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.
Although Cisco DNA Center is expensive, we have seen a return on investment in terms of time savings.
In production environments, especially for service providers on IP networks and data centers, Kentik helps in reducing the time to identify and resolve issues.
Overall, Cisco DNA Center rates eight out of ten as a complete solution.
They have monthly calls and discuss the product roadmap with us to determine what is needed.
I have mostly used forums for any support needed because the setup is straightforward and the documentation is quite good.
The solution is designed for large enterprise companies.
Kentik's integration with Kubernetes makes scaling easier.
You can scale as many devices and tests as you want, but you should have a good number of credits in your accounts.
In production, however, dimensioning of the underlying platforms is something to be mindful of.
Based on stability, I would give Kentik a nine.
The AI-driven insights have contributed significantly to faster troubleshooting and predictive analytics.
More work is required to integrate AI for troubleshooting, simplifying root cause analysis, and providing suggested solutions for network issues.
The pricing is good and aligns with the market target.
Kentik’s pricing is competitive in the marketplace.
The most valuable features include AI-driven insights which make troubleshooting much easier.
One of the most valuable features of Kentik, especially for service providers, is its ability to visualize all the BGP peering and the status of the BGP peering platform.
Overall, the ease of use and the fact that it meets client expectations are major positives.
Kentik is easy to use and set up.
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?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.
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.
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