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 #47 with an average rating of 8.3, while Cisco is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 12 Azure Network Watcher reviews

670 Views
630 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Read 25 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews

891 Views
864 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

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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.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

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

September 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

Azure Network Watcher

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

47th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.4%, down from 0.5% 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 Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)	0.6%
Azure Network Watcher	0.4%
Other	99.0%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury

Program Manager at Capgemini

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

Upul Abhayasena

Manager - Technology at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees

Robust management tool with an easy setup and room for more features

DCNM is used by one of the airline customers in Qatar to manage many data centers and rack switches running on normal Nexus or NX-OS mode. They required a controller platform to manage these Nexus switches, and thus, they utilized DCNM as a Fabric controller. Given that ACI deployment is very low…

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

"I like the visibility."

"The stability is very good. I rate it a ten out of ten."

"What I like most about Azure Network Watcher is that it's focused more on the architecture. I also like that it has a packet capture feature that tells you how the packet travels and whether it's exiting Azure, etc."

"The most valuable features I have found are typology, visualization, and capture."

"The solution is good for monitoring device behavior."

"The solution is stable."

"It provides good visibility."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is using the gateways with the connections. The monitoring is useful for the logs and application insights into the data. The traffic filtering issues when it comes to deploying those applications are helpful."

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."

"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."

"The automation capability is more than enough. It depends on how we consider and integrate the automation engine. We need to ensure the automation engine and then how to perform it. It depends on the policy making, API integration, and other integrations."

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

"We use the product to manage access points."

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

"The product makes the management of our environment simpler."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

Cons

"Lacks sufficient security features."

"The initial setup and initial learning curve could be improved to be easier."

"I would like to see in the future if we can troubleshoot as a firewall because it is equipment as a network player and some diagnostics."

"The solution could improve by limiting the need to clarify the logs. When the clarification is minimized, it is better for everyone involved."

"The initial setup and deployment could be improved to be simplified."

"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications. For example, an application to log activities for in and outbound traffic."

"Azure Network Watcher needs to have better documentation and it needs to capture information accurately."

"User experience could be improved."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"It is not very easy to monitor or to browse."

"The visibility of applications is not great."

"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."

"The tool's pricing strategy could be improved to compete more effectively in the market, especially against competitors like Huawei, Aruba, and Juniper."

"The automation feature could be improved."

"In the next release, I would like to see it merged with Prime and I think that it should be more unified."

"The delivery Cisco Data Center Network Manager could improve if it was easier. Additionally, some feature improvement is needed."

"More integration features would be beneficial."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is good. It's not too expensive."

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

"Price-wise, I have no information on how much Azure Network Watcher costs."

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"The solution is very expensive."

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

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

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

"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."

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

"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."

"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%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

University

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	15

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Network Watcher?

I like the visibility.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Network Watcher?

Azure Network Watcher is affordable from the perspective of basic costing. It doesn't cost too much at this point unless you are requesting customizable detailed matrices. For the default configura...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?

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?

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

Comparisons

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Compared 25% of the time

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Compared 24% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 20% of the time

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Cisco DNA Center vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 54% of the time

Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 16% of the time

SolarWinds Network Automation Manager vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 12% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 10% of the time

Icinga vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 8% of the time

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

October 2025

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

October 2025

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Download 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)

September 2025

Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

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