IT infrastructure. Our primary focus has been on utilizing Catalyst ( /products/cisco-catalyst-...
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.
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
The system is working fine for me currently.
 

Also Known As

No data available
DNA Center
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Center vs. Cisco DNA Center and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.