Cisco UCS Manager vs Ixia Hawkeye comparison

Cisco and Keysight Technologies are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. Cisco is ranked #31 with an average rating of 8.8, while Keysight Technologies is ranked #66. Cisco holds a 1.3% mindshare in IM, compared to Keysight Technologies’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Keysight Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS Manager

Read 27 Cisco UCS Manager reviews

4,060 Views
3,776 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Ixia Hawkeye

Read 4 Ixia Hawkeye reviews

2,359 Views
1,321 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS Manager

Ixia Hawkeye

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Cisco UCS Manager and Ixia Hawkeye compete in IT infrastructure management, each excelling in unique areas. Cisco UCS Manager stands out in hardware integration, while Ixia Hawkeye offers superior network monitoring capabilities, making it preferred for network performance assurance.

Features: Cisco UCS Manager offers centralized management of compute, network, and storage resources, integrated management of Cisco hardware, and streamlined data center operations. Ixia Hawkeye provides comprehensive network monitoring tools, high-level visibility for network status, and advanced testing capabilities ensuring optimal performance.

Room for Improvement: Cisco UCS Manager could enhance its network performance monitoring, provide better integration with non-Cisco hardware, and improve its adaptability to diverse environments. Ixia Hawkeye might benefit from more intuitive user interfaces, reducing initial setup costs, and offering better integration with existing server management systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco UCS Manager is known for a straightforward setup within Cisco environments and strong support through various Cisco channels. Ixia Hawkeye features an agile deployment process aimed at swiftly delivering network insights, backed by responsive customer service for diverse network environments.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco UCS Manager is cost-effective for existing Cisco users due to lower initial setup costs and long-term hardware management efficiencies. Ixia Hawkeye, requiring higher initial investment for its sophisticated tools, provides significant ROI by minimizing downtime and improving network performance.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS Manager vs. Ixia Hawkeye Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager vs. Ixia Hawkeye

June 2026

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Helped 902,988 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 UCS Manager

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

31st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ixia Hawkeye

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

66th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Unified Communications Monitoring (5th), Network Monitoring Software (82nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS Manager is 1.3%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ixia Hawkeye is 0.6%, up from 0.2% 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%
Ixia Hawkeye	0.6%
Other	98.1%

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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José Enrique Cano Rodriguez

Assistant Consultant at Tata Consultancy

A valuable tool for optimizing network performance and security with comprehensive network monitoring capabilities, user-friendly interface, and flexibility for scripting

Distinguishing itself from network management systems like SolarWinds Orion and Dataminer, Hawkeye offers a distinctive feature. It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games. In contrast, SolarWinds and Dataminer typically offer a more general evaluation of network health. Hawkeye's unique capability enables a detailed analysis of network performance through specific tests, allowing administrators to identify areas in need of improvement and take precise actions to enhance network performance.

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

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

"The most valuable features are flexibility and management."

"For the blade architecture and ease of use, I consider Cisco UCS Manager the best option on the market at the moment."

"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."

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

"The best thing about UCSM and the UCS B-Series servers is its centralization, which means from one location we can configure storage, network and compute for all the servers that will be using it."

"The solution is highly scalable, mainly because of the templates that make it easy for you to actually edit on the system."

"Creating UCS service profiles for quickly deploying servers and replicating that configuration to another server makes it easier for deployment."

More Cisco UCS Manager pros

"It empowers network administrators to access specialized and detailed views for specific tests, including video streaming and performance related to specific applications like video games."

"I would recommend Ixia Hawkeye because there are some KPIs that are very useful."

"So far, this product is doing exactly what it is promised to do."

"Our customer was happiest with the price of this product."

"The ease of setup is the most valuable aspect of this solution. It's easy to set up and run tests."

"The most valuable feature is the deployment because it's very easy to deploy real flow through the network."

Cons

"The integration with other solutions could be better. I think Cisco can only integrate using Intersight. There is a second interface available as a SaaS platform, in the cloud, or on-premise. It's based on the Redfish protocol, which is standard for all the B-series servers in the market. We can integrate other solutions using API."

"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."

"The primary challenge we face is identifying the correct version to deploy during firmware upgrades or compute updates."

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

"The pricing can be better."

"For improvements, while the current graphical user interface is satisfactory, it could be further simplified for different tasks."

"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."

More Cisco UCS Manager cons

"Improvements in network performance are essential."

"You can't delete more than one thing at a time. It would be great to be able to highlight three out of five things and delete them, whether it's a test or an actual report."

"The customization of tests and even the results can be improved."

"Ixia has one flaw, which is that they do not print the license code on the paper licenses that are shipped to the customers."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

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

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

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

"In larger networks, the costs for licenses tend to be more reasonable, but for smaller networks, it appears relatively costly."

"It cost us approximately 25,000 for two years. This is cheaper than ThousandEyes."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

13%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	19

No data available

Questions from the Community

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...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco UCS Manager?

Our primary use case involves working with Cisco UCS B-Series ( /products/cisco-ucs-b-series-reviews ), specifically the UCS X modular deployment. We are setting up a new deployment shortly.

See all answers

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Comparisons

Cisco Intersight vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 56% of the time

HPE OneView vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 5% of the time

Nutanix Prism vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 5% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 4% of the time

Splunk Observability Cloud vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco UCS Manager Competitors

Aurea CX Monitor vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 9% of the time

NETSCOUT nGeniusONE vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 8% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 8% of the time

Zabbix vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 6% of the time

DX Unified Infrastructure Management vs Ixia Hawkeye

Compared 6% of the time

More Ixia Hawkeye Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager

June 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Network Monitoring Software

June 2026

Download Ixia Hawkeye product report

Overview

Cisco UCS Manager enables streamlined operations through unified storage, networking, and computing management, offering enhanced reliability and flexibility.

Cisco UCS Manager provides enhanced management capabilities for infrastructures, simplifying server deployment and operations. Its user-friendly interface aids in easy configuration and visibility, including robust reporting. UCS Manager supports efficient firmware and OS updates for large deployments, ensuring smooth operations across physical and virtual environments.

What key features does Cisco UCS Manager offer?

Hardware Profile Association: Ensures seamless hardware configurations.
Unified Management: Centralizes control of storage, networking, and computing resources.
Service Profiles: Simplifies server deployment and management.
User-Friendly Dashboards: Provides intuitive interface and strong reporting.
High Availability: Facilitates resource expansion and stability.

What benefits are important when considering Cisco UCS Manager?

Operational Efficiency: Reduces downtime and enhances deployment speed.
Centralized Control: Streamlines management across blades and configurations.
Scalability: Supports mass deployments and expansion.
Visibility and Reporting: Improves infrastructure monitoring and analytics.

In industries managing extensive IT infrastructures, such as healthcare and finance, Cisco UCS Manager is crucial for optimizing server and network operations. It enables efficient creation of server profiles, integration with networking systems, and comprehensive monitoring, ensuring high availability and reduced setup time for complex environments.

Cisco

Ixia Hawkeye provides network administrators with specialized tools for video streaming and application performance analysis, offering a straightforward deployment with efficient test scheduling and performance insights.

Ixia Hawkeye is a powerful tool for detailed network performance analysis, focusing on GPON and DOCSIS networks. It facilitates tests like traceroute, STP, and video streaming assessments crucial for proof of concept and service validation in industries such as telecom. Though cost-effective, there is potential for improving test customization, graph features, and making license codes more accessible. Users leverage its throughput test to gain insights into bandwidth, latency, and packet loss while also identifying areas needing improvements such as customizable outputs and enhanced comparison tools.

What are the most important features?

Specialized Views: Offers insights into video streaming and applications.
Performance Analysis: Provides detailed results on bandwidth, latency, and packet loss.
Graph Clarity: Easy-to-read visual data representations.
Cost-Effectiveness: Competitive pricing.

What benefits or ROI should be considered?

Efficiency: Simplifies test scheduling and execution.
Visibility: Enhances network and application performance insights.
Accessibility: Streamlined network performance assessments.
Verification: Validates internet services with real-world applications.

In the telecom industry, solution providers employ Ixia Hawkeye for enhanced network visibility and proof of concept. Network engineers and IT specialists utilize it for conducting performance tests and generating traffic, aiding clients in sectors like telecom with comprehensive performance assessments.

Keysight Technologies

Sample Customers

Management Science Associates, Peak 10, Virtual Consulting Professionals

EMA

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager vs. Ixia Hawkeye

June 2026

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