Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs LiveAction LiveNX comparison

Cisco and BlueCat are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.2, while BlueCat is ranked #29 with an average rating of 7.8. Cisco holds a 0.5% mindshare in NMS, compared to BlueCat’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of BlueCat users who would recommend it.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Read 25 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews

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822 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

LiveAction LiveNX

Read 10 LiveAction LiveNX reviews

1,777 Views
1,315 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

LiveAction LiveNX

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and LiveAction LiveNX compete in the network management space. LiveAction LiveNX, with its strong emphasis on real-time insights through monitoring and analytics, seems to have the upper hand in delivering immediate network performance feedback.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller offers robust stability, comprehensive automation features, and seamless integration with Cisco solutions. It provides unique insights into data center operations. LiveAction LiveNX is distinguished by its real-time network monitoring, visual analytics, and robust alerting system, which enhances network performance.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller could improve integration with other tools, simplify configuration, and adopt a more competitive pricing strategy. LiveAction LiveNX users seek enhancements in multi-tenancy and API integration with other vendor platforms while both products require better user-friendliness improvements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is typically used in on-premises setups with generally positive customer service, yet it requires better operational support. LiveAction LiveNX supports both on-premises and private cloud deployments, offering positive developmental support but needing enhancement in operational support. Cisco's extensive support options are notable, while LiveAction offers wider deployment flexibility.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is considered costly but delivers strong ROI with complex licensing focused on long-term investments. LiveAction LiveNX, also expensive, provides value without per user charges, benefiting larger teams. Both products offer good ROI, but Cisco's structured plans contrast with LiveNX's flexible licensing.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. LiveAction LiveNX Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. LiveAction LiveNX

July 2025

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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

16th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

LiveAction LiveNX

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

29th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (30th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is 0.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of LiveAction LiveNX is 0.7%, down from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Upul Abhayasena

Manager - Technology at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees

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…

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Ashwani Bansal

Senior Solution Consultant at Orange

Network management and diagnostics improved through effective monitoring and reporting capabilities

The solution is handy. I have not used that particular feature. Maintenance is required for the system. If you want to use something on the endpoints or end-user devices, then using LiveAction LiveNX in place of other tools would be quite beneficial. The solution impacts operational costs and resources. On a scale of 1-10, I rate LiveAction LiveNX a nine.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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 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."

"After installation, you almost forget that it is working."

"The most valuable features of Cisco Data Center Network Manager are consistency and the core server. The teams have had a good experience."

"The monitoring capability is the best in Cisco Data Center Network Manager. It helps me improve network management tasks and optimize processes."

"The interface of this solution is easy to use overall."

"The feature I find most valuable, is the stability of the solution."

"I like that is easy to work on and straightforward."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"All in all, LiveAction LiveNX has become an indispensable tool for maintaining and improving our network's reliability and performance, ultimately supporting our organization's goal of providing timely and dependable delivery services."

"Its analytical capability is really good."

"The product has a very good graphical interface."

"LiveAction LiveNX provides valuable real-time and historical network traffic visualization capabilities that help monitor and analyze network performance."

"One of the valuable features is the ability to create CLI scripts on the fly to fix any issues. We were using it for QoS modeling to ensure that we were properly modeling QoS, and it basically said here is what you need to fix to get this QoS done, whether it is ACL or something else. It would either push or recommend. If you have the right credentials, you could also push. It is very good if you are a Cisco shop. It gives you reporting, latency, and bandwidth utilization for your applications, so you can do good capacity management planning. There are a lot of pieces that LiveNX can give you. It is a total NPM solution for SD-WAN."

"On a scale of 1-10, I rate LiveAction LiveNX a nine."

"The alerting feature is very good because it allows you to set MOS alerts at various network junctures or data points."

"The intention and the idea of the filter is great."

More LiveAction LiveNX pros

Cons

"The initial setup is challenging."

"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."

"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."

"The automation feature could be improved."

"One of the biggest challenges is that we aren't always able to push the configuration onto the target device. Whenever this happens, we have to do a factory reset, put on the script, and then reconfigure it again. In the next release, I would like to have a troubleshooting feature."

"The tool should be more user-friendly and improve AI integration."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"The customer service and technical support of LiveAction LiveNX are rated at 4 out of 10."

"This is a horrible solution and I think everything needs to be improved."

"Maintenance is required for the system."

"Sometimes the solution does not register devices properly and that is a bug."

"The only downside to this software is the price."

"The product is weak in multi-tenancy. We have to install multiple instances of LiveAction, whereas we would like to build it once for our customers."

"They need to create a more simplified UI."

"The tool crashes sometimes when we try to pull reports simultaneously."

More LiveAction LiveNX 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."

"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 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."

"The price of Cisco Data Center Network Manager is expensive compared to other vendors on the market."

"When we purchase a Nexus box, the MDS CM license comes with it."

"It's very expensive."

"We use the free version."

"The solution is fairly expensive compared to other products."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

12%

Financial Services Firm

Real Estate/Law Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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?

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...

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What do you like most about LiveAction LiveNX?

The product has a very good graphical interface.

See all answers

What needs improvement with LiveAction LiveNX?

In my use cases, I do not see any improvements needed. The solution could potentially integrate with Azure, AWS, and multi-cloud networks.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for LiveAction LiveNX?

For observability, I use ThousandEyes, LiveSP, and LiveAction LiveNX for service provider networks. I am actually a service provider, and I use it for my SD-WAN clients. I usually use it with my en...

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Comparisons

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Compared 61% of the time

Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 15% of the time

SolarWinds Network Automation Manager vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 14% of the time

Icinga vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 10% of the time

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Competitors

ThousandEyes vs LiveAction LiveNX

Compared 22% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs LiveAction LiveNX

Compared 18% of the time

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs LiveAction LiveNX

Compared 12% of the time

NetBrain vs LiveAction LiveNX

Compared 10% of the time

Nmap vs LiveAction LiveNX

Compared 8% of the time

More LiveAction LiveNX Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

July 2025

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

Download Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) product report

Buyer's Guide

LiveAction LiveNX

June 2025

Download LiveAction LiveNX product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

LiveNX

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

LiveAction develops IT visibility solutions designed to simplify network management. Initially developed to aid the US Department of Defense in the operation of its networks, LiveNX (Network Experience) features an innovative visual display, real-time big data analytics and deep control of routers and switches for unparalleled network administration. LiveNX accelerates troubleshooting with its QoS control, application-aware, and WAN functionality developed through engineering partnerships with Cisco Systems.

BlueCat

Sample Customers

Banco de Guayaquil, Cox Communications, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Roper St. Francis, University of British Columbia

Tampa Electric, Digital First Media, Allscripts, Boxwood Technology

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. LiveAction LiveNX

July 2025

Free Report: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. LiveAction LiveNX

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. LiveAction LiveNX and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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