Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Cisco DNA Center are both leading solutions in the automation and network management sector. Red Hat Ansible excels in server deployment without the need for agents, offering ease of use and quick ramp-up, while Cisco DNA Center is superior in network management with tools for monitoring and security.
Features: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is favored for its agentless architecture, simple YAML-based configuration, and broad community support. Its ability to handle server deployments efficiently and manage configurations without agents makes it ideal for large-scale automation. Cisco DNA Center offers extensive network management capabilities, including comprehensive monitoring, analytics, and security tools focused on Cisco infrastructures, making it network-centric rather than server-based.
Room for Improvement: Red Hat Ansible requires enhanced performance for large environments due to constraints with SSH-based operations and improved documentation for wider user adoption. Integration with custom modules and consistent performance across environments are areas for development. Cisco DNA Center could improve third-party device integration and user interface navigation. High costs and setup complexity may deter smaller enterprises.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ansible Automation Platform is praised for its adaptability across diverse environments such as hybrid and cloud, backed by strong community support. Although its documentation and community resources are rated highly, there is potential to improve direct technical support. Cisco DNA Center provides robust support for existing Cisco customers but poses a steep learning curve for new users, necessitating clearer documentation for smoother transitions.
Pricing and ROI: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is budget-friendly with an open-source model, attractive for businesses aiming for operational efficiency and low upfront costs. It offers competitive pricing with significant ROI through labor and time savings in automation tasks. Cisco DNA Center, although perceived as costly for smaller enterprises, justifies its high price with extensive network features, particularly benefiting larger enterprises with its centralized management advantages.
Although Cisco DNA Center is expensive, we have seen a return on investment in terms of time savings.
The work that previously took two months now takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Overall, Cisco DNA Center rates eight out of ten as a complete solution.
The support for Cisco DNA Center is good.
I have not escalated any questions to the Red Hat support team regarding Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, as their modules are professional and complete.
The Ansible sales and technical support services need significant improvement.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform has a large community with many written blogs and resources available, making it easy to maintain.
From my experience, we can easily manage numerous devices.
The solution is designed for large enterprise companies.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is easily maintainable and highly scalable.
Ansible can face scalability issues, such as limitations when trying to scale up infrastructure.
When we communicate problems, they solve them effectively.
The stability of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is excellent, deserving a 10 out of 10 rating.
The AI-driven insights have contributed significantly to faster troubleshooting and predictive analytics.
The client history in Cisco DNA Center can be longer than 10 days, perhaps extending to 15 or 20 days.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is very easy to use with Jinja templating capabilities that make it really straightforward.
The dashboarding capabilities should be improved by bringing CMP (Cloud Management Platform) into Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform could improve by creating modules for upcoming AI and ML tech stacks.
The pricing is high, and since I'm not using all functionalities, it would be better if the price depended on the functionalities used.
The cost of combining Red Hat Developer Hub and Ansible is extremely high, which presents a significant challenge with the Red Hat product.
There is no pricing and no licensing required, as Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is always free to use.
If there is a problem, I can inspect the situation and see what is happening, which is beneficial.
The most valuable features include AI-driven insights which make troubleshooting much easier.
The agentless architecture of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, using the SSH key, makes it passwordless and allows us to push configurations with one click, creating a major advantage.
For 200 to 300 servers, the maintenance took about one to two months. New patches would arrive and we would have to repeat the process. Now, it is a one-night work or a 10 to 15 minutes task.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is easy to integrate.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform | 14.2% |
| Cisco DNA Center | 8.6% |
| Other | 77.2% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 10 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 9 |
| Large Enterprise | 25 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 24 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 8 |
| Large Enterprise | 48 |
Cisco DNA Center delivers powerful centralized security, automation, and comprehensive analytics for enhanced network management. With an intuitive dashboard and integration with Cisco devices, it reduces errors, boosts efficiency, and ensures seamless wired and wireless network operations.
Organizations leverage Cisco DNA Center for network management and automation, offering increased visibility into traffic flows and efficient device provisioning. It supports real-time data transmission, network segmentation, and integrates with ISE. Features like wireless assurance, centralized management, and AI-driven insights into network health promote an efficient network environment while addressing compliance issues. However, improvements are necessary for better third-party integration, affordability, and more user-friendly documentation.
What are the solution's most important features?In industries like healthcare, finance, and education, Cisco DNA Center's advanced features facilitate the management of complex network infrastructures and aid in achieving compliance efficiently. Its ability to manage LANs and WLANs supports diverse networking environments including greenfield projects and SPN setups.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform streamlines IT operations with features like a simplified GUI and extensive module support. Its agentless architecture and YAML ease make it an adaptable choice for managing diverse infrastructures efficiently.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform offers a robust automation framework that supports multiple environments and integrates well with various applications. Its agentless Python-based architecture facilitates efficient server management and rapid update deployment. Users benefit from centralized management through Ansible Tower, role-based access control, and dynamic inventory. However, improvement areas include documentation, API integration, network support, and UI scaling. Enhanced community contributions could address module availability and compatibility gaps.
What are the most important features of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform?In industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is used for network management, security compliance, and configuration tasks. Organizations utilize its capabilities for cloud and on-premises deployment, infrastructure provisioning, and workflow orchestration. Many integrate it with tools such as Puppet or Terraform to enhance CI/CD processes, benefiting from its agentless design in adapting to cloud environments.
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