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Cisco DNA Center vs OpenText Network Node Manager i 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 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)
OpenText Network Node Manag...
Ranking in Network Management Applications
15th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Management Applications category, the mindshare of Cisco DNA Center is 26.9%, down from 29.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Network Node Manager i is 2.1%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Management Applications
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Mirit Goldring-Boymshtain - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy-to-implement product with a valuable map topology feature
The platform has a lot of interesting capabilities. Implementation is simplified, in contrast to some products like SolarWinds, where external assistance is often required for meet uploads. It is more inexpensive than other products in the market. In a specific customer implementation, the complex topology of the customer's network revealed a separate and closed segment at one of their sites. We could not understand the status of the broken network and devices. With the help of NNMi, we got a view of the issues. The product helps us reduce downtime and improve incident response time by offering remediation options. The tools run automatically, checking the network activities for different areas and time zones. It provides efficient documentation, interface, and integration features. I rate the product a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of the solution are all of its security features...It is a highly scalable solution."
"The product's most valuable feature is the visual representation of the switch's front panel."
"Cisco DNA Center is a user-friendly solution."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco DNA Center is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) that provides us with valuable information."
"The monitoring features are very useful for network engineers."
"The best feature of Cisco DNA Center is the visibility page, where you can see everything on the dashboard, and you don't have to be a technical person to view the issues."
"The most valuable features of Cisco DNA Center are wireless assurance and visibility."
"The product offers an intuitive and automated way to manage user networks. It gives me an insight into the network health."
"It is stable for fault and availability."
"Our monitoring and network teams of less than 100 people use this solution. The availability and fault monitoring are good."
"It is a scalable product."
"If you install one node on Network Node Manager and want to scale it up, it's pretty easy to create more nodes."
"The platform has good stability."
"We do not have any issues stability-wise."
"It gives us a good overview of what's happening in our networks and the devices in the networks."
"Topology creation is the most valuable feature."
 

Cons

"The solution's technical support is an area with which my company's clients have a problem. Cisco doesn't provide good technical support unless a user has a big account that Cisco wants to retain."
"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."
"We encountered issues with their response times, which had a big impact on our workflow."
"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 product doesn’t have good monitoring capabilities."
"The product has many features that do not work properly."
"The cost is very high."
"What could be improved is the licensing cost of Cisco DNA Center. It's a little bit expensive."
"The way the solution currently works means I'm not able to customize my own reports."
"We had some issues with some of the features, some modules are not meeting expectations."
"The solution should integrate with NAC servers."
"The dashboards are not customizable and it's not user-friendly."
"As the technologies evolve, also these solutions or the monitoring tools should evolve to cover the progress in technology, including capabilities related to monitoring of virtualized devices today, as the DNS is on the table in this way."
"The resources utilized could be a bit higher, and that is one of the challenges that isn't optimized"
"When I open a ticket, usually they respond very late. Some of the people I negotiate with seem undertrained."
"The deployment architecture and installation part needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I do know that Cisco does offer some really good promotions for DNA Center to bring the costs down."
"I would rate the pricing a six out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"The solution is expensive."
"The product is very costly."
"The price of the solution is expensive. The hardware is licensed on the device, but the hardware on the server is expensive."
"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."
"We get a yearly license at the time we buy the product."
"Cisco DNA Center is too expensive."
"It's an expensive solution."
"The solution is priced mid-range compared to the competition."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"I wasn't involved in the pricing, but I think it's quite expensive."
"It is more inexpensive than other products in the market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
 

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.
What needs improvement with Cisco DNA Center?
The system is working fine for me currently.
What needs improvement with Micro Focus Network Node Manager?
They should add AI options in the product's next release.
What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Network Node Manager?
We use the product monitoring network infrastructure, interfaces, and devices.
 

Also Known As

DNA Center
Micro Focus Network Node Manager, Network Node Manager, HPE Network Node Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
IPC, Exelon, VivaCom, 
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco DNA Center vs. OpenText Network Node Manager i and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
845,589 professionals have used our research since 2012.