Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG comparison

Cisco and NETSCOUT are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Cisco is ranked #26 with an average rating of 8.4, while NETSCOUT is ranked #75. Cisco holds a 0.6% mindshare in NMS, compared to NETSCOUT’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of NETSCOUT users who would recommend it.

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

Read 26 Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) reviews

2,437 Views
2,340 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Read 13 NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG reviews

1,853 Views
1,742 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabri...

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG compete in network management. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG has an edge due to its extensive network monitoring and analytics features.

Features: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller offers efficient integration with the Cisco ecosystem, enabling seamless fabric automation and streamlined network operations. Additionally, it supports a cohesive approach to managing complex data center environments. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG provides advanced network monitoring capabilities, offering comprehensive analytics and extensive insights into network performance, enhancing detailed network visibility.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller could enhance its adaptability for non-Cisco network infrastructures, offer more flexible analytics, and improve user interface intuitiveness. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG could improve integration with various network management tools, optimize deployment in specific environments, and offer more intuitive dashboard interfaces.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is noted for straightforward deployment within Cisco-integrated environments, making it ideal for companies heavily invested in Cisco products. It offers cohesive support within the Cisco framework. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG provides flexibility in deployment across various network infrastructures, supported by robust service. Its flexible infrastructure is advantageous for diverse network setups, providing robust customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller generally entails higher initial costs but offers significant ROI for enterprises within the existing Cisco framework due to its seamless integration. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG offers a cost-effective solution; its strong analytics features justify its value, presenting a strong ROI for organizations focused on detailed network monitoring. The decision between Cisco and NETSCOUT often depends on pre-existing infrastructure investments and the organization’s network management priorities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

April 2026

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Helped 894,738 peers since 2012

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

26th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

75th

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 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 NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG is 0.5%, up from 0.4% 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%
NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG	0.5%
Other	98.9%

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.

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Michael Gideon Genita

Associate System Engineer at SMS Global Technologies, Inc.

Easy to set up with good documentation and helpful support

I'm using it for a customer The packet flow switch is the most valuable aspect of the solution. It's an easy product to set up. We can scale the solution if we need to. It's stable. The documentation is well-written and quite useful. It's compatible with other products. Under the pocket flow…

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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

"Monitoring system provides a clear indication of what's going on in the network."

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

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

"The monitoring system in this product is valuable, providing a clear indication of what's going on in the network and the server processing, power, etc., and the user interface is also very good and very informative."

"Fabric suite automation is a great feature."

"There are many valuable features in this solution: The automation of the ILS, the automation of the small changes, the lands updates, scheduling, integration - basically, the pushing of features that we used to do manually."

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

"Automation of the ILS."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"This solution has cut our overall troubleshooting time, sometimes going down to a few hours over what might have taken one to two days to fully troubleshoot an issue, and it has helped to increase our application uptime as we try to keep the five nines."

"I love the single pane of glass view. It makes it easier to not have to navigate everywhere. It allows more simplistic visibility, without having to go from tool to tool to tool, or from window to window to window."

"It helps us to assist our customers to isolate problems. If it is us who is having the problem, then we can use it to streamline the process."

"Go with NETSCOUT."

"It allows us to get quicker resolutions. We can see exactly what is using up the bandwidth, so we can assist end users."

"When we have mobile operators who are signal partners, where one is the roaming host and another is the roamer, we are able to see their traffic. Their packets are able to detect if any faults to develop, and at what point they fail."

"It is very rock solid, and we hardly have any hardware issues."

"From a troubleshooting perspective, it allows us to quickly search all data TAP points in the network and helps our network engineers get to root cause quickly."

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG pros

Cons

"The delivery Cisco Data Center Network Manager could improve if it was easier. Additionally, some feature improvement is needed."

"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."

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

"The solution needs to improve reports."

"The reporting is not very intuitive and has room for improvement."

"Could integrate better with VMware products."

"The configuration is too complicated and you have to create templates and use a lot of menus."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"The scalability has some limitations and quirks to it. I would like to be able to upgrade rather than replace the whole thing."

"The NetFlow Collectors could handle more flows per minute."

"It's not able to communicate with our probes."

"The stability depends on who is using the tool, because you only can get as much out of the tool as you put into it."

"There is a timeout feature that we have been asking for awhile."

"The monitoring and reporting tool needs improvement. Users want more information, such as the level of detail when doing a packet analysis. They want more detail to be able to isolate down to a specific point."

"The solution is not great, but it is not bad."

"The NetFlow Collectors could handle more flows per minute."

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is very expensive."

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

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

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

"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."

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

"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."

"It can be scalable. It just costs too much. With a company as big as ours, it gets too expensive to accommodate every single site."

"To capture more with the solution that we bought, you have to buy another InfiniStreamNG, and there are only four ports in the back."

"The price is a little high."

"The scalability is good, but it comes at a cost. E.g., if you need 100 InfiniStream because you are sending gigs or terabytes of data to one InfiniStream, then you will have to purchase another InfiniStream, which are not cheap."

"I would like it to be more scalable with less spend."

"This product could be cheaper."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

10%

Government

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
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

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...

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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...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Data Center Network Manager?

The main use case for URL filtering with PAN-DB is that it performs quite well. Earlier, when I started in 2012, there was a Blue Coat product available during that period. I am not certain whether...

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Comparisons

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Compared 12% of the time

Arista Data ANalyZer vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 11% of the time

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

Compared 11% of the time

Zabbix vs Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

Compared 10% of the time

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) Competitors

Riverbed NPM+ vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 14% of the time

Flowmon vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 11% of the time

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 11% of the time

NETSCOUT vSTREAM vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 10% of the time

NIKSUN NetVCR vs NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Compared 8% of the time

More NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)

May 2026

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) report

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

Buyer's Guide

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

April 2026

Download NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

InfiniStreamNG, NETSCOUT ISNG, Infinistream

Overview

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?

Automation Capabilities: Simplifies network operations with automated workflows and scheduling.
Programming Support: Facilitates integration through Python, Ansible, and Terraform compatibility.
Comprehensive Dashboard: Provides a centralized view of network performance and health.
Real-Time Telemetry: Enhances decision-making with up-to-the-moment data.
SD-WAN Integration: Ensures seamless traffic flow across network borders.

What Benefits Should Users Look for?

Enhanced Network Monitoring: Allows precise tracking and troubleshooting of network issues.
Efficient Resource Management: Streamlines policy updates and component management.
Improved Security: Facilitates tighter control over Nexus switch configurations.
Centralized Management: Reduces complexity in maintaining data centers through a unified interface.

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.

Cisco

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG delivers fast, cost-efficient network visibility with a single pane of glass view, featuring real-time traffic analysis, dependency mapping, and performance metrics for comprehensive management.

InfiniStreamNG stands out for its real-time insights into network activity, providing a unified platform for managing network components. Its deep packet inspection, scalability, and compatibility make it an essential tool for IT professionals looking to optimize network performance and resolve issues quickly. User-friendly interface enhancements are anticipated for improved usability, alongside early product lifecycle notifications due to extensive certification periods.

What are the key features of NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG?

Speed: Enhances real-time traffic analysis and performance monitoring.
Network Visibility: Provides a comprehensive view with single pane device management.
Packet Inspection: Supports deep packet inspections for detailed data analytics.
Stability and Scalability: Ensures reliable performance and adapts to varying network sizes.
Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with other technologies for smooth operations.

What are the benefits and ROI of using NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG?

Quick Issue Resolution: Identifies and addresses network issues swiftly.
Efficient Utilization: Offers insights for optimizing resource use and network management.
Proactive Monitoring: Facilitates early detection of potential issues to maintain performance.
Application Performance Tracking: Monitors app connectivity and performance effectively.
KPI Evaluation: Provides comprehensive data for informed decision-making.

NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG is implemented across industries for packet collection and analysis, serving network monitoring and troubleshooting needs. Companies in telecommunications monitor LTE roaming traffic, while financial institutions rely on it for analyzing banking data. It supports application connectivity checks and proactive remote site monitoring, becoming integral in evaluating KPIs and reporting network issues.

NETSCOUT

Sample Customers

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

U.S. Department of Defense

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

April 2026

Free Report: Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. NETSCOUT InfiniStreamNG and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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