Cisco Catalyst Center vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.comPalo Alto Networks Panorama
paloaltonetworks.comSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | Palo Alto Networks Panorama |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 0 |
| Spec score · Firewall Management Software | 7.8 (#7) | 7.4 (#15) |
| Spec score · Firewall Software | 7.1 (#73) | 7.8 (#45) |
| Access controls | It supports predefined and custom fine-grained user roles, including administrator, network administrator, and observer roles. | Panorama supports role-based access control for delegating or restricting access to global and local firewall configurations and policies. |
| API | The platform exposes northbound REST APIs for discovery, inventory, topology, provisioning, assurance, and other network operations. | Panorama supports XML API access, and custom administrator roles can define access privileges for the API. |
| Deployment | Cisco describes hardware and virtual appliance deployments, including current guides for VMware ESXi and Ubuntu KVM. | Panorama can be deployed as a virtual or physical appliance, or both, and used as a manager, Log Collector, or both. |
| Founded | 1984 | 2005 |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, United States | Santa Clara, 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. | Panorama plugins support integrations including VMware NSX, GlobalProtect cloud service, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Azure, and VMware vCenter. |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | Panorama centrally monitors and administers multiple Palo Alto Networks firewalls. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Palo Alto Networks Panorama centrally configures, manages, and monitors Palo Alto Networks firewalls. It provides one security rule base covering threat prevention, URL filtering, application awareness, user identification, and data filtering. Device groups let administrators organize firewalls by location, business function, or other criteria and push configurations. A policy analyzer evaluates policy-change impact before deployment. Graphical views show applications, URLs, threats, data files, and traffic patterns across managed firewalls, with current and historical information; correlation helps surface compromised hosts and malicious behavior. Role-based access controls restrict functions, device groups, templates, and firewalls. Panorama supports local and external authentication, XML API access, and plugins for platforms including AWS, Azure, VMware NSX, KVM, and Google Cloud Platform. It runs as a virtual appliance on supported clouds or private hypervisors. Pricing is available on request and there is no free plan.