Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing

My use case for Cisco DNA Center  is for SD-Access, which is for software-defined access and management of devices.

I mostly use the client history feature of Cisco DNA Center .

I didn't use the real-time monitoring capability of Cisco DNA Center because I primarily used it for client history regarding issues and problems. I don't use it for real-time monitoring. If there is a problem, I can inspect the situation and see what is happening, which is beneficial.

In my opinion, the client history in Cisco DNA Center can be longer than 10 days, perhaps extending to 15 or 20 days. I am using it in a huge factory in Turkey, and sometimes I need to see what occurred one month or 20 days prior.

I have approximately one year of experience working with Cisco DNA Center.

We faced a few problems with Cisco DNA Center when we were setting up devices, but it wasn't significant because we are managing and using it with Cisco engineers who help us. We inform them of issues, and they assist in resolving them. I'm happy with the support from Cisco support. When we communicate problems, they solve them effectively.

Scalability in Cisco DNA Center is good. We are using it for Software-Defined Access solution, and we haven't reached our device limit yet. From my experience, we can easily manage numerous devices. Though we are not using the full potential of Cisco DNA Center, it seems very good so far.

I did not talk with Cisco support directly, but according to my colleagues, the support for Cisco DNA Center is good. On a scale from one to ten, it would rate seven or eight.

I am just a customer in relation to Cisco.

I don't know anything about prices and licensing of Cisco DNA Center because it's not my job; I'm just using it.

I have Cisco DNA Center deployed on-premises.

I have approximately three years of experience working in my current field.

I rate Cisco DNA Center overall nine out of ten.

We have been working with Cisco DNA Center  for ten years. Our clients use Cisco DNA Center  for unified visibility/monitoring across Enterprise Campus both LAN & WLAN  along with Access and fast technical issues troubleshooting.

The solution provides fast troubleshooting capabilities and fast technical problems solving across both LAN & WLAN  platform. The pricing, setup cost, and licensing of Cisco DNA Center are medium expensive.

The most valuable features includes unified visibility and monitoring across LAN & WLAN technologies which make troubleshooting much easier. The real-time monitoring capability of Cisco DNA Center is particularly effective.

We have utilized the software-defined access (SDA) feature of Cisco DNA Center. The AI-driven needs enhancements and Integration and unification of visibility and monitoring to include other areas like Data Center and WAN to have a full visibility of the traffic end to end.

We have been promoting solution since 10+ years.

The solution is now very stable.

The solution is designed for large enterprise companies.

The solution is stable. The technical support rates eight out of ten. Overall, Cisco DNA Center rates eight out of ten as a complete solution.

Previously used Huawei SDN  Technology called iMaster but solution is not yet mature.

The initial setup was of medium complexity.

We have our own in-house expert consultants to do the implementation on very professional level.

Although Cisco DNA Center is expensive, we have seen a return on investment in terms of time savings.

After evaluating other solutions, we will provide feedback.

We did evaluate Huawei SDN  Technology called iMaster and we will evaluate Juniper and also Arista SDN.

I am a Cisco Gold partner and currently Managing Director at CONNECT-PS ConnectProfessional Services Saudi Regional Office. The overall rating for Cisco DNA Center is 8 out of 10.

I use the system to manage our network effectively.

The monitoring is very valuable to me. I can easily monitor all my clients through Cisco DNA Center  at this point.

The system is working fine for me currently.

I have been with Cisco for about five years.

The system is very stable.

The scalability is okay for me.

I have contacted customer service once or twice, and it was very good. I rate it between nine and ten.

The previous solution was also from Cisco. It was Cisco Prime infrastructure. Since Cisco Prime is an old solution and end of life, Cisco upgraded it to Cisco DNA.

The setup is not complex when setting up Cisco DNA, however, it's not easy either.

The implementation was completed by me.

It's a very good product, however, it comes with a very high price. The customer needs to pay a license for each client inside Cisco DNA, each switch, and each access point to get it to work.

The cost is very high.

Cisco needs to review the pricing of the Cisco DNA license. Otherwise, they might lose customers.

I rate the overall solution between eight out of ten.

Our customers use the solution to manage and centrally apply device policies. Many administrators are moving away from manual configuration, and DNA Center helps automate network management. Some use it purely for assurance, such as troubleshooting, monitoring, and generating network performance reports. The 360-degree view feature is widely used for monitoring networks, and many customers also leverage automation and access control features.

The platform's most valuable features are automation and assurance. Automation helps configure devices without manual intervention, enabling zero-touch provisioning. Devices like switches can seamlessly be added to the network, reducing time and effort. It also ensures policy compliance across the network. In addition, the assurance feature provides detailed insights into network health, which is essential for efficient management.

One area that needs improvement is the upgrade process. The time required for downloading and installing packages during upgrades is too long, often taking around ten hours. This is a significant issue for customers who cannot afford such long downtime. Improvements in reducing upgrade time would greatly enhance the user experience.

We have been working with Cisco DNA Center since its release.

I would rate DNA Center's scalability as eight. It can manage large networks efficiently, and its ability to scale with the organization's growing network requirements makes it a robust solution.

I rate the initial setup around seven to eight. While the physical setup, like rack-mounting, is straightforward, the complexity arises in gathering the prerequisites, such as management IP addresses and other configuration details from the customer. With proper planning, the setup can be completed in about 30 minutes. However, the lengthy upgrade process remains a challenge.

It is mostly deployed on-premises. It comes with UCS appliances, and most customers prefer the on-premise deployment for security and performance reasons. Although cloud deployment options may be available, most of our deployments are on-prem.

The deployment time depends on the size of the customer's network. Smaller setups can take a few days if all prerequisites are in place. However, larger networks, especially those requiring fabric-enabled switches or firewall integration, can take longer. The DNA Center's configuration is relatively simple, but preparing the network infrastructure can extend the timeline.

Overall, I rate Cisco DNA Center a nine out of ten.

We primarily use the platform for monitoring, especially within our wireless network. Additionally, we have started registering our 9300 and 9400 switches, although the primary focus remains on monitoring and alarming purposes.

One notable aspect of Cisco DNA Center is the code it injects into switches during enrollment—approximately 1,200 lines for telemetry and other configurations. Compared to other solutions, such as SolarWinds, which requires far less code to gather the necessary information, this seems excessive. They could improve this process by making it lighter and more efficient.

The product's most valuable feature is the visual representation of the switch's front panel. It provides a clear, at-a-glance view of each port's status, color-coded based on its status.

The solution's setup process needs enhancement.

We have been using Cisco DNA Center for five months.

The product stability has been good so far.

We are working with a small network of about 300 devices. Thus, I can only briefly comment on scalability. For our requirements, the platform's capacity is more than sufficient.

The initial setup requires extensive training. Like many Cisco products, it is complex and cannot be learned without proper training.

The platform's biggest benefit has been in managing our wireless network. Having a single pane of glass to control all wireless controllers and access points and to monitor activity has been a significant advantage.

We're a small federal agency with around 300 network devices, so automation is a minor focus. It's more relevant for larger networks.

The main benefits we've seen are in inventory management and the potential for configuration automation. However, I recommend using the DNA Centre only for larger networks with over a thousand devices; otherwise, it may not be cost-effective.

Before proceeding, ensure that your devices are compatible with DNA Center, as not all Cisco devices are supported. Also, investing in proper training is different from plug-and-play.

I rate it an eight.