Cisco Catalyst Center vs Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.comCradlepoint NetCloud Manager
cradlepoint.comSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · WAN Edge Infrastructure Software | 7.9 (#4) | 8.0 (#3) |
| Spec score · Network Provisioning Software | 7.8 (#6) | 7.9 (#5) |
| API | The platform exposes northbound REST APIs for discovery, inventory, topology, provisioning, assurance, and other network operations. | The NetCloud Manager REST API provides programmatic access to many functions available in the user interface and has v2 and v3 endpoints. |
| Deployment | Cisco describes hardware and virtual appliance deployments, including current guides for VMware ESXi and Ubuntu KVM. | NetCloud Manager supports preconfigured setup, bulk policy management, automatic carrier selection, and cellular geolocation mapping for 5G and LTE WAN deployments. |
| Founded | 1984 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, United States | Boise, Idaho, 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. | Listed integrations include Cradlepoint Virtual Router in AWS, NetCloud Edge Connector for Microsoft Azure IoT Central, Advanced GPS tracking, CloudShark, and Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access. |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | NetCloud Manager is a cloud-based platform for configuring, deploying, monitoring, operating, and troubleshooting LTE or 5G router and adapter endpoints for wireless WAN. |
| Support | Cisco says Catalyst and Cisco DNA software subscriptions include embedded software support and downloads; opening a support case requires a Cisco Service Contract. | NetCloud Essentials and Advanced plans include enterprise-level technical support, limited lifetime warranty, ongoing software and firmware updates, and global 24x7 assistance. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager
- NetCloud AdvancedPriced on request
- NetCloud EssentialsPriced on request
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager
Cradlepoint NetCloud Manager is a cloud platform for configuring, deploying, monitoring, operating and troubleshooting LTE and 5G router and adapter endpoints used for wireless WAN. Dashboards and reports show live LAN and WAN statistics, cellular health and data-plan usage. Deployment tools include preconfigured setup, bulk policy management, automatic carrier selection and cellular geolocation mapping. The service monitors connection health, provides network-health dashboards and deeper insights, and sends immediate alerts when issues arise. Security controls include optional multifactor authentication, Federated ID single sign-on, enhanced login security, granular permissions and security alerts. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Cradlepoint says its cloud services run on Amazon Web Services across multiple availability zones with offsite backups; device connections are client initiated, certificate based and encrypted with current TLS. The REST API offers programmatic access to many interface functions through v2 and v3 endpoints. A mobile app lets authorized users inspect alerts, endpoint status, signal and usage data, run tests and reboot endpoints. Essentials and Advanced plans include enterprise-level support, updates and global 24x7 assistance.