Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs ClearSight Analyzer comparison

Cisco and NETSCOUT are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #26 with an average rating of 8.4, while NETSCOUT is ranked #91. Cisco holds a 0.6% mindshare in NMS, compared to NETSCOUT’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NETSCOUT users who would recommend it.

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

ClearSight Analyzer

Read 2 ClearSight Analyzer reviews

1,169 Views
1,087 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

ClearSight Analyzer

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and ClearSight Analyzer compete in network management and analysis. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller has the upper hand in integrating complex network environments, while ClearSight Analyzer leads in detailed traffic analysis due to its robust packet capabilities.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller provides advanced network orchestration, automation, and management features, ensuring comprehensive visibility and control. It integrates complex network environments effectively and offers extensive network fabrics management. ClearSight Analyzer is known for its in-depth packet analysis and protocol decoding, offering insights into traffic data, making it suitable for environments focusing on data analysis.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller could enhance simplicity in initial deployment and improve usability for less complex network environments. Their user interface could also benefit from a more intuitive design. Enhancing support documentation would be beneficial. ClearSight Analyzer might improve its capability to handle larger network infrastructures. It could also benefit from more integration options with other network management tools and enhance customization options for detailed reports.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller employs a model supporting complex infrastructures but requires extensive setup and provides robust support. ClearSight Analyzer offers quicker deployment suitable for data analysis environments with an emphasis on ease of use. It favors an easy setup and operational focus, specifically for environments prioritizing data analysis.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller involves a higher initial setup cost due to its extensive integration capabilities but offers a significant ROI through enhanced network efficiency and reduced downtimes. ClearSight Analyzer is more affordable, offering ROI through its traffic analysis capabilities, which proves cost-effective for deep packet inspection demands.

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April 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 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

ClearSight Analyzer

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

91st

Average Rating

10.0

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 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ClearSight Analyzer is 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)	0.6%
ClearSight Analyzer	0.4%
Other	99.0%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

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.

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DAVID-TAYLOR

Senior Network Engineer at Montgomery College

Shows question being asked, breaks it down and it'll just show you who's not answering

I wouldn't want the interface to go towards the web because they did have a version that was inside of the TruView product. It was more web-based and, to me, the web-based applications lose the robustness of the intimacy of a true character interface. I liked that they were on that path and I hope that they stay on that path because it just looks like it's a better product. I would like to see a multi-user version where you can have a launch platform and, potentially, instead of buying six licenses you buy 12 seats or something like that. From a centralized platform, you could have multiple users using that particular product in a series of different ways. That's what I'd like to see, rather than having everybody running a standalone one on their own workstation.

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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

"This solution is the easiest and most straightforward."

"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."

"The interface of this solution is easy to use overall."

"Fabric suite automation is a great feature."

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

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

"The most valuable feature is the connectivity monitoring."

"The product has excellent stability."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"What ClearSight will do is it actually maps out the conversation for you."

"This is the best protocol analyzer I've used and I've used some from WildPackets and quite a few other places."

Cons

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

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

"The initial setup is challenging."

"The visibility of applications is not great, which is why we study upscalability."

"The technical support is a gap for us as a company."

"Automation for the RMA process can be added."

"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 visibility of applications is not great."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"I was upset when they sold the product to NETSCOUT."

"I would like to see a multi-user version where you can have a launch platform and, potentially, instead of buying six licenses you buy 12 seats or something like that."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"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 solution is very expensive."

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

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

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

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

"It was pretty modest because you could get it in different ways. I think the six licenses, at that time, were about $1,000 each. But then again, I work for a school and educators tend to get discounts on things. So maybe it cost us about five or six hundred a copy."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

No data available

Questions from the Community

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

What is your primary use case for Cisco Data Center Network Manager?

The main use case for URL filtering with PAN-DB is that it performs quite well. Earlier, when I started in 2012, there was a Blue Coat product available during that period. I am not certain whether...

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Comparisons

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

Compared 14% of the time

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

Compared 12% of the time

Arista Data ANalyZer vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 11% of the time

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

Compared 11% of the time

Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 10% of the time

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Competitors

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs ClearSight Analyzer

Compared 21% of the time

TruView vs ClearSight Analyzer

Compared 19% of the time

Wireshark vs ClearSight Analyzer

Compared 10% of the time

Observium vs ClearSight Analyzer

Compared 8% of the time

Zenoss Cloud vs ClearSight Analyzer

Compared 8% of the time

More ClearSight Analyzer Competitors

Product Reports

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

Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

April 2026

Download ClearSight Analyzer product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

No data available

Overview

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

ClearSight Analyzer offers comprehensive analytics designed for insightful data processing and interpretation. Its use spans across network performance analysis and traffic monitoring, enabling businesses to enhance efficiency and problem-solving capabilities.

Providing a competitive edge in data-driven environments, ClearSight Analyzer stands out with its robust technology, allowing users to dissect complex data streams. It significantly aids in the optimization of network systems, ensuring seamless operations. With its intuitive design and powerful analytics tools, this service facilitates detailed examinations, promoting informed decision-making. Its compatibility with a range of data sources further enhances its utility, making it ideal for tailored applications in different sectors.

What are the standout features of ClearSight Analyzer?

Advanced Data Visualization: Offers intuitive visuals for easier data interpretation.
Real-Time Monitoring: Ensures up-to-date network status insights.
Comprehensive Protocol Analysis: Delivers in-depth examination of network protocols.
Scalability: Adaptable to different network sizes and complexities.

How can ClearSight Analyzer benefit users?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlines data handling and boosts system performance.
Cost-Effective: Reduces operational costs through optimized resource management.
Enhanced Decision-Making: Supports accurate data analysis for better business strategies.

In industries like telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, ClearSight Analyzer aids high-volume data processing, supporting critical operational tasks. Its ability to identify bottlenecks and optimize resources makes it a valuable tool for maintaining high standards of performance and reliability.

NETSCOUT

Sample Customers

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

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute

Buyer's Guide

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April 2026

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