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

Centreon and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Centreon is ranked #24 with an average rating of 7.3, while Cisco is ranked #26 with an average rating of 8.4. Centreon holds a 1.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Centreon users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Centreon

Read 31 Centreon reviews

7,170 Views
5,879 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Read 26 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews

2,437 Views
2,340 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Centreon

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and Centreon compete in infrastructure management, catering to network and systems management. Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller holds an upper hand in integration and stability, whereas Centreon leads in flexibility and ease of use for monitoring.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is recognized for stability, connectivity monitoring, and integration capabilities, alongside extensive automation and unique management features. It offers a comprehensive view of data centers through its integration with Cisco tools. Centreon is noted for flexibility, robust monitoring capabilities, customizable dashboards, and integration abilities, providing adaptability to various requirements.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller could improve pricing strategies, integration with third-party tools, and simplify setup processes. Enhancing reporting features and expanding automation capabilities are suggested. Centreon is advised to enhance cloud monitoring, develop more dynamic visualization options, and improve plugin support and API functionalities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is mainly available for on-premise deployments, benefiting from strong developmental and operational support, although further operational assistance improvement is noted. Centreon supports hybrid and public cloud environments and is often described as easy to deploy. Users value its ease of integration and customization, with some noting documentation and real-time response systems could improve.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller's pricing is high but justified by its comprehensive feature set, offering considerable value and ROI in complex environments. Licenses are bundled with Nexus switches, adding convenience yet contributing to costs. Centreon offers a cost-effective alternative with open-source availability; however, its Enterprise version entails additional expenses. Users find Centreon's value noteworthy despite frequent changes in pricing models and licensing terms.

To learn more, read our detailed Centreon vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

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

April 2026

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Helped 893,311 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score

8.1

Centreon enhances ROI through efficient monitoring, quick issue resolution, cost savings, and minimal impact during outages.

Sentiment score

1.0

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller delivers consistent connections and high ROI, benefiting diverse sectors over a decade.

Centreon provides timesaving and costsaving benefits as it lets us manage multiple devices on a single platform.

Tinkesh Chaudhary

Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

It significantly saves time by automating monitoring tasks and reduces costs as it requires fewer resources.

Aadinath Tikone

System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.1

Centreon's customer service is responsive and knowledgeable, though availability limitations and support level improvements are needed.

Sentiment score

6.4

Customer service is praised for responsiveness and expertise, though some operational cases take longer to resolve.

We do not have direct access to Centreon's technical support.

Tinkesh Chaudhary

Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

If issues arise, like services appearing as down in Centreon, technical support helps check the polar-server communication.

Aadinath Tikone

System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Technical support from Centreon responds within 24 hours and resolves issues quickly.

Sulesh PK

Monitoring and Operations Pilot at Egis S.A.

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

Cisco's support I would rate as a 10 compared to all other vendors.

Jagdev Dhaliwal

Network Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.0

Centreon is valued for flexibility and scalability, though improvements in data management and alert scaling are recommended.

Sentiment score

7.3

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is scalable, supporting integration and expansion, with varied user experiences on upgrading and compatibility.

Occasionally, for several hours, we do not receive any alerts, causing a business impact.

Tinkesh Chaudhary

Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

We use other tools for adding and deploying configured devices, but direct access from Centreon would be beneficial.

Sulesh PK

Monitoring and Operations Pilot at Egis S.A.

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

Centreon is stable and reliable, though stability may vary; support resolves issues swiftly, especially with the latest versions.

Sentiment score

7.8

The Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is praised for its stable performance and reliability, especially in managing data centers.

Centreon is a much more straightforward and stable tool compared to Icinga.

Aadinath Tikone

System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Sometimes we do not receive alerts, causing business impact, and users ask why no alerts were received.

Tinkesh Chaudhary

Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Room For Improvement

Centreon users seek improved customization, monitoring, UI, documentation, integration, mobile features, auto-remediation, multilingual support, and notifications.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard needs easier configuration, better integration, improved performance, intuitive reporting, and competitive pricing to enhance user experience.

Enhancements are needed in identifying configuration issues, providing real-time alerts in case of issues, and improving the HTTP configuration tasks.

Sulesh PK

Monitoring and Operations Pilot at Egis S.A.

While Centreon excels at server-level monitoring, it lacks the ability to track web app availability and latency, unlike Dynatrace, which is efficient in this area.

Aadinath Tikone

System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Reliability is sometimes an issue. Centreon has a developer mode and production mode, but sometimes alerts don't come through in production mode.

Tinkesh Chaudhary

Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

I do not believe it integrated well with different infrastructures for hybrid environments.

Jagdev Dhaliwal

Network Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Setup Cost

Centreon provides an open-source solution for SMEs but has a complex pricing model for enterprises needing premium features.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is costly but offers high value, transparent pricing, and excellent support and service.

Centreon's pricing is not very expensive.

Sulesh PK

Monitoring and Operations Pilot at Egis S.A.

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Valuable Features

Centreon offers unlimited monitoring, enhanced visualization, and customizable features for efficient oversight with extensive device compatibility and anomaly detection.

The Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller offers stability, ease of use, integration, and real-time insights for optimized network management.

Centreon's real-time monitoring, despite having some manual aspects, supports us in managing our operations effectively.

Sulesh PK

Monitoring and Operations Pilot at Egis S.A.

Monitoring is a fundamental pillar of technical support, and Centreon streamlines this process, reducing the need for extensive manual checks.

Aadinath Tikone

System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Centreon allows us to monitor all of our devices on one platform.

Tinkesh Chaudhary

Network Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Centreon report

People typically understand north-south traffic flows but usually miss the east-west traffic flows in data centers.

Jagdev Dhaliwal

Network Engineer at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Categories and Ranking

Centreon

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

24th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (29th), Cloud Monitoring Software (18th)

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

26th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Centreon is 1.4%, down from 2.5% 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 Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Centreon	1.4%
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)	0.6%
Other	98.0%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Sulesh PK

Monitoring and Operations Pilot at Egis S.A.

Experience enhanced monitoring with real-time alerts and efficient support

I would like to see automation in the poller features, as currently, the poller is not automated. If we could automate the addition or removal of hosts in the poller, it would improve efficiency. Sometimes, Centreon does not show the status of services as updated, which should be addressed. Additionally, enhancements are needed in identifying configuration issues, providing real-time alerts in case of issues, and improving the HTTP configuration tasks, as Centreon does not currently display issues with HTTP links, requiring manual investigation.

Read full review

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Government

10%

Construction Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	16

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Centreon?

Centreon's pricing is not very expensive. Initially, I rated it seven, but corrected to five out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Centreon?

I have certain concerns with Centreon, such as being unable to set downtime for multiple devices at once due to the limitation of adding only 50 devices in a single go. Increasing this limit would ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Centreon?

We are using Centreon for monitoring devices, both LAN and WAN devices. There are subsidiaries for my company, so if any devices go down or there are any service alerts, we receive alerts through 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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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Centreon

May 2026

Download Centreon product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

May 2026

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

Centreon offers a robust IT infrastructure monitoring platform, featuring user-friendly dashboards and real-time monitoring. It excels in scalability and integration, making it suitable for monitoring diverse network environments.

Centreon stands out with its unified monitoring capabilities, providing businesses with user-friendly dashboards and extensive plugins for customization. Its scalability ensures companies can expand monitoring tasks without incurring additional costs. Integration capabilities allow seamless interaction with ticketing systems and automation tools. Centreon offers customizable reporting and effectively manages downtimes, providing real-time feedback and proactive maintenance through Business Activity and Anomaly Detection features. Despite its strengths, users find areas for improvement including downtime scheduling, API functionalities, UI enhancements, end-to-end monitoring, and documentation. Businesses are increasingly demanding better automation, network discovery, cloud monitoring, and notification options.

What are Centreon's standout features?

Unified Monitoring: Delivers a comprehensive monitoring platform for IT infrastructure.
User-Friendly Dashboards: Offers intuitive and customizable dashboards for efficient monitoring.
Extensive Plugins: Enables flexibility and customization through numerous plugins.
Scalability: Allows expansion of monitoring duties without additional costs.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with ticketing systems and other tools.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Minimized resolution time through proactive maintenance features.
Ease of Use: Simplifies monitoring with its user-friendly interface.
Proactive Issue Resolution: Real-time monitoring and alerts help prevent service outages.
Customizable Reporting: Adapts reports to meet specific organizational requirements.
Diverse Network Management: Capable of handling diverse IT environments efficiently.

Centreon is implemented across industries to monitor IT infrastructures, including networks, servers, and applications. Companies leverage it to track server performance, manage network devices, and receive timely alerts on device status. Its ability to integrate with ticketing systems and automation tools streamlines operations, enhancing global IT infrastructure monitoring and customer service management with real-time feedback and issue resolution.

Centreon

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller, formerly DCNM, provides a consolidated dashboard offering insights into network operations, real-time telemetry, and automation capabilities. Users noted enhanced data center management and seamless SD-WAN integration.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller integrates Python, Ansible, and Terraform for efficient traffic management. Comprehensive data center insight and stability highlight its utility across policy updates and network troubleshooting. With support for hybrid environments and enhanced network health data visibility, the platform suits complex, evolving infrastructures.

What are the Key Features?

Automation Capabilities: Simplifies network operations with automated workflows and scheduling.
Programming Support: Facilitates integration through Python, Ansible, and Terraform compatibility.
Comprehensive Dashboard: Provides a centralized view of network performance and health.
Real-Time Telemetry: Enhances decision-making with up-to-the-moment data.
SD-WAN Integration: Ensures seamless traffic flow across network borders.

What Benefits Should Users Look for?

Enhanced Network Monitoring: Allows precise tracking and troubleshooting of network issues.
Efficient Resource Management: Streamlines policy updates and component management.
Improved Security: Facilitates tighter control over Nexus switch configurations.
Centralized Management: Reduces complexity in maintaining data centers through a unified interface.

In data center operations, businesses leverage Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller for improved security, tackling tasks like VPN operations and private cloud development. It enhances storage management, providing robust support to manage Nexus switches for optimized component oversight and security protocols.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Airbus, Bollore, BT, Canal Plus, Kuehne Nagel, Limagrain, LVMH, Oberthur Technologies, Orange, Darty, Addax Petroleum, Plastic Omnium, Auchan, Valeo, Saint Gobin, Clarins, Hugo Boss, JC Decaux, French Government (Defense, Justice, Environment, Agriculture), OptiComm, Thales, Zeiss.

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

Buyer's Guide

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

April 2026

Free Report: Centreon vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Find out what your peers are saying about Centreon vs. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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