Cisco DNA Center vs Observer GigaStor comparison

Cisco and Viavi Solutions are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while Viavi Solutions is ranked #93. Cisco holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Viavi Solutions’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Viavi Solutions 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

Observer GigaStor

Read 7 Observer GigaStor reviews

234 Views
178 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

Observer GigaStor

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Observer GigaStor and Cisco DNA Center are network solutions in competition. Cisco DNA Center seems to have an advantage due to its comprehensive network management features.

Features: Observer GigaStor is known for its strong network performance monitoring, advanced data analytics, and detailed visibility into traffic patterns. Cisco DNA Center, however, offers extensive automation features, assurance functionalities, and effective network infrastructure management.

Room for Improvement: Observer GigaStor could improve by enhancing automation capabilities, expanding management functionalities, and offering better integration with diverse network topologies. Cisco DNA Center may need improvements in cost efficiency, data analytics precision, and user interface intuitiveness.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco DNA Center provides an intuitive deployment model and robust customer support. Observer GigaStor is notable for its straightforward deployment and personalized customer service, with effective integration into existing network environments.

Pricing and ROI: Observer GigaStor offers competitive pricing and quick ROI, appealing to cost-sensitive settings. Cisco DNA Center, with a higher initial cost, justifies this with its comprehensive features and promising long-term ROI for enterprises desiring extensive network management.

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. Observer GigaStor

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)

Observer GigaStor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

93rd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Troubleshooting (15th), Network Packet Broker (NPB) (9th)

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 Observer GigaStor is 0.2%, up from 0.2% 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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Jeroen-Dubbelman

Director at Bitrate

Aids significantly in the threat-hunting process and provides a score-based evaluation of user experience

There are many valuable features, but understanding end-user response times stands out. It provides a score-based evaluation of user experience, helping customers quickly pinpoint whether issues originate from the network, server, client, or application. Additionally, it facilitates in-depth analysis of application dependencies. The retrospective network analysis capability of Observer GigaStor has been beneficial. It's a pivotal feature for network performance solutions. However, I prefer to consider the entire solution suite - GigaStor, along with GigaFlow and Apex - for comprehensive network visibility and monitoring. So, I prefer to integrate all three solutions to provide the best visibility. They complement each other well, with Apex aggregating and correlating data from both GigaStor and GigaFlow to enhance environmental understanding and troubleshooting efficiency.

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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

"It offers automation, security enforcement, analytics, and integration with other Cisco technologies, making it a key driver for efficient network operations and compliance with security protocols."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) that provides us with valuable information."

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

"It does a lot of things automatically, and that's the big thing with it. They're making the software so that you don't need to be as knowledgeable as me on the switching and routing side to get your work done. If you want, you can have DNA troubleshoot your problem for you and give you solutions or fix it itself, if it was something that's just a configuration issue."

"It is a stable solution."

"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."

"Cisco is a leading network company."

"DNA Center is scalable."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"It can help to write your rules, organize firewalls, your block, and also your protocols and IP address to come in or out of your network."

"It's able to capture packets and, after a long time, you can come and use that information; to check, to analyze - everything you would want to do. So it's very good and helpful if you want to protect your data. It is stored in a certain place where you can access it every time you want to analyze it."

"There are many valuable features, but understanding end-user response times stands out. It provides a score-based evaluation of user experience, helping customers quickly pinpoint whether issues originate from the network, server, client, or application. Additionally, it facilitates in-depth analysis of application dependencies."

"This solution allows us to see exactly what is going on in the network and we can very quickly solve issues with users."

"The ability to capture packets. It is not only for monitoring. That is very important for a company that wants to keep an eye on the packets, the transactions, the flows..."

"I also have the ability to see an application's performance, to see what's going on, why a network is slow, why this program for this user is experiencing a delay or some network issue"

Cons

"The task failure reporting or provisioning failure reporting could be a little bit better in the UI, with more information given to the user."

"In terms of the clustering part, there are some concerns."

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

"The network, data center, and SD-WAN are all being treated as different services, but I would like to have only one solution to manage all of them."

"The tool's IoT integration should be better."

"From the recent DNA point of view, there are some stability challenges with Cisco, but very minor."

"The cost is very high."

"Technical support could be better. The price could be better, and it could be more stable."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"GigaStor feeds into Apex. So, the area where there could be improvement would be in artificial intelligence. For example, the incorporation of more advanced machine learning or AI capabilities could enhance its functionality."

"I would like to have more than 4TB of storage available in the portable version of this solution."

"Maybe the graphical user interface could be simplified to allow people to use it more easily. It's already good, but they can work more on it to make it even easier."

"Graphics need improvement. Because a lot of the information there you have to input first in some case to have full potential. It could be more automated."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."

"The licensing cost for Cisco DNA Center is not more than that of other solutions."

"The product is very costly."

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

"The solution is expensive."

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

"We have a three-year license with them."

"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"It depends on the requirements you have. There are three types of license. There's the updates license, the work group license, and the workstation license."

"It's quite expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

28%

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

University

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 do you like most about Observer GigaStor?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Observer GigaStor?

I would rate the pricing a ten out of ten. It's quite expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Observer GigaStor?

GigaStor feeds into Apex. So, the area where there could be improvement would be in artificial intelligence. For example, the incorporation of more advanced machine learning or AI capabilities coul...

See all answers

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

Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 28% of the time

Wireshark vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 23% of the time

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Data Broker vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 19% of the time

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 16% of the time

AppNeta by Broadcom vs Observer GigaStor

Compared 14% of the time

More Observer GigaStor Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

May 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

Observer GigaStor

April 2025

Download Observer GigaStor 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

Observer GigaStor is a network analysis tool that comes in a variety of form factors, including rack mount, portable, and virtual. Capable of storing up to a petabyte of traffic for later analysis, GigaStor helps ensure optimal network and application performance.

Viavi Solutions

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Cisco Systems, Hawaiian Telecom, Renown Health, State of Nevada, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Allstate Insurance, Jack Henry & Associates, United States Airforce, US Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Chicago Board Options Exchange

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. Observer GigaStor

April 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. Observer GigaStor

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