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Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs Entuity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

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
28th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Entuity
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
67th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 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 Entuity is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)0.6%
Entuity0.7%
Other98.7%
Network Monitoring Software
 

Featured Reviews

Jagdev Dhaliwal - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Ahmed Salman - PeerSpot reviewer
Performance & Monitoring Supervisor at Saudi Telecom Company
A good solution for network monitoring and support management, but there is no centralized database
There is no centralized database. It is an issue if you use a local database and have multiple borders. However, if you have an external database, you can keep the same old data from an old border up to 100 borders. In addition, if we want to create an ABI or use an ABI to connect data, there is no competition when we ask for support. If we want to modify the calculation matrix or equation, we have to raise a professional service. Other competitors like Micro Focus, a network management system, have a new supportability matrix in the market every quarter.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The interface of this solution is easy to use overall."
"Automation of the ILS."
"It has a very nice dashboard so you can see what's currently happening in the network and the performance of the back story."
"Monitoring system provides a clear indication of what's going on in the network."
"The product has excellent stability."
"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 than good enough as we have new clients everyday connected using this product"
"The monitoring capability is the best in Cisco Data Center Network Manager. It helps me improve network management tasks and optimize processes."
"The setup was very simple and took about an hour."
"This is a very user friendly solution, that is good for user access, allowing deep dives into devices, system performance and more."
"We went for this solution because it comes with a lot of features; it's an all-in-one solution, which means we don't have to go for multiple solutions."
"I would recommend Entuity to other users as it's user-friendly and easier to manage than other solutions."
"Event management and the geographical Google API-based network topology are the most valuable features of Entuity."
"The most valuable feature of Entuity is network mapping and information. When clicking on a particular location it can automatically survey the connectivity diagram for us. We can arrange this icon in any kind of formats, such as ring or mesh. The networking mapping can show the components and interconnectivity with the help of IP addresses and NetFlow."
"We are able to receive a visualized monitoring of the network infrastructure which is very helpful."
"The initial setup of Entuity is easy and the full process took approximately 30 minutes."
 

Cons

"The configuration is too complicated and you have to create templates and use a lot of menus."
"The visibility of applications is not great."
"The configuration is too complicated and you have to create templates and use a lot of menus."
"The tool's pricing strategy could be improved to compete more effectively in the market, especially against competitors like Huawei, Aruba, and Juniper."
"It would be nice to have the ability to more easily collect information from other software when doing some types of analysis."
"It is not very easy to monitor or to browse."
"More integration features would be beneficial."
"It's a relatively expensive product for some clients so perhaps improvement could be made in that area."
"It should support IPAM or IP Address Management. When we are managing networks, if IPAM also becomes a part of this, we do not have to look for a separate solution."
"Entuity could improve by having more integration because now network management is not a standalone solution. You have to integrate it with your network, applications, and everything else. We have to collect that information from those solutions or relevant managers. Additionally, the SLA dashboard should be improved."
"The configuration of the logging could be improved because if someone deleted any note or inventory, or some change to the inventory, we are not able to identify which user or which administrator modifies these details. For example, there should be read-only locks on maps to prevent their deletion. This way people can only read and cannot delete that particular map."
"If we want to modify the calculation matrix or equation, we have to raise a professional service."
"Entuity can improve the fetching of device configuration. The solution uses scripts and I could not understand them or find any recourses on the internet to learn about the language that is used in the script. It could be more user-friendly and the device configuration management could be enhanced."
"We would like the backup element of this solution to be improved as, at present, it is very limited and does not have much scope for customization."
"Entuity can improve the fetching of device configuration. The solution uses scripts and I could not understand them or find any recourses on the internet to learn about the language that is used in the script."
"In the most recent versions, Entuity has removed the Explorer navigation feature. This was very useful, and Entuity would be improved by restoring it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"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."
"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."
"It varies and depends on the quantity. It's worth the cost."
"We have 400 licenses and we are only using 150 licenses."
"Entuity's licensing is very highly-priced."
"Entuity is not an expensive solution."
"It can be comparatively expensive but that is because it is comprehensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
10%
Construction Company
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
22%
University
8%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

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 Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

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.
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...
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...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Banco de Guayaquil, Cox Communications, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Roper St. Francis, University of British Columbia
Tait Communications, Vattenfall, Discovery, University of Minnesota, Pernod Ricard, Electric Car
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. Entuity and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,376 professionals have used our research since 2012.