Cisco UCS Manager vs. IBM Spectrum Control

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco UCS Manager
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Cisco UCS Manager supports the entire Cisco UCS server and Cisco HyperFlex Series hyperconverged infrastructure portfolios. It enables server, fabric, and storage provisioning as well as, device discovery, inventory, configuration, diagnostics, monitoring, fault detection, auditing, and statistics collection.N/A
IBM Spectrum Control
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
IBM Spectrum Control supports a wide range of storage systems, software-defined storage and storage area networks (SAN) devices with monitoring, and provides a central console to manage storage infrastructure.N/A
Pricing
Cisco UCS ManagerIBM Spectrum Control
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco UCS ManagerIBM Spectrum Control
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Best Alternatives
Cisco UCS ManagerIBM Spectrum Control
Small Businesses
Cyberduck
Cyberduck
Score 8.5 out of 10
Cyberduck
Cyberduck
Score 8.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
AWS Storage Gateway
AWS Storage Gateway
Score 8.7 out of 10
Cisco UCS Manager
Cisco UCS Manager
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor (SRM)
SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor (SRM)
Score 9.6 out of 10
Cisco UCS Manager
Cisco UCS Manager
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco UCS ManagerIBM Spectrum Control
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(22 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco UCS ManagerIBM Spectrum Control
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
It [Cisco UCS Manager] is extremely well suited to large virtual infrastructure environments with resource dense blades. This solution is also great if you want to consolidate a large number of servers (if they are servers that need to stay physical, but can fit in the profile of a blade) - this would reduce data center space utilization as well as power and cooling. Cisco UCS Manager is also great if you're looking for centralized management of a larger number of servers. This would not be a great solution if you have a very small shop - it's not cheap and probably wouldn't give you a ROI if you only have a couple dozen servers total. I'd say it would be overkill for small shops, but if you have the money and don't care, you'll still like it.
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IBM
IBM Spectrum Control is very well suited for the large enterprise where there is multi vendor environment in terms of storage and host virtualization. It is not suited at all where file storage is dominant. It is capable of providing very detailed reports as it leverages the IBM Cognos for that purpose and offers very detailed customization as well. It can even provide the enterprise with the SAN management capabilities as well.
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Pros
Cisco
  • It is very all inclusive for management of every part our our Cisco blade center.
  • It allows us to directly connect to a hardware-based server in the blade center as though we were physically at the console.
  • It allows us to monitor the entire system for faults.
  • It lets us manage connectivity.
  • It is set to alert us via email if a fault occurs.
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IBM
  • Monitoring data from our storage servers
  • Provision of data analytics
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Cons
Cisco
  • Automation: There is a simple power-shell CMD lets, but it leaves more to be desired.
  • Navigation: Navigating the interface can be confusing.
  • Integration: Integration with ESXi hosts while doing FW upgrades would be hugely beneficial without the need for additional tools.
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IBM
  • Must extend the management and monitoring to File storage.
  • Performance monitoring of non IBM equipment may also be added.
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Support Rating
Cisco
Cisco UCSM Support has been very quick to reply and address our concerns, issues, and questions. We have found that Cisco's documentation is clear and concise and fairly easy to find. With Cisco support's help, we are able to quickly and safely meet the demands of our end-users, consistently.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
I think UCS Manager would be able very comparable to other vendors offerings when it comes to server configuration. I think Cisco did a good job in giving you full access to many options that you might not see with Dell or HPE. Every manufacturer would need a similar tool to control their server environment, but I think what Cisco has built into their Manager is a little better than others I've used. You can just see and change so many settings. I would say that is also a bit of a negative by a little bit because sometimes it is hard to dig in and find what you need to change and often might need to reach out to TAC or take a training course to understand all of the interface.
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IBM
IBM Spectrum Control has highly influenced our decision-making process and planning based on the analytics we receive from data. It is the only unique product that I have worked with offering great services under different environments. It monitors data both inside and outside our company and vives feedback on time for planning on different programs. Optimization of data is reliable and the storage planning is done to enhance easy access.
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • The positive is I was able to consolidate my small server infrastructure from 3 racks to one rack giving me space back and much power savings
  • The negative would be it could feel a little daunting to manage as there are many tabs and pieces to the interface.
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IBM
  • The high licensing cost if offset buy the capacity savings and the accuracy of the analytics.
  • It has a positive impact on our ROI and as improved it almost 9%.
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