

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and Kentik compete in network management and analytics. Kentik has the upper hand in network observability and real-time visibility tools.
Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is known for its stability, automation capabilities, and vendor-independent management. It integrates seamlessly with Nexus switches for improved data center management. Kentik offers a SaaS model with robust network analysis, real-time visibility through its Data Explorer, and traffic optimization capabilities.
Room for Improvement: Cisco users identify setup complexity, configuration, reporting, and third-party tool integration as key areas needing improvement, alongside pricing transparency. Kentik users suggest better API usability, a more intuitive interface, and more actionable intelligence instead of just data visibility.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco's on-premises deployment suits environments that need strict control, with mixed technical support reviews but commendable developmental support. Kentik's flexible deployment options require less technical support due to its simple SaaS model, although some see room for improvement in Cisco's operational support.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco's pricing is seen as high but offers good ROI through robust solutions, with complex licensing justified for larger setups. Kentik's pricing depends on data flow and device count, which could be steep for big networks, yet it provides discounts for educational institutions. The efficiency and comprehensive network insights contribute to its recognized ROI.
In production environments, especially for service providers on IP networks and data centers, Kentik helps in reducing the time to identify and resolve issues.
Cisco's support I would rate as a 10 compared to all other vendors.
I have mostly used forums for any support needed because the setup is straightforward and the documentation is quite good.
They have monthly calls and discuss the product roadmap with us to determine what is needed.
Kentik's integration with Kubernetes makes scaling easier.
You can scale as many devices and tests as you want, but you should have a good number of credits in your accounts.
Based on stability, I would give Kentik a nine.
In production, however, dimensioning of the underlying platforms is something to be mindful of.
I do not believe it integrated well with different infrastructures for hybrid environments.
More work is required to integrate AI for troubleshooting, simplifying root cause analysis, and providing suggested solutions for network issues.
The pricing is good and aligns with the market target.
Kentik’s pricing is competitive in the marketplace.
People typically understand north-south traffic flows but usually miss the east-west traffic flows in data centers.
The most important feature is cybersecurity.
One of the most valuable features of Kentik, especially for service providers, is its ability to visualize all the BGP peering and the status of the BGP peering platform.
Kentik is easy to use and set up.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Kentik | 1.9% |
| Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) | 0.6% |
| Other | 97.5% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 10 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 16 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 4 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 8 |
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?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.
Kentik provides real-time visibility into network infrastructure, focusing on monitoring, data visualization, and flow analysis to manage traffic patterns efficiently.
With robust analytics capabilities, Kentik offers insights into BGP peering status, aids in DDoS detection, and allows for detailed telemetry through its intuitive interface. The platform's SaaS nature simplifies operations by eliminating server maintenance concerns. Multi-vendor support and synthetic testing enhance network security and performance by simulating customer scenarios, while its API offers automation for querying and reporting tasks.
What are the key features of Kentik?Industries implement Kentik for network monitoring, traffic management, and flow data analysis across both on-prem and cloud setups. It proves valuable for detecting DDoS events, managing peering relationships, and optimizing costs, besides managing CDN configurations and performing synthetic tests in diverse environments.
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