Every organization has a strategy to leverage the cloud or PaaS/SaaS, but there was Cisco still forcing $100k pizza boxes down clients throats for Prime Infrastructure like features .
Has the Enterprise Networking business unit made a move yet to give customers what they are asking for, e.g. a cloud-based management/monitoring platform that incorporates machine learning?
DNA? i heard from customers it probably stands for "do not adopt" ;)
95+% of customers using DNAC aren't doing SDA. Its value outside SDA is very limited, and UI is not great. Just ask customer's experience with using or upgrading DNAC (lots of fun). Campus/WiFi SDN cloud management is moving the Meraki direction. With Todd in charge, you know which baby is going to be the favorite. Remember when Dave U. from OpenDNS took over security - all the sudden every security problem was a nail and DNS was the hammer. Days may be numbered for those in charge of this heritage NMS stuff (Prime, DNAC, WLC).
Also, the future clearly is the mix of AppDynamics with ThousandEyes. DNAC was always a patchwork without any integrated workflows. Gartner degraded it to "niche".
DNAC can be used for assurance only, PI replacement. Is it too expensive for that? I don't really know. Where it really shines is in true SDA deployments. I think it's getting a bad rap because account teams are bundling them so the customers can get to know DNAC, in an assurance only role. In those cases the customers are missing on the most important features, like test driving a new car without being able to start the engine.
DNAC has definitely come a long way, but most of the haters around here won't bother looking at it thinking its the same as the first releases.
Worked on a few DNA deployments, supporting from the security perspective with ISE. I am finding the product is definitely maturing pretty quickly and coming around. But I am also finding that it is also way too involved. Most customers end up using it essentially to replace Prime. From what I am hearing, the price of DNA is not worth it IMO.
Ahem.
In my opinion, the original post is valid, but lacks a little background.
If you are unsatisfied with Cisco's DNA product and it's support and costs associated with.
You might look into third party companies who are managing Cisco routers, with their own unique offering.
So to answer the question. While, technically it may still be available...
The real question is why would you not look into third party solutions.
You really owe it to yourself and your organization to look into better solutions.
Isn't that called Meraki?
No