Network Engineer I at a mining and metals company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Jun 2, 2026
The operational efficiency of Cisco in my IT environment is pretty good. There have been a few problems with hardware, like one of the nodes stops working, but I don't expect it to run perfectly. I would say it gives us overall good visibility, so that's how I would assess it. It's good visibility for what we have out there. My impression of the end-to-end visibility is that it's great. I'm able to build agents and use Cisco Catalyst Center to give me a lot of information. So now I don't even have to log into Catalyst. I get better visibility if something goes down, like if an endpoint goes down, I can identify the switch, or it will identify it for me and give me troubleshooting tips and advice through Catalyst. So the visibility is very good in that regard. I rate Cisco Catalyst Center overall as an eight out of ten.
Security, Network & Hosting Operations Manager, Information Technology at cmog
Real User
Top 10
Jun 2, 2026
I have not faced any specific challenges with hybrid and distributed enterprise networks that Cisco addresses. Since I am all Cisco, I assess the operational efficiency in my IT environment as being at the same level. I provide an overall review rating of 8 for Cisco Catalyst Center.
Cisco Catalyst Center might optimize the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup; I just have not used it long enough to determine that. My overall review rating for Cisco Catalyst Center is 8 out of 10.
Network Engineer at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jun 2, 2026
I have not really faced any specific challenges with hybrid and being distributed to the enterprise networks that Cisco Catalyst Center addresses. Cisco Catalyst Center optimizes the experience in a hybrid distributed enterprise setup. I would probably assess the optimal efficiency of Cisco Catalyst Center in my IT environment as above average. I am not really sure on the end-to-end visibility offered by Cisco Catalyst Center. The deployment model for Cisco Catalyst Center is on-premises. For my cloud provider, we use Amazon Web Services and Azure. I would rate this review a 7.
In my type of environment regarding hybrid and distributed enterprise networks, I do not work with a hybrid type of environment, so I do not have any challenges in that area. Cisco Catalyst Center addresses a lot of my security concerns, especially in the world of cybersecurity where there is a lot of risk. It does address many of those concerns. My impression of the end-to-end visibility is that it is excellent. The new implementation of AI has made it easier, and it can find things that I could not see on my own. I have given this product a review rating of 10.
I face no specific challenges with hybrid or distributed products. I would prefer not to assess the operational efficiency of Cisco Catalyst Center in my IT environment. My impression of end to end visibility offered by Cisco Catalyst Center is not positive. I would say there is no effect from end to end visibility from Cisco Catalyst Center on my organization's troubleshooting and capabilities. We came to Cisco Catalyst Center because we were already using it as there is always a single vendor in use. What stood out to me the most when using Cisco Catalyst Center is that the company was always using that product with no second vendor. There is no negative impact. My overall rating for this review is eight.
My experience with deploying Cisco Catalyst Center was positive, as it worked well and I have not encountered too many problems. Cisco Catalyst Center scales with the growing needs for my organization quite well. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Catalyst Center as definitely ten. I would rate this review as a ten overall.
Systems Technician. IT Office at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Mar 23, 2026
I am using switching, wireless, and Catalyst Center from Cisco, and of course, Cisco controller as well. I work with Cisco tools, specifically Cisco Catalyst Center and DNA Center. We use an automation feature in Cisco Catalyst Center called PNP, or Plug and Play feature. The Plug and Play feature reduces some manual work for me because when I want to set up a new switch, Cisco Catalyst Center takes over all the configuration and pushes out all the configuration to the new switches. I can absolutely recommend it to other users.
Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board
Real User
Top 5
Nov 13, 2025
Cisco Catalyst switching and the management of Cisco Catalyst switching were used with 9300 switches, as well as 2960s and 3560s. For management, Cisco Catalyst Center can be used or command line interface can be used directly, whichever is preferred. Cisco Catalyst Center is customizable to a point. Configuration distribution can be done through Cisco Catalyst Center or through scripting or a combination of both, with a combination of both being recommended. Automation features can be complex at first. Security integrations were not utilized as that work was segmented to other vendors and products and was not a project on the horizon at the time for the network team, with different groups and budgets involved. The overall review rating for this product is ten out of ten.
Account Service Delivery Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Jul 14, 2025
I am familiar with Cisco Catalyst Center and this particular solution. I am not able to recollect the exact version of Cisco Catalyst Center, but it is somewhere around 20.7, although I have been out from that project for almost six months. However, I am sure it is in the N minus one. We have not extensively utilized the security features of Cisco Catalyst Center, but the compliance area has helped us identify vulnerabilities. We upgrade the OS regularly, and using the rogue APs from a wireless point of view has also been beneficial. We have not yet fully started using the AI capabilities in Cisco Catalyst Center; we just planned for it. I have seen the AI button, enabled it, and kept it there, but I have not used it much, so it is too early to comment on that feature. I would definitely recommend Cisco Catalyst Center to other organizations because it provides visibility that was not there in the past and makes it easier to figure out what is going on in my network. Troubleshooting is simpler compared to logging into the device, and it gives solutions for most cases. Once the devices are stable, especially if they are legacy devices such as the 9000 series, the output along with its solutions is very helpful. The wireless assurance part is fantastic, providing about 90% accuracy, and I strongly recommend this system to my connections as it is one of the best tools I have encountered in Cisco. I rate Cisco Catalyst Center a nine out of ten.
Overall, I give Cisco Catalyst Center an eight out of ten. While Huawei provides strong competition, Cisco's continuous enhancements make their products valuable.
Analyst at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 10
Feb 28, 2025
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Catalyst Center as an eight or nine due to its good hardware, useful features, and strong security. My overall product rating is 8.
If you look at the data, the data sheet mentions what kind of data the DNA Center is capturing and sending to the cloud. This data collection is essential for certain functionalities, like vulnerability assessments and local telemetry. I don't see any issues regarding data security, but it largely depends on the network's security and where the Cisco DNA Center is deployed. Following the microservices architecture, you need three nodes to establish a Cisco DNA Center. This requirement is necessary if you want to form a fully functional Center. However, customer awareness of the DNA Center is still quite limited. Many customers hesitate to adopt a controller-based approach or commit to a single OEM. When considering Cisco, customers must have an infrastructure ready for the DNA Center, which often requires purchasing expensive software subscriptions like the DNA Advantage or Essentials licenses. Additionally, Cisco has introduced an AWS form factor for DNA Center, allowing it to run as an AWS instance. However, this option has limitations and doesn’t offer the full functionality of the on-premise deployment. Customers increasingly seek diverse solutions and are less inclined toward adopting DNA Center, similar to how they were hesitant with SDN controllers five years ago. The market dynamics are changing, and customer interest in DNA Center is not as strong as it once was. It's very tough to push the Catalyst Center. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Cisco Catalyst Center offers a comprehensive platform for network management, providing scalable solutions and advanced analytics for enterprise-level operations. Focusing on efficient network management, Cisco Catalyst Center effectively addresses dynamic enterprise environments, ensuring operational scalability and actionable insights through its robust feature set. It emphasizes seamless management with an intuitive interface tailored for professional use, facilitating enhanced network...
The operational efficiency of Cisco in my IT environment is pretty good. There have been a few problems with hardware, like one of the nodes stops working, but I don't expect it to run perfectly. I would say it gives us overall good visibility, so that's how I would assess it. It's good visibility for what we have out there. My impression of the end-to-end visibility is that it's great. I'm able to build agents and use Cisco Catalyst Center to give me a lot of information. So now I don't even have to log into Catalyst. I get better visibility if something goes down, like if an endpoint goes down, I can identify the switch, or it will identify it for me and give me troubleshooting tips and advice through Catalyst. So the visibility is very good in that regard. I rate Cisco Catalyst Center overall as an eight out of ten.
I have not faced any specific challenges with hybrid and distributed enterprise networks that Cisco addresses. Since I am all Cisco, I assess the operational efficiency in my IT environment as being at the same level. I provide an overall review rating of 8 for Cisco Catalyst Center.
Cisco Catalyst Center might optimize the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup; I just have not used it long enough to determine that. My overall review rating for Cisco Catalyst Center is 8 out of 10.
I have not really faced any specific challenges with hybrid and being distributed to the enterprise networks that Cisco Catalyst Center addresses. Cisco Catalyst Center optimizes the experience in a hybrid distributed enterprise setup. I would probably assess the optimal efficiency of Cisco Catalyst Center in my IT environment as above average. I am not really sure on the end-to-end visibility offered by Cisco Catalyst Center. The deployment model for Cisco Catalyst Center is on-premises. For my cloud provider, we use Amazon Web Services and Azure. I would rate this review a 7.
In my type of environment regarding hybrid and distributed enterprise networks, I do not work with a hybrid type of environment, so I do not have any challenges in that area. Cisco Catalyst Center addresses a lot of my security concerns, especially in the world of cybersecurity where there is a lot of risk. It does address many of those concerns. My impression of the end-to-end visibility is that it is excellent. The new implementation of AI has made it easier, and it can find things that I could not see on my own. I have given this product a review rating of 10.
I face no specific challenges with hybrid or distributed products. I would prefer not to assess the operational efficiency of Cisco Catalyst Center in my IT environment. My impression of end to end visibility offered by Cisco Catalyst Center is not positive. I would say there is no effect from end to end visibility from Cisco Catalyst Center on my organization's troubleshooting and capabilities. We came to Cisco Catalyst Center because we were already using it as there is always a single vendor in use. What stood out to me the most when using Cisco Catalyst Center is that the company was always using that product with no second vendor. There is no negative impact. My overall rating for this review is eight.
My experience with deploying Cisco Catalyst Center was positive, as it worked well and I have not encountered too many problems. Cisco Catalyst Center scales with the growing needs for my organization quite well. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Catalyst Center as definitely ten. I would rate this review as a ten overall.
I am using switching, wireless, and Catalyst Center from Cisco, and of course, Cisco controller as well. I work with Cisco tools, specifically Cisco Catalyst Center and DNA Center. We use an automation feature in Cisco Catalyst Center called PNP, or Plug and Play feature. The Plug and Play feature reduces some manual work for me because when I want to set up a new switch, Cisco Catalyst Center takes over all the configuration and pushes out all the configuration to the new switches. I can absolutely recommend it to other users.
Cisco Catalyst switching and the management of Cisco Catalyst switching were used with 9300 switches, as well as 2960s and 3560s. For management, Cisco Catalyst Center can be used or command line interface can be used directly, whichever is preferred. Cisco Catalyst Center is customizable to a point. Configuration distribution can be done through Cisco Catalyst Center or through scripting or a combination of both, with a combination of both being recommended. Automation features can be complex at first. Security integrations were not utilized as that work was segmented to other vendors and products and was not a project on the horizon at the time for the network team, with different groups and budgets involved. The overall review rating for this product is ten out of ten.
I am familiar with Cisco Catalyst Center and this particular solution. I am not able to recollect the exact version of Cisco Catalyst Center, but it is somewhere around 20.7, although I have been out from that project for almost six months. However, I am sure it is in the N minus one. We have not extensively utilized the security features of Cisco Catalyst Center, but the compliance area has helped us identify vulnerabilities. We upgrade the OS regularly, and using the rogue APs from a wireless point of view has also been beneficial. We have not yet fully started using the AI capabilities in Cisco Catalyst Center; we just planned for it. I have seen the AI button, enabled it, and kept it there, but I have not used it much, so it is too early to comment on that feature. I would definitely recommend Cisco Catalyst Center to other organizations because it provides visibility that was not there in the past and makes it easier to figure out what is going on in my network. Troubleshooting is simpler compared to logging into the device, and it gives solutions for most cases. Once the devices are stable, especially if they are legacy devices such as the 9000 series, the output along with its solutions is very helpful. The wireless assurance part is fantastic, providing about 90% accuracy, and I strongly recommend this system to my connections as it is one of the best tools I have encountered in Cisco. I rate Cisco Catalyst Center a nine out of ten.
Overall, I give Cisco Catalyst Center an eight out of ten. While Huawei provides strong competition, Cisco's continuous enhancements make their products valuable.
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Cisco Catalyst Center as an eight or nine due to its good hardware, useful features, and strong security. My overall product rating is 8.
The overall product rating is nine out of ten.
Catalyst is a product that has matured significantly over time, with no glaring features left to add. I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
If you look at the data, the data sheet mentions what kind of data the DNA Center is capturing and sending to the cloud. This data collection is essential for certain functionalities, like vulnerability assessments and local telemetry. I don't see any issues regarding data security, but it largely depends on the network's security and where the Cisco DNA Center is deployed. Following the microservices architecture, you need three nodes to establish a Cisco DNA Center. This requirement is necessary if you want to form a fully functional Center. However, customer awareness of the DNA Center is still quite limited. Many customers hesitate to adopt a controller-based approach or commit to a single OEM. When considering Cisco, customers must have an infrastructure ready for the DNA Center, which often requires purchasing expensive software subscriptions like the DNA Advantage or Essentials licenses. Additionally, Cisco has introduced an AWS form factor for DNA Center, allowing it to run as an AWS instance. However, this option has limitations and doesn’t offer the full functionality of the on-premise deployment. Customers increasingly seek diverse solutions and are less inclined toward adopting DNA Center, similar to how they were hesitant with SDN controllers five years ago. The market dynamics are changing, and customer interest in DNA Center is not as strong as it once was. It's very tough to push the Catalyst Center. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.