Cisco UCS Manager Reviews

Name: Cisco UCS Manager
Brand: Cisco
Rating: 4.1 (27 reviews)

Vendor: Cisco

4.1 out of 5

27 reviews
96% willing to recommend

911 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 #16 ranked solution in Infrastructure Monitoring tools. PeerSpot users give Cisco UCS Manager an average rating of 8.2 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 74% 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.

Helped 856,873 peers since 2012

Featured Cisco UCS Manager 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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PankajKumar8

Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

You can scale Cisco UCS Manager, but there's a limitation because one Cisco UCS Manager can have twenty chassis, with twenty chassis having eight blades. Hence, there's a maximum of one hundred and sixty blades per chassis. If you want to go beyond that number, you have to get a new Cisco UCS Manager, which means purchasing another license.

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Cisco UCS Manager mindshare

As of June 2025, the mindshare of Cisco UCS Manager in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category stands at 1.4%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

PeerResearch reports based on Cisco UCS Manager reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	IT Infrastructure Monitoring	Jun 15, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jun 15, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco UCS Manager vs Zabbix	Jun 15, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco UCS Manager vs Datadog	Jun 15, 2025	Download
Comparison	Cisco UCS Manager vs Auvik Network Management (ANM)	Jun 15, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Datadog	4.3	5.6%	97%	187 interviews Add to research
Zabbix	4.2	13.6%	95%	106 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Cisco UCS Manager offers valuable features including unification of storage, networking, and compute with software-defined capabilities. It provides a flexible, user-friendly management interface, rapid deployment with service profiles, and robust security features. The system's ability to manage resources centrally simplifies administration, with comprehensive dashboard features for visibility. Efficiency in handling hardware swaps and upgrades enhances reliability. Its ergonomic interface supports seamless integration with various server platforms, making it ideal for streamlined infrastructure oversight and troubleshooting.

"Cisco UCS Manager is recommended for its ease of deployment and management capabilities."
"For the blade architecture and ease of use, I consider Cisco UCS Manager the best option on the market at the moment."
"It's robust."

Room for Improvement

Cisco UCS Manager has several improvement areas like user interface simplicity, integration capabilities, and training access. The firmware upgrade process presents challenges, often requiring downtime. Users desire enhanced security features and better performance monitoring, especially for blades. Simplified server creation templates are needed, and cost reductions are suggested. Users express difficulties with deployment and configuration, indicating the need for an intuitive design that requires less technical expertise. Improved scalability and diverse connection options are also desired.

"The primary challenge we face is identifying the correct version to deploy during firmware upgrades or compute updates."
"For improvements, while the current graphical user interface is satisfactory, it could be further simplified for different tasks."
"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."

ROI

Cisco UCS Manager demonstrates substantial ROI compared to similar offerings by minimizing hardware failures and thus reducing downtime. Several entities report management efficiency due to its centralized console, eliminating additional equipment needs. Some organizations note reduced deployment times and simplified compute capacity management. However, ROI may vary based on project alignment and implementation. Integration capabilities further augment management effectiveness through automation.

Pricing

Cisco UCS Manager is perceived as more expensive than competitors like Dell and HP, yet offers reliability and a comprehensive bundle without component pricing. Users report that while the initial equipment and annual licensing can be costly, significant discounts and bundled offers may enhance its value. Some users highlight the need to purchase additional licenses for specific features, impacting the total cost. Despite the higher costs, satisfied clients appreciate the stability and bundled savings offered by Cisco.

"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

Cisco UCS Manager is utilized for managing infrastructure, reducing time and effort, and overseeing UCS C and B blades for virtualization. It supports VDI, private cloud connections, and centralized management of numerous blades, simplifying maintenance and configuration. It integrates networks, interacts with CPU memory, and manages firmware upgrades. Organizations use it to streamline operations in data centers, manage Cisco devices, and support high production loads, focusing on critical applications with redundancy.

Service and Support

Cisco UCS Manager is praised for its responsive and knowledgeable technical support, with users noting excellent global availability, quick issue resolution, and professional service. Some challenges include issues with European support and complexities from existing structure incompatibilities. Despite occasional limitations in customer service availability for urgent cases outside of Cisco UCS Manager, users appreciate the efficient assignment of engineers and timely handling of service requests. HyperFlex upgrade issues are a noted exception.

Deployment

Initial setup of Cisco UCS Manager varies in complexity, influenced by user experience. Some find it straightforward, requiring minimal time or personnel, while others face challenges due to integration needs or configuration intricacies. Deployment duration ranges from a few hours to months based on organizational requirements. A strong understanding of Cisco architecture is crucial for a smooth experience. Despite initial challenges, UCS Manager is praised for its configurational reliability once deployed.

Scalability

Cisco UCS Manager is praised for its high scalability due to its ease of configuration and template-based management. There are constraints with blade and chassis limits, requiring additional managers for expansion beyond set thresholds. Despite this, many find it sufficiently scalable for enterprise needs, supporting a range of environments. Some face cost issues with memory modules, but scalability remains effective, with ratings varying between seven and nine out of ten depending on user experience.

Stability

Cisco UCS Manager exhibits exceptional stability. Numerous users report minimal issues, rating stability seven to ten out of ten, and frequently highlight its reliable performance. Occasional technical glitches, such as memory or firmware-related issues, are swiftly addressed with updates or Cisco's responsive support. Users with complex setups note rare bugs quickly resolved with assistance. High availability is ensured even with public interconnect failures. Cisco UCS Manager is regularly described as robust and dependable.

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.