Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs SolarWinds ipMonitor comparison

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. SolarWinds ipMonitor

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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

SolarWinds ipMonitor

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

76th

Average Rating

6.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Infrastructure Monitoring (56th)

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 SolarWinds ipMonitor is 0.1%, up from 0.1% 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…

Read full review

Masud Alam

Manager at Optimum Origens Inc.

IP address management improves network efficiency but licensing cost could decrease

We are using SolarWinds for NPM and NCM, and we use IP address management for IP address monitoring. It helps us track which IP address is live and which is not. It also provides DHCP reservation and allows us to declare IP addresses for our integration. We have been using it for IP address…

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

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

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

"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."

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

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

"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."

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

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) pros

"IPAM is used for IP address reservation and tracking, helping us easily identify live IP addresses."

"The most valuable feature is the availability of end devices."

Cons

"Could integrate better with VMware products."

"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."

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

"We need better performance and reliability."

"It would be nice to have the ability to more easily collect information from other software when doing some types of analysis."

"More integration features would be beneficial."

"API lacks robustness."

"Automation for the RMA process can be added."

More Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) cons

"The licensing cost is high compared to open source tools."

"The solution does not include enough features and has some performance issues."

"The licensing cost is high compared to open source tools."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 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 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."

"The solution is very expensive."

"The solution is a bit expensive because the annual license does not include new features that are priced as add-ons."

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862,289 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Real Estate/Law Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 SolarWinds ipMonitor?

The licensing cost is high compared to other open-source tools. Being a corporate client, we require corporate licensing, which adds to the cost.

What needs improvement with SolarWinds ipMonitor?

The licensing cost is high compared to open source tools. The state monitoring tools could be improved with AI integration to track IP usage history. There is no local support; we must contact thei...

What is your primary use case for SolarWinds ipMonitor?

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Compared 100% of the time

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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

Network Monitoring Software

Download SolarWinds ipMonitor product report

Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

ipMonitor

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

Monitor network devices, servers, VMware hosts and applications from one console
Receive alerts for availability and performance issues
Monitor network status on maps and NOC view
Minimize downtime by automating remediation actions
Enhance monitoring with built-in reports and dashboards

SolarWinds

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs. SolarWinds ipMonitor