Cisco DNA Center vs DX Unified Infrastructure Management comparison

Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while Broadcom is ranked #75. Cisco holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Broadcom’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

1,823 Views
1,148 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

DX Unified Infrastructure M...

Read 120 DX Unified Infrastructure Management reviews

743 Views
454 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

DX Unified Infrastructure M...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

DX Unified Infrastructure Management and Cisco DNA Center compete in the infrastructure and network management category. DX Unified Infrastructure Management takes the upper hand by offering more scalable solutions and cost-effective capabilities, particularly for diverse operating systems and rapid ROI advantages.

Features: DX Unified Infrastructure Management offers scalability, a vast probe library, and customization options without heavy Java reliance. It supports a wide range of operating systems and applications with powerful agent-based technology. Cisco DNA Center provides unified network management with deep integration, enhanced security features, and centralized controls, ideal for network automation and visibility enthusiasts.

Room for Improvement: DX Unified Infrastructure Management needs to improve technical support consistency, enhance integration, and respond better to high data volumes. Cisco DNA Center requires better third-party integration, more affordable pricing, and improved dashboard clarity, specifically for middle-market customers. Additionally, gaps in Cisco hardware support and diagnostics insights need addressing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: DX Unified Infrastructure Management supports hybrid cloud and on-premises configurations with versatile deployment options, though users noted sluggish support responsiveness. Cisco DNA Center focuses on on-premises deployment, facing challenges in affordability and technical support, needing service improvements to align with its technology strengths, with some complexity leading to higher operational costs.

Pricing and ROI: DX Unified Infrastructure Management offers competitive pricing and rapid ROI, valued for cost-effectiveness and resource liberation for service expansion. Cisco DNA Center, though costly, offers advanced network management features and integration, providing value in large-scale deployments, but concerns remain about affordability for smaller enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. DX Unified Infrastructure Management Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. DX Unified Infrastructure Management

April 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

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

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

DX Unified Infrastructure M...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

75th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

120

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (24th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (55th), Cloud Monitoring Software (41st), AIOps (21st)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 1.4%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of DX Unified Infrastructure Management is 0.4%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

AvrahamSonenthal

Senior Network Engineer at Inside Global

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.

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Arunpandiyan M

Senior Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Easy to set up, simple to use, and offers great technical support

There are quite a few manual processes. We've had issues with pulling reports. Sometimes we have trouble or get errors. The reporting process should be easier. If you have a hub, you should be able to have an unlimited number of servers. For example, if you have 500 servers, and the limit is ten, you have to pull 50 reports. We'd like to just pull one report for all servers. This also increases the time to pull reports. If we have to pull more reports, it takes that much longer than just pulling one. The product can be expensive. Right now, they are updating and consolidating the dashboard. I'm expecting an update that will resolve a few glitches in the server.

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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

"The solution has the capability to scale."

"Cisco is a leading network company."

"I think that their LAN automation is a very good feature."

"I like the visibility, instant build, network, policies, and the ability to control access. I also like that you can visualize your whole network."

"It is simple to manage and it is all done from a single dashboard."

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

"The product gives a consolidated view."

"We can monitor all devices and get the required information using the product."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"DX UIM is scalable."

"It is the foundation for our monitoring solution."

"I would recommend DX Unified Infrastructure Management to others as it is a good and reliable solution."

"I recall the initial setup being straightforward."

"The monitoring of the applications to let our business know when things are performing and that they're up and available."

"Great out-of-the-box capability."

"It is easy to implement."

"DX Unified Infrastructure Management offers visibility into network activities, integration capacity, and enhances monitoring at the core and application levels."

More DX Unified Infrastructure Management pros

Cons

"What I want to see in Cisco DNA Center in the future is more support for other platforms so that you can manage third-party products, such as Fortinet."

"The cost is very high."

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

"The solution's technical support is an area with which my company's clients have a problem. Cisco doesn't provide good technical support unless a user has a big account that Cisco wants to retain."

"The solution needs to improve the dashboard."

"One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process."

"The solution’s security side could be improved."

"Cisco could improve the security side of their solutions."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"I'd also like to see more probes. More probes in the sense that we were coming across devices that we're expected to monitor and manage for which, out of the box, there isn't a nice, clean solution. There are probes that are dedicated for certain devices and certain device types, which is great. But then there are times we come across nuanced products that we have to develop our own solution for. There are probes that exist in there that allow us to make a customized solution, but it takes a lot more time."

"We had to do some work to make what was more of a business class solution work at an enterprise level."

"How we can get more native information from CA's solutions."

"I would like to see auditability. We've built our own audit functionality to ensure that every CI has the desired model configuration applied to it. And we run that on a daily basis. If that became part of the product, I think it might be a little bit less intensive in terms of resource, because we're doing it with scripts."

"The dashboards need to be improved."

"In the UMP, certain devices will show up multiple times and they don't correlate correctly. That's one of the issues."

"The company has not kept pace with developments."

"We've had issues with pulling reports."

More DX Unified Infrastructure Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."

"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."

"The solution is expensive."

"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."

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

"The tool is medium-priced."

"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"Pricing for DX Unified Infrastructure Management isn't cheap at all. It's a complex tool, so you have to pay more. No one is happy with a large bill to pay, but if it's a complex product and you designed a complex solution to be monitored, it'll be your fault that you need to buy an expensive product, and that would be implicit in the design of DX Unified Infrastructure Management. Monitoring is just a small part of it. Sometimes you have to pay a significant amount of money for a complex yet very good solution."

"Reasonable setup cost and licensing prices."

"CAD $400,000 annually."

"This product is expensive compared to other vendors (SolarWinds, ManageEngine)."

"The product-price ratio is better than other brands such as Fortinet or SonicWall."

"The license cost depends on the number of probes and robots."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

13%

Real Estate/Law Firm

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?

The cost is very high.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for DX Infrastructure Manager?

We are an integrating company that offers DX Unified Infrastructure Management to customers. We help them set it up, do the integration, and provide support. Our end customers include financial ins...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering DX Infrastructure Manager?

I would recommend DX Unified Infrastructure Management to others as it is a good and reliable solution. I would rate it nine out of ten due to its robust functionality and capability to support inf...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for DX Infrastructure Manager?

The pricing of DX Unified Infrastructure Management is high and often a concern for customers. The cost is higher compared to other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), which is feedback we hav...

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Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 11% of the time

Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 7% of the time

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 6% of the time

Meraki Dashboard vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

Datadog vs DX Unified Infrastructure Management

Compared 24% of the time

Zabbix vs DX Unified Infrastructure Management

Compared 20% of the time

SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor vs DX Unified Infrastructure Management

Compared 16% of the time

Dynatrace vs DX Unified Infrastructure Management

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs DX Unified Infrastructure Management

Compared 13% of the time

More DX Unified Infrastructure Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

May 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

DX Unified Infrastructure Management

May 2025

DX Unified Infrastructure Management report

Download DX Unified Infrastructure Management product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

DX Infrastructure Manager, DX Infrastructure Manager for Z Systems and CA UIM for zSystems, CA UIM (DX Infrastructure Manager), CA Nimsoft Monitor, CA UIM, DX Infrastructure Manager

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

DX Unified Infrastructure Management is the only solution that provides an open architecture, full-stack observability and zero-touch configuration for monitoring traditional data center, public cloud, and hybrid infrastructure environments.

Designed to ensure an optimal end-user experience, this solution provides a modern HTML5 operations console that makes it easy and fast for today’s IT teams to implement, use, and scale – leading to faster time to value.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

CBNCloud, IIJ Global Singapore, AT&S, AXSOS, Aozora Bank, HCL Technologies, IntelliNet, Securex

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. DX Unified Infrastructure Management

April 2025

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