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Cisco DNA Center vs ExtremeManagement comparison

Cisco and Extreme are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.0, while Extreme is ranked #22. Cisco holds a 24.5% mindshare in NMA, compared to Extreme’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Extreme users who would recommend it.
Cisco DNA Center
Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews
  • 5,538 Views
  • 3,443 Comparison Views
89% willing to recommend
ExtremeManagement
Read 5 ExtremeManagement reviews
  • 263 Views
  • 142 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

ExtremeManagement and Cisco DNA Center are competitors in the network management category. Cisco DNA Center holds the upper hand due to its feature-rich solution with superior automation and analytics.

Features: ExtremeManagement offers network analytics, automated workflows, and integration with other vendors. Cisco DNA Center provides advanced automation, AI-driven insights, and comprehensive network visibility.

Room for Improvement: ExtremeManagement could enhance its feature set to rival the automation and analytics of its competitor. Additionally, expanding its integration capabilities and refining its user interface could provide more value. Cisco DNA Center needs to address the challenges of its complex deployment and improve user-friendliness to reduce reliance on extensive IT expertise. Also, streamlining its pricing model may make it more accessible.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ExtremeManagement has a straightforward deployment process and excellent customer service, enabling quick setup and issue resolution. Cisco DNA Center, while offering substantial support, presents deployment challenges due to its array of features.

Pricing and ROI: ExtremeManagement is cost-effective with a favorable ROI, providing resource-efficient solutions. Cisco DNA Center requires higher investment, justified by automation and operational efficiencies that enhance performance.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. ExtremeManagement Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco DNA Center vs. ExtremeManagement
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
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 (13th), Network Automation (2nd)
ExtremeManagement
Ranking in Network Management Applications
22nd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 24.5%, down from 29.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeManagement is 1.6%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

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.
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LuisBrown - PeerSpot reviewer
Mature and robust platform; can be used to manage Cisco switches
ExtremeManagement is excellent. It is a very mature platform and robust in that it covers most of the functionality of the devices. One of ExtremeManagement's advantages over its competitors is that it is capable of managing Cisco switches if you have their on-prem manager. So you can take your legacy Cisco switches and manage them directly in the Extreme platform.
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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 most valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) that provides us with valuable information."
"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."
"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."
"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."
"What I found valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the Software-Defined Access Network, so the entire LAN network can be centralized and managed from a single dashboard. Cisco DNA Center is suitable for centralized management and lets you deploy switches in a centralized fashion. You can also do multiple switch port configurations simultaneously and segregate your traffic into multiple fabrics. Another valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is enhanced security through Scalable Group Tags. Cisco DNA Center can be integrated with your Cisco ISE to enhance the port securities, and this paves the way for Software-Defined Networking in the LAN segment, which is the main advantage of Cisco DNA Center. I also like that you can use Cisco DNA Center for data assurance or correlation. The solution shows your network and client health parameters, which I find convenient for troubleshooting."
"The product gives a consolidated view."
"It is simple to manage and it is all done from a single dashboard."
"People like to use the dashboards to get an overview of their network."
More Cisco DNA Center pros
"The technical support services are good."
"The best thing about the solution is that it is all managed from just a single application window. We call this feature a single pane of glass due to the fact that almost all the features are all managed within a single application, or a browser, to be more specific."
"The report model is one of the valuable models. We are able to see all the information concentrated in reports, which is very useful. We are able to get the information about the performance of the equipment and check that everything is okay. You can get very useful information across applications, so we have very good experience with their management solutions. It has many functionalities to simplify the administration and monitor the development of the switches or AP. It is easy to deploy, easy to configure. and easy to develop. Its price is also good."
"ExtremeManagement brings in the most value by reducing the technical debt to the organization in terms of having to hire personnel to maintain it or contract it."
"I need fewer people to do implementation and support, and I don't have to go on-site to change the configuration or otherwise support the switch."
 

Cons

"When it comes to deploying wireless fields, integrating defaults into the DNS interface can be challenging."
"The weaknesses primarily involve pricing and the ongoing need for increased bandwidth and data throughput."
"DNA Center has been on the market for a few years and they need to update it."
"One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process."
"Technical support could be better. The price could be better, and it could be more stable."
"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."
"There are some software problems from version to version. It takes a long time for DNA Center to recognize the video and control access devices."
"The tool's IoT integration should be better."
More Cisco DNA Center cons
"Some features are quite difficult to configure and they are very complicated to figure out. Maybe the vendors should introduce a more driven configuration that can clarify the processes a bit more to make the processes more clearly defined."
"It would be great to not need an on-premises SiteIQ license for running a Fabric OS cloud or managing third-party devices."
"It would be helpful if this solution had support for configuring and managing third-party hardware devices."
"There could be better integration with third-party equipment and vendors."
"They can improve the information period. Currently, we are able to have information for only 14 or 15 days, but we would like to have information for an extended period of maybe 30 days. Their technical support can also be improved in terms of the response time to the tickets."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."
"The tool's licensing may not come across as something that may be friendly for users."
"I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."
"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."
"Affordability is a problem because it's created for large enterprises only. So, some customers, even if their engineers want the solution, might have problems with budget limitations."
"Our licensing agreement is for three years."
"The partnership price is notably high, but it ultimately depends on the chosen business model."
"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."
More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice
"The support is billed on a yearly basis, and there are no additional costs."
"It has a good price. There is a good relationship between the cost and the performance."
"While they don't consider it affordable, they don't find it overly expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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 do you like most about ExtremeManagement?
The technical support services are good.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ExtremeManagement?
I don't know the exact pricing or licensing details. However, based on feedback from our customers, they haven't raised significant complaints about the cost. While they don't consider it affordabl...
See all answers
What needs improvement with ExtremeManagement?
There could be better integration with third-party equipment and vendors. While ExtremeManagement technically supports monitoring various devices like firewalls, the integration may not be as seaml...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 12% of the time
Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
Juniper Mist Wired Assurance vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 7% of the time
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 6% of the time
Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
Fortinet FortiManager vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 6% of the time
NetBrain vs Cisco DNA Center Logo
NetBrain vs Cisco DNA Center
Compared 5% of the time
More Cisco DNA Center Competitors
DataMiner vs ExtremeManagement Logo
DataMiner vs ExtremeManagement
Compared 58% of the time
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs ExtremeManagement Logo
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs ExtremeManagement
Compared 42% of the time
More ExtremeManagement Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco DNA Center
June 2025
Cisco DNA Center reportDownload Cisco DNA Center product report
Buyer's Guide
ExtremeManagement
June 2025
ExtremeManagement reportDownload ExtremeManagement product report
 

Also Known As

DNA Center
No data available
 

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

Extreme Management Center (formerly NetSight) provides access to web-based reporting, network analysis, troubleshooting, and helpdesk tools. Management Center includes wired/wireless dashboards, reports, end-system information and policy, interactive topology maps, application identification, web-based FlexViews, device views, and event logs. NetFlow diagnostics enable assessment of network issues and performance. Search functionality enables you to search for end-systems by MAC address, IP address, end-system name, or user name.

Extreme
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Henry Ford Health System, Baltimore Ravens, Brandili, Federal University of Alagoas, CEDAE, Caxias do Sul, UNISC Concurrency, CenturyLink Field, Louisiana College, Cricket Tasmania Stadium, Moscow Internet Exchange
Buyer's Guide
Cisco DNA Center vs. ExtremeManagement
June 2025
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