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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs OpenText Network Node Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 19, 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)
OpenText Network Node Manager
Ranking in Network Management Applications
16th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

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.
Qusai Abuomar - PeerSpot reviewer
Network performance optimization achieved with comprehensive visibility and effective event handling
The root cause analysis is valuable. The availability and event handling are also very good, as our team understands the events well. Overall, the tool helps maintain the health of the network. It provides visibility for the network device status, link status, and hardware status of devices such as switches and routers.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution can scale. We haven't had any issues doing so."
"One of the most valuable features is that they have multiple SD-WAN options: you have Meraki for simple management solutions, you have Viptela, and you have the option of having any type of WAN interfaces. Presently, you can also have a single combined solution for both WAN as well as for voice, so you can have a voice bundle as well. These are major unique points of this solution."
"The primary advantage we've observed is the simplification of deployment, leading to decreased IT costs and enhanced operational efficiency."
"The solution's application control and application traffic steering tool are its most valuable aspects in terms of how we utilize the product."
"The most valuable features are zero-disk provisioning and link load balancing on an application basis."
"Cisco products are rated to handle the heat and are very rugged, making them a good corporate standard."
"The most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN are reliability and scalability."
"Cisco SD-WAN is valued for its operational efficiency and ease of operation."
"Our monitoring and network teams of less than 100 people use this solution. The availability and fault monitoring are good."
"Most valuable function would have to the internal causal engine and its root cause analyzer which keep us updated on critical errors and incidents in our network environment."
"We do not have any issues stability-wise."
"Topology creation is the most valuable feature."
"Overall, the tool helps maintain the health of the network."
"If you install one node on Network Node Manager and want to scale it up, it's pretty easy to create more nodes."
"The platform has good stability."
"It is a scalable product."
 

Cons

"The technical support is a bit slow."
"What I find should be improved is the possibility of really separating the software layer from the hardware layer since today the current offer is not well adopted by the service providers"
"Better pricing and greater security would be nice to see."
"The durability of the switches could be improved. In the past, Cisco devices had a longer lifespan."
"We have found that their SD-WAN has a lot of scope for improvement."
"Cisco SD-WAN doesn't have automation capabilities, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and isn't IOT-based."
"When it comes to adding more security features, you need to add more RAM."
"Cisco products are a little bit complicated, so making them a little bit easier would be an improvement."
"The deployment architecture and installation part needs improvement."
"Micro Focus Network Node Manager is not the best when it comes to drilling down for more visibility, especially regarding traffic."
"Right now, we have open tickets and they are not closing as expected."
"The way the solution currently works means I'm not able to customize my own reports."
"As the technologies evolve, also these solutions or the monitoring tools should evolve to cover the progress in technology, including capabilities related to monitoring of virtualized devices today, as the DNS is on the table in this way."
"The dashboards are not customizable and it's not user-friendly."
"Reporting. Even though this is available in separate software (iSPI) there is potential in making the reporting more SLA-aware and more intuitive."
"The resources utilized could be a bit higher, and that is one of the challenges that isn't optimized"
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is no license required for this solution."
"80 percent reduction in WAN costs. There are no MPLS or P2P circuits left in the organization."
"Licensing is on a subscription basis."
"I give the price a seven out of ten."
"The cost of Cisco SD-WAN is high and has room for improvement compared to competitors such as Fortinet which has similar functionality."
"The product's license is expensive."
"We pay for the Cisco Customer Care support, which is a couple of hundred dollars."
"The costs are a bit on the high side."
"It's an expensive solution."
"The solution is priced mid-range compared to the competition."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"It is more inexpensive than other products in the market."
"I wasn't involved in the pricing, but I think it's quite 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
17%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

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 needs improvement with Micro Focus Network Node Manager?
The interface is outdated and needs to be more dynamic and faster. It would be better if the product was a single module rather than requiring additional modules and licensing for APIs and extra fe...
What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Network Node Manager?
We use OpenText Network Node Manager i ( /products/opentext-network-node-manager-i-reviews ) primarily for network monitoring and diagnostics in our organization. We use this product for fault and ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
Micro Focus Network Node Manager, Network Node Manager, HPE Network Node Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
IPC, Exelon, VivaCom, 
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. OpenText Network Node Manager and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.