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Azure Network Watcher vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) comparison

Microsoft and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #42 with an average rating of 8.5, while Cisco is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.3. Microsoft holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Cisco users who would recommend it.
Azure Network Watcher
Read 13 Azure Network Watcher reviews
  • 1,082 Views
  • 1,039 Comparison Views
92% willing to recommend
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...
Read 26 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews
  • 1,625 Views
  • 1,560 Comparison Views
92% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and Azure Network Watcher compete in the network management category. Cisco appears to have an edge in integration capabilities and automation features, while Azure is notably strong in security and network isolation.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller enhances network stability with its automation and integration features, providing deep insights and simplified management. Users point to its vendor independence as a significant advantage. Azure Network Watcher offers comprehensive monitoring with cloud-native capabilities, enabling effective traffic filtering. Users appreciate its topology visualization and robust connection diagnostics.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller needs a simpler configuration and better integration with more intuitive reporting. Users find the setup to be challenging and suggest enhancements in automation and compatibility. Pricing is another concern. Azure Network Watcher could improve with additional open-source tool support, clearer logging, and easier initial setup. Users wish for enhanced security features and richer diagnostic tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller primarily deploys on-premises or in private clouds, receiving mixed reviews for customer service, with praise for certain support aspects and criticism for operational assistance gaps. Azure Network Watcher deploys in the public cloud, frequently without the need for technical support, but both products have deployment areas needing improvement. Cisco is noted for stronger developmental support.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is considered expensive, operating on an annual license bundled with Nexus boxes, offering substantial value for larger enterprises. Azure Network Watcher has a reasonable pricing structure, though perceptions of costliness exist. Both solutions are regarded as providing significant ROI, especially for committed enterprise environments.

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To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Report (Updated: March 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Azure Network Watcher vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
March 2026
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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

Azure Network Watcher
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
42nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
28th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)0.6%
Azure Network Watcher0.5%
Other98.9%
Network Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury - PeerSpot reviewer
Bijoyendra Roychowdhury
Program Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Network monitoring provides comprehensive analytics while the interface requires further development
The quality of Azure Network Watcher is quite good in terms of the in-depth analysis you can create from these matrices. There are other monitoring tools such as New Relic, AppDynamics, and Dynatrace which provide very detailed network tracing. Cloud providers such as Azure or AWS do not have that kind of GUI-based capability at this point, but using PowerShell or Python, you can develop it yourself. From the GUI perspective, it still needs to evolve in terms of quality and standard, though overall, it is quite good for troubleshooting. Regarding areas for improvement, when comparing to other network tools beyond Azure Monitor or Azure Network Watcher, those tools can identify single failed packets. This level of granularity is not currently possible with cloud providers as they only go to a certain level rather than the granular level needed for deep troubleshooting, though they do provide hints with available matrices.
Read full review
Jagdev Dhaliwal - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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 solution is stable, there are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze, it's reliable."
"The solution is good for monitoring device behavior."
"This is a stable system providing stable performance."
"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is the cloud-native application firewall, which is helpful for securing databases."
"The solution is stable."
"Azure Network Watcher provides valuable features based on your specific requirements and use cases, helping you monitor network bandwidth, throughput, data flow consumption, and control costs by giving insight into egress and ingress traffic, total input and output operations, bandwidth, and threats through IP identification."
"The stability is very good. I rate it a ten out of ten."
"It provides good visibility."
More Azure Network Watcher pros
"Monitoring system provides a clear indication of what's going on in the network."
"You can integrate all the networks into the software."
"It has a very nice dashboard so you can see what's currently happening in the network and the performance of the back story."
"The interface of this solution is easy to use overall."
"The tool's most valuable feature is the consolidated dashboard, providing insights into parameters and overall usage of network features. It allows us to easily summarize insights through the dashboards. The solution offers automation capabilities, particularly in the context of connecting LAN sites with websites."
"You can integrate all the networks into the software and file network data center."
"This solution is the easiest and most straightforward."
"The most valuable feature is the connectivity monitoring."
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros
 

Cons

"There are some occasional downtimes, but these were based on Azure-specific issues."
"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications. For example, an application to log activities for in and outbound traffic."
"User experience could be improved."
"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications, for example, an application to log activities for inbound and outbound traffic."
"Azure Network Watcher needs to have better documentation and it needs to capture information accurately."
"The initial setup and initial learning curve could be improved to be easier."
"The solution could improve by limiting the need to clarify the logs. When the clarification is minimized, it is better for everyone involved."
"The solution could use some additional components of the network culture, not only VMs. I'd like to see some additional security features because what they currently have concentrates only on the network."
More Azure Network Watcher cons
"It's a relatively expensive product for some clients."
"We need better performance and reliability."
"In the next release, I would like to see it merged with Prime and I think that it should be more unified."
"I do not believe it integrated well with different infrastructures for hybrid environments."
"The tool should be more user-friendly and improve AI integration."
"I would like to see improved integration with other tools."
"Data Center Network Manager is a little complex because it includes a lot of hardware to be installed."
"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."
"The pricing is good. It's not too expensive."
"Price-wise, I have no information on how much Azure Network Watcher costs."
"When we purchase a Nexus box, the MDS CM license comes with it."
"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."
"The solution is very expensive."
"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."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
University
8%
Government
8%
Construction Company
6%
Government
10%
Construction Company
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise16
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Network Watcher?
I do not have the exact setup cost information on hand, but it is available in the public Azure portal. You can access the calculator there to get detailed pricing information.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?
The main area for improvement is AI-based features. Currently, many intelligent tools are coming from third parties, and Azure Network Watcher needs to improve in this area. The focus should be on ...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for Azure Network Watcher?
Azure Network Watcher is used for monitoring network traffic. It provides insight into egress and ingress traffic, which helps determine whether consumption can be controlled. Most Azure services c...
See all answers
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?
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
 

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More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Azure Network Watcher
March 2026
Azure Network Watcher reportDownload Azure Network Watcher product report
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
March 2026
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reportDownload Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Cisco Data Center Network Manager
 

Overview

Azure Network Watcher is a comprehensive network monitoring and diagnostic service offered by Microsoft Azure. It provides a range of tools and capabilities to help users monitor, diagnose, and gain insights into their Azure network infrastructure. With Network Watcher, users can capture and analyze network traffic, monitor network performance, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and gain visibility into network topology. It also offers features like packet capture, flow logs, connection monitoring, and VPN diagnostics to ensure the smooth operation of Azure networks. Network Watcher enables users to proactively identify and resolve network issues, optimize network performance, and enhance the overall reliability and security of their Azure network environment.

Microsoft

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
 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Banco de Guayaquil, Cox Communications, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Roper St. Francis, University of British Columbia
Buyer's Guide
Azure Network Watcher vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
March 2026
Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
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