Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline comparison

The compared Cisco and Gigamon solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #16 in NMS , with an average rating of 8.2, and holds a 0.5% mindshare in the category. Gigamon is ranked #10 in EM , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Gigamon users who would recommend it.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

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

822 Views
281 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Gigamon Deep Observability ...

Read 8 Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline reviews

38 Views
19 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Gigamon Deep Observability ...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) and Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, SolarWinds and others in Network Monitoring Software.

To learn more, read our detailed Network Monitoring Software Report (Updated: July 2025).

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Network Monitoring Software

July 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

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (16th)

Gigamon Deep Observability ...

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (38th), Event Monitoring (10th), Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (30th), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (41st), Web Application Firewall (WAF) (32nd), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (25th), Network Packet Broker (NPB) (1st), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (17th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Network Management solutions, they serve different purposes. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is designed for Network Monitoring Software and holds a mindshare of 0.5%, up 0.4% compared to last year.
Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline, on the other hand, focuses on Event Monitoring, holds 0.5% mindshare, down 0.5% since last year.

Network Monitoring Software

Event Monitoring

Featured Reviews

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

LeonardoAlves

Senior Treasury Analyst at Itau Unibanco S.A.

Improved the capability to analyze the environment and network problems with easy setup

It improved the capability to analyze the environment and network problems. It also helped streamline your security and performance monitoring The application I use is a script. My environment is a mix of technologies. I have many passionate people in my network who are on a journey in…

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

"Automation of the ILS."

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

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

"The feature I find most valuable, is the stability of the solution."

"I like that is easy to work on and straightforward."

"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."

"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."

"After installation, you almost forget that it is working."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"The most valuable feature for improving network visibility with Gigamon is the packet filtering capability."

"It offers straightforward integration."

"It has high stability."

"It is a good product. It provides network visibility, which is important. Gigamon can bring some optimizations to my network. It is helpful for security inspection, and it makes my firewall work fast because my firewall doesn't have to do the inspection of the SSL connections, for example."

"The tool's most valuable feature is the encryption feature. From a security perspective, the solution hasn't significantly strengthened our security posture. However, it has greatly improved performance by streamlining encryption processes and avoiding encryption at multiple layers. This has also simplified troubleshooting, as we can whitelist certain processes."

"The most valuable feature is NetFlow."

"The solution is straightforward to set up."

Cons

"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."

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

"The visibility of applications is not great."

"It's very costly."

"We need better performance and reliability."

"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 initial setup is challenging."

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

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"The security should be improved."

"In terms of improvement, while the initial setup is not overly complicated, we did encounter a few issues."

"It only inspects a specific kind of traffic. There should be different kinds of use cases."

"The graphical user interface could be improved."

"Its filtering feature needs improvement."

"They should increase the solution's cluster capacity."

"The Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline should have a feature showing the traffic flow within its platform. Currently, customers have to use separate tools for monitoring, which is inconvenient. If it had its visibility feature, it would make monitoring easier and more complete without needing extra tools."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

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

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

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

"The solution is very expensive."

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

"I would rate the solution as expensive, around an eight or nine out of ten. There are other competitive solutions available."

"The solution's price is reasonable."

"The solution is highly-priced."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

12%

Financial Services Firm

Real Estate/Law Firm

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

15%

Healthcare Company

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.

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

What do you like most about Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline?

The most valuable feature for improving network visibility with Gigamon is the packet filtering capability.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline?

The challenge is monitoring the cloud network. In on-premises environments, monitoring is straightforward, as I can verify all packets and communications. However, due to the way access tools and p...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline?

It improved the capability to analyze the environment and network problems. It also helped streamline your security and performance monitoring.

See all answers

Comparisons

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

Compared 61% of the time

Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 15% of the time

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

Compared 14% of the time

Icinga vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 10% of the time

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Ixia Network Packet Brokers vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline

Compared 22% of the time

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Data Broker vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline

Compared 11% of the time

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline

Compared 8% of the time

Arista Data ANalyZer vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline

Compared 8% of the time

Big Switch Networks vs Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline

Compared 6% of the time

More Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

July 2025

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

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

Buyer's Guide

Event Monitoring

June 2025

Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline report

Download Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

Gigamon, GigaSecure

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

Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline is a comprehensive network visibility solution that provides real-time insights into network traffic. It offers SSL inspection and mobile network monitoring for traffic monitoring purposes. The solution optimizes networks, aids in security inspection, and improves firewall performance. It is praised for its performance, power, straightforward integration, stability, and ease of initial setup.

With Gigamon, organizations can gain complete visibility into their network traffic, identify potential threats, and take proactive measures to prevent them. The solution is ideal for organizations of all sizes, including enterprises, service providers, and government agencies.

Gigamon

Sample Customers

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

Amica Insurance, College of William & Mary, Gamma, IntercontinentalExchange, OppenheimerFunds

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

July 2025

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