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Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs PRTG Network Monitor comparison

Cisco and Paessler GmbH are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.1, while Paessler GmbH is ranked #5 with an average rating of 7.6. Cisco holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to Paessler GmbH’s 4.2% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Paessler GmbH users who would recommend it.
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...
Read 25 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews
  • 817 Views
  • 529 Comparison Views
92% willing to recommend
PRTG Network Monitor
Read 101 PRTG Network Monitor reviews
  • 8,114 Views
  • 5,456 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 24, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and PRTG Network Monitor are prominent tools in the network monitoring and management space. Cisco Nexus stands out for its robust features in complex environments, while PRTG is favored for its ease of deployment and affordability, making it appealing for more straightforward monitoring needs. Cisco Nexus seems to have an edge in feature comprehensiveness, whereas PRTG excels in cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is favored for its stability, connectivity monitoring, and integration capabilities. Key features include automation and visualization in complex environments. PRTG Network Monitor highlights its ease of deployment, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. It is known for strong network monitoring and alerting capabilities using various sensors and probes.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller could improve its integration with other tools, simplify user processes, and adjust its pricing strategy. Reporting complexity and hardware dependency are notable challenges. PRTG Network Monitor requires more advanced configuration options, enhanced template management, and better cloud environment support. Its pricing can be a disadvantage for small businesses, and some advanced monitoring features might be limited.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is suited for on-premises and private cloud settings. It receives mixed reviews for customer support, with praise for development but criticism in operational support. PRTG Network Monitor offers flexible deployment across hybrid, public, and private clouds, praised for ease of setup. However, its support lacks direct solutions for complex issues.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is perceived as expensive, but its comprehensive features justify the cost, with significant ROI in long-term deployments. PRTG Network Monitor provides a cost-effective licensing model for different business sizes. Though subscription prices have risen, it remains popular among cost-sensitive users for its feature-value ratio at a low initial cost.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. PRTG Network Monitor Report (Updated: January 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. PRTG Network Monitor
January 2025
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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...
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
PRTG Network Monitor
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
101
Ranking in other categories
IT Infrastructure Monitoring (6th), Cloud Monitoring Software (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is 0.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PRTG Network Monitor is 4.2%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Olajide Olusegun - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to deploy, stable, scalable and best data center manager for your infra.
The reporting is not very intuitive and has room for improvement. I opened a case with Cisco regarding the DCNM report, however, they were unable to help me. The report comes in the form of a programmable report, which requires high-level knowledge of Python and JSON script. As I was in a meeting and had to present the report, I had to settle for generating an Excel sheet to showcase the data. Unfortunately, this was not well-received as they expected a more detailed report. In order to identify any issues in the data center, we must thoroughly examine a variety of components such as links, errors, SSPs, supervisor engines, power supply, and more. Forty of each element need to be examined.
Read full review
Tochukwu Uzomba - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently monitor networks across regions with seamless setup and robust feature set
PRTG Network Monitor is easy to set up. Within a few minutes, it is operational. It is an all-in-one monitoring solution without extra costs. For example, we set it up for an insurance company with branches across Africa. We are able to monitor from Lagos without installing anything in the branches, using the agentless feature. We just put in the IP address and the parameter, and we monitor from those ends. Additionally, all the sensors are very useful. Most people are interested in the bandwidth monitoring sensor to see what bandwidth the users are consuming. The pricing is affordable compared to SolarWinds.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"After installation, you almost forget that it is working."
"We use the product to manage access points."
"The product makes the management of our environment simpler."
"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."
"The interface of this solution is easy to use overall."
"It uses push technology, which pushes the changes to all relevant devices to ensure they are updated accordingly."
"VCNM provides a unique capability of managing the admin VDCs of Nexus boxes."
"The most valuable feature is the connectivity monitoring."
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros
"The real-time monitoring feature in PRTG is invaluable to me"
"The initial setup is pretty easy."
"We can see which fiber links have been used heavily and, if they are used heavily, we can introduce more links to particular buildings or particular areas."
"The initial setup was easy. We didn't have any issues with the process and everything rolled out smoothly."
"It is easy when it comes to dependencies of devices, so if your router goes down, the three or four switches behind it will automatically be paused so that you don't get multiple alerts."
"We like the alerting system, the SNMP monitoring and the customization of the bandwidth."
"The most valuable feature of PRTG Network Monitor is the dashboards. We can check to see the resources and the uptime."
"Speed of deployment is one of the most valuable features."
More PRTG Network Monitor pros
 

Cons

"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."
"It is not very easy to monitor or to browse."
"The initial setup is challenging."
"The automation feature could be improved."
"Could integrate better with VMware products."
"It would be nice to have the ability to more easily collect information from other software when doing some types of analysis."
"The tool should be more user-friendly and improve AI integration."
"We need better performance and reliability."
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons
"I would like the ability to monitor Cisco IRS devices."
"The licensing policy needs more flexibility."
"PRTG access works best from the web GUI. There are dedicated apps on Windows/Android/iOS, but they are slow and don’t work as well as the web GUI."
"PRTG Network Monitor should provide syslog monitoring since it is not available at this time. There are very limited features as compared to other solutions."
"They should work on syncing the solution with Gmail."
"The technical support from PRTG needs significant improvement."
"More training videos for installing and configuring this software would have been nice, especially when working with a lot of devices."
"I wouldn't mind better categories for the sensors. When I go to add a new sensor for a new device, there are some categories in there already, and they can be filtered out, but there's quite a large pool of sensors... When I want to go in and find something quite specific, I have got to scroll down and scroll down to find what I'm actually looking for,"
More PRTG Network Monitor cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On average, Data Center Network Manager's pricing isn't too costly unless you choose a premier license."
"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 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 product is licensed with contracts that work on a yearly basis rather than a monthly model."
"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."
"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'm paying something like €1000 per year for the maintenance. I've got unlimited sensors."
"If you are not too sure about it, try the free version. Then, if you like it, you can go to the paid version and roll it out."
"The price of PRTG Network Monitor is more expensive than other solutions, such as OP Network Manager."
"We've got the unlimited package... I believe it was around the £15,000 per year mark."
"The pricing is comparable."
"Right now, the smallest sensor pack that they have is just a bit out of range for me, as a business. This kills me, as I need the product. Therefore, there is always a balance between needing to buy it or continuing their free version."
"The pricing for PRTG in our case is reasonable because we have a lot of applications to monitor within PRTG. It is not that expensive."
"I rate the price of PRTG Network Monitor an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."
More PRTG Network Monitor pricing and cost advice
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Comparison Review

it_user174738 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 31, 2015
Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor
I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
24%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Government
12%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
Educational Organization
54%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
5%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Data Center Network Manager?
It uses push technology, which pushes the changes to all relevant devices to ensure they are updated accordingly.
See all answers
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?
In a mixed architecture where Nexus switches are used as border devices and are connected to a Palo Alto firewall (e.g., version 9.1 or 10.1), you might encounter issues with BGP peering. For insta...
See all answers
What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
PRTG network monitor is one of the best tool i have ever used for the monitoring. It have auto discovery option. it avoid the configuring the device in PRTG. It automatically discover the device an...
See all answers
What do you like most about PRTG Network Monitor?
The tool is integrated with our email for the alerts.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PRTG Network Monitor?
The prices are very high for PRTG Network Monitor. That's why I'm using the free100 sensor license.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 54% of the time
Marvis Virtual Network Assistant vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Logo
Marvis Virtual Network Assistant vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Compared 28% of the time
Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Logo
Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Compared 18% of the time
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Competitors
Zabbix vs PRTG Network Monitor Logo
Zabbix vs PRTG Network Monitor
Compared 8% of the time
LibreNMS vs PRTG Network Monitor Logo
LibreNMS vs PRTG Network Monitor
Compared 7% of the time
Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor Logo
Centreon vs PRTG Network Monitor
Compared 7% of the time
SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor Logo
SolarWinds NPM vs PRTG Network Monitor
Compared 6% of the time
Nagios XI vs PRTG Network Monitor Logo
Nagios XI vs PRTG Network Monitor
Compared 6% of the time
More PRTG Network Monitor Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
January 2025
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reportDownload Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) product report
Buyer's Guide
PRTG Network Monitor
January 2025
PRTG Network Monitor reportDownload PRTG Network Monitor product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager
No data available
 

Learn More

Cisco
Paessler GmbH
 

Overview

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.

PRTG Network Monitor runs on a Windows machine within your network, collecting various statistics from the machines, software, and devices which you designate. PRTG comes with an easy-to-use web interface with point-and-click configuration. You can easily share data from it with non-technical colleagues and customers, including via live graphs and custom reports. This will let you plan for network expansion, see what applications are using most of your connection, and make sure that no one is hogging the entire network just to torrent videos.

To monitor a large IT environment, it's important to be able to scale PRTG up. Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor includes all the proven capabilities of PRTG Network Monitor, which are enhanced by exclusive ITOps Board for a service-oriented, central overview of multiple PRTG servers.

 

Sample Customers

Banco de Guayaquil, Cox Communications, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Roper St. Francis, University of British Columbia
Jameson Bank, Sidnix, RungeICT, MedicalAnimal, Truck-lite, GamingGrids, The Covell Group, Forsythn County Schools, NetMass, Musgrove Park Hospital, Lanes Health, Columbia Southern University, Vodafone, Intrust Bank
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. PRTG Network Monitor
January 2025
Free Report: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. PRTG Network Monitor
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We monitor all Network Monitoring Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.