Cisco UCS Manager vs NetApp Cloud Insights comparison

Cisco and NetApp are both solutions in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category. Cisco is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.7, while NetApp is ranked #33 with an average rating of 8.8. Cisco holds a 1.2% mindshare in IM, compared to NetApp’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS Manager

Read 27 Cisco UCS Manager reviews

1,749 Views
1,539 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

NetApp Cloud Insights

Read 13 NetApp Cloud Insights reviews

1,125 Views
720 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS Manager

NetApp Cloud Insights

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 9, 2024

Cisco UCS Manager and NetApp Cloud Insights compete in the cloud and network management category. Cisco UCS Manager has the upper hand in environments needing advanced security and virtualization integration, whereas NetApp Cloud Insights leads in analytics and visualization, offering deep multi-platform visibility.

Features: Cisco UCS Manager offers flexibility, strong integration for virtualization environments, and is favored for its hardware customization capabilities. NetApp Cloud Insights provides advanced analytics, multi-environment visualization, and the ability to resolve complex issues in multi-tiered systems efficiently.

Room for Improvement: Cisco UCS Manager should enhance user-friendliness, cross-platform management, and simplify firmware upgrades, which may require extensive training. NetApp Cloud Insights could improve its reporting functions, simplifying the licensing model, and easing navigation for complex system aspects.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco UCS Manager is best suited for on-premises deployment, supported by reliable technical support but demands expertise to manage. NetApp Cloud Insights offers deployment flexibility across private, public, and hybrid clouds with generally good support, though inconsistencies are noted in Europe vs. the US.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco UCS Manager is expensive but valuable for enterprise solutions with Cisco bundles, offering cost-effectiveness due to stability. NetApp Cloud Insights has competitive pricing with scalable options, but the licensing is complex. ROI is favorable for both, though Cisco may be costly for smaller companies while NetApp provides a scalable model appealing for those avoiding upfront costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS Manager vs. NetApp Cloud Insights Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager vs. NetApp Cloud Insights

September 2025

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Helped 869,760 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

17th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetApp Cloud Insights

Ranking in IT Infrastructure Monitoring

33rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Migration (11th), Cloud Monitoring Software (22nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the IT Infrastructure Monitoring category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS Manager is 1.2%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp Cloud Insights is 0.4%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Infrastructure Monitoring Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco UCS Manager	1.2%
NetApp Cloud Insights	0.4%
Other	98.4%

IT Infrastructure Monitoring

Featured Reviews

Edwin Mwosa

IT Infrastructure Manager at KTDA

Enhanced network oversight with rapid issue identification and good efficiency

We mainly use Cisco UCS Manager to integrate and manage our Cisco switches across the building. We also utilize it for network integration. It provides an integrated solution for our Cisco environment, streamlining our operations and managing multiple Cisco devices like switches and routers Cisco…

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Punit Waghela

Technical Specialist at Softcell Technologies Limited

Reduces troubleshooting time and improves operational efficiency through a single console

NetApp technology, specifically NetApp Cloud Insights, has significantly impacted the way my customers do business. One customer had multiple components, such as a VMware environment, Cisco switches, NetApp storage, and backup tools. Previously, the customer had to monitor all these tools individually each morning by logging into every console to check for errors or performance issues. It used to take them about 1 or 2 hours, but after we installed NetApp Cloud Insights, the time spent was reduced to just 5 minutes with a single console where they could monitor everything. The customer can integrate their VMware servers, Cisco switches, and storage with NetApp Cloud Insights to quickly identify any problems and resolve issues efficiently, demonstrating a reduction in complexity and monitoring time. The values that NetApp Cloud Insights delivers to my customers are evident in real examples, such as an application team running their application on a single VM connected through a switch and storage. When they experience a performance issue, the VMware team needs to identify the source of the slowness, whether it's from the server, switch, or storage, which requires a time-consuming investigation of each component. Without NetApp Cloud Insights, this process is slow and stressful for both the application team and the VMware team, but with the tool, a single click allows the customer to pinpoint the issue directly, improving response times to performance problems immensely. The evolving cybersecurity landscape and the proliferation of AI highly influence my customers' technology decisions, as having NetApp storage in their environment allows them to detect ransomware attacks effectively. NetApp guarantees data recovery in case of such attacks, and here, NetApp Cloud Insights plays a crucial role; it can identify where a ransomware attack originates, allowing the IT team to respond rapidly, such as disconnecting affected devices to mitigate the damage, especially crucial when multiple users are involved.

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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

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

"I can quickly manage the provisioned servers."

"We can configure the Cisco UCS Manager, the profiles and interactions with the resource we manage."

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

"The management is one of the most valuable features of this solution."

"It is more robust than other solutions. So, the stability is good."

"I can deploy something in my 50-odd servers all in one go, in parallel, whereas if I was to do that individually, it could be a nightmare."

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

More Cisco UCS Manager pros

"Cloud Insights' best features are visibility and the connector to move the workloads."

"The solution is 98 percent stable."

"Cloud Secure is definitely the most valuable feature and being able to see file level activity. It gives real-time alerting on possible ransomware attacks and provides file security review. It helps us to see if something abnormal is happening on the system before it's too late."

"The visibility and assistance with security vulnerabilities are valuable."

"The solution is easy to deploy."

"It is good for giving an overview of the systems and for tracking long-term trends. It is handy for root cause analysis, e.g. it can eliminate whether storage is the cause of an issue."

"NetApp Cloud Insights helps reduce the time spent on problem resolution by up to 50% for my customers, making their operations significantly more efficient and productive, which is a perfect outcome."

"One feature we appreciate the most is its ability to take snapshots, which adds an extra layer of security and allows us to protect our data effectively."

More NetApp Cloud Insights pros

Cons

"In the next release, I would like to see improvements made to their security."

"Cisco UCS Manager should have a simplified deployment in the sense of not having multiple machines, demilitarized zones, and on-premise options."

"The interface and the way it is constructed is very complex. They should work to simplify it. It's quite difficult for somebody who doesn't know the product very well. Users should be able to get proficient with it faster. There's definitely room for improvement there."

"Getting a CLI report on routers, switches, or any other CLI configuration device is difficult."

"Cisco UCS Manager is not a scalable solution because once you have 160 blades, it cannot be expanded more."

"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."

"I would like to see improved visibility into the operating system, enabling us to identify issues directly from the operating system itself."

"I would like to see Cisco UCS optionally work as a hyper-converged system because right now, it only operates as a converged system."

More Cisco UCS Manager cons

"In my opinion, one area where NetApp Cloud Insights could be improved for the next release is the console, which I find a bit complex."

"In a perfect world we would have something built, right out-of-the-box, that can identify what we call "noise," and reduce the amount of data. You're presented with so much data when you first start the data collectors. For example, it brings back a lot of change rates that happen just because of standard computing, like profile changes and that sort of thing. Being able to identify things like that and categorize them and strip it down—and it probably can do that, I just haven't gotten there yet—would be very beneficial."

"The support is not very quick."

"When I did need support because I was having problems with the solution, the first or the second line just didn't understand it. They were providing this only on a software as a service basis. So, they were asking all the wrong questions."

"Cloud Insights could offer more detail when we drill down into the Azure environment."

"The visualization needs some improvement because there are occasional delays while the system queries information."

"The first level of NetApp's technical support could be improved."

"Most of the time, I initially connect with entry-level support, and then I need to request a higher-tier support level, which can result in delays."

More NetApp Cloud Insights cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

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

"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."

"The solution is expensive."

"We are billed based on management units, so we can purchase units based on six months, twelve months, twenty-four months, or thirty-six months upfront or pay as you go depending on our requirements."

"The licensing is complex. The calculation depends on what you're ingesting. A terabyte of one product is not a terabyte of another product. Virtual machines don't equate so easily. It's all about the end-use managed units and having an easy place to reference how far those units go."

"The licensing model could be improved. We love that you can use it for free for looking at NetApp products. You only need licenses to look at non-NetApp products, but as soon as you do that, you start utilizing licenses that actually would have been free in the public. So, there is a bit of an anomaly in the licensing model."

"Be aware of the capacity licensing and understand how that works, because it is based on capacity. Getting an understanding of that is the biggest thing."

"The solution's pricing is based on the device you purchase and includes support services."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

32%

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

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
Midsize Enterprise	5
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...

See all answers

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 do you like most about NetApp Cloud Insights?

NetApp Cloud Insights helps with login monitoring and troubleshooting. Previously, if we had performance concerns or needed to interface with other groups and their products, a task that should req...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp Cloud Insights?

The licensing is complex. The calculation depends on what you're ingesting. A terabyte of one product is not a terabyte of another product. Virtual machines don't equate so easily. It's all about t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp Cloud Insights?

In my opinion, one area where NetApp Cloud Insights could be improved for the next release is the console, which I find a bit complex. Even though I work with NetApp, it still takes time for me to ...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 75% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

Everbridge IT Alerting vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 4% of the time

Zabbix vs Cisco UCS Manager

Compared 4% of the time

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Dell CloudIQ vs NetApp Cloud Insights

Compared 56% of the time

VMware Aria Operations for Applications vs NetApp Cloud Insights

Compared 23% of the time

Datadog vs NetApp Cloud Insights

Compared 21% of the time

More NetApp Cloud Insights Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager

October 2025

Download Cisco UCS Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

NetApp Cloud Insights

September 2025

Download NetApp Cloud Insights 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

NetApp Cloud Insights is an infrastructure monitoring tool that gives you visibility into your complete infrastructure. With Cloud Insights, you can monitor, troubleshoot and optimize all your resources including your public clouds and your private data centers.

NetApp

Sample Customers

Management Science Associates, Peak 10, Virtual Consulting Professionals

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS Manager vs. NetApp Cloud Insights

September 2025

Free Report: Cisco UCS Manager vs. NetApp Cloud Insights

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