Cisco UCS Manager vs Dell CloudIQ comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. Cisco is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.8, while Dell Technologies is ranked #32 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 1.3% mindshare in IM, compared to Dell Technologies’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS Manager

Read 27 Cisco UCS Manager reviews

2,456 Views
2,260 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell CloudIQ

Read 10 Dell CloudIQ reviews

1,717 Views
1,665 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS Manager

Dell CloudIQ

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Cisco UCS Manager and Dell CloudIQ are competing products in the enterprise IT management software category. Cisco UCS Manager seems to have the upper hand in terms of network management and customer support, while Dell CloudIQ is advantageous with its robust analytics capabilities, offering enhanced value with predictive insights.

Features: Cisco UCS Manager provides unified management of computing resources, centralized dashboard access, and simplified network management. Dell CloudIQ offers predictive analytics, comprehensive monitoring, and performance optimization. Cisco UCS Manager's network integration capabilities are notable, whereas Dell CloudIQ stands out for its advanced analytical features.

Room for Improvement: Cisco UCS Manager could enhance its predictive capabilities, offer more flexible access models, and provide more seamless updates. Dell CloudIQ can improve through better customer service consistency, reduce dependency on cloud infrastructure, and enhance initial setup processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco UCS Manager offers a straightforward hardware-based deployment model with strong customer support. Dell CloudIQ benefits from a cloud-based deployment, providing flexible access but with varying customer service experiences. Cisco UCS Manager's direct configuration contrasts with Dell CloudIQ's seamless updates and predictive capabilities.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco UCS Manager typically involves a higher initial setup cost but delivers consistent ROI through integrated system management. Dell CloudIQ's cloud subscription model offers a scalable cost structure and enhanced ROI facilitated by proactive insights. Cisco UCS Manager appeals to those valuing upfront investment in cohesive systems, while Dell CloudIQ attracts those seeking ongoing value through operational efficiencies.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS Manager vs. Dell CloudIQ Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager vs. Dell CloudIQ

March 2026

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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 UCS Manager

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

18th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Dell CloudIQ

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

32nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS Manager is 1.3%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell CloudIQ is 0.9%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco UCS Manager	1.3%
Dell CloudIQ	0.9%
Other	97.8%

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

Featured Reviews

Rob-Croxford

Consultant at rcnss

A market leader with an enhanced user interface for seamless experience

There is room for improvement in terms of cost and complexity to set up. It doesn't work straight out of the UCS, so someone who knows what they're doing is needed immediately, and it can be quite confusing. Some settings are still fairly well hidden, even the basic ones. Companies don't really understand how long it takes to set up. Also, when changes are pushed, it can take their phone line off the system for twenty minutes to half an hour. Out-of-the-box functionality is an issue, too. I know that my company is different, however, the basics are always the same. You do your tap lines, zip lines, and stuff like that, then you get your internal phone line system. That can all be automated and scripted, and it's probably part of the automation process. However, I haven't really seen it.

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Haseeb Sheikh

Senior Manager Enterprise Solutions at a media company with 201-500 employees

Proactive monitoring has improved availability and capacity reporting for my infrastructure

The current features including availability, performance, and capacity are good enough, and I think more of better alerting along with improved thresholds of alerts should be implemented. It is helpful, but it should also include the capability to detect zero-day attacks if there are any. I think the remediation could have been better. For example, if I am upgrading my firmware or BIOS or firmware of the infrastructure, it should give me exact CVSS scores and remediation data provided against the CVSS scores. I think the Dell CloudIQ app could be more interactive. If there is a possibility that I can open tickets or SRs via the Dell CloudIQ app, that would be a good feature.

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

"Cisco UCS has different layers of security, and you can do multiple installations of your LIAMs on top of the server and Blade. You can install VMware, Windows Server, Hyper-V, etc."

"Cisco Infrastructure is one of the top vendors and no one can beat them in terms of switching and routing."

"Usually, we are called by clients specifically about product suggestions, and I often personally recommend Cisco UCS because of the high availability."

"Ease of management is certainly the most valuable feature in this product."

"A main feature of Cisco UCS Manager is its reliability, as all of the computing blades are in cluster mode."

"The dashboard is awesome and you can easily get all of the information that you want."

"The hardware is very powerful and it is a stable solution."

"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS Manager include the visibility it provides and the ease of identifying issues within the Cisco environment."

More Cisco UCS Manager pros

"CloudIQ allows us to monitor our servers centrally, and we can receive notifications in case of issues, like a potential hard drive failure."

"This solution would be very helpful for anybody that is solely using Dell equipment."

"The best thing about this solution is that you can check for the infrastructure and system updates that you might need to be compliant with the Cloud."

"Mobile application is the most valuable feature for us. We can monitor all the storages on our phones. It's really good."

"Some of the most valuable features of CloudIQ include its health status alerts, which allow you to see quickly if there is something that needs immediate attention, preventing the need to check each system individually."

"Fewer vulnerabilities have been observed in the four years we have used the solution."

"The dashboard is clear and user-friendly."

"Our company uses the solution for forecasting capacity and performance via cloud visualization that is maintained by Dell."

More Dell CloudIQ pros

Cons

"The installation and upgrade sytems need to be improved."

"The solution's pricing is high and could be reduced."

"During the firmware upgrades, we would definitely need to take downtime in some cases and the downtime would take too long."

"Cisco depends on other vendors like IBM and HP for the hardware. Cisco should improve its hardware manufacturing in regards to the UCS and the use of other vendor's hardware."

"I want to be able to schedule multiple sequential updates in one go."

"Improving functionalities similar to InterSite within UCS Manager would be beneficial."

"I found it a bit of a challenge to get training on UCSM. I've been trying to get that for some time now. I feel like I have to figure it out a lot of things myself. For years I've to log calls with support whenever I've got challenges that I cannot resolve. If I had some training or more manuals, I'd be better able to handle more things on my own."

"Its user interface can be improved. It can be more user-friendly."

More Cisco UCS Manager cons

"There is a need for improvement in predictive maintenance, which I assume is somewhat AI-driven."

"In terms of improvement, they should enhance the product range."

"The main limitation of CloudIQ is that it is intended to be used exclusively with Dell hardware."

"I think the remediation could have been better."

"The reporting capabilities of this solution could be improved."

"If you have a heterogeneous environment, there might be some limitations in coverage since CloudIQ is primarily designed for Dell-based infrastructures."

"Doesn't do well in terms of integrating with technologies other than Dell."

"Getting through support has become a difficult thing. Dell's support has degraded since they took over EMC. It's a bit difficult to use."

More Dell CloudIQ cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"With product discounts which can be negotiated, the product is a great value."

"We need to take a license for each port, which amounts to a big sum."

"Cisco UCS is more expensive than Dell and HP, but it is more reliable. I see less issues and it's quite stable."

"The pricing for Cisco UCS Manager is okay for its market, so it's a four out of five for me."

"Cisco UCS Manager’s annual licensing fee is expensive."

"You buy the hardware and then you get Cisco UCS Manager for free."

"The solution is more expensive than NetApp which offers file systems in various price ranges."

"I believe it is a free product because we don't pay for it."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Construction Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	18

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco UCS Manager?

When one server fails, we can attach the service profile to a new server, which saves a lot of time.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco UCS Manager?

My experience with the pricing of Cisco UCS Manager ( /products/cisco-ucs-manager-reviews ) is that it is reasonable. Recently, we acquired an excellent bundle with significant discounts, with offe...

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What needs improvement with Cisco UCS Manager?

For improvements, while the current graphical user interface is satisfactory, it could be further simplified for different tasks. While it has been improved from using Java to HTML, simplifying the...

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What needs improvement with Dell CloudIQ?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Dell CloudIQ?

I moved to a new organization where I am also using Dell CloudIQ. I use Dell CloudIQ to monitor PowerStore as well as Dell PowerEdge servers.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Dell CloudIQ?

For performance analytics, I have my own NMS in-house that I use. I have deployed a VApp on-premises with all of the servers and storage integrated, and it sends telemetry data directly to Dell. My...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 57% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Datadog vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 3% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 3% of the time

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NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights vs Dell CloudIQ

Compared 34% of the time

HPE OneView vs Dell CloudIQ

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Intersight vs Dell CloudIQ

Compared 7% of the time

VirtualWisdom vs Dell CloudIQ

Compared 6% of the time

eG Enterprise vs Dell CloudIQ

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager

March 2026

Download Cisco UCS Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

March 2026

Download Dell CloudIQ product report

Overview

Cisco UCS Manager helps significantly reduce management and administration expenses by automating routine tasks to increase operational agility. Customers can extend the benefits of Cisco UCS Manager globally across an enterprise to thousands of servers in multiple domains with Cisco UCS Central Software.

Cisco

CloudIQ is a no cost Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering that provides a simple monitoring interface for an unlimited number of Unity systems. CloudIQ accesses data in near real time to enable monitoring and troubleshooting for Unity systems.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

Management Science Associates, Peak 10, Virtual Consulting Professionals

North Carolina State University

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager vs. Dell CloudIQ

March 2026

Free Report: Cisco UCS Manager vs. Dell CloudIQ

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