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Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) vs SymphonyAI IT Service Management comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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...
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (25th)
SymphonyAI IT Service Manag...
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (26th), IT Asset Management (15th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (24th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) and SymphonyAI IT Service Management aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM) is designed for Network Monitoring Software and holds a mindshare of 0.6%, up 0.5% compared to last year.
SymphonyAI IT Service Management, on the other hand, focuses on IT Service Management (ITSM), holds 1.7% mindshare, up 1.5% since last year.
Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)0.6%
Zabbix5.7%
SolarWinds NPM3.4%
Other90.3%
Network Monitoring Software
IT Service Management (ITSM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SymphonyAI IT Service Management1.7%
ServiceNow15.9%
JIRA Service Management7.3%
Other75.1%
IT Service Management (ITSM)
 

Featured Reviews

Jagdev Dhaliwal - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Abhishek Bhosle - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at Tata AIA
Good ticketing tool but limitations with integration
We use ManageEngine, but it's still pretty new and under development. We used SummitAI for about four years before switching to ManageEngine. There are specific features that were missing in SummitAI that we're hoping to find in ManageEngine. We were informed that ManageEngine was a new ticketing tool with modern and advanced analytics, which would be a better fit than SummitAI with its older engine. Firstly, ManageEngine allows detailed asset inventory per user. I, as a user, can store authentication details like which laptop and mobile I use, for all employees. Secondly, ManageEngine can handle patching, Windows updates, and pushing applications from the server to desktops. Finally, ManageEngine lets us do remote access directly through the tool.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"After installation, you almost forget that it is working."
"We use the product to manage access points."
"Monitoring system provides a clear indication of what's going on in the network."
"The product has excellent stability."
"I like that is easy to work on and straightforward."
"VCNM provides a unique capability of managing the admin VDCs of Nexus boxes."
"The product makes the management of our environment simpler."
"Data Center Network Manager is absolutely stable."
"The product has the best features for ITSM."
"The most valuable feature is remote access. People are working from home, and we can take remote access through it."
"It was easy to access and fast. Our experience using it solely as a ticketing tool. We used fetch reports from the tool, particularly with regard to SLA tracking for our partners."
"SummitAI IT Management Suite's chat box feature has reduced our service discount, and because it's intelligent, the responses that go out to the users have improved, and the resolutions are much faster."
 

Cons

"It's very costly."
"We need better performance and reliability."
"Could integrate better with VMware products."
"If the customer thinks about using additional solutions, Cisco should make sure they are not left out."
"More integration features would be beneficial."
"Sometimes the product gives us problems that require support."
"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 solution needs to improve reports."
"I would like them to add software inventory in the next release. We don't have that right now."
"Integration was a major limitation with SummitAI."
"There could be flexibility in terms of customization."
"SummitAI IT Management Suite's project management and operational management features could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is very expensive."
"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."
"When we purchase a Nexus box, the MDS CM license comes with it."
"The product is licensed with contracts that work on a yearly basis rather than a monthly model."
"On average, Data Center Network Manager's pricing isn't too costly unless you choose a premier license."
"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 product's cost is average."
"SummitAI IT Management Suite's pricing is a bit expensive."
"We have a regular license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Performing Arts
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise16
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise3
 

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...
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Also Known As

Cisco Data Center Network Manager
Summus IT Management Suite
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Banco de Guayaquil, Cox Communications, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Roper St. Francis, University of British Columbia
Magma, Toyota, Evidera, Netik, KPMG, Innodata, ABB, DAIKIN, Toshiba, Emerson, Dell, Pansonic, DBS, PWC, EY, Hexaware Technologies, Deloitte, NEC, Birla Soft, Panasonic, Harman, SBI, Kotak Life Insurance, SREI, Marico, Perfetti, Manipal Hospitals, Maruti Suzuki, Royal Enfield, Toyota, CEAT, ABB, L&T, VIP, Knight Frank, Adithya Birla
Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, Datadog and others in Network Monitoring Software. Updated: February 2026.
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