Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Reviews

Name: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Brand: Cisco
Rating: 4 (25 reviews)

Vendor: Cisco

4.0 out of 5

25 reviews
92% willing to recommend

1,081 followers

What is Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)?

The Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) offers a comprehensive solution for managing Cisco NX-OS switches in hybrid-cloud environments, providing automation, visibility, and consistent operations. Designed to simplify and enhance data center management, NDFC integrates with Cisco Nexus Dashboard to streamline network connectivity, reduce deployment times, and ensure seamless transitions with minimal disruptions. Its modular architecture, new user interface, and support for non-Nexus OS platforms make it a robust tool for LAN, SAN, and IP Fabric for Media management. Additionally, NDFC enhances fabric reliability, automates workflows, and supports cloud connectivity with AWS and Microsoft Azure, making it ideal for businesses adapting to increasingly complex digital environments.

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Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is the #22 ranked solution in best Network Monitoring Tools. PeerSpot users give Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is most commonly compared to Zabbix: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs Zabbix. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 63% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 25% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

November 2024

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Featured reviews

Upul Abhayasena

Manager - Technology at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees

DCNM is used by one of the airline customers in Qatar to manage many data centers and rack switches running on normal Nexus or NX-OS mode. They required a controller platform to manage these Nexus switches, and thus, they utilized DCNM as a Fabric controller. Given that ACI deployment is very low…

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OusaidAbaz

Security Network Architect at Inmac

Configuring Cisco Nexus switches is relatively straightforward, especially if you're familiar with configuring Catalyst switches. The primary differences between Catalyst and Nexus switches lie in their system architecture and CLI commands. Nexus configurations can differ by about 20-30% from Catalyst configurations. For instance, while certain features may be enabled by default on Catalyst switches, they need to be explicitly enabled on Nexus switches. Maintaining a solution like this involves several support options, such as Cisco Smart Net. Smart Net is a support program that provides SLAs if the Nexus switches go down. With Smart Net, you can choose different levels of support, such as 2-hour, 4-hour, or 2-business-day response times. This ensures that Cisco will provide a replacement switch as quickly as possible if a Nexus switch fails or is out of service. The Nexus switches are known for their stability and high performance, so they have a higher price tag. Due to their cost, they are typically suited for large enterprises rather than small or medium-sized businesses. Major corporations, such as banks, multinational companies, and large industrial firms, have the budget for these high-end switches. The investment is justified by their advanced features and reliability, making them ideal for large-scale environments. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

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Henok Tsegaye

BDM/Chief Information Officer at Afcor PLC

You want to access one VM from another because there is East-West traffic among these centers. Any company needs it in our virtual environment. You want to collect this interval communication. You want to take it to Cisco security and secure it because you don't want somebody with access to one VM to access the Azure VM in the servers. You can only protect it if you use some mechanism in between. We tried to use the Cisco Firewall switch, but it was not working. Three guys are enough for the solution’s maintenance. All the integrations we made were with Cisco. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

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Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) in the Network Monitoring Software category stands at 0.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Sep 23, 2024

Valuable Features

"Stability is not an issue."
"The automation capability is more than enough. It depends on how we consider and integrate the automation engine. We need to ensure the automation engine and then how to perform it. It depends on the policy making, API integration, and other integrations."
"It has a very nice dashboard so you can see what's currently happening in the network and the performance of the back story."

Room for Improvement

"More integration features would be beneficial."
"The tool should be more user-friendly and improve AI integration."
"It's very costly."

Pricing

The pricing for Cisco Data Center Network Manager is considered expensive compared to other vendors on the market. However, customers find value in the solution and believe that the pricing is justified due to the use cases and the confidence they have in Cisco's implementation.

The licensing cost is also on the higher side, but it is transparent and not complex. Customers mention that they do not need to pay for the DCNM license separately as it is included when purchasing Nexus switches.

"The tool is always expensive, but their service, product quality, and support are good. We're happy with it, but it's still an expensive solution. There are cheaper alternatives but no similar platform across all domains."
"We usually opt for a yearly plan, commonly for three or five years upfront. Some customers may not utilize all the features included in the product, and this can lead to them paying for functionalities they don't need."
"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.