Cisco Catalyst Center vs Context Agent Sandboxes
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.com
Context Agent Sandboxes
context.aiSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | Context Agent Sandboxes |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $20/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 7 |
| Spec score · Sandbox Software | 7.8 (#9) | 9.2 (#1) |
| API | The platform exposes northbound REST APIs for discovery, inventory, topology, provisioning, assurance, and other network operations. | The REST task API can create, poll, cancel and share tasks, upload files, download outputs and read evaluations. |
| Deployment | Cisco describes hardware and virtual appliance deployments, including current guides for VMware ESXi and Ubuntu KVM. | Enterprise sandboxes run on the customer's Kubernetes cluster and can be installed through KOTS on EKS or AKS, including an air-gapped bundle. |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, United States | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Integrations | Cisco documents integrations with ISE, ThousandEyes, Webex, Microsoft Teams, ServiceNow, Infoblox, and BlueCat, plus generic APIs for other ITSM and IPAM systems. | Context lists a catalog of 180+ integrations across data, documents, communication, CRM, ITSM, finance, and identity, plus remote MCP servers. |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | Each agent task runs in its own sandbox on the customer's cluster under the permissions of the person who requested it. |
| Support | Cisco says Catalyst and Cisco DNA software subscriptions include embedded software support and downloads; opening a support case requires a Cisco Service Contract. | Basic support through Context's standard channels during business hours is included in every agreement, with Enterprise support set per order. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
Context Agent Sandboxes
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Plus$20 a month
- Plus$20 a month
- Pro$200 a month
- Pro$200 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Context Agent Sandboxes
Context Agent Sandboxes gives each agent task a separate sandbox on the customer's cluster, using the permissions of the person who requested it. Each run begins in a fresh environment, which is destroyed after an idle period set to 30 minutes by default. Sandboxes run as non-root container pods with capabilities dropped, a seccomp profile, and no cluster service-account token. Administrators can choose open, domain-allowlist, or workspace-only network access, with allowlist decisions logged. In the supervised preset, commands require human approval and connections outside the allowlist prompt for a decision. Drive is not mounted: files pass through a permission-checking gateway, and outputs are pushed explicitly. Credentials are injected at the edge only after authorization. An append-only audit log records commands, files, connections, and permission decisions, including the actor and decision maker. Context lists more than 180 integrations across business categories, plus remote MCP servers. Enterprise sandboxes run on the customer's Kubernetes cluster, with KOTS installation options for EKS or AKS and an air-gapped bundle. Plans include Free at free, Plus at $20 a month, Pro at $200 a month, and custom-priced Enterprise.