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Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Huawei Enterprise Routers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

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 SD-WAN
Ranking in WAN Edge
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
95
Ranking in other categories
Network Management Applications (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd)
Huawei Enterprise Routers
Ranking in WAN Edge
11th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Routers (4th)
 

Featured Reviews

Igor Van Den Ouden - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure and flexible branch connectivity with application-aware routing
The valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN include its security policies and zone-based firewall that are applied to every site, as well as application-aware routing. Security is standard compliant, eliminating config drift that was prevalent before manual configurations. Application-aware routing offers flexibility in using different lines for traffic, depending on the policy implemented.
Udochi Ododo - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to configure and troubleshoot, but they need more visibility in the licensing model
Huawei needs to be a bit more open with their licensing model. What I find is that when you buy equipment, you expect that you have a particular feature. By the time you want to use that feature, you realize that you need to acquire a license for it. That is the one thing that I think they need to improve on. Essentially, they need to open their licensing model such that when a customer buys a device, they have a full view of all of the available licenses for it. It's not at the time of use that the customer will now be informed that they need to purchase an additional license.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The first part that we like is that we can reuse certain hardware, which is a valuable asset. You can use hardware SKUs that already exist in the network. The second part that we like is the integration with the cloud and the measurement of the cloud's quality. These are the two values that this solution gives as compared to other implementations that we have seen."
"Customizing SD-WAN is very easy because you can define two colors. You can define two different operators. You can deploy a partial mesh, a full mesh, or hub-and-spoke totally differently. If you want to do this on a DMVPN solution, that's really hard."
"The solution provides good consolidation, centralization, and manageability for edge routers."
"It's very easy to manage and monitor the network's health and security using the solution."
"If I have to give a neutral view of all the SD-WAN platforms that I have known so far, Cisco is good in routing."
"The primary advantage we've observed is the simplification of deployment, leading to decreased IT costs and enhanced operational efficiency."
"The technical support is very responsive."
"Cisco SD-WAN has separate OMP routing."
"Internet access is a good feature."
"The product’s technical support team is responsive."
"The routers have mainstream features that fulfill our needs."
"The most valuable feature of Huawei Enterprise Routers is if have two networks at different geographical locations with a great deal of distance they work together as if they are on the same cloud network."
"We use the solution for point-to-point connectivity, aggregation, and radio connectivity on mTLS."
"I use the product to connect to various access points to extend my network."
"This product uses a non-proprietary command line, which makes it compatible across many different systems."
"The product is good, easy to manage , and works fine."
 

Cons

"What I find should be improved is the possibility of really separating the software layer from the hardware layer since today the current offer is not well adopted by the service providers"
"They should enhance the reporting because, as it is today, they need more executive-level reports."
"When you buy the equipment, they should already put it into your cloud account. It should already be set up so that we can manage with vBond. We came across an issue where it wasn't resolved in the DNS. We are using Umbrella, so we need to create a VPN IPSec tunnel to Umbrella to enable the users to browse. I would really like to see an internal built-in firewall so that we don't have to go to Umbrella. This functionality might already be there. We are quite new to this solution, and we are still learning about it."
"The durability of the switches could be improved. In the past, Cisco devices had a longer lifespan."
"It would be very helpful if we had better access to a knowledge base, or online documentation, to help both us and our customers learn to use this solution."
"The whole solution needs to be re-imagined. It's quite complex right now and really needs to be simplified to make it easier for those of us using it. It should offer more simplified management as well."
"Cyber security should also be implemented in the solution, along with maybe implementation of AI/ML."
"The user interface needs to be more friendly."
"We have encountered issues while integrating the product with Enterprise Management Systems. Huawei platform is good for Huawei but we face issues when we integrate it with other models."
"In the next release of this solution, I would like to see better bandwidth management, more granular web filtering, and portal authentication."
"They should include features like IPS for security and response."
"We'd like the product to be more flexible so that we could more easily manipulate some of the features."
"The only problem I see is configuration loss."
"In my country we don't have Huawei technology, we only have Huawei routers for ISP. There is no agent for Huawei in Egypt."
"Essentially, they need to open their licensing model such that when a customer buys a device, they have a full view of all of the available licenses for it."
"It would be better if the vendor provided support for small enterprises."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is much cheaper than other solutions. Most of our clients are the top 500 companies, and they all have a corporate contract."
"The price of Cisco SD-WAN is expensive. We pay approximately $50 monthly for the use of the solution."
"There is a monthly subscription to use this solution."
"The product's license is expensive."
"The pricing is fair, and it's on par with the market vendors. But based on the competition, Cisco could work on the pricing, go deep on discounts and provide more commercially viable solutions to customers."
"There is no license required for this solution."
"You can get subscriptions for three or five years."
"I give the price a seven out of ten."
"Huawei Enterprise Routers’s cost is average. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."
"The price of the solution is fair."
"The product is expensive."
"Huawei offers a cheaper enterprise router solution than Cisco."
"The solution is cheap compared to Cisco."
"There is no licence for this solution, but the solution could be cheaper."
"These routers are not too expensive."
"The tool's licensing is yearly."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
41%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco SD-WAN?
When considering the most valuable features of Cisco SD-WAN, the decoupling of self-monitoring stands out significantly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco SD-WAN?
The pricing of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is rated between eight and nine out of ten, where ten is the most expensive.
What needs improvement with Cisco SD-WAN?
The durability of the switches could be improved. In the past, Cisco devices had a longer lifespan. Now, they change frequently, making it difficult to obtain long-term support.
What do you like most about Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The solution provides support for 5G connectivity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The product is very cheap and offers a huge discount as they are trying to enter the market. However, you have to pay extra for some services and support.
What needs improvement with Huawei Enterprise Routers?
The documentation is somewhat lacking and not easy to navigate. There are some errors and misleading information. The general appearance of the company site is also not user-friendly for downloadin...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SD-WAN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Doyle Research, Ashton Metzler & Associates
Bus Online, VisionChina Media Inc. (VisionChina), China Network Television (CNTV), Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, ABC, BovenIJ hospital
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs. Huawei Enterprise Routers and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.