Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs Cisco Prime [EOL] comparison

The compared Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) and Cisco Prime [EOL] solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is ranked #22 in NMS , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 0.6% mindshare in the category. Additionally, 92% of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Cisco Prime [EOL] users who would recommend it.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Read 26 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews

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3,028 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Read 35 Cisco Prime [EOL] reviews

91% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Cisco Prime [EOL]

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) and Cisco Prime [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (22nd)

Cisco Prime [EOL]

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Jagdev Dhaliwal

Network Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Flow monitoring has improved planning for east-west traffic and real-time capacity decisions

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) helps to understand the flows and data plane capacities, which are the primary use cases. Usually, people struggle with east-west traffic flow when they need to decide on firewalls or products. People typically understand north-south traffic flows but usually miss the east-west traffic flows in data centers. I was focusing more on this so that people can accordingly plan, such as after F5, the number of servers, the number of sessions needed, and whether we need to plan the interface for groups from the line capacity perspective. This kind of information was valuable to us. The real-time telemetry feature was beneficial. When experiencing performance issues, I could determine if there were any issues related to flows or areas where bottlenecks were occurring.

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AndrewRichardson

Network Engineer at Edmonton Catholic School Board

Has an easy implementation process, but the performance monitoring feature could be more intuitive

The project implementation was easy overall. Adapting Cisco's solutions to our specific environment required effort, as their documentation only covers some network scenarios. The deployment didn't happen all at once; it was staged and controlled to ensure a smooth transition. We started with a small test environment before gradually rolling it out to all campuses. This gradual approach helped mitigate the risk of any issues arising across multiple locations simultaneously, especially on a critical day like Monday morning. We have a team of three executives working on the process. Their job roles included network specialists and a manager. It requires maintenance, which is included in the annual cost. We receive updates and support as part of the renewal process.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I like that is easy to work on and straightforward."

"There are many valuable features in this solution: The automation of the ILS, the automation of the small changes, the lands updates, scheduling, integration - basically, the pushing of features that we used to do manually."

"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."

"Stability is not an issue."

"You can integrate all the networks into the software and file network data center."

"The most valuable features of Cisco Data Center Network Manager are consistency and the core server. The teams have had a good experience."

"The most valuable feature is the connectivity monitoring."

"It uses push technology, which pushes the changes to all relevant devices to ensure they are updated accordingly."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"Cisco Prime is a one-stop place to log in and manage our entire wireless infrastructure."

"Cisco Prime, from a management perspective, has good reporting."

"The VLAN mapping function has been most impactful in simplifying our network management tasks."

"The hardware Cisco provides is excellent. It's a well-made product."

"The dashboard is a valuable feature. It's very clear, and the metrics make it easy to see the current network situation."

"The customer service and support for this solution is good."

"The product's most valuable features are monitoring and configuration."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco Prime is the heat map."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] pros

Cons

"Automation for the RMA process can be added."

"The technical support is a gap for us as a company."

"The initial setup is challenging."

"The reporting is not very intuitive and has room for improvement."

"Data Center Network Manager is a little complex because it includes a lot of hardware to be installed, so making this simpler would be an improvement."

"The solution needs to improve reports."

"The automation feature could be improved."

"It's very expensive."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"They could consider offering more flexible pricing options for their customers."

"Cisco can only be used for Cisco environments and is not compatible with other vendors."

"Cisco needs to improve Prime's monitoring tab. If any device goes down, there is a 15-second lapse before we know. It would be much better if we were alerted two or three minutes before a device is about to fail, so we can dispatch a field engineer and avoid network downtime. I would like to see a feature that allows you to access the devices directly from Prime's monitoring tab. That would make work easier for us."

"They can also improve the management of more enterprise devices."

"If you think about a centralized monitoring system, Cisco Prime is not good because it does not support third-party vendors like Palo Alto or FortiGate."

"The solution can be slow at times."

"I would love for Cisco Prime to show bandwidth usage and consumption, but I can't monitor bandwidth usage at a given time."

"The reporting feature of Cisco Prime should be improved."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On average, Data Center Network Manager's pricing isn't too costly unless you choose a premier license."

"When we purchase a Nexus box, the MDS CM license comes with it."

"The price of Cisco Data Center Network Manager is expensive compared to other vendors on the market."

"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."

"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."

"The product is licensed with contracts that work on a yearly basis rather than a monthly model."

"The solution is very expensive."

"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."

"The price of Cisco Prime was reasonable because we purchased it as part of a Cisco One package. The package was a bundle of Cisco solutions together, such as Cisco ISE and CMX. The price is reasonable com compared to other solutions."

"If we have a license for Cisco DNA, we can use the same license for Cisco Prime."

"You need to get special quotes from the company for each order."

"I would rate the pricing of Cisco Prime a seven out of ten."

"The product is expensive compared to other vendors in the market."

"The cost is quite high."

"We update the license every five years."

"The solution is not inexpensive but is worth it for large-scale environments."

More Cisco Prime [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Answers from the Community

ChrisPoe

Vice President of Offerings - Advanced Technology & Security Solutions at Carousel Industries

Mar 2, 2023

What are the overall differences between Cisco Prime and Cisco DNAC?

See 2 answers

Olajide Olusegun

Network Team Lead at Atlas Security

Mar 1, 2023

We use both Cisco DNAC and Cisco Prime (PI). Actually, you can easily use the migration tool on Cisco PI 3.10 to migrate your data and integrate it with DNAC. DNAC is more dynamic and robust than PI supporting intent-based networking, analytics and assurance, and many automated operations. Best suited for enterprise environments with many Cisco platforms and multiple managed devices where automated operations are highly required. If we didn't have PI before, we would have just settled for DNAC because DNAC can do a lot more and better.

Read full answer

Roger Martinez

President at TCT

Mar 2, 2023

Two major differences: 1. The actual models that they manage, the p-dart Cisco migration report will tell you where you stand on this issue. Not all CPI models are supported on DNA. 2. Installation and maintenance automation of connected devices. A modern must-have for device deployment and maintenance. Having said these two points, DNA is and will be the integration point for a whole suite of products like CPO which will become a DNA module and tighter integration with ICE. Furthermore, the new automation feature is really a prequel to the more interesting self-diagnosis and self-correction of device operations. Hope this answers your question, but install the PDART migration report to really understand the ROI of DNA.

Read full answer

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Healthcare Company

Construction Company

13%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	24

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Data Center Network Manager?

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 plat...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Data Center Network Manager?

I do not believe it integrated well with different infrastructures for hybrid environments. I am uncertain because we have never attempted that in our environment, so they could perform better in t...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Data Center Network Manager?

The main use case for URL filtering with PAN-DB is that it performs quite well. Earlier, when I started in 2012, there was a Blue Coat product available during that period. I am not certain whether...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

August 2026

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Download Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Prime [EOL]

August 2026

Download Cisco Prime [EOL] product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

Cisco Prime Infrastructure

Overview

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller, formerly DCNM, provides a consolidated dashboard offering insights into network operations, real-time telemetry, and automation capabilities. Users noted enhanced data center management and seamless SD-WAN integration.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller integrates Python, Ansible, and Terraform for efficient traffic management. Comprehensive data center insight and stability highlight its utility across policy updates and network troubleshooting. With support for hybrid environments and enhanced network health data visibility, the platform suits complex, evolving infrastructures.

What are the Key Features?

Automation Capabilities: Simplifies network operations with automated workflows and scheduling.
Programming Support: Facilitates integration through Python, Ansible, and Terraform compatibility.
Comprehensive Dashboard: Provides a centralized view of network performance and health.
Real-Time Telemetry: Enhances decision-making with up-to-the-moment data.
SD-WAN Integration: Ensures seamless traffic flow across network borders.

What Benefits Should Users Look for?

Enhanced Network Monitoring: Allows precise tracking and troubleshooting of network issues.
Efficient Resource Management: Streamlines policy updates and component management.
Improved Security: Facilitates tighter control over Nexus switch configurations.
Centralized Management: Reduces complexity in maintaining data centers through a unified interface.

In data center operations, businesses leverage Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller for improved security, tackling tasks like VPN operations and private cloud development. It enhances storage management, providing robust support to manage Nexus switches for optimized component oversight and security protocols.

Cisco

Cisco Prime products deliver next-generation management by supporting an intuitive workflow-oriented user experience and integrated lifecycle operations across Cisco architectures, technologies, and networks.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Banco de Guayaquil, Cox Communications, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Roper St. Francis, University of British Columbia

Mohawk Industries, Universidad EAFIT, Halton Healthcare

Buyer's Guide

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August 2026

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