Cisco DNA Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool comparison

Cisco and IBM are both solutions in the Network Management Applications category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.0, while IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.7. Cisco holds a 25.1% mindshare in NMA, compared to IBM’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

5,774 Views
3,631 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Read 13 IBM Tivoli NetCool reviews

626 Views
181 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 2, 2025

IBM Tivoli NetCool and Cisco DNA Center are competitors in network management solutions. Cisco DNA Center leads due to its advanced features and perceived value, despite IBM Tivoli NetCool's competitive pricing and support.

Features: IBM Tivoli NetCool excels in event management and monitoring automation, providing APIs for integration and strong alerting capabilities. Cisco DNA Center offers network visualization, AI insights, and automation, enhancing usability for complex networks and integrating policies and security.

Room for Improvement: IBM Tivoli NetCool could improve in simplifying its complex setup, refining its user interface, and enhancing real-time data integration. Cisco DNA Center can focus on reducing dependency on Cisco infrastructure, expanding flexibility for non-Cisco devices, and improving ML-driven predictive analyses.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco DNA Center boasts a straightforward deployment with thorough documentation and proactive customer support. IBM Tivoli NetCool, while requiring a complex deployment, benefits from a vast knowledge base for user-driven troubleshooting.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Tivoli NetCool offers favorable licensing with competitive setup costs, catering to businesses looking for cost efficiency. Cisco DNA Center, although more expensive initially, justifies the cost with advanced features promising a higher ROI through efficient network management and integration.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco DNA Center vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool

April 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 851,604 peers since 2012

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 Management Applications

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (13th), Network Automation (2nd)

IBM Tivoli NetCool

Ranking in Network Management Applications

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 25.1%, down from 29.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Tivoli NetCool is 2.0%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Management Applications

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.

Read full review

Petar Ganev

Senior Enterprise Monitoring Engineer at Commerzbank

Reliable for enterprise monitoring but no longer actively developed

There are problems with the latest security requirements because many things have changed in recent years, and now the security audits are very strict. And we need to switch to something else. We need to patch it constantly. Moreover, it is a very old tool and a little bit difficult to support. Otherwise, they work okay.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution helps with the management and orchestration of campaigns. It helps with visibility and analytics. I also like its SDA configuration."

"Application Assurance works very well."

"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."

"Cisco VXLAN is a protocol that has been around for some time, but the practical implementation and operational capability of Cisco DNA Center bring it to life."

"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."

"It enables monitoring of various components such as access points, switch cards, and other elements within the company's solutions."

"It is very versatile in terms of analytics."

"I like the visibility, instant build, network, policies, and the ability to control access. I also like that you can visualize your whole network."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"It's very easy to use."

"The tool had many built-in automation capabilities."

"The scalability of monitoring, the breadth of supported network components, the scale of the number of monitoring events, and the flexibility in customization make this a well-rounded product."

"The feature I have found most valuable with NetCool is how it collaborates all the alarms, and then it does a predictive analysis, providing a consolidated alarm view and management."

"Anything is possible with Tivoli. It's quite a robust system."

"Support is one of the best aspects of this solution. NetCool is a good product that has good flexibility. There are a lot of documents available online which is one of the best features of IBM Tivoli Suite. Whenever an issue happens, rather than going to technical support, if you find the exact issue in Google, you can get tech notes for that particular issue."

"NetCool has a huge database that can collect and process about one million alarms a day."

More IBM Tivoli NetCool pros

Cons

"DNA Center has been on the market for a few years and they need to update it."

"Cisco DNA Center should improve its configuration management. It is better to have a dev version before pushing it."

"The solution's integration feature can be better."

"The solution needs to improve the dashboard."

"Cisco DNA Center was a new technology for us, at the beginning, it was not easy to do, but Cisco did a lot of training with us to a level we could handle everything. The team is managing itself now without the assistance of Cisco."

"What could be improved is the licensing cost of Cisco DNA Center. It's a little bit expensive."

"What I want to see in Cisco DNA Center in the future is more support for other platforms so that you can manage third-party products, such as Fortinet."

"They can improve the network visibility. Licensing and its maintenance are also needed."

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"The solution is not user-friendly."

"The installation could be simplified, and technical support could be faster."

"Tivoli NetCool's has medium scalability - there are some problems with its replications not being mature."

"UI is outdated, very old legacy."

"Tivoli NetCool is based on a Linux platform, it would be beneficial if they moved it to Windows because not everyone is acquainted with Linux."

"In terms of improvement, I would like to see more AIOps, Artificial Intelligent Operations in the next release. IBM develops new features for Power BI or Cognos Analytics, which is good. As of now, we use Cognos Analytics, we are not using Power BI. They have the Insight concept but we don't like that."

"Customization and integration that you need to do to make the product fit your needs is very complex. It is not a product that somebody could easily pick up without any prior training or experience."

More IBM Tivoli NetCool cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."

"Cisco DNA Center is a licensed product with multiple levels of licensing available such as basic, advanced, and essential. I don't have the exact figure, but Cisco DNA Center is costly. For example, the box has information about the essential license and costs a considerable amount of money. You need to pay extra to use advanced features in Cisco DNA Center. My company sees Cisco DNA Center as a solution that's worth the money, which is why it invested in the solution. If you want centralized management for your network, especially when upgrading it, Cisco DNA Center is perfect, but it's more suitable for a large-scale rather than a small-scale network."

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

"I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

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

"The solution is expensive."

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

"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"It costs around 100k for every ten servers, which is lower than similar products from other vendors."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"Customers are required to pay a licensing fee."

"The price of the product is too expensive."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Management Applications solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

31%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

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 is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?

I have worked from 1973 with all kind of systems in large enterprises across the world. And have experience with all kind of software in monitoring from infra to end to end, it depends on the funct...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Tivoli NetCool?

The tool had many built-in automation capabilities.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Tivoli NetCool?

The main challenge is its licensing model, which is very complicated.

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

NetBrain vs Cisco DNA Center

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco DNA Center Competitors

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 41% of the time

HPE Intelligent Management Center vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 21% of the time

OpenText Network Node Manager i vs IBM Tivoli NetCool

Compared 20% of the time

More IBM Tivoli NetCool Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

May 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Tivoli NetCool

May 2025

Download IBM Tivoli NetCool product report

Also Known As

DNA Center

Tivoli NetCool

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

IBM Tivoli Netcool delivers near real-time, consolidated event management across business infrastructure, data centers, complex networks and IT domains. The software provides full management and automation to help you deliver continuous uptime of business services and applications.

IBM

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Claranet, Consolidated Communications, Telus, €sterreichische Bundesbahnen (€BB), Telekom Srbija, Bendigo Community Telco, Capgemini, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB)

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool

April 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco DNA Center vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Cisco DNA Center vs. IBM Tivoli NetCool report.

See our list of best Network Management Applications vendors.

We monitor all Network Management Applications reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.