Cisco Intersight vs OpenNebula comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and OpenNebula are both solutions in the Cloud Management category. Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6, while OpenNebula is ranked #26 with an average rating of 7.0. Cisco holds a 1.6% mindshare in CM, compared to OpenNebula’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of OpenNebula users who would recommend it.

Cisco Intersight

Read 22 Cisco Intersight reviews

7,703 Views
2,311 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

OpenNebula

Read 15 OpenNebula reviews

3,630 Views
3,376 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Intersight

OpenNebula

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

OpenNebula and Cisco Intersight are competing cloud management solutions. OpenNebula is known for its cost-effectiveness and support, while Cisco Intersight boasts advanced functionality and comprehensive management capabilities, making it better suited for enterprises.

Features: OpenNebula's lightweight infrastructure management, edge computing capabilities, and integration flexibility are notable. Cisco Intersight offers advanced automation, continuous delivery, and seamless integration with other Cisco technologies.

Room for Improvement: OpenNebula lacks some enterprise-level automation features and could benefit from enhanced scalability options. Its user interface, while user-friendly, might need more customization options for complex needs. Cisco Intersight's high price might deter small businesses, and its complex setup can be time-consuming. Documentation could be improved for easier user onboarding.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: OpenNebula supports straightforward deployment processes suitable for smaller operations and offers responsive customer support. Cisco Intersight is tailored for large-scale environments, with extensive vendor support, though setup can be more demanding initially.

Pricing and ROI: OpenNebula provides lower setup costs and a quick return on investment due to its simplicity. Cisco Intersight, despite a higher price, offers a significant ROI for enterprises through enhanced manageability and reduced operational overhead.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Intersight vs. OpenNebula Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Intersight vs. OpenNebula

September 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

Cisco Intersight

Ranking in Cloud Management

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (10th)

OpenNebula

Ranking in Cloud Management

26th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Cloud Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Intersight is 1.6%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenNebula is 1.5%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Intersight	1.6%
OpenNebula	1.5%
Other	96.9%

Cloud Management

Featured Reviews

AbhinavSingh

Technical Marketing Engineer Hybrid Cloud Infrastructures at NetApp

Centralized policies have simplified hybrid operations and now support automated workflows

The challenge could be if there are any bugs. Most of the time, you may feel that the TCAM resources are getting full on the Nexus just because of some bug or the configuration is not supported. Or sometimes, if there are any vulnerabilities happening on the current running firmware, those are challenges we have. And if you talk about from the compute side, there were initial bugs such as a CPU throttle issue. Because of that, the chassis was not running in an optimum way. You may see performance issues during that time. For that, Cisco released a patch, and it got fixed. I think Cisco Intersight should allow more automation capabilities. It should be more open, and it should provide more automation capabilities. I think there is also a scope of making it a little bit simpler because a lot of policy and config sometimes becomes confusing for the user because it has a lot of config. Maybe they can do a little bit of simplification with Cisco Intersight.

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FOURES Jean-Philippe

Products Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

Reliable, simple to manage, and offers great technical support

The support of VXLAN fits with our network management. Thanks to this we can propose mixed solutions using virtual resources on OpenNebula and bare metal servers hosted in our facilities linked to each other on the sale network. This use case is very useful when some applications need bare metal power (Kubernetes workers, huge databases, AI models computations, et cetera). The cluster management is very useful for splitting our different clusters (mutual vs dedicated). We can manage deployments and capacity planning without pain. The API is also really simple and it helped us to develop the Terraform provider to manage OpenNebula like any other cloud infrastructure.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cisco Intersight makes onboarding much easier; it provides comprehensive hardware monitoring, firmware management, proactive alerts, server inventory, UCS configurations, service profiles for compliance, support integration, automation capabilities, and it offers multi-site visibility with cloud-based access that simplifies management."

"Provides an overall view using a single portal."

"I rate it a ten out of ten. I don't have any issues with it."

"What I like most about Cisco Intersight is its manageability."

"Cisco Intersight allows us to manage our data center remotely, which is crucial as our data center is located in a different physical environment."

"I find the integrations to be the most valuable feature."

"We enjoy having an inside view of all the data centers and all the EdgeX nodes within a single portal rather than going into the EdgeX connections one by one."

"Cisco Intersight provides the biggest benefit in the ability to manage a large data center with great visibility, especially compared to Cisco UCS Manager, which is local to a single UCS domain."

More Cisco Intersight pros

"OpenNebula has given us tremendous knowledge about cloud computing and about Cloud Management platforms, commonly known as CMP."

"I'll definitely recommend OpenNebula because it's an open-source solution that's effortless to set up, and the total cost of ownership is low."

"OpenNebula freed my customer from doing the maintenance operations of the servers because now that can be done by his clients."

"OpenNebula is easy to deploy and manage compared to other solutions like OpenStack."

"OpenNebula has very good integration with SAP Storage, is easy to use, has a good UI, and is very scalable."

"The service feature appeals most to us, thus it is the most valuable."

"With a single click, we could set things up and initiate them."

"What's best about OpenNebula that people like is that it's easy to deploy. It's also easy to manage. It's interesting because people choose OpenNebula over other solutions because of the ease of management."

More OpenNebula pros

Cons

"I would like AI to be more integrated into Cisco Intersight."

"An area for improvement in Cisco Intersight is automation. It needs more automation capabilities. Apart from enhanced automation, I want Cisco Intersight to integrate with third-party monitoring tools in its next release."

"The product's setup should be easier."

"Cisco Intersight needs some improvement in terms of stability. Hybrid cloud management and proper hyperscaler tie-up are other areas for improvement."

"The firmware management in the S-Series is not as Cisco described when we purchased it. You should be able to manage firmware without bringing the host down, but that is not the case."

"In the future, the solution needs to plan on an extension to cover a broader range of objects since, at present, there are some Cisco devices within the range of Intersight UCS that it can't manage."

"I do not have notes for improvement."

"Regarding pricing for Cisco Intersight, all the prices from different vendors have drastically increased during these four years, so I would say it's expensive."

More Cisco Intersight cons

"Backup features are only available in the enterprise edition. The community version lacks a good solution for making backups."

"It should have a simple REST API like most other tools. It's the industry standard format. An XML-RPC API gives you an XML document that you have to convert and then do something with that. REST API endpoint provides outputs in a JSON document. I would also like to see support for user data or heat templates, which OpenStack offers, but OpenNebula doesn't have this yet."

"The UI, monitoring, and alerting could benefit from further improvements."

"An area for improvement in OpenNebula is the number of features it has. The solution doesn't have that many cloud features compared to other solutions. You'd say, "Okay, simplicity over a rich feature list?" Some say, "No, I need a big machine or a cloud interface for my customers to manage resources. I don't have to go and do it for them." Some people do it that way, and it works, but I'd like to improve the limited features in OpenNebula."

"The protocol for clusterization is rough and doesn't work well."

"There are no payment gateways in OpenNebula."

"The web interface could be better. It's not very difficult to use, but there's room for enhancement."

"I would like to see OpenNebula add more integration with REST API. XML-RPC API is good, but it becomes a pain to form a resting output."

More OpenNebula cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's just the standard licensing cost. There are no additional fees."

"Cisco Intersight has competitive pricing. On a scale of one to five, my rating for its pricing is four."

"You can get a free license for monitoring but need to purchase a license if you need extra control."

"Cisco Intersight is not cheap, but it's not the most expensive product either."

"The product is cost-effective."

"The licensing for OpenNebula used to be free, but now it's no longer free. A customer contacted me asking to move to another provider because of the changes in the licensing terms for OpenNebula. I have no information on how much the OpenNebula license is because the customer pays for it, and I only do the integration."

"OpenNebuoa has recently come up with a new subscription model that is economical and a lot of new customers are choosing this as it is an easy subscription model."

"We use the Community Edition, rather than the Enterprise Edition."

"OpenNebula gives good value for money."

"The solution is open source so is free."

"VRA is very expensive but OpenNebula is free."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco Intersight?

Regarding improvements for Cisco Intersight, I would say more third-party integration is needed. At the moment it does have a basic integration of Pure Storage, so I can add my Pure Storage if I ha...

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What is your primary use case for Cisco Intersight?

My main use case for Cisco Intersight is to register our Cisco UCS servers and apply profiles to our servers with configurations, firmware deployment automatically, and install the operating system...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Intersight?

I would rate Cisco Intersight a nine out of ten. I give it a nine because personally, I think it is one of the best management tools ever. I have worked before with different server vendors and dif...

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Comparisons

Cisco UCS Manager vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 39% of the time

HPE OneView vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco UCS Director vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 3% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 3% of the time

VMware Aria Operations vs Cisco Intersight

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Intersight Competitors

CloudStack vs OpenNebula

Compared 14% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs OpenNebula

Compared 8% of the time

Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM) vs OpenNebula

Compared 5% of the time

BMC Helix Cloud Security vs OpenNebula

Compared 5% of the time

VMware Aria Operations vs OpenNebula

Compared 5% of the time

More OpenNebula Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Intersight

October 2026

Download Cisco Intersight product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenNebula

September 2026

Download OpenNebula product report

Also Known As

Intersight

No data available

Overview

Cisco Intersight delivers advanced data center management with cloud integration, remote server scaling, and predictive analytics, promoting efficient infrastructure management. It supports hybrid environments and is suitable for scaling across enterprises.

Cisco Intersight offers a comprehensive view of data centers with seamless cloud platform integration, enhancing manageability across environments. It is known for workflow automation, inventory management, and predictive analysis, allowing users to optimize workloads. Users leverage its scalability and ease of use, with features that aid in remote management and integration with both Cisco and non-Cisco products. However, improvements are needed in usability, automation, and third-party tool integration, especially for on-premises and hybrid cloud management. Users often face challenges with firmware management and transitioning from UCS Manager. Desired enhancements include better software compatibility, third-party integrations, expanded microservices support, enhanced AI features, and more automation capabilities, addressing setup complexity, support, and high maintenance costs.

What are the main features of Cisco Intersight?

Data Center Management: Provides insights into data centers with comprehensive monitoring.
Cloud Integration: Enables integration with cloud platforms for enhanced workflows.
Remote Management: Facilitates remote management of data center environments.
Predictive Analytics: Offers analysis tools for workload optimization and planning.
Scalability: Capable of scaling with enterprise infrastructure needs.

What are the expected benefits of using Cisco Intersight?

Improved Infrastructure Management: Offers tools for efficient management across environments.
Enhanced Workflow Automation: Reduces manual tasks with automation capabilities.
Cost-Effective Operations: Promotes efficiency and reduces maintenance costs.
Comprehensive Integration: Supports seamless integration with diverse platforms and technologies.
Performance Optimization: Utilizes predictive analytics for optimizing system performance.

In industries where data center management and integration are critical, such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications, Cisco Intersight is used to monitor and manage infrastructure across multiple sites. Its capability to combine platforms like HyperFlex and VMware allows organizations to maintain hardware status effectively, supporting both on-premises and cloud environments for efficient service delivery.

Cisco

OpenNebula offers scalability, ease of deployment, and integration capabilities that enhance cloud management for enterprises. It supports both virtual and bare metal resources, providing a versatile cloud management experience.

OpenNebula provides a robust platform for building, managing, and automating private and public clouds. Its compatibility with platforms like VMware, KVM, and containers makes it ideal for businesses hosting virtual private clouds and deploying Kubernetes clusters. OpenNebula's API and SDK facilitate automation and integration, allowing organizations to connect with IT systems effectively. Despite its strengths, improvements in object storage, REST API integration, and UI enhancements are needed. The documentation can be disorganized, and users encounter challenges with upgrades and community support.

What are key OpenNebula features?

Scalability: Easily manage resources for growing cloud environments.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies cloud management tasks.
Integration: Connects seamlessly with IT systems using robust API and SDK.
Hypervisor Support: Works with multiple hypervisors and container platforms.

What benefits do users find in OpenNebula?

Efficiency: Streamlines cloud operations, reducing management complexities.
Versatility: Offers support for both virtual and bare metal resources.
Community and Documentation: Though needing improvement, provides valuable resources for users.
Cost-Effectiveness: Lightweight nature minimizes resource expenditure.

OpenNebula implementation spans industries where cloud automation and management are critical. Companies utilize OpenNebula for deploying private clouds and managing infrastructure. Its support for Kubernetes clusters is beneficial in tech-driven sectors, highlighting OpenNebula's adaptability to different operational needs.

OpenNebula

Sample Customers

EXMAR, RapidScale

Akamai, BBC, Fermilab, Terradue, Surf Sara, Produban, Netways, ESA, China Mobile, BlackBerry, Deloitte, Fuze, Telefonica, Trivago, Nokia, Encore Tech, Beeks.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Intersight vs. OpenNebula

September 2026

Free Report: Cisco Intersight vs. OpenNebula

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Intersight vs. OpenNebula and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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