Cisco Catalyst Center vs. Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Catalyst Center
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Catalyst Center provides an intent-based platform for managing enterprise networks across campus, branch, and edge environments. It combines automation, analytics, and assurance to streamline IT operations, improve security posture, and reduce manual tasks. With integratedAI/ML-driven insights, policy-based controls, and end-to-end visibility across wired and wireless infrastructures, Catalyst Center empowers IT teams toproactively detect issues, enforce compliance, and accelerate…N/A
Cisco SD-Access
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Cisco's Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) provides automated end-to-end segmentation to separate user, device and application traffic without redesigning the network. Cisco SD-Access automates user access policy so organizations can make sure the right policies are established for any user or device with any application across the network.N/A
Pricing
Cisco Catalyst CenterCisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Catalyst CenterCisco SD-Access
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Catalyst CenterCisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access)
Considered Both Products
Cisco Catalyst Center
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Aruba Cloud Data Center Outsourcing
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Because is a modern solution. It is well made and well supported
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco ThousandEyes, Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms, Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches, Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controllers, NETSCOUT nGeniusONE and NETSCOUT nGenius Packet Flow Switch
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Meraki, Mist, and Catalsyst Center are by far the big three platforms. There is not much competition otherwise for the enterprise level.
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Switches
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
SolarWinds Network Device Monitor
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Nexus Dashboard
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers (ASR 1000)
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Prime LAN Management (discontinued), Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Cisco Meraki Dashboard, Juniper Mist Premium Analytics, NetBrain Technologies and Cisco Nexus Series Switches
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Workload Optimization Manager (WOM)
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
when it comes to network management tools, Cisco pretty much always gets a C- . I'm not a fan of this software. I've used every iteration of control software starting with Cisco Works and it doesn't seem to get better or more stable. Also Cisco orphans their solutions as …
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Meraki Dashboard
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
FortiManager, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Prime LAN Management (discontinued) and Netbox
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Meraki Dashboard
Chose Cisco Catalyst Center
HPE Aruba Networking Operating System
Cisco SD-Access
Chose Cisco SD-Access
Automation, pushing template-based configuration to multiple devices in one push saves time and manpower. Assurance helps trace issues related to devices, clients, and provide the troubleshoot as the best practices. Segmentation, with the use of the SGT tags, we are able to …
Chose Cisco SD-Access
Unfortunately I haven't tested similar solutions from other vendors.
Chose Cisco SD-Access
Currently in Initial Phase
Chose Cisco SD-Access
Basically, we have various devices and solutions from Cisco and we are more focused on the next generation networks with the best support. We knew that Cisco has the best team sitting to support [any] issues and help us to troubleshoot whenever we need it. So we go with Cisco …
Best Alternatives
Cisco Catalyst CenterCisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access)
Small Businesses
NinjaOne
NinjaOne
Score 9.0 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
NinjaOne
NinjaOne
Score 9.0 out of 10
Cisco ACI
Cisco ACI
Score 8.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Meraki Dashboard
Cisco Meraki Dashboard
Score 9.0 out of 10
Cisco ACI
Cisco ACI
Score 8.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Catalyst CenterCisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
1.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.7
(0 ratings)
6.2
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
2.7
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Catalyst CenterCisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access)
Likelihood to Recommend
Would recommend Cisco Catalyst Center to medium to large scale organizations that have many cookie-cutter sites and the resources to properly provision all their devices. I would not recommend to teams that do not have a strong network engineering team that can navigate the various intricacies of the platform.
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It's well suited in our corporate offices, where all our business users resides and where we can control all their accesses. What doesn't really fit well is when we have our branch fronts, where all the software domain access features aren't utilized to its fullest, due to the fact that customers and users don't really need to have all the security features that SDA provides.
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Pros
  • That's a good one. Because its power is only exceeded by its mystery, it makes our life easy. Prior to having Cisco Catalyst Center in place, a simple change, a simple change to put a network out into service, each of a building might have taken hours or days worth of change planning. Now it takes us longer to raise the paperwork, run it, and go through a change board process and it does to execute the intent and turn it into an actionable service.
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  • Automation, pushing template-based configuration to multiple devices in one push saves time and manpower.
  • Assurance [helps trace] issues related to devices, clients, and provide the troubleshoot as [the] best practices.
  • Segmentation, with the use of the SGT tags, we are able to achieve segmentation and micro-segmentation securely.
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Cons
  • Within its Tasks - Audit, it can sometimes allow plaintext data, including passwords, to be seen. There should be functionality to detect password usage and appropriately obfuscate the data.
  • Occasionally, Catalyst Center does not sync changes properly within templates, which requires deleting and reconfiguring the template version. Better processes here would be beneficial.
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  • Documentation: Working in this solution I realized there were missing information details about the fusion device support for nexus.
  • Fusion router: This roll in the fabric should be already integrated in the solution, right now it is configured manually.
  • Bugs: Unfortunately the solution still present a lot of bugs, mainly in the controller.
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Likelihood to Renew
I gave an 8 out of 10 because Cisco Catalyst Center has been really helpful for monitoring the network, troubleshooting issues, managing segmentation, and automating some tasks. It makes day-to-day operations easier and gives good visibility into the network. It’s not a 10 because there are still areas that could be simpler or more integrated with other tools we use, so there’s room for improvement, but overall it’s a valuable platform that we plan to keep using.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
Cisco DNA Center is going to help us in security, simplicity and ease of administration. Cisco DNA Center is complete management and control platform that simplifies and streamlines network operations. Cisco DNA Center offers a single dashboard for every core function in your network. With this platform, IT can become more nimble and respond to changes and challenges faster and more intelligently.
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It is difficult to start using the product due to its unfamiliar name and acronyms. ,The task should be accomplished in a specific order to ensure success
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Support Rating
El soporte de CISCO DNA Center es muy bueno, responden a mis dudas pero no he tenido oportunidad de reportar un incidente o determinar un tiempo de respuesta critico. The support of CISCO DNA Center is very good, they answer my questions, but I have not had the opportunity to report an incident or determine a critical response time.
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As far as my experience with SD-Access -I'd say things that can be improved are - better functionality with ISE, ease to understand licensing and better documentation for configuration (add-ons, etc), and licensing.
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Online Training
It was informative, but the labs were not available long enough for us to get intimately familiar with CCNA before it was closed. The course instructor was well informed and got us as close to ready as she could.
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I rated the training an 8 because overall, it was well-structured, and the instructor was highly knowledgeable on the subject matter. The content was relevant, and I appreciated the clear explanations of complex topics. However, I felt that some sections were covered too quickly, making it difficult to fully absorb the information before moving on. Additionally, I would have liked more time dedicated to Q&A, as there were moments when I had questions but didn’t get the opportunity to ask them due to time constraints. Adding more interactive discussions or hands-on exercises could further enhance the learning experience and make it even more engaging
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
At the beginning, we had to open a TAC case for every single step during the implementation phase.
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Alternatives Considered
A little bit of Prime, which I believe was its predecessor. I’m not really familiar with it. We never really used it to its full potential. We’ve also used things like NetBrain and SolarWinds for event management, but they don’t give us the end-user troubleshooting that Cisco Catalyst Center provides. It stacks up much better in some areas, but because of its proprietary approach—limited to only Cisco Catalyst and Meraki, and limited support on other Cisco devices—it doesn’t fully serve as a single pane or single source of truth for our network equipment because of that reason.
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Basically, we have various devices and solutions from Cisco and we are more focused on the next generation networks with the best support. We knew that Cisco has the best team sitting to support [any] issues and help us to troubleshoot whenever we need it. So we go with Cisco for this solution.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • I have used it for upgrading devices, and it's does a great job at that, however out operations team for whatever reason has not adopted the feature.
  • Overall it feels like Cisco Catalyst Center has been huge waste of time. I feel like my time would be better spent on other projects and looking at other products and tools
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  • Positive: Less time to provisioning a device in the campus Lan network
  • Positive: Less time to troubleshoot the network
  • Negative: the implementation phase itself was too long because of a lot of bugs in the oldest versions.
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ScreenShots

Cisco Catalyst Center Screenshots

Screenshot of AIOpsScreenshot of BaselinesScreenshot of PoliciesScreenshot of HealthScreenshot of Network HierarchyScreenshot of PoE