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

Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #25 with an average rating of 8.2, while Broadcom is ranked #43 with an average rating of 9.0. Cisco holds a 0.6% mindshare in NMS, compared to Broadcom’s 0.5% 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
  • 1,495 Views
  • 1,435 Comparison Views
92% willing to recommend
DX Performance Management
Read 32 DX Performance Management reviews
  • 1,400 Views
  • 1,064 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

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.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. DX Performance Management Report (Updated: February 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. DX Performance Management
February 2026
Download the complete report
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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
25th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
DX Performance Management
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
43rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Infrastructure Capacity Planning (1st), DX NetOps (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 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 DX Performance Management is 0.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)0.6%
DX Performance Management0.5%
Other98.9%
Network Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Jagdev Dhaliwal - PeerSpot reviewer
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
reviewer1810893 - PeerSpot reviewer
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

"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."
"It has a very nice dashboard so you can see what's currently happening in the network and the performance of the back story."
"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."
"The feature I find most valuable, is the stability of the solution."
"The most valuable features of Cisco Data Center Network Manager are consistency and the core server. The teams have had a good experience."
"After installation, you almost forget that it is working."
"Fabric suite automation is a great feature."
"Cisco's support I would rate as a 10 compared to all other vendors."
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros
"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."
"The integration with NetFlow, the NFA solution, so that we can have our flow forensics paired with the SNMP polling performance metrics on the same page."
"The ability to very quickly and graphically navigate around, being able to zoom in to a timeframe, apply it to all the other panels... are all very intuitive."
"You can create intelligent alerts so you have enough time to replace the router or interface before it's full. The same is applicable for CBQoS channels.​"
"The out-of-the-box dashboards are valuable, in terms of being able to visualize performance data in ways that we haven't in the past."
"What is most useful is visibility."
"The solution's performance itself is very good because it is a vertical database that loads very fast in comparison to other products."
"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."
More DX Performance Management pros
 

Cons

"It would be nice to have the ability to more easily collect information from other software when doing some types of analysis."
"More integration features would be beneficial."
"API lacks robustness."
"The automation feature could be improved."
"It's very costly."
"Automation for the RMA process can be added."
"The solution needs to improve reports."
"The tool should be more user-friendly and improve AI integration."
More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons
"Policies could be improved."
"This solution is not very scalable."
"It seems like we escalate more than I would like to. If anything, they should look at how the tier support goes in place."
"There are some areas in the technology right now, like with VMs, where we are lacking with our abilities to get inside the VM to monitor traffic within the machine."
"CA PM can be complex to build and configure. Creating the folders / groups / sites required establishing many rule sets."
"This may be available by now but for server space, when it comes to the disk file system, I'd like to see that graphically represented, or the trend, rather than what I'm seeing now."
"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."
"For CA PM, there should be a way of easily migrating the reports coming from eHealth going to CA Performance Center, since CA PC is replacing eHealth."
More DX Performance Management cons
 

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."
"The solution is very expensive."
"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."
"On average, Data Center Network Manager's pricing isn't too costly unless you choose a premier license."
"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."
"When we purchase a Nexus box, the MDS CM license comes with it."
"The product is licensed with contracts that work on a yearly basis rather than a monthly model."
"The price of Cisco Data Center Network Manager is expensive compared to other vendors on the market."
"They should provide more scalable licensing for the product."
"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."
"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. ​"
"I like the licensing model because it's device-based."
"The tool's pricing is based on the number of network devices."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Marketing Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise16
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise25
 

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?
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 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 NPM vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Compared 14% of the time
SolarWinds Network Automation Manager vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Logo
SolarWinds Network Automation Manager vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Compared 13% of the time
Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Logo
Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Compared 12% of the time
Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Logo
Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
Compared 8% of the time
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IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs DX Performance Management Logo
IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs DX Performance Management
Compared 8% of the time
Datadog vs DX Performance Management Logo
Datadog vs DX Performance Management
Compared 8% of the time
WhatsUp Gold vs DX Performance Management Logo
WhatsUp Gold vs DX Performance Management
Compared 8% of the time
Kentik vs DX Performance Management Logo
Kentik vs DX Performance Management
Compared 7% of the time
AppNeta by Broadcom vs DX Performance Management Logo
AppNeta by Broadcom vs DX Performance Management
Compared 6% of the time
More DX Performance Management Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
February 2026
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reportDownload Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) product report
Buyer's Guide
DX Performance Management
February 2026
DX Performance Management reportDownload DX Performance Management product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager
CA Performance Management
 

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

CA Performance Management is a comprehensive and highly scalable network performance monitoring and analytics platform. It was built to meet the unique demands of big data and modern networks architectures, including highly dynamic and complex hybrid cloud and software-defined networks (SDN).

The platform is design to reduce complexity inherent in modern networks built across numerous technology stacks through advanced network performance monitoring and relationship mapping for improved operational assurance.

Combined with CA Virtual Network Assurance, the platform extends operator visibility through advanced discovery and network performance monitoring of highly sensitive cloud and multi-layered SDN networks and service chains.

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
February 2026
Free Report: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. DX Performance Management
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