Cisco DNA Center vs Kentik comparison

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Cisco DNA Center

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Kentik and Cisco DNA Center compete in network management and analytics. Kentik has an advantage with its SaaS-based analytics and automation tools, while Cisco DNA Center focuses more on centralized management for Cisco devices with strong security and automation features.

Features: Kentik provides flow visualization, real-time traffic insights, SaaS-based analytics tools, automation capabilities, network flow understanding, connectivity optimization, and DDoS alert settings. Cisco DNA Center offers centralized network management, analytics, rapid network provisioning, integration with Cisco devices, security features, LAN automation, and data visualization interfaces.

Room for Improvement: Kentik could improve user and security permission granularity, API usability, cost analysis features, flow data actionability, and interface usability, especially in newer versions. Cisco DNA Center could enhance third-party integrations, provide a clearer upgrade path, address the high price, improve configuration management, offer a more user-friendly interface, integrate better with diverse networks, and enhance task failure reporting details.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Kentik is deployable across SaaS, on-premises, and private cloud environments, with outstanding customer support offering quick and effective solutions and proactive communication, ensuring reliable service. Cisco DNA Center primarily deploys on-premises, with mixed customer service experiences, requiring detailed technical guidance and quicker response times, yet its integration within Cisco environments adds value to comprehensive networks despite initial deployment challenges.

Pricing and ROI: Kentik's device-based pricing is considered cost-effective for large infrastructures, offering significant ROI through cost savings in network transit and automation efficiency, with discounts for education customers. Cisco DNA Center's pricing is high, with notable licensing costs, beneficial for large enterprises investing in Cisco infrastructure but deterring smaller businesses, with licensing costs a common concern, though ROI can justify the expense if leveraging full capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. Kentik Report (Updated: April 2025).

Cisco DNA Center vs. Kentik

April 2025

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Helped 853,682 peers since 2012

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)

Kentik

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

32nd

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Protection (16th)

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 Kentik is 0.8%, up from 0.7% 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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ADRIANA SALDARRIAGA TOBON

Sales Manager at IFX NEtworks

Client experience and cybersecurity have improved with an easy setup

The solution is valuable for client experience, especially in the financial sector. The most important feature is cybersecurity. The pricing is good, but the functionality is the most important aspect for clients. The solution is easy to deploy and requires only one person to set up, making it easy and quick. Overall, the ease of use and the fact that it meets client expectations are major positives.

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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 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."

"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."

"People like to use the dashboards to get an overview of their network."

"The monitoring features are very useful for network engineers."

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

"Application Assurance works very well."

"What's most valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the ability to manage any Cisco infrastructure and device through it. Setup was straightforward."

"Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"It offers a simple yet powerful feature of classifying applications, going beyond basic statistics."

"I am able to do a lot of work on the visualization end to create different visualizations and different ways to get information out of it."

"We're also using Kentik to ingest metrics. It's a useful feature, and its response time, whenever we're pulling back the data, is higher than our on-prem solution."

"We're pretty happy with the API functionality. It's web, and it's very simple to set up queries. It has served us well and you don't need to be an expert on the API or the product to set these things up."

"In terms of the solution’s real-time visibility across our network infrastructure, I have not been able to find any other monitoring or netflow visualization tool that gives me the kind of information I get from Kentik. If I need to take a deep-dive into something that I see, it's really easy for me to do that. Whereas with most other things, I have to use five or six other tools to get that kind of data, with Kentik, I have it all in one place."

"The most important feature is cybersecurity."

"The drill-down into detailed views of network activity helps to quickly pinpoint locations and causes. All the information is there."

"The most valuable features have been anything around traffic engineering: being able to determine the source or destination of a surge of traffic, whether it's DDoS-related, or a customer just happened to have a sudden uptick in traffic. Being able to tell where that's coming from or where it's going to enables us to do things based on that."

More Kentik pros

Cons

"As a user, it would be good if I could plug in controllers, suites, and devices from other vendors to Cisco DNA Center."

"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."

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

"The tool's deployment is complex. It also needs to improve its GUI."

"We encountered issues with their response times, which had a big impact on our workflow."

"Integration with analytic tools and API integrations would be ideal."

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

"Cisco DNA Center should improve its configuration management. It is better to have a dev version before pushing it."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"I would like to see them explore the area of cost analysis."

"In recent months, I've noticed that while the industry is trending towards AI, Kentik has room for improvement in this area."

"I consider the pricing model as an area for improvement."

"I've checked out the V4 version of the interface and it's still a little bit clunky for me to use. I still go back to the old interface. That's definitely one that they still need to work on. It doesn't seem like everything that you get in the V3, the older interface, is there. For instance, I was trying to add a user or do the administrative tasks in V4, and I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to do that."

"The only downside to Kentik, something that I don't like, is that it's great that it shows you where these anomalies lie, but it's not actionable. Kentik is valuable, don't get me wrong, but if it had an actionable piece to it..."

"We asked for a way, regarding the potential networks that exist, to hook Kentik up with external tools like peering DBs to correlate things together and see what we can do... This is all in the [next] beta now."

"Sometimes, the tool has complications, so we must deal with the additional support from the tool's end."

"They're moving more in a direction where they are saying, "Hey, here's information that you may be interested in or may a need," before the question has to explicitly be asked. Continuing to move in that direction would be a good thing."

More Kentik cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The price could be better. It's a very expensive tool."

"The tool is medium-priced."

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

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

"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 expensive."

"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

"The tool is cheaply priced."

"We have an annual contract with Kentik that we renew each year for a set number of licenses. We also have some burstable licenses which we can spin up and spin down, and those are paid as they are used."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

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.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco DNA Center?

The cost is very high.

What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?

The system is working fine for me currently.

What do you like most about Kentik?

It offers a simple yet powerful feature of classifying applications, going beyond basic statistics.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kentik?

Kentik’s pricing is competitive in the marketplace. It depends on the sizing, and once you have the right sizing, it's usually okay.

What needs improvement with Kentik?

In recent months, I've noticed that while the industry is trending towards AI, Kentik has room for improvement in this area. Specifically, more work is required to integrate AI for troubleshooting,...

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Product Reports

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Cisco DNA Center

May 2025

Download Kentik product report

May 2025

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

Kentik's AIOps Network Traffic Intelligence platform unifies network operations, performance, security, and business intelligence.

With a purpose-built big data engine delivered as public or private SaaS, Kentik captures a high-resolution view of actual network traffic data and enriches it with critical application and business data, so every network event or analysis can be tied to revenue & costs, customer & user experience, performance & risk.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Pandora, Yelp, Neustar, Box, University of Washington, Zoom, Tata, and Cogent.