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Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs HPE Aruba Networking UXI comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
HPE Aruba Networking UXI
Ranking in Network Monitoring Software
51st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
9.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM) (11th)
 

Featured Reviews

Upul Abhayasena - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust management tool with an easy setup and room for more features
DCNM is used by one of the airline customers in Qatar to manage many data centers and rack switches running on normal Nexus or NX-OS mode. They required a controller platform to manage these Nexus switches, and thus, they utilized DCNM as a Fabric controller. Given that ACI deployment is very low…
BP
Reliable network operations improved by seamless technology, though efficiency could benefit from reduced manual tasks
Aruba products have significantly improved our network reliability, as none of my teammates have logged a call to Aruba in the past year. The performance, elasticity, and efficiency of Aruba products have been exceptional. Extreme Ethernet fabric technology offers less administrative effort in extending VLANs due to its loop-free environment. We have been satisfied with this robust performance.

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."
"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."
"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."
"Monitoring system provides a clear indication of what's going on in the network."
"Stability is not an issue."
"The feature I find most valuable, is the stability of the solution."
"The product makes the management of our environment simpler."
"Automation of the ILS."
"Aruba products have significantly improved our network reliability, as none of my teammates have logged a call to Aruba in the past year."
"The most valuable feature of HP Aruba Networking UX-I is its 24/7 monitoring capability."
"The performance, elasticity, and efficiency of Aruba products have been exceptional."
 

Cons

"We need better performance and reliability."
"It is not very easy to monitor or to browse."
"The configuration is too complicated and you have to create templates and use a lot of menus."
"The reporting is not very intuitive and has room for improvement."
"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."
"The initial setup is challenging."
"Could integrate better with VMware products."
"Data Center Network Manager is a little complex because it includes a lot of hardware to be installed."
"Some manual administrative tasks still need to be triggered manually, leading to lower efficiency."
"It would be beneficial if the tool offered a less expensive subscription as it is currently costly for our clients."
"Some manual administrative tasks still need to be triggered manually, leading to lower efficiency."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"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."
"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."
"On average, Data Center Network Manager's pricing isn't too costly unless you choose a premier license."
"The price of Cisco Data Center Network Manager is expensive compared to other vendors on the market."
"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Real Estate/Law Firm
7%
Insurance Company
46%
Healthcare Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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?
In a mixed architecture where Nexus switches are used as border devices and are connected to a Palo Alto firewall (e.g., version 9.1 or 10.1), you might encounter issues with BGP peering. For insta...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Aruba Networking UXI?
Aruba UX UI pricing is in the medium range, neither high nor low, making it affordable. Similarly, Extreme campus LAN switches are priced reasonably, in a medium range when compared to Juniper, Cis...
What needs improvement with HPE Aruba Networking UXI?
Some manual administrative tasks still need to be triggered manually, leading to lower efficiency. This room for improvement is especially pertinent in the administrative aspect, although scalabili...
What is your primary use case for HPE Aruba Networking UXI?
We use Aruba access points, specifically models 515 and 635, in conjunction with our wireless controller. We also utilize Aruba network switches, specifically the 8325 model, and integrate Extreme ...
 

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
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. HPE Aruba Networking UXI and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
862,289 professionals have used our research since 2012.