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Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Prime [EOL] comparison

Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime [EOL] are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Additionally, 89% of Cisco DNA Center users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Cisco Prime [EOL] users who would recommend it.
Cisco DNA Center
Read 42 Cisco DNA Center reviews
  • 9,196 Views
  • 5,150 Comparison Views
89% willing to recommend
Cisco Prime [EOL]
Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews
    91% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

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    Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

    Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime [EOL] are network management solutions with unique strengths. Cisco DNA Center is more advanced in features but challenges with pricing for smaller sectors, while Cisco Prime offers cost-effective robust functionalities despite its end-of-life status.

    Features: Cisco DNA Center is recognized for its comprehensive analytics, security integration with Cisco ISE, and centralized management, offering network visibility and reducing human errors. Its automation, RF environment insights, and Zero-day configuration are advanced capabilities. Cisco Prime [EOL] provides effective monitoring and reporting with strong heatmap visualization, delivering robust features for extensive deployments.

    Room for Improvement: Cisco DNA Center could benefit from enhanced third-party integrations, reduced costs to increase accessibility, and improved reporting and real-time data replication. Cisco Prime [EOL] has limitations in NetFlow support and third-party compatibility, necessitating other tools for comprehensive visibility. With its discontinuation, migrating to DNA Center becomes necessary.

    Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime [EOL] offer both on-premises and cloud deployment options. DNA Center users report mixed technical support experiences, highlighting delays in resolving complex issues. Conversely, Cisco Prime [EOL] receives generally positive feedback on support, though some areas need enhancement to align with the evolving network management landscape.

    Pricing and ROI: Cisco DNA Center is viewed as high-priced but justified by its advanced features, potentially limiting its reach to larger enterprises. Cisco Prime [EOL] is more competitively priced with a manageable licensing structure, though less feature-rich compared to DNA Center. Both solutions are generally perceived as offering good ROI, though DNA Center's higher total cost may be a barrier for organizations seeking robust network management without a premium price tag.

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    Network Management Applications
    June 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

    Cisco DNA Center
    Average Rating
    8.0
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.3
    Number of Reviews
    42
    Ranking in other categories
    Network Management Applications (1st), Network Monitoring Software (12th), Network Automation (2nd)
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Average Rating
    7.8
    Reviews Sentiment
    6.5
    Number of Reviews
    35
    Ranking in other categories
    No ranking in other categories
     

    Featured Reviews

    Ahmed Helmy - PeerSpot reviewer
    Experience unified visibility and monitoring for enterprise campus and significant time savings and enhanced troubleshooting with reliable support
    We have been working with Cisco DNA Center for ten years. Our clients use Cisco DNA Center for unified visibility/monitoring across Enterprise Campus both LAN & WLAN along with Access and fast technical issues troubleshooting The solution provides fast troubleshooting capabilities and fast…
    Read full review
    ZeeshanAli1 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Robust, cost-effective, and provides good visibility, but the scalability could improve
    We are extremely satisfied with the reliability and robustness of Cisco Prime Infrastructure, which we have been using for many years. Compared to newer products such as DNS centers or others, it has proven to be much more stable, which is important for large-scale operations. Stability is a primary concern for us, and we are glad that Cisco Prime Infrastructure meets our expectations in that regard. Furthermore, in regards to Legacy Plus new hardware, Cisco Prime has proven to be a reliable and adaptable solution thus far. Not only can it support older hardware, but it also has the capability to handle new features with the latest updates. If we consider new solutions such as DNS Center, we may have to sacrifice some legacy features that we still rely on. We may need to continue using these legacy features for a few more years due to various reasons such as budget constraints or the site not being a high priority. However, if we switch to a new product at this stage, we may lose a lot of the monitoring and other capabilities that we have with Cisco Prime. We have a close relationship with Cisco and understand that they are not prioritizing investments in Cisco Prime as they are encouraging customers to adopt the Cisco DNA Center. This means that we don't anticipate many new features to be added to the product in the future. While we know that we will eventually have to transition to a new solution, in the meantime, we plan to do a quick refresh of our legacy products.
    Read full review

    Quotes from Members

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

    Pros

    "DNA Center is scalable."
    "Cisco DNA Center provides operational support, compliance support, security vulnerability detection, and automatic scheduling."
    "People like to use the dashboards to get an overview of their network."
    "I think that their LAN automation is a very good feature."
    "The most valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) that provides us with valuable information."
    "We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."
    "Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."
    "The most valuable features were the monitoring, maintenance, and configuration."
    More Cisco DNA Center pros
    "The technical support team is very good."
    "The installation is easy."
    "Cisco Prime, from a management perspective, has good reporting."
    "The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is the heat maps."
    "What I found most beneficial from Cisco Prime is that it gives you an insight into what your network does, even when you're not actively monitoring what's going on with your network."
    "The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is the heat map."
    "It helps us manage and monitor analytics and fix issues."
    "It gives you the ability to upgrade switches remotely, schedule the upgrade time, perform backups, and monitor the health of all networks."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros
     

    Cons

    "The tool's deployment is complex. It also needs to improve its GUI."
    "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."
    "Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."
    "The pricing, setup cost, and licensing of Cisco DNA Center are expensive."
    "As a user, it would be good if I could plug in controllers, suites, and devices from other vendors to Cisco DNA Center."
    "The cost is very high."
    "The weaknesses primarily involve pricing and the ongoing need for increased bandwidth and data throughput."
    "One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process."
    More Cisco DNA Center cons
    "The solution is not easy to configure."
    "Cisco Prime's initial setup is complex."
    "This solution could be improved if it could monitor configuration changes."
    "I rate Cisco Prime seven out of 10 for affordability. All Cisco solutions are expensive."
    "The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive."
    "There is room for improvement in the Access layer."
    "Lacking in integration with a SIEM tool."
    "I would love for Cisco Prime to show bandwidth usage and consumption, but I can't monitor bandwidth usage at a given time."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "We have a three-year license with them."
    "It is an expensive solution."
    "Our licensing agreement is for three years."
    "I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."
    "I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."
    "The tool is medium-priced."
    "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."
    "The solution is expensive."
    More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice
    "I would rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "The price of Cisco Prime was reasonable because we purchased it as part of a Cisco One package. The package was a bundle of Cisco solutions together, such as Cisco ISE and CMX. The price is reasonable com compared to other solutions."
    "You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."
    "I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
    "I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."
    "The cost is quite high."
    "We update the license every five years."
    "The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Computer Software Company
    15%
    Government
    10%
    Manufacturing Company
    10%
    Financial Services Firm
    6%
    Computer Software Company
    16%
    Government
    14%
    Manufacturing Company
    7%
    Educational Organization
    6%
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
     

    Questions from the Community

    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
    What do you like most about Cisco Prime?
    The most valuable features of Cisco Prime include its comprehensive functionality as a one-stop solution for basic SNMP port management.
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Cisco Prime?
    The product's performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive.
    See all answers
    What is your primary use case for Cisco Prime?
    We use Cisco Prime for centralized configuration management backups and monitoring.
    See all answers
     

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    Compared 6% of the time
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    Compared 5% of the time
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    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL] Logo
    Huawei eSight vs Cisco Prime [EOL]
    Compared 51% of the time
    More Cisco Prime [EOL] Competitors
     

    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco DNA Center
    July 2025
    Cisco DNA Center reportDownload Cisco DNA Center product report
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Prime [EOL]
    July 2025
    Cisco Prime [EOL] reportDownload Cisco Prime [EOL] product report
     

    Also Known As

    DNA Center
    Cisco Prime Infrastructure
     

    Overview

    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

    Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

    Cisco
     

    Sample Customers

    Information Not Available
    Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare
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    June 2025
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