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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Huawei eSight 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 SD-WAN
Ranking in Network Management Applications
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
95
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (2nd)
Huawei eSight
Ranking in Network Management Applications
9th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
IT Infrastructure Monitoring (38th)
 

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing
The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.
Gary Strydom - PeerSpot reviewer
Used to monitor devices and provides the hardware alarms feature
Huawei eSight has helped me overcome many monitoring aspects of the hardware. From a single view, I can monitor all the hardware. Instead of logging on to each piece of hardware and monitoring it individually, I can monitor them from one single point. I would recommend the solution to other users because it provides a single point of view of the hardware. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has a very good GUI."
"The most valuable features are zero-disk provisioning and link load balancing on an application basis."
"The reliability is high and we have only had to restart it once or twice over the years."
"When we have had power outages for a few hours we have had no issue with Cisco SD-WAN coming back online and functioning."
"Cisco SD-WAN's most valuable feature is the ease of transition."
"The tool is stable, and its troubleshooting capabilities are good. It helps us identify and fix any issues. It simplifies VPN setup for both side-to-side and multisite connections. This allows for easier data sharing between main and branch offices, creating a local network feel even for distant sites."
"The user experience is pretty good."
"SD-WAN is very stable - once it's deployed, you can just forget about it, it runs by itself."
"eSight allows me to monitor and solve any problem in the backbone and any switch in real-time."
"We can scale the solution."
"The most important features are alarm management and the visualization of the health of our network devices."
"The product is stable."
"The solution's most valuable dashboard features include monitoring storage, resource availability, and hardware alarms."
"I like that it supports all our Huawei devices. Unlike other network monitoring tools that monitor Huawei devices, it provides more details when it comes to monitoring or management. We can get complete details about the devices, and management is also simple."
"Huawei eSight provides businesses with monitoring capabilities of network devices across your network."
"We use Huawei eSight to monitor devices like Wi-Fi controllers, LAN switches, and routers."
 

Cons

"This solution could be improved with a simpler implementation process and licensing model."
"Simplifying the definition and implementation could add significant value, as it can be complex due to multiple product integrations and customization requirements."
"Integration with other OEMs and the API part needs improvement to be more user-friendly, especially in terms of GUI."
"The product's application delivery feature needs improvement."
"There should be more security features in the hybrid and on-premise deployments of Cisco SD-WAN. The cloud has most of the security features."
"Cyber security should also be implemented in the solution, along with maybe implementation of AI/ML."
"The solution is a bit complicated."
"It should also be much more affordable for a larger number of customers."
"The price could be less costly."
"The variety of license types should be made simpler as, at present, it is complex."
"This solution could be improved by offering monitoring for all devices and not only Huawei devices."
"It is not a very flexible product."
"Huawei eSight should work on the option to have the email notification working on Office 365 Exchange."
"Something that could be improved is the lack of integration with Cisco switches. In the next release, I would like to see better reporting."
"The solution and the operating system come separately. It would be easier if we did not have to deploy anything. A bundle feature would be better."
"The solution needs to improve it's user interface to make it more modern and stylish. They need to design proper menu positions, features, etc. Right now the layout is complicated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of Cisco SD-WAN is high and has room for improvement compared to competitors such as Fortinet which has similar functionality."
"It is going to be on a yearly basis. There are no additional costs."
"For 600 links, the license for Cisco SD-WAN costs us US$250k a year."
"The Cisco SD-WAN licensing model needs to be simplified. There are currently three types of licenses: enterprise agreements, individual licenses, and DNA subscriptions. This can confuse customers, requiring a dedicated person to determine which type of license is right for their organization."
"The initial cost is quite significant, but the investment is worthwhile."
"It is expensive. The license limitation is there in terms of bandwidth. Basically, Cisco is always good in terms of performance and related things. However, if you want to have a license, for example, for 100 Mbps, they charge you because of their 100 Mbps. If you want to go without the license of 300 Mbps, it is a bandwidth license as well. This is not happening with other vendors. That is the reason why we moved away from Cisco. The bill gets a little bit high. I do remember that one time we were trying to increase the bandwidth for at least five devices, and the license got as high as 20-grand for five devices, only for the license. It was expensive for us at the time. Our company is not a big company, but it is a solid company. The price was very high, and we moved away from Cisco because of the price."
"The license consists of an annual fee."
"The product's license is expensive."
"The pricing for Huawei eSight is reasonable, especially with the base license and incremental licenses for additional devices. However, the variety of license types can be a bit complex. We used to sell eSight but switched to another solution, so we're not actively trading it anymore."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"Pricing depends on the competition. If your competitor is like Cisco, then Huawei is much more competitive when it comes to pricing."
"Its pricing is better than any other Huawei product. Some products are cheaper in Huawei, and some products are cheaper in Cisco. Cisco has more benefits and options than Huawei if you consider different network environments."
"I would rate this solution a nine out of ten for pricing. The pricing depends on which features you use and can become expensive."
"The price is very expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
29%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
There's nothing I could put my finger on right away for improvements in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. There is definitely nothing that Juniper does that Cisco doesn't do. Cisco will do everything Juniper ...
What do you like most about Huawei eSight?
We use Huawei eSight to monitor devices like Wi-Fi controllers, LAN switches, and routers.
What needs improvement with Huawei eSight?
Huawei eSight should work on the option to have the email notification working on Office 365 Exchange.
What is your primary use case for Huawei eSight?
We use the solution to monitor the hardware environment of our data center. We mainly use Huawei eSight to monitor the devices. It assists in monitoring our devices in terms of utilization and moni...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Marina Bay, CITIC Pacific Mining
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Huawei eSight and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.