Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs DX Performance Management comparison

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Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #42 with an average rating of 8.0, while Broadcom is ranked #39 with an average rating of 9.0. Cisco holds a 0.6% mindshare in NMS, compared to Broadcom’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

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

3,656 Views
3,510 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

DX Performance Management

Read 32 DX Performance Management reviews

4,704 Views
3,622 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

DX Performance Management

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and DX Performance Management compete in network management tools. Cisco Nexus Dashboard holds an edge in network integration and stability, while DX Performance Management excels in data visibility and customizable integration.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller stands out for managing admin VDCs, integrating with SD-WAN solutions, and providing robust automation. DX Performance Management is strong in integrated performance monitoring, customizable reporting, and its ability to track multiple data sources effectively.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller could simplify configuration processes, enhance integration with third-party tools, and reduce complexity in setup. DX Performance Management could improve reporting flexibility and scalability, real-time data collection, and cloud-oriented solution integration.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and DX Performance Management are primarily deployed on-premises, with Cisco also supporting private cloud setups. Cisco's technical support is generally helpful for development, although operational support can lag. DX Performance Management users generally do well without support, but when needed, it is well-received.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is considered expensive, with pricing often linked to hardware purchases. Its cost is seen as justified by its features. DX Performance Management offers competitive pricing with scalable licensing options, although prices may rise over contracts.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. DX Performance Management Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. DX Performance Management

September 2026

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Helped 915,341 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:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

42nd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

DX Performance Management

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

39th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Infrastructure Capacity Planning (1st), DX NetOps (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of DX Performance Management is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
DX Performance Management	0.7%
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)	0.6%
Other	98.7%

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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reviewer1810893

Senior IT Operations Specialist at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees

Flexibility and detailed performance stats enable effective network monitoring

Spectrum is very good at monitoring all network faults and configurations. It enables me to take action based on network issues. The Performance Management provides detailed network performance stats, including CPU, memory, and interface bandwidth. Additionally, Spectrum is flexible and allows me to organize and treat devices uniquely without impacting other devices.

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

"Fabric suite automation is a great feature."

"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."

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

"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."

"This solution is the easiest and most straightforward."

"There are many valuable features in this solution: The automation of the ILS, the automation of the small changes, the lands updates, scheduling, integration - basically, the pushing of features that we used to do manually."

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

"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."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"It is easy to use, and the performance metrics are helping us to know our network better."

"It can be easily integrated with other systems and is powerful enough to collect data from a large number of devices."

"Since the implementation of the tool, it has cut down on probably 60% of our outages and letting us know what is going on."

"When devices are having performance issues, it proactively build dashboards which allow us to go and do health checks, and resolve problems before they become an issue."

"The most valuable feature of DX Performance Management is the quick way we can collect data without putting much effort. They have a lot of customization and features with the solution internally and out of the box. We can discover the device, and start collecting information. For example, if the device is available, we can receive the CPU and memory utilization, and the interface optimization is simple and very fast to implement."

"The capability where not only the traditional SNMP information is captured but also the netflow data; who is consuming the data on the WAN, and voice-related information, is helpful. The voice quality makes it very easy for first- and second-line operators to see where the issue is, and who is impacted."

"The integration to the other products that we use: NFA, we use ADA, we use Spectrum; and CAPM integrates all those into a single pane of glass, for performance."

"The most valuable of CA Performance Management is consolidated network infrastructure monitoring and reporting."

More DX Performance Management pros

Cons

"The reporting is not very intuitive and has room for improvement."

"API lacks robustness."

"We need better performance and reliability."

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

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

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

"The product is good but quite expensive."

"The automation feature could be improved."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"Since we are out of registered IP space, we are moving to ipv6 and we expect our vendors to move with us, and they have not delivered yet."

"The dashboard features are very function rich, but the reporting feature is probably not as rich as we'd like it to be."

"What we want to see: More integration inside of Spectrum and integration of role-based access."

"I have mixed feeling about the scalability. I feel like there are things which are being put into UIM right now that are not being included in Performance Center that we need to see in Performance Center. We are kind of being driven to buy UIM, and I can't justify it."

"The quantity of views which are tied to specific metric families is too high. Also, the problem is the view doesn't tell you which metric family it uses, so you don't know why you don't see data."

"Policies could be improved."

"One of the greatest challenges we have encountered are the polling cycles."

"CA PM can be complex to build and configure. Creating the folders / groups / sites required establishing many rule sets."

More DX Performance Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 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."

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

"The solution is very expensive."

"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."

"They should provide more scalable licensing for the product."

"I like the licensing model because it's device-based."

"The tool's pricing is based on the number of network devices."

"We were looking at other vendors in the marketplace for NetFlow, and CA just beat everybody else in price, cost, and the size to implement. "

"We purchase a license to use the solution every three years and we have multiple contracts. They have been increasing the price annually. We have a baseline for three years and then we need to pay the difference from the baseline, and we are in the process of negotiating a new price for all the licenses we need. The price overall is affordable."

"Do your homework and know how many devices you will be managing out of the gate. Be sure to project what your growth will be each year."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

15%

Outsourcing Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

25%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	25

Questions from the Community

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...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Data Center Network Manager?

I do not have experience with Cortex. I worked primarily with Strata firewalls, Global Protect, and Prisma. These are the three primary products I have worked on. I am familiar with Prisma Access b...

See all answers

What needs improvement with DX Performance Management?

Spectrum's topology view sometimes does not rebuild automatically when a device is shut down and reconnected. It requires manual discovery and rebuilding of the topology, which I hope can be improved.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for DX Performance Management?

I have used Spectrum for monitoring all network faults, configurations, and troubleshooting network issues. It provides network performance stats, such as CPU, memory, and interface bandwidth detai...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering DX Performance Management?

I would recommend this solution based on its functionality, flexibility, customizability, and ease of use. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. I am just a customer and not a par...

See all answers

Comparisons

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

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

Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

DX Spectrum vs DX Performance Management

Compared 5% of the time

Icinga vs DX Performance Management

Compared 4% of the time

Great Bay vs DX Performance Management

Compared 4% of the time

More DX Performance Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

October 2026

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

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

Buyer's Guide

DX Performance Management

October 2026

Download DX Performance Management product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

CA Performance Management

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

DX Performance Management provides crucial network visibility and performance monitoring, offering device certification, integration with key tools, and efficient network analytics through advanced features.

DX Performance Management is a comprehensive solution for network performance, health, and capacity monitoring. It facilitates baselining, trending, and real-time visibility, aiding in capacity planning and incident alerting. It integrates with services like NetFlow, NFA, and ADA, supporting multiple device types. Its database performance allows for efficient analysis with scalability across different device counts, while customizable dashboards provide a single-pane-of-glass view for network insights.

What are the key features of DX Performance Management?

Device Certification: Ensures network devices meet specific standards and requirements through thorough certification processes.
Integration: Seamlessly connects with NetFlow, NFA, ADA, Spectrum, and CAPC for robust network insights.
Report Generation: Offers automated report generation for enhanced network analysis.
Customizable Dashboards: Provides a tailored view of network performance metrics on a single screen.
Advanced Alerting: Monitors network conditions with sophisticated alerting mechanisms for proactive responses.
Scalability: Adapts to growing network demands with efficient performance across multiple device counts.
Multi-Tenancy: Supports various tenants within the same infrastructure, ensuring resource optimization.
Historical Data Analysis: Delivers past performance data for in-depth trend analysis and decision support.

Which benefits and ROI should users expect from using DX Performance Management?

Efficiency: Enhances network analysis through fast database performance and customizable interfaces.
Decision-Making: Improves decision support via comprehensive visibility and detailed performance metrics.
Scalability: Offers a flexible solution capable of growing with network demands.
Customization: Allows tailoring of reports and dashboards to meet specific analytical needs.
Integration: Provides seamless connectivity with other network management tools and service desks.

Network service providers implement DX Performance Management to deliver in-depth insights, monitoring routers and switches for SNMP data collection, aiding CPU, memory, and interface utilization analysis. It's integrated with network fault management and service desks, providing comprehensive performance analytics.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

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

Jack Henry & Assoc, Target, CenturyLink, Bell Canada, BrightHouse Networks, Telus, Unisys, Verizon, Southern California Edison, GEICO, Fidelity Investments, Wells Fargo, American Family Insurance Group, Deutsche Telekom AG

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. DX Performance Management

September 2026

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