

PRTG Network Monitor and Cisco Secure Network Analytics are prominent contestants in the network monitoring and security analytics fields. PRTG Network Monitor has the advantage in cost-effectiveness and ease of deployment, whereas Cisco Secure Network Analytics holds a strong position in security analytics and network ecosystem integration.
Features: PRTG Network Monitor is appreciated for its rapid deployment, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Its robust suite of sensors covers diverse monitoring needs, complemented by built-in analytics and customizable notifications. Cisco Secure Network Analytics boasts powerful security analytics, network visibility, and threat detection capabilities. It provides significant Layer 7 insights and integrates seamlessly with Cisco's network ecosystem.
Room for Improvement: PRTG Network Monitor could enhance its template customization, improve dashboards, and offer more adaptable reporting features. Users also suggest better graphical interfaces and improved mobile application integration. For Cisco Secure Network Analytics, improvements in integration with Cisco's ISE, enhanced documentation for usability, and pricing adjustments for various markets are recommended. Simplifying setup processes and strengthening reporting capabilities would also benefit new users.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: PRTG Network Monitor supports both on-premises and hybrid cloud deployments, praised for its straightforward setup and helpful customer support, though email response times could improve. Cisco Secure Network Analytics is focused on on-premises solutions with generally responsive technical support. However, more interactive and remote assistance could enhance service quality. Both solutions are noted for reliable support, albeit with some time-zone-related response delays.
Pricing and ROI: PRTG Network Monitor is cost-effective, especially favorable for small to medium businesses due to its flexible licensing and comprehensive feature set. It delivers considerable ROI with proactive monitoring and minimal staffing requirements. While Cisco Secure Network Analytics provides robust functionality, it is perceived as more expensive, potentially impacting ROI for organizations with budget constraints. Its flow-based subscription model adds operational costs, justified by enhanced network security.
It provides accurate data for utilization, allowing us to monitor and optimize our investments in WAN connection capacity.
After introducing PRTG Network Monitor, we have saved time, and it's easy for everybody to monitor everything.
The implementation reduced our employee resources from 20-25 to 5-6 employees.
There is a lack of adequate local support from the Indian side.
For technical support of Cisco, the support they provide depends on how the client procures it, and so far, it's understandable.
They resolve our queries 24/7.
The setup process is well-documented, making it easy to deploy.
Tutorials are available so I can manage any issue with PRTG Network Monitor easily.
On a scale of one to ten, scalability is rated as 9.5.
PRTG Network Monitor has the ability to scale and add new devices.
You can install them in each network, even if they are not connected, and it works.
Cisco products are incredibly stable, boasting a 200% stability.
Once resolved, the system works well, and overall I think it's good.
We haven't needed vendor support for the last three years, which demonstrates the product's stability.
PRTG Network Monitor is stable in my experience, and I have not encountered issues with crashes or downtime.
PRTG Network Monitor is very stable and requires low maintenance.
The solution should have the ability to analyze security events not only at the network layer but also at the application and OS layers.
Proper management of the database is also important; it should be centralized for easier data collection from a single database.
The initial auto-discovery added too many unnecessary sensors, so auto-discovery should only take the necessary sensors into consideration.
They need to improve application performance monitoring, error tracing mechanisms, and log management.
PRTG Network Monitor should provide syslog monitoring since it is not available at this time.
Cisco solutions are considered to be very expensive.
Regarding cost, for the Bangladesh context, Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a little bit high-priced because we are a developing country, making it tough to manage affordable solutions.
The licensing part is a recurring license for every year, which is very affordable, making PRTG Network Monitor budget-friendly.
Pricing is by the number of devices, not by sensor.
The prices are very high for PRTG Network Monitor.
The most valuable features include encrypted traffic analytics and the ability to fulfill requirements at the network level.
Every solution is gradually integrated with AI, and Cisco has already implemented AI building features in their solution.
PRTG Network Monitor already provided me with 100 free sensors, which is enough for my network monitoring.
PRTG Network Monitor has a good dashboard that shows each and every piece of information, so we can easily find out what is happening with the systems.
These reports help me in my day-to-day work, and I rely on them because they provide proof during escalation, with exact downtime logs and related information.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| PRTG Network Monitor | 3.3% |
| Cisco Secure Network Analytics | 1.0% |
| Other | 95.7% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 11 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 7 |
| Large Enterprise | 52 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 59 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 19 |
| Large Enterprise | 47 |
Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a highly effective network traffic analysis (NTA) solution that enables users to find threats in their network traffic even if those threats are encrypted. It turns an organization’s network telemetry into a tool that creates a complete field of vision for the organization’s administrators. Users can find threats that may have infiltrated their systems and stop them before they can do irreparable harm.
Cisco Secure Network Analytics Benefits
A few ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy Cisco Secure Network Analytics include:
Cisco Secure Network Analytics Features
Some of the many features that Cisco Secure Network Analytics offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a solution that stands out even when compared to many other comparable products. Two major advantages that it offers are the way that it enables users to define the threshold at which the solution will issue a warning to administrators and the predefined alerts that it offers straight out of the box.
Gerald J., the information technology operations supervisor at Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., writes, “StealthWatch lets me see the ports running in and out and the country. It has excellent reporting, telemetry, and artificial intelligence features. With the telemetry, I can set thresholds to detect sudden changes and the alarms go through the PLC parts. I can see all the ports running on that trunk.”
A senior security engineer at a tech services company, says, “Cisco Stealthwatch has predefined alerts for different types of security issues that might happen in the network. Whether it's PCs or servers that are used for botnets or Bitcoin mining we receive the alerts automatically. This functionality is what we receive from the solution out of the box.”
PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.
To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.
We monitor all Network Monitoring Software 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.