Cisco DNA Center vs NetBrain comparison

Cisco and NetBrain are both solutions in the Network Automation category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.0, while NetBrain is ranked #6. Cisco holds a 13.9% mindshare in NA, compared to NetBrain’s 12.6% mindshare. Additionally, 89% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 75% of NetBrain users who would recommend it.

Cisco DNA Center

Read 41 Cisco DNA Center reviews

2,431 Views
1,503 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

NetBrain

Read 6 NetBrain reviews

1,368 Views
871 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Cisco DNA Center

NetBrain

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

NetBrain and Cisco DNA Center compete in network automation and management. NetBrain leads in cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness, whereas Cisco DNA Center stands out for its comprehensive features, justifying its higher price.

Features: NetBrain offers dynamic network mapping, real-time diagnostics, and automatic configuration checks, focusing on simplifying troubleshooting. In contrast, Cisco DNA Center provides extensive automation through intent-based networking, advanced analytics, and AI-driven insights, supporting detailed network management and security enhancement.

Room for Improvement: NetBrain could benefit from more advanced automation capabilities and better integration with third-party tools. Enhancements in user training and scalability could also improve its offering. Cisco DNA Center's complexity could be reduced for simpler integrations and more straightforward operations. More intuitive interfaces for non-technical users and enhanced customization options could boost user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetBrain is known for straightforward deployment and responsive customer support. Cisco DNA Center can be complex to set up but offers robust customer service throughout the deployment process. NetBrain's setup simplicity contrasts with Cisco's intricate but well-supported implementation.

Pricing and ROI: NetBrain presents a lower initial investment, offering quick ROI through its affordability. Cisco DNA Center, with higher setup costs, is geared towards long-term benefits due to its advanced features. NetBrain's cost-effectiveness appeals to budget-conscious users, whereas Cisco positions itself as a feature-rich investment for those prioritizing functionality.

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

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. NetBrain

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 Automation

2nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Management Applications (1st), Network Monitoring Software (13th)

NetBrain

Ranking in Network Automation

6th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Troubleshooting (14th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Network Automation category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 13.9%, down from 18.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetBrain is 12.6%, up from 7.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Automation

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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Deborah Gamelin

Vice President at Asset Track for Cloud, LLC

Good monitoring and troubleshoot capabilities, improves overall network traffic visibility

In my organization, we had 130,000 network devices that needed to be brought into the solution and mapped. NetBrain can handle the scale but the engineers that manage those devices have to go in and update all of them to allow NetBrain permission to poll them. It can get a little stressful for everybody when you're trying to roll out new stuff when you've got other issues that have to be addressed with other devices. In some cases, our devices had no automation at all. One example is the Cisco 3650. Right now, if you went through the inventory list, you see that we have different versions running. Some are on one version, whereas others are on another version. The problem with upgrading them is that they need to be done overnight because we don't want to disrupt any network traffic during business hours. Consequently, it could take us years to upgrade the versions before we can even get them onto these new tools. This may be an internal issue but it's a big one when you have a lot of devices. Even if you had 10,000 devices, it's still an issue. You have to consider the compatibility of the device against the tool, and being able to use certain commands to upgrade it.

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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 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."

"What's most valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the ability to manage any Cisco infrastructure and device through it. Setup was straightforward."

"Cisco is a leading network company."

"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."

"The product's most valuable feature is the visual representation of the switch's front panel."

"What I found valuable in Cisco DNA Center is the Software-Defined Access Network, so the entire LAN network can be centralized and managed from a single dashboard. Cisco DNA Center is suitable for centralized management and lets you deploy switches in a centralized fashion. You can also do multiple switch port configurations simultaneously and segregate your traffic into multiple fabrics. Another valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is enhanced security through Scalable Group Tags. Cisco DNA Center can be integrated with your Cisco ISE to enhance the port securities, and this paves the way for Software-Defined Networking in the LAN segment, which is the main advantage of Cisco DNA Center. I also like that you can use Cisco DNA Center for data assurance or correlation. The solution shows your network and client health parameters, which I find convenient for troubleshooting."

"The most valuable features were the monitoring, maintenance, and configuration."

More Cisco DNA Center pros

"A reliable, time-saving tool for providing accurate layer 2 and layer 3 network mappings."

"This product has good network monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities."

"NetBrain is a very simple tool."

"Chain management is a good feature. I don't get it on other solutions."

"Enables maps to be drawn out."

Cons

"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."

"There is a limitation with the number of VRFs that you can have in your network, and this has caused us problems with some customers."

"One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process."

"Requires more focus on the digital side of things."

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

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

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

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

More Cisco DNA Center cons

"Support needs to improve for the installed product and some of the reporting could be more flexible to provide more complete cataloging."

"It would be nice if the setup was a little simpler. Also, if the solution could provide more training materials for new people coming into our company so they can quickly learn how to use the functionalities."

"The IP interface brief isn't consistent."

"The solution could integrate more automation."

"Each device needs to be configured to allow NetBrain to poll for the information it needs, which can be very time-consuming for a large network."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco DNA Center is expensive."

"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."

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

"The solution is a little bit expensive but depends a lot on the customer's usage. If you use it in the right place, you can easily pay for it."

"Our licensing agreement is for three years."

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

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

"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."

More Cisco DNA Center pricing and cost advice

"Licensing is based on a per-device basis, which means that it can get very expensive if you have a large number of devices."

"The product is expensive, but less expensive than some of the competition and worth the price."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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

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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

ThousandEyes vs NetBrain

Compared 19% of the time

SolarWinds Network Automation Manager vs NetBrain

Compared 14% of the time

Forward Enterprise vs NetBrain

Compared 10% of the time

NetBox.dev vs NetBrain

Compared 7% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs NetBrain

Compared 6% of the time

More NetBrain Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center

May 2025

Download Cisco DNA Center product report

Buyer's Guide

NetBrain

May 2025

Download NetBrain 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

Managing today’s networks with yesterday’s manual processes is no longer a viable solution. NetBrain’s network automation platform provides actionable insights into your network to help you make better and faster decisions - particularly when you’re troubleshooting, securing, and making changes to the network.

NetBrain

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

CompuCon, TD Ameritrade, Move Inc.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco DNA Center vs. NetBrain

April 2025

Free Report: Cisco DNA Center vs. NetBrain

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