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

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

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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

28th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

LiveNX

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

34th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (40th)

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 LiveNX is 1.0%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)	0.6%
LiveNX	1.0%
Other	98.4%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Jagdev Dhaliwal

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.

Read full review

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.

Read full review

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 like that is easy to work on and straightforward."

"I like running the scripts. With the help of a Python script, we deployed within the configuration and built up the code."

"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."

"It uses push technology, which pushes the changes to all relevant devices to ensure they are updated accordingly."

"VCNM provides a unique capability of managing the admin VDCs of Nexus boxes."

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

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"There are many positive attributes, and it's the best of the best."

"We don't have any complaints about the software. According to my team, it's a very good tool that's very intuitive."

"If you're looking for a tool that will solve your problems in a short period of time more effectively, LiveNX is the right tool."

"Its analytical capability is really good."

"The intention and the idea of the filter is great, but it is far, far away from good and perfect."

"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."

"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."

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

More LiveNX pros

Cons

"The initial setup is challenging."

"It's a relatively expensive product for some clients."

"We need better performance and reliability."

"The technical support is a gap for us as a company."

"More integration features would be beneficial."

"If the customer thinks about using additional solutions, Cisco should make sure they are not left out."

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

"The visibility of applications is not great, which is why we study upscalability."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"Improved documentation and more responsive customer support can help in addressing issues faster."

"They have some unique functionality but they need to create a more simplified UI."

"My advice to others would be to run away from it. This is a slight exaggeration but this is more because the application is horrible, the stability is horrible, the performance is horrible and the support is horrible."

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

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

"The only downside to this software is the price; it's a very pricey solution and very expensive, and it requires a good amount of resources in terms of server memory."

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

"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."

More LiveNX cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"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."

"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."

"On average, Data Center Network Manager's pricing isn't too costly unless you choose a premier license."

"The solution is very expensive."

"The product is licensed with contracts that work on a yearly basis rather than a monthly model."

"We use the free version."

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

"It's very expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

10%

Construction Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Large Enterprise	9

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...

What needs improvement with LiveAction LiveNX?

The solution could be enhanced by implementing custom patterns for each customer.

What is your primary use case for LiveAction LiveNX?

The customers use LiveAction LiveNX for network monitoring and management purposes.

What advice do you have for others considering LiveAction LiveNX?

I work as an integrator with LiveAction LiveNX. Most customers prefer deploying it on premises rather than in the cloud. The advanced diagnostics capabilities, including flow-based surveillance and...

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Product Reports

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

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

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

LiveNX

Download 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

LiveNX enables real-time network monitoring with a graphical interface, offering detailed reports and advanced integration for comprehensive analysis and efficient network management.

LiveNX provides intuitive tools for real-time issue identification and resolution, leveraging advanced integration with platforms like Cisco SD-WAN to enhance network performance analysis. Through features such as visual analytics and QoS modeling, LiveNX supports capacity management planning and operational efficiency, although it requires improvements in pricing, resource efficiency, and web interface functionality. Users value its insights into traffic patterns, enabling optimization and proactive issue resolution.

What are the key features of LiveNX?

Real-Time Monitoring: Facilitates immediate issue identification.
Graphical Interface: Enhances user experience with detailed visualization.
Integration Capabilities: Supports platforms like Cisco SD-WAN for comprehensive analysis.
Visual Analytics: Provides insights into traffic patterns.
QoS Modeling: Aids in planning and maintaining service quality.
Custom Templates: Offers personalized network management tools.

What benefits should users look for?

Proactive Issue Resolution: Enables early detection and solving of network problems.
Comprehensive Analysis: Assists in understanding and managing network performance.
Operational Efficiency: Enhances overall network management processes.
Traffic Optimization: Improves service quality and network utilization.

Industries use LiveNX to monitor and troubleshoot network performance, manage traffic, and ensure QoS across on-premises and cloud environments. It is particularly valued for its ability to visualize and optimize network traffic, which is crucial for maintaining service quality.

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

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