Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs Zabbix comparison

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and Zabbix are key competitors in the realm of network management and monitoring. Based on the comparison, Cisco has an advantage in terms of comprehensive feature integration and network control, while Zabbix provides flexibility and cost efficiency through its open-source nature.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller focuses on network automation with enhanced stability. It manages VDCs effectively, provides clear connectivity visualization, and integrates smoothly with security appliances. Zabbix offers flexibility and scalability with non-existent licensing costs. It allows extensive customization, supports multiple alerting types, and features automated network discovery.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller requires a simplified setup process, better integration with third-party tools, and a more competitive pricing model. Zabbix needs improvements in reporting capabilities, an updated graphical interface, and advanced automation features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is deployed on-premises with comprehensive support, though operational support could be enhanced according to some users. Zabbix's deployment is flexible, spanning on-premises, hybrid, and public cloud environments without licensing constraints, but may require user effort for support due to its open-source nature.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is perceived as expensive with a structured licensing model that can include bundled licenses. It offers ROI through long-term stability. Zabbix, being open-source, incurs no licensing costs, making it cost-effective and providing financial efficiency with robust monitoring features.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. Zabbix Report (Updated: January 2025).

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. Zabbix

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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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zabbix

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

105

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (9th), Server Monitoring (1st), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (1st), Cloud Monitoring Software (2nd)

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 Zabbix is 11.5%, down from 11.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Olajide Olusegun

Network Team Lead at Atlas Security

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

ASM Naushad Alam

Network Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Allows any number of customizations but lacks functionality for finding root causes

We have not yet purchased the commercial version so have a lack of technical ability. We do not yet fully know the key points or key features of the solution. We just use what we use along with WhatsUp Gold. Based on our use only, stability is rated a seven out of ten.

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

"The monitoring capability is the best in Cisco Data Center Network Manager. It helps me improve network management tasks and optimize processes."

"VCNM provides a unique capability of managing the admin VDCs of Nexus boxes."

"We use the product to manage access points."

"Automation of the ILS."

"Monitoring system provides a clear indication of what's going on in the network."

"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."

"I don't have to rely on the on-site engineer who can do the configuration. I can have our team just plug the devices and perform remotely. I can also do the templates."

"Stability is not an issue."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"The flexible licensing model is one of the solution's most valuable aspects. It really allows for great flexibility for companies."

"It can send messages to our ticketing system."

"Zabbix is very easy to implement."

"The most valuable features are the monitoring and the ease with which we can set it up at customer sites with our custom Zabbix proxy and tools."

"We like the user-interface for this solution, which makes it an easy to use tool."

"Its overall flexibility is most valuable. When our customers have some custom applications that are not necessarily covered by the community or a standard monitoring tool, we use Zabbix to build our own modules with our own templates. This feature has been useful in using Zabbix for infrastructure and IT monitoring. It has also been useful for industrial equipment monitoring. Zabbix is very lightweight. It is efficient in terms of performance because it doesn't use a lot of resources."

"The most valuable feature is the support for monitoring Cisco switches."

"It has an intuitive UI with beautiful graphs and customizable maps."

More Zabbix pros

Cons

"The configuration is too complicated and you have to create templates and use a lot of menus."

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

"If the customer thinks about using additional solutions, Cisco should make sure they are not left out."

"Automation for the RMA process can be added."

"One of the biggest challenges is that we aren't always able to push the configuration onto the target device. Whenever this happens, we have to do a factory reset, put on the script, and then reconfigure it again. In the next release, I would like to have a troubleshooting feature."

"It's very costly."

"It would be nice to have the ability to more easily collect information from other software when doing some types of analysis."

"It's a relatively expensive product for some clients."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"The documentation could be improved."

"I'm using the free version of Zabbix, and I'd like to see more customization options, especially for setting trigger thresholds."

"It would be helpful if they translated the documentation to Cyrillic languages."

"I have experienced stability issues approximately five or ten times."

"The main problem with Zabbix is that you have to spend time writing templates for all of the products that you have."

"Sometimes, the documentation is a little bit written in Estonia – a country in Europe. The language barrier and translation to English can sometimes make it difficult to understand what they're trying to get at. It's just a language thing."

"Zabbix is powerful, but it is difficult to understand initially. There are many things that can be improved, but we might not be using Zabbix to its fullest extent. The software has more features than we need."

"The product could be more secure and more stable."

More Zabbix cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is very expensive."

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

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

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

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

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

"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 use the tool's free version."

"Zabbix and Grafana are both open source products, we only needed to go to their website and download the application and we began to use them. The solutions are free."

"It is free, which allows us to reduce costs."

"It’s free of cost."

"It is worth every cent to pay or even study to do your own installation."

"This solution is open-source and free to use."

"I was using the free, Community Edition."

"It is a true open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs."

More Zabbix pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

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

13%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

39%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

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.

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...

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...

What do you like most about Zabbix?

The template system in Zabbix is very beneficial as it saves time in configuration.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zabbix?

I use the tool's free version.

What needs improvement with Zabbix?

I'm using the free version of Zabbix, and I'd like to see more customization options, especially for setting trigger thresholds.

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Product Reports

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

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

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

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Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

No data available

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.

Cisco

Zabbix is an open-source monitoring software that provides real-time monitoring and alerting for servers, networks, applications, and services.

It offers a wide range of features including data collection, visualization, and reporting.

With its user-friendly interface and customizable dashboards, Zabbix helps organizations ensure the availability and performance of their IT infrastructure.

Sample Customers

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

1. IBM 2. Dell 3. Cisco 4. HP 5. Oracle 6. Microsoft 7. Amazon 8. Google 9. Facebook 10. Twitter 11. LinkedIn 12. Netflix 13. Adobe 14. VMware 15. Salesforce 16. SAP 17. Intel 18. AT&T 19. Verizon 20. T-Mobile 21. Vodafone 22. Ericsson 23. Nokia 24. Siemens 25. General Electric 26. Honeywell 27. Philips 28. Sony 29. Samsung 30. LG 31. Panasonic 32. Toshiba

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. Zabbix