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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
17th
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
44th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
4
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…
Fabricio Nonato - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides seamless network setup and efficient management with potential for security integration improvement
Areas where the HPE Aruba Networking UXI can improve include the integration of SD-WAN and security in a single solution. Now, Aruba has developed an SD-WAN solution that is among the best, alongside WLAN. In Brazil, it's common to see many hospitals and government locations utilizing Aruba solutions. However, Fortinet is well-known here for combining SD-WAN with security in a single box, whereas Aruba and Cisco typically have separate solutions for each. This separation can be expensive for companies in Brazil as they have to acquire multiple boxes. Currently, around 50% of firewall sales in Latin America are from Fortinet, but I believe this trend is changing as Aruba develops its offerings.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It uses push technology, which pushes the changes to all relevant devices to ensure they are updated accordingly."
"We use the product to manage access points."
"Stability is not an issue."
"Fabric suite automation is a great feature."
"The interface of this solution is easy to use overall."
"The monitoring capability is the best in Cisco Data Center Network Manager. It helps me improve network management tasks and optimize processes."
"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."
"The feature I find most valuable, is the stability of the solution."
"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."
"Aruba products have significantly improved our network reliability, as none of my teammates have logged a call to Aruba in the past year."
 

Cons

"The tool should be more user-friendly and improve AI integration."
"The automation feature could be improved."
"In the next release, I would like to see it merged with Prime and I think that it should be more unified."
"We need better performance and reliability."
"The initial setup is challenging."
"More integration features would be beneficial."
"The configuration is too complicated and you have to create templates and use a lot of menus."
"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."
"Some manual administrative tasks still need to be triggered manually, leading to lower efficiency."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is very expensive."
"I would say that the pricing offers great value for the money."
"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."
"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."
"When we purchase a Nexus box, the MDS CM license comes with it."
"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."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Insurance Company
41%
Healthcare Company
11%
Computer Software Company
7%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise15
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?
With the pricing and setup cost and licensing for the HPE Aruba Networking UXI, it depends and varies. Many people use these for a short-term solution just to gather their information. Many leverag...
What needs improvement with HPE Aruba Networking UXI?
They could improve their services. The AI-driven insights of the HPE Aruba UXI for optimizing network operations are pretty comprehensive. There is still room for improvement in that sense, but it ...
What is your primary use case for HPE Aruba Networking UXI?
I have used the HPE Aruba Networking UXI more in complex types of environments, mainly in enterprise environments. I have used them extensively in healthcare industry where certain areas within hos...
 

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: September 2025.
869,771 professionals have used our research since 2012.