IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs Meraki Dashboard comparison

IBM and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. IBM is ranked #44 with an average rating of 7.5, while Cisco is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM holds a 1.0% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

IBM SevOne Network Performa...

Read 54 IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) reviews

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678 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Meraki Dashboard

Read 56 Meraki Dashboard reviews

2,338 Views
1,109 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

IBM SevOne Network Performa...

Meraki Dashboard

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

IBM SevOne NPM and Meraki Dashboard compete in the network management category. Meraki Dashboard seems to have the upper hand due to its ease of use and comprehensive cloud-based management, which suits users looking for simple yet effective solutions.

Features: IBM SevOne NPM provides agentless comprehensive infrastructure visibility and real-time reporting with high-frequency polling. It offers flexibility in device certification and extensive scalability, which supports robust network management. Meraki Dashboard is known for its ease of use, single-pane view, and cloud-based management, making it ideal for users who require straightforward operation and efficient management of complex systems.

Room for Improvement: IBM SevOne NPM could enhance automation, simplify updates, and better manage high-frequency polling impacts and data migration during upgrades. Improving server monitoring and SD-WAN capabilities are also areas for growth. Users of Meraki Dashboard suggest improvements in VPN functionalities, detailing reports, and integration with non-Cisco platforms. They also express a desire for more intuitive dashboard interfaces and improved licensing management, alongside more accessible pricing for smaller businesses.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM SevOne NPM is primarily deployed on-premises and offers responsive technical support, focusing on enhancing the customer experience. Meraki Dashboard's strong cloud-based accessibility aligns well with diverse client environments, ensuring user-friendly deployment and maintaining robust support systems for addressing technical inquiries efficiently.

Pricing and ROI: IBM SevOne NPM offers flexible pricing models allowing scalability, though costs can rise with broader deployment. It delivers substantial ROI through enhanced network function and efficiency. Meraki Dashboard, while perceived as expensive, offers notable ROI through its user-friendliness and centralized management. Its subscription model includes comprehensive support, which can be costly for smaller operations, but both platforms emphasize value in performance and operational improvement.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs. Meraki Dashboard Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs. Meraki Dashboard

June 2025

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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

IBM SevOne Network Performa...

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

44th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (19th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (44th), Log Management (48th), Cloud Monitoring Software (30th)

Meraki Dashboard

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

19th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) is 1.0%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki Dashboard is 1.3%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Grzegorz Nowak

Solution Architect at Wingu

Improves infrastructure planning by helping us analyze network traffic

We use SevOne to collect and report on network flows SevOne improves infrastructure planning by helping us analyze network traffic. We can look at bandwidth for specific endpoints on the customer's network and analyze traffic to identify issues. For example, maybe some connectors are unavailable.…

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Bilal-Ahmed

IT Manager at Fawaz

Seamless connectivity and comprehensive control over network devices

All of the features we are looking for are already in control. I think those features, which we are not currently utilizing, are already there. For example, the control for the cameras and everything else. The cameras are not connected through Meraki, but all other devices are on Meraki networks.

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

"It also gives us the closest thing to real-time insight into network performance that we have, with just a 10-second delay. It's very important for us to know the health of the infrastructure very quickly."

"In 90% of the cases, new devices are plug-and-play, so when a new version comes out then SevOne has support for it out of the box."

"The most valuable feature as of late has been the API integration with ServiceNow."

"I like the tool’s scalability and real-time reports. Earlier, we struggled to give real-time reports to clients. I also like the tool’s deployment model where we can deploy it either on-premises or in-house. We don’t have to carry the data all over the globe. Also, I am impressed with the tool's flow reporting and Wi-Fi."

"Data Insight reporting tool is the most valuable feature. They came up with it a couple of years ago. The most pleasing factor is the dark theme. You don't have a white background. It has templates that you can create for all kinds of reports that you can hit on the fly. It's much better printing of the reports. If you want to send PDFs to people, the reports are actually decent. Whereas for years, the old architecture of the PDFs was rubbish and even our customers said, "We have to manipulate your PDFs because they all have bad margin breaks. SevOne fixed that a couple of years ago with the new Data Insight. It's fantastic."

"The monitoring of the network is very customizable. That is its unique feature."

"It's given us the ability to create various real-time network performance reports and distribute them to any colleague who can access these reports immediately."

"Based on my experience, the stability of IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) is excellent."

More IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) pros

"The initial setup was easy."

"The most valuable feature is its simplicity in navigating through the dashboard. It's well set out, and the layout is nice and user friendly. A lot of clients enjoy seeing layer 7 visibility. They get a good indication and insight into what is happening in their network and what applications are being used the most. They can then customize and give preference to business-critical applications."

"The most valuable feature is ease of use."

"It can analyze the traffic that it is picking up from what may be a rogue access point, and it is able to identify those and send relevant notifications."

"Meraki Dashboard does not require a lot of maintenance. Cisco tells communicates through the Meraki Dashboard web client, it will automatically send updates to the equipment. They will send you an email on what day the updates will take place. If you want to proceed, you can click on accept, or you can decline them and schedule the updates at another time."

"The most valuable feature of Meraki Dashboard is we can manage our switches and access point in one place."

"It is very easy to manage. It has good security, and it is working well with our firewall."

"The most valuable feature for me is the cloud dashboard."

More Meraki Dashboard pros

Cons

"There is room for improvement in the integration with different vendors and the reporting capabilities."

"We need to be thinking about streaming telemetry protocols. They already have the port for enhanced visualization, which they already have through Data Insight."

"Some similar solutions offer end-to-end visibility."

"The tool needs improvement in non-Cisco SD-WAN."

"One area that requires a little bit of improvement is the topology of visualization and being able to map out connections, end-to-end. It's able to do that, but it's not as impressive as we would like it to be. We would like to understand the different interface types and the connection points better, through the visualization. Heatmaps also need further development."

"High-frequency polling is data-intensive because you're pulling more. If SevOne could figure out a way to manage the impact of high-frequency polling on the system, that would be very popular."

"Software upgrades can be tricky is not easy."

"When I started using it, I tried adding one of the BroadWorks application servers into SevOne... it created thousands and thousands of objects from that one application server and we immediately ran out of license... It would help, when new objects are discovered, if there were a way to categorize those objects and to pick the part of the object you need..."

More IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) cons

"There are some issues with the NAT configuration, it is now impossible to some operations with the solution."

"For my purposes, I don't need to see any other features added to the Meraki Dashboard. I have no criticisms and I do like the tool. If I had a criticism for it, it would be about the pricing because it could be a little less, but again, for the service that you get, I won't complain about that too much."

"I would like to receive decent notification alerts regarding the license's expiry. Or any help on correcting or optimizing licenses, because in certain circumstances you can add a license but it's the wrong licensing. However, the Dashboard adds the license in some way, and you do not utilize it. You can simply extend the license's expiration date."

"The product is missing a VPN and it is a major issue when it comes to deployment."

"When users are trying to roam from one location to another location, geographical tracking would be helpful."

"They can improve the landing page in Meraki Dashboard. When I go into an organization, they can include a lot more infographics. They can also simplify it a bit and consolidate it. For example, if I've got five branches and I go into customer A's profile or organization, I'd like to see an infographic on the landing page providing a snippet of the entire network layout, that is, all branches in one snapshot. From there, I would like to go into the network that I want to work on or view."

"The pricing for this solution needs to be improved."

"You can't really clone or replicate a device, that sort of feature would be useful. You can clone the site but you cannot clone the device."

More Meraki Dashboard cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is inexpensive compared to other monitoring tools."

"Many tools price things based on the number of KPIs that you're collecting around a device. In many cases, there could be hundreds of metrics that you need to collect. SevOne provides device-level pricing. That gives us the flexibility to turn on, and expand on, the metrics that we're collecting around those devices, without taking a financial hit."

"For the value that you get from SevOne, it's worth the price. There are a lot of cheaper alternatives on the market, and even free options. But they require more staff, more resources, and engineers with more advanced knowledge of monitoring. That's what makes SevOne worth the price."

"Prices per license are not huge, but they exist."

"Although I don't have exact details in terms of cost, my experience has been that SevOne is willing to make a deal with the customer."

"The pricing has not evolved with the market, which is one of the reasons we are moving to a new product."

"Have a bank of licenses, because it is about the number of objects (RAM, ports, CPU, etc.)."

"There are cheaper solutions available."

More IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) pricing and cost advice

"It is said to be expensive."

"The pricing for a small setup is only a few hundred dollars a year. The fee is subscription-based."

"The licensing fees are $180 USD, per AP, for three years."

"From a pricing perspective, they are still expensive."

"I’m not sure of the exact cost, however, it’s my understanding the Meraki WiFi is around $800. That’s for a three-year license. It’s about $150 a year."

"The Meraki Dashboard has more competitive pricing."

"Licensing is around under 1000 pounds. The licensing is either one year, three years, five years or ten years and during the licensing, we can choose to renew it per year or per every three years. We've got a license for three years. It's about 160 or about 200 pounds each."

"Meraki Dashboard's pricing is reasonable. It is sold yearly, typically for one, three, or five years. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."

More Meraki Dashboard pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

14%

Legal Firm

Computer Software Company

22%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with SevOne Network Data Platform?

There is room for improvement in the integration with different vendors and the reporting capabilities. It would be beneficial to have out-of-the-box integration with third-party vendors and improv...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SevOne Network Data Platform?

The primary use case of IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) ( /products/ibm-sevone-network-performance-management-npm-reviews ) is network monitoring. It helps to maintain the infrastru...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering SevOne Network Data Platform?

To compete with custom-built tools, IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) should accommodate the desired features and be timely in the delivery of feature updates. I would rate the overal...

See all answers

What do you like most about Meraki Dashboard?

We greatly utilize the network because we can plug it into the DNS, VPN, or equipment. It's very good. Meraki Dashboard enhances wireless network management. We appreciate its flexibility, as it al...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki Dashboard?

The cost of the Meraki solution is high, which may not be affordable for smaller companies, especially in developing countries.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Meraki Dashboard?

The aspect I find challenging about this solution is that it is too extensive and complex. For example, when comparing Meraki Dashboard to Juniper Mist, the latter is quite simple. Mist is a very a...

See all answers

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Compared 19% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM)

June 2025

IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) report

Download IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) product report

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard

May 2025

Download Meraki Dashboard product report

Also Known As

SevOne

No data available

Overview

The IBM® SevOne Network Performance Management (IBM SevOne NPM) solution helps you spot, address, and prevent network performance issues early with machine learning-powered analytics from a single source. Boost network performance and improve your user application experience by proactively monitoring your multivendor end-to-end network across enterprise, communication, and managed service provider networks.

Transform raw network performance data into intelligent and actionable insights. The IBM SevOne NPM solution goes beyond detection, combining industry-leading expertise and advanced technology to help your IT team plan and optimize your network and act on what matters: improving network performance to provide an exceptional customer experience.

For further information, please visit www.ibm.com/cloud/sevo...

IBM

Meraki Dashboard is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and control for all Meraki networking and security products. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing administrators to easily monitor and configure their network infrastructure from anywhere. With real-time visibility, troubleshooting becomes effortless, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing downtime.

The intuitive dashboard offers a holistic view of the network, enabling quick identification of potential issues and proactive measures. It simplifies network deployment and scaling, with zero-touch provisioning and automatic firmware updates. The robust security features include advanced threat protection, content filtering, and VPN connectivity.

Meraki Dashboard also offers powerful analytics and reporting capabilities, providing valuable insights into network usage, application performance, and user behavior. With its seamless integration and scalability,

Meraki Dashboard is the ideal solution for organizations of all sizes, ensuring efficient network management and enhanced productivity.

Cisco

Sample Customers

ATOS, Devereux, Spark New Zealand, Access4, Rogers Communication, Lumen (formerly known as CenturyLink)

Coop eG, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Priefert Manufacturing, Century Care Management, Clifton College, Zürs Ski Resort, Capital FM Arena, MAXI Autohöfe

Buyer's Guide

IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs. Meraki Dashboard

June 2025

Free Report: IBM SevOne Network Performance Management (NPM) vs. Meraki Dashboard

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