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Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cisco DNA Center comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

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 Catalyst Center
Ranking in Network Management Applications
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
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 (12th), Network Automation (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Ahmad Attal - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivers strong analytics and integration capabilities but requires regular updates and training
My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues. Furthermore, the complexity of the solution can be challenging for some customers as they often require extensive training to fully understand and utilize the product. They have concerns about the high number of software bugs and the need for regular updates to address these bugs.
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.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The best feature is its availability, easy deployment, and the good support for the solution."
"Cisco Catalyst Center has greatly enhanced the user-friendliness of configuring Catalyst switches."
"Customer service has been excellent."
"Cisco Catalyst Center was flexible in terms of scalability, offering advanced security features and reliable performance."
"Cisco Catalyst switches are reliable and stable."
"Cisco performs well in the network space, especially in areas like switching, DNA Center, and wireless, where it is known for its stability."
"The integration of Cisco Catalyst Center is fine"
"Cisco's technical support is excellent."
"What's most valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the ability to manage any Cisco infrastructure and device through it. Setup was straightforward."
"Has a good processing feature with a high level of accuracy."
"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."
"It gives us automation capabilities for pushing out the configuration to branch networks. It also provides visibility into the health of user network devices."
"Cisco is a leading network company."
"The product gives a consolidated view."
"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."
"We have many people from the team who manage a lot of devices. By using Cisco DNA Center, it has taken some of that burden away, we are impressed with it. We did the investment in CAPEX, but in the OPEX was very low."
 

Cons

"The retention period of data could be improved from seven days to 30 days."
"The deployment process is pretty complex"
"There is room for improvement in introducing auto-heal AI capabilities. In the current setup, incidents are always reactionary, and it would be beneficial if Cisco Catalyst Center could proactively handle issues such as bandwidth crunches and packet drops."
"The only limitation is when integrating with other products due to Cisco's proprietary protocols."
"The retention period of data could be improved from seven days to 30 days. This change would help in cases where users are on leave for extended periods."
"My customers often complain about numerous software bugs requiring frequent software patches and updates to resolve these issues."
"For someone new, the documentation is not very clear."
"It is a little more expensive."
"The tool's IoT integration should be better."
"The solution needs to improve the dashboard."
"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 cost is very high."
"The weaknesses primarily involve pricing and the ongoing need for increased bandwidth and data throughput."
"I would like is to have a small information pointer available. It could be a plus feature that I want to implement. When I hover my mouse over the user interface, it should provide a brief explanation. It would be helpful to have it incorporated into the UI."
"The product has many features that do not work properly."
"The features of Cisco DNA Center and Cisco Prime could have more parity."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."
"It is an expensive solution."
"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"The product is very costly."
"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."
"The solution is expensive."
"The tool is medium-priced."
"Our licensing agreement is for three years."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Healthcare Company
9%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Catalyst Center?
I find Cisco Catalyst Center is priced normally compared to other solutions. The cost is reflective of their good hardware and the level of service provided. While there might be cheaper hardware, ...
What needs improvement with Cisco Catalyst Center?
Some documentation or use cases are not clear enough. However, when I contact their second-level support or product teams, they respond well. While documentation could be improved, it is not very r...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Catalyst Center?
I use Cisco Catalyst Center ( /products/cisco-catalyst-center-reviews ) in Uruguay where there are no large enterprises. I have worked in networks with about three hundred to four hundred devices. ...
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 needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
The system is working fine for me currently.
 

Also Known As

No data available
DNA Center
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst Center vs. Cisco DNA Center and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.