Cisco UCS Manager Reviews

Name: Cisco UCS Manager
Brand: Cisco
Rating: 4.0 (25 reviews)

Vendor: Cisco

4.0 out of 5

25 reviews
96% willing to recommend

935 followers

What is Cisco UCS Manager?

Cisco UCS Manager helps significantly reduce management and administration expenses by automating routine tasks to increase operational agility. Customers can extend the benefits of Cisco UCS Manager globally across an enterprise to thousands of servers in multiple domains with Cisco UCS Central Software.

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Cisco UCS Manager is the #17 ranked solution in Infrastructure Monitoring tools. PeerSpot users give Cisco UCS Manager an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Cisco UCS Manager is most commonly compared to Datadog: Cisco UCS Manager vs Datadog. Cisco UCS Manager is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 75% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 30% of all views.

Helped 832,138 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Edwin Mwosa

IT Infrastructure Manager at KTDA

We mainly use Cisco UCS Manager to integrate and manage our Cisco switches across the building. We also utilize it for network integration. It provides an integrated solution for our Cisco environment, streamlining our operations and managing multiple Cisco devices like switches and routers Cisco…

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Mohsin-Raza

Manager Data Center & Services at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

As I am working in a financial institute, we primarily use Cisco UCS Manager for non-core applications, which can be described as tier two applications A main feature of Cisco UCS Manager is its reliability, as all of the computing blades are in cluster mode. We experience high availability and…

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Joshua Kurian

Sr. Technical Architect at StarOne IT Solutions

The solution's SDK and API can be integrated with ServiceNow for ticketing for any purpose. The solution's unified management interface is a central point of management that allows us to manage switches, blades, and storage connectors. One person is enough to maintain the solution. The speed of the network interface has been 100 G since day one. The network is scalable, and GPU nodes can be added seamlessly. Cisco is claiming to support water cooling in the near future. The solution can be easily integrated with other tools and platforms. Compared to Dell, Cisco UCS Manager provides straightforward configuration, reusable policies, and flexibility. Dell lacks a proper GUI for configuring everything. Cisco has only one GUI, which allows us to configure everything, including the network server and server profile. Before releasing each model, Cisco should conduct proper testing or engineering validation to ensure that the customer doesn't face any issues initially. Overall, I rate Cisco UCS Manager a nine out of ten.

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Cisco UCS Manager mindshare

As of February 2025, the mindshare of Cisco UCS Manager in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category stands at 1.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	IT Infrastructure Monitoring	Feb 2, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Feb 2, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco UCS Manager vs Zabbix	Feb 2, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco UCS Manager vs Datadog	Feb 2, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco UCS Manager vs Auvik Network Management (ANM)	Feb 2, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Datadog	4.3	5.6%	97%	188 interviews Add to research
Zabbix	4.2	13.1%	95%	105 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Cisco UCS Manager offers unmatched flexibility and ease of management with software-defined configuration for storage, compute, and networking. Users appreciate its user-friendly dashboard, integration capabilities, central maintenance management, and straightforward hardware configuration. Features like role-based access and parallel server deployment enhance operational efficiency. The service profiles and visibility into issues streamline administration. High reliability and compatibility across Cisco infrastructure are highlighted, making upgrades seamless without downtime. Security layers and ergonomic interface provide additional benefits.

"It's robust."
"One of the valuable features is the user interface base."
"A main feature of Cisco UCS Manager is its reliability, as all of the computing blades are in cluster mode."

Room for Improvement

Cisco UCS Manager users express a need for improved integration, a more user-friendly interface, and enhanced training resources. Simplifying the firmware upgrade process, enhancing hardware monitoring, and reducing costs also stand out as areas to address. Users seek better scalability, streamlined administration, and the introduction of hyper-converged functionality. Improved security, all-in-one interface capability, and flexibility in hardware and software configurations are desired by organizations.

"There is room for improvement in terms of cost and complexity to set up. It doesn't work straight out of the UCS, so someone who knows what they're doing is needed immediately, and it can be quite confusing."
"Some settings are still fairly well hidden, even the basic ones."
"The pricing aspect should be addressed."

ROI

Cisco UCS Manager generally offers a positive ROI when compared to other options. Some users acknowledge a significant reduction in hardware downtime, crediting its reliability over alternatives like HP hardware. However, others expressed uncertainty about achieving ROI, attributing issues to poor initial use case evaluation rather than faults with Cisco UCS Manager itself. While some companies successfully experience ROI, others struggle due to misalignment between their needs and the capabilities offered by Cisco UCS Manager.

Pricing

Cisco UCS Manager is perceived as a relatively costly solution compared to competitors like Dell and HP. Licensing fees and setup costs are noted for being high, particularly when requiring additional features or memory expansion. Although it can be bundled without component pricing, maintenance costs also add up. Discounts can offer better value, and some companies find the reliability and hardware benefits favorable for enterprise environments, making the pricing acceptable within the market context.

"We need to take a license for each port, which amounts to a big sum."
"Cisco UCS Manager’s annual licensing fee is expensive."
"Cisco UCS is more expensive than Dell and HP, but it is more reliable. I see less issues and it's quite stable."

Popular Use Cases

Companies use Cisco UCS Manager to manage infrastructure, handle virtualization on ESX servers, control UCS C and B blades, and integrate with VMware environments. It is deployed in data centers for efficient setup and management, reducing maintenance effort with features like profile migration and centralized blade management. Cisco UCS Manager facilitates hardware oversight, firmware upgrades, policy enforcement, and network integration, streamlining operations by managing multiple Cisco devices while supporting both physical and virtual environments.

Service and Support

Cisco UCS Manager's customer service is generally good, with some citing limited availability for urgent issues. Technical support is highly regarded, praised for being responsive, knowledgeable, and efficient in resolving issues. Support quality is notably better in the US compared to Europe. Users appreciate the quick resolution of hardware and software errors, though challenges exist with complex incompatibilities. Despite some limitations, the support is considered reliable and effective.

Deployment

Many describe Cisco UCS Manager's initial setup as complex and requiring substantial planning. Some say it becomes easier with experience, while others emphasize the need for advanced knowledge, especially when dealing with large environments. Deployment times range from hours to months, usually influenced by the complexity and specific configurations required. Although some find it straightforward, others note the difficulty compared to alternatives, highlighting the significance of the required configurations and integration.

Scalability

Cisco UCS Manager is deemed highly scalable by users, though some note limitations in capacity beyond 160 blades. Many appreciate its ease of scaling, often rating it positively for scalability, yet some mention licensing requirements for expansion. Usage varies among businesses, with adaptability to varying scales highlighted. While some anticipate future expansion, others find the existing setup sufficient. It supports medium to enterprise levels efficiently, reinforcing its broad applicability across different needs.

Stability

Users generally find Cisco UCS Manager very stable, with many rating its stability between seven to nine out of ten. While some encounter occasional issues related to memory or bugs during upgrades, they appreciate the support received from Cisco. Certain users experienced initial memory failures, which were resolved with firmware updates. Stability is often praised, with some users never facing any significant issues or crashes, highlighting its robustness compared to other options.

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

Download our Cisco UCS Manager Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.