Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Score8.8 out of 10

272 Reviews and Ratings

What is Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is a software-defined wide area network solution designed to simplify and optimize enterprise network connectivity in complex digital landscapes. It enables organizations to connect any user to any application, whether on-premises, in data centers, or across multiple clouds, with integrated capabilities for multicloud support, security, predictive automation, and enhanced network visibility—all built on a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)-enabled architecture.

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is presented as ideal for enterprises undergoing digital transformation, especially those adopting hybrid and multicloud strategies. It addresses challenges such as fragmented IT environments, complex WAN architectures, and the need for secure access to business-critical applications.

In summary, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN aims to empower organizations to thrive in a cloud-first, distributed work environment by delivering a secure, high-performance, and easy-to-manage network foundation. It accelerates digital transformation by simplifying WAN operations, enhancing security, optimizing cloud connectivity, and providing actionable insights to ensure superior application experiences for users.

Categories & Use Cases

Software-Defined WAN

Majdi Isayyed

Network Administrator in Information Technology at Palestine IslamicBank (501-1000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

In my organization, I used Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN to connect my remote sites to our Data center

Pros

it is stable
it is easy to use

Cons

upgrade should be simpler
manage should show the live logs

Return on Investment

The impact Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN has on our organization's overall business objectives is good as the budget of purchasing or upgrade MPLS (multiprotocol label switching) lines decreaed

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Verified User

Manager in Information Technology (51-200 employees employees)

Cons

Integration of Third Party connectivity
Cisco not involved with initial design (sometimes outsourced)
Some aspects of setup require CLI

Return on Investment

Saving from not requiring MPLS connections
Increased uptime with 4G LTE backup
Free up staffing resources by 60%
No downtime saves us up to $30,000 per year

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Routers

Other Software Used

CheckPoint, Lenovo XClarity, Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (1001-5000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I design customer solutions on Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN. The business requirement is customers with multiple branches and regional sites needing connectivity and single management

Pros

Configuration Groups
Simple management
Easy deployment

Cons

I think that there is room for improvement in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN with Speedy migrations from UX1.0 to UX2.0

Return on Investment

Relatively new and not much documentation out there yet

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Meraki Dashboard

Other Software Used

Cisco ThousandEyes, Cisco Meraki Dashboard

Verified User

Employee in Information Technology (10,001+ employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently use Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN as a GUI and we are planning to move forward to SDwan as code and the challenge that we have is that we have lots of unused templates and we need to clean up our network.

Pros

attaching templates to device
creating new policies
creating new device templates

Cons

Remove the function that each user should update password each 30 days and move to another type of authentication.

Return on Investment

Moving forward more to network automation than using traditional networking.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Cisco Meraki Dashboard and Cisco ThousandEyes

Other Software Used

Cisco Meraki Dashboard, Cisco ThousandEyes

Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology (1001-5000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

In our organization, We use Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN to connect multi users sites to our Datacenters. We need secure access to our apps, traffic shaping and Security

Pros

I think that Security is done well in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
I think that Traffic Shaping is done well in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Cons

In my opinion, the User interface has room for improvement in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Return on Investment

The impact Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN has on our organization's overall business objectives is user satisfactions

Usability

Other Software Used

Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI), Cisco Firepower 2100 Series

HPE Aruba Networking EdgeConnect, duplic

Juniper Mist WAN Assurance

Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

What is Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN?

Categories & Use Cases

Reviews

[...] Review Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Pros

Cons

Return on Investment

Usability

Alternatives Considered