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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Nexus Dashboard

    Score8.2 out of 10
    N/ACisco Nexus Dashboard simplifies data-center networks with automation and analytics. The data-center network helps organizations to meet business demands, and provision reliable data-center networking services as fast as possible, when and where organizations need it. As network infrastructure management is becoming more complex, diverse, and distributed, with multiple configuration points, monitoring tools, and vast amounts of data being generated every second. Cisco Nexus Dashboard is…N/A

    FortiManager

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/AFortiManager delivers unified management for consistent security across complex hybrid environments, providing protection against security threats. Key benefits include accelerated zero-touch provisioning with best-practice templates for deployment at scale of SD-WAN and streamlined workflows between the Fortinet Security Fabric and integrations with 500+ ecosystem partners.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Fortinet
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    60 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    49 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    60 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    42 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    87%
    Implementation went as expected
    46 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Firewall Security Management
    Comparison of Firewall Security Management features of Cisco Nexus Dashboard and FortiManager
    Feature
    Cisco Nexus Dashboard
    -
    Ratings
    FortiManager
    7.4
    1 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Policy planning and rule management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Automated Policy Orchestration00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Device Discovery00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Policy Compliance Auditing00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Firewall Rule Cleanup00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Nexus Series Switches
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Palo Alto Panorama
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Nexus Series Switches
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Palo Alto Panorama
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.6
    (64 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.9
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.1
    (7 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Nexus DashboardFortiManager
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    We used Cisco Nexus Dashboard specifically for automating the creation of networks in our private cloud environment using a VXLAN EVPN multisite environment. It integrates into Infoblox well. It's also very suited in network troubleshooting for past and present issues. Where I don't see it being used much is in the campus but it's nice to know we have the ability to add catalyst if needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    FortiManager is well suited for larger organizations which require unified configurations and IT departments that need quick turn around on firewall related tickets. I believe MSPs can also benefit with the use of the VDOM feature, if strict separation between clients is needed. FortiManager wouldn't be ideal for 1-3 site operations, unless their configurations are extremely complex or have a high number of active users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • It is a flexible tool that helps streamline and facilitate the development of new services.
    • Ideal for automating tasks such as network modification, configuration, and removal, which provides great time savings.
    • Ensures services without interruption and without difficult scheduling.
    • It has a simple user interface and excellent support, made up of several providers.
    • It facilitates the administration of managed services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Centralized FortiGate FW Management in a single console
    • Available physical, virtual, or cloud deployment
    • Single console for next-generation FW features
    • Multiple Administrative Domains
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • With the latest version release of Cisco Nexus Dashboard to version 3.0.1 I can say that most of the features have already improved but one of the wishlists that I want for ND is the possibility of extracting lists of Anomaly.
    • Include older versions of Firmware in the list of choices when doing the firmware upgrade analysis, currently only the recommended is in the list of choices.
    • If possible, include all the prechecks in the Firmware pre-upgrade analysis same in the script provided by Cisco.
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Various bugs: The software is buggy, and if you don't have a good understanding of it's underlaying operation, you can get confused or stuck when pushing a configuration. There are lots of little quirks you will have to learn, which are not described in any documentation.
    • Conflict resolution: Occasionally, during larger changes, bringing new devices in, pushing a config will fail due to dependencies, conflicts, or other software bugs. This is somewhat time consuming because the error messages provided aren't descriptive
    • CLI Options: Some configuration changes require creating scripts that execute on each device, and can't be done via the GUI
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    We observe significant product development with each release, along with substantial expansion of functionality. The program code has been consolidated into a single image, which simplifies installation and routine system update operations. Additionally, it is possible to install it outside the production network, which further enhances the solution’s availability.Additionally, the new graphical interface is very simplified and user-friendly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Cisco
    For the end user, it is relatively easy to use. However, some training and practice is a must because the NSO is not as straightforward as the traditional router CLI. For the administrator, Cisco Network Service Orchestrator (NSO) is just like another program running on the Linux system--there is no big difference.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cisco
    For us, it's not yet a single pane of glass for the ACI network as Network Assurance Engine is not yet integrated into the [Cisco] Nexus Dashboard. This will be the case after the next update we plan to do. Today it's a tool I use daily to figure out if something unusual or unexpected happened in the SDN part of our network. The legacy network is still monitored with different tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    here was never a need to contact support, as the system includes several commands that allow for self-healing. Even if, after the upgrade process, one of the processes was not running, I was able to quickly find the appropriate sequence of commands that definitively resolved the issue. The entire architecture was designed in such a way as to be resilient to the failure of one node in a three-server setup.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    Honestly, the product implementation took 1–2 days to comprehensively manage the client’s entire infrastructure. The delivered on-premise solution, provided as physical servers, quickly builds the required environment in which individual data centers are rapidly added. The data collection process takes some time but also depends on the number of devices in the network.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    The Cisco Nexus Series switches perform admirably in our blended distributed system. We have been dealing with any of these sorts of switches for over 5 years and have been exceptionally happy with their functionality. Several of our other computer networks in our data rooms have proved effective with Cisco equipment. Because of the simplicity of maintenance and the high quality of technical support provided by Cisco representatives, there is a high level of trust in these switches.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    FortiManager is the best choice for managing numerous FortiGate firewalls. It allows for easy integration into ServiceNow and automates simple repetitive tasks that are very straightforward. Role-based access control is easy to enable and you can get quite granular with user permissions. Administrative Domains help segregate firewall management and compliance within the FortiManager console, by almost any classification method that makes sense to your organization.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    It's a very secure platform that can manage all the business networks, monitor various network traffic, and is easy project management software. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller can centralize all the network traffic in one room for easy and secure management and threat detection capability and even the secure channels offered are excellent.
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Bit pricey.
    • Need to be purchased with vendor support. As far as I know, now support other vendors.
    • It's upgrade from DCNM and worth looking into.
    • It's still evolving and may need minor cosmetic adjustment
    • Easy to create and maintain vxlan and non vxlan fabrics.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Fortinet
    • Significant reduction in new firewall deployment turn around time, 50% reduction
    • Reduction in time spent on website access related IT support tickets. Avg 5 minutes from response to close
    • Reduction in time spent by IT team for setting up WFH employees to allow working over SSL VPN.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Cisco Nexus Dashboard Screenshots

    Screenshot of 9324C-SE1U N9300 Smart SwitchScreenshot of 9324C-SE1U N9300 Smart SwitchScreenshot of N9348Y2C6D-SE1U N9300 Smart SwitchScreenshot of N9348Y2C6D-SE1U N9300 Smart SwitchScreenshot of N9348Y2C6D-SE1U N9300 Smart SwitchScreenshot of 9324C-SE1U N9300 Smart Switch