

Splunk Observability Cloud and Cisco DNA Center are key players in observability and network management, each renowned for distinct strengths. Splunk Observability Cloud stands out for its versatile data integration and superior cloud-based observability, while Cisco DNA Center excels in the comprehensive management of Cisco network infrastructures.
Features: Splunk Observability Cloud offers comprehensive data integration, rapid log searching capabilities, and the ability to create custom dashboards with end-to-end visibility in cloud environments. These features provide users with flexible options for monitoring various IT assets. Cisco DNA Center is highly effective in integrating with Cisco devices, offering streamlined LAN automation and providing centralized network visibility and management. This makes it a significant asset for users working within Cisco's ecosystem.
Room for Improvement: Splunk Observability Cloud could benefit from better integration with third-party tools, enhanced ease of use, and improved support for various log formats. There is also a call for improved documentation. Cisco DNA Center users suggest enhancing integration with non-Cisco products, refining deployment processes, and making the user interface more intuitive. Additionally, better task failure identification and reporting would be beneficial.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Splunk Observability Cloud provides flexible deployment options suitable for public and hybrid environments, and its technical support is generally considered responsive and effective. In contrast, Cisco DNA Center is more suited to on-premises deployment and is well-regarded for its support system. However, the complexity and cost involved in setting up Cisco DNA Center can challenge smaller organizations.
Pricing and ROI: Splunk Observability Cloud and Cisco DNA Center are considered high-cost investments. Splunk users often critique its pricing for being expensive in the competitive observability market, though many recognize the value in its comprehensive features, citing significant ROI. Cisco DNA Center similarly faces price criticism, with its model generally favoring large-scale deployments where users see ROI primarily when deeply embedded within Cisco's infrastructure.
Although Cisco DNA Center is expensive, we have seen a return on investment in terms of time savings.
Using Splunk has saved my organization about 30% of our budget compared to using multiple different monitoring products.
Anyone working in front-end management should recognize the market price to see the true value of end-user monitoring.
I have definitely seen a return on investment with Splunk Observability Cloud, particularly through how fast it has grown and how comfortable other teams are in relying on its outputs for monitoring and observability.
Overall, Cisco DNA Center rates eight out of ten as a complete solution.
The support for Cisco DNA Center is good.
On a scale of 1 to 10, the customer service and technical support deserve a 10.
They have consistently helped us resolve any issues we've encountered.
They often require multiple questions, with five or six emails to get a response.
From my experience, we can easily manage numerous devices.
The solution is designed for large enterprise companies.
We've used the solution across more than 250 people, including engineers.
As we are a growing company transitioning all our applications to the cloud, and with the increasing number of cloud-native applications, Splunk Observability Cloud will help us achieve digital resiliency and reduce our mean time to resolution.
I would rate its scalability a nine out of ten.
When we communicate problems, they solve them effectively.
I would rate its stability a nine out of ten.
We rarely have problems accessing the dashboard or the page.
Unlike NetScout or regular agents for APM, RUM has many problems during the POC phase because customer environments vary widely.
The AI-driven insights have contributed significantly to faster troubleshooting and predictive analytics.
The client history in Cisco DNA Center can be longer than 10 days, perhaps extending to 15 or 20 days.
The out-of-the-box customizable dashboards in Splunk Observability Cloud are very effective in showcasing IT performance to business leaders.
The next release of Splunk Observability Cloud should include a feature that makes it so that when looking at charts and dashboards, and also looking at one environment regardless of the product feature that you're in, APM, infrastructure, RUM, the environment that is chosen in the first location when you sign into Splunk Observability Cloud needs to stay persistent all the way through.
There is room for improvement in the alerting system, which is complicated and has less documentation available.
Splunk is a bit expensive since it charges based on the indexing rate of data.
It is expensive, especially when there are other vendors that offer something similar for much cheaper.
It appears to be expensive compared to competitors.
The most valuable features include AI-driven insights which make troubleshooting much easier.
If there is a problem, I can inspect the situation and see what is happening, which is beneficial.
Splunk provides advanced notifications of roadblocks in the application, which helps us to improve and avoid impacts during high-volume days.
For troubleshooting, we can detect problems in seconds, which is particularly helpful for digital teams.
It offers unified visibility for logs, metrics, and traces.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Splunk Observability Cloud | 1.3% |
| Cisco DNA Center | 1.0% |
| Other | 97.7% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 10 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 9 |
| Large Enterprise | 25 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 20 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 10 |
| Large Enterprise | 48 |
Cisco DNA Center delivers powerful centralized security, automation, and comprehensive analytics for enhanced network management. With an intuitive dashboard and integration with Cisco devices, it reduces errors, boosts efficiency, and ensures seamless wired and wireless network operations.
Organizations leverage Cisco DNA Center for network management and automation, offering increased visibility into traffic flows and efficient device provisioning. It supports real-time data transmission, network segmentation, and integrates with ISE. Features like wireless assurance, centralized management, and AI-driven insights into network health promote an efficient network environment while addressing compliance issues. However, improvements are necessary for better third-party integration, affordability, and more user-friendly documentation.
What are the solution's most important features?In industries like healthcare, finance, and education, Cisco DNA Center's advanced features facilitate the management of complex network infrastructures and aid in achieving compliance efficiently. Its ability to manage LANs and WLANs supports diverse networking environments including greenfield projects and SPN setups.
Splunk Observability Cloud offers sophisticated log searching, data integration, and customizable dashboards. With rapid deployment and ease of use, this cloud service enhances monitoring capabilities across IT infrastructures for comprehensive end-to-end visibility.
Focused on enhancing performance management and security, Splunk Observability Cloud supports environments through its data visualization and analysis tools. Users appreciate its robust application performance monitoring and troubleshooting insights. However, improvements in integrations, interface customization, scalability, and automation are needed. Users find value in its capabilities for infrastructure and network monitoring, as well as log analytics, albeit cost considerations and better documentation are desired. Enhancements in real-time monitoring and network protection are also noted as areas for development.
What are the key features?In industries, Splunk Observability Cloud is implemented for security management by analyzing logs from detection systems, offering real-time alerts and troubleshooting for cloud-native applications. It is leveraged for machine data analysis, improving infrastructure visibility and supporting network and application performance management efforts.
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