Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Azure Sphere VS Cisco Data Center Network Manager

Compare Azure Sphere VS Cisco Data Center Network Manager and see what are their differences

Azure Sphere logo Azure Sphere

Help protect your connected IoT devices, such as MCUs and crossover modules, development kits, and guardian devices, with Azure Sphere.

Cisco Data Center Network Manager logo Cisco Data Center Network Manager

Cisco Data Center Network Manager offers network management system (NMS) support for traditional or multiple-tenant LAN and SAN fabrics.
  • Azure Sphere Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-12
  • Cisco Data Center Network Manager Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

Azure Sphere features and specs

  • Comprehensive Security
    Azure Sphere provides end-to-end security features that include hardware root of trust, defense in depth, and certificate-based authentication, which help protect IoT devices from evolving threats.
  • Cloud Connectivity
    Azure Sphere is designed to securely connect devices to the internet and enable seamless integration with Azure IoT services, allowing for efficient data management and analytics.
  • Simplified Development
    The platform includes a secure operating system and development tools that simplify the process of building and deploying secure applications for IoT devices.
  • Automated Software Updates
    Azure Sphere provides over-the-air updates, ensuring that devices consistently receive the latest security patches and software improvements automatically.
  • Scalability
    Azure Sphere is built to scale, making it suitable for small-scale deployments as well as large, complex IoT ecosystems, helping businesses grow without sacrificing security or performance.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Sphere

  • Initial Cost
    Implementing Azure Sphere may involve higher upfront costs due to the requirement of specific hardware and integration, which might not be suitable for all budgets.
  • Limited Hardware Compatibility
    The platform is designed to work with specific certified devices, which restricts the choice of hardware compared to more open systems.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers may face a learning curve when starting with Azure Sphere, especially if they are not familiar with Microsoft's ecosystem or IoT security best practices.
  • Dependency on Azure
    To fully leverage the capabilities of Azure Sphere, users might feel a dependency on Microsoft's Azure cloud services, which could lead to vendor lock-in.
  • Complex Deployment for Large Scale
    While Azure Sphere supports large-scale deployment, managing and orchestrating thousands of connected devices securely and effectively can become complex and require additional planning and resources.

Cisco Data Center Network Manager features and specs

  • Comprehensive Management
    Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) provides a single-pane-of-glass for managing, monitoring, and troubleshooting a diverse range of data center infrastructure components, simplifying the management process.
  • Scalability
    DCNM is designed to scale with large enterprises, providing management capabilities for extensive networks with thousands of devices.
  • Automation Capabilities
    Includes extensive automation features, such as automated provisioning, configuration compliance, and policy enforcement, which reduce manual effort and the potential for human error.
  • Security Management
    Offers robust security features including role-based access control, detailed audit logs, and compliance monitoring to help ensure the network infrastructure meets organizational security standards.
  • Integration With Cisco Ecosystem
    Seamlessly integrates with other Cisco solutions, providing a cohesive and unified approach to data center network management.
  • Support for multiple environments
    Supports traditional, virtualized, and cloud environments, offering flexibility to manage a variety of data center setups.

Possible disadvantages of Cisco Data Center Network Manager

  • Complexity
    The extensive feature set and comprehensive capabilities make DCNM complex to deploy and manage, requiring substantial expertise and potentially extensive training.
  • Cost
    Cisco solutions are generally priced at a premium, and DCNM is no exception. The cost may be prohibitive for small to medium-sized organizations.
  • Resource Intensive
    The platform can be resource-intensive, requiring robust hardware and infrastructure to run effectively, which can add to the overall cost.
  • Support Overhead
    Managing Cisco DCNM can require dedicated support personnel who are highly skilled, thus increasing the overhead in terms of operational support and maintenance.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Organizations using Cisco DCNM may find themselves locked into Cisco's ecosystem, making it more challenging and costly to integrate with third-party solutions or switch vendors.
  • Learning Curve
    The complexity and breadth of features mean there is a steep learning curve, which can slow down the adoption and efficient use of the platform.

Azure Sphere videos

Azure Sphere Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Introducing Azure Sphere
  • Review - Azure Sphere MT3620 Development Kit

Cisco Data Center Network Manager videos

Cisco Data Center Network Manager Overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Sphere and Cisco Data Center Network Manager)
Data Dashboard
100 100%
0% 0
Monitoring Tools
14 14%
86% 86
IoT Platform
100 100%
0% 0
Log Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Azure Sphere and Cisco Data Center Network Manager. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Azure Sphere seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Azure Sphere mentions (2)

  • BitLocker, TPM and Pluton | What Are They and How Do They Work
    Pluton is a dedicated physical chip that runs on Azure sphere architecture. It is very much out of band and is technically physically on the same die as the CPU, but the CPU has no control over it at all because it has its own dedicated self-maintaining operating system. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Operating System in the IoT space
    Microsoft developed a Linux-based operating system for IoT devices called Azure Sphere. But it hasn't really caught on. Source: over 3 years ago

Cisco Data Center Network Manager mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Cisco Data Center Network Manager yet. Tracking of Cisco Data Center Network Manager recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Sphere and Cisco Data Center Network Manager, you can also consider the following products

AWS IoT Device Defender - Manage the security of your fleet. With AWS IoT Device Defender, you can audit and monitor device configurations. Get started today.

Cisco ACI - Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) simplifies, optimizes, and accelerates the application deployment lifecycle in next-generation data centers and clouds.

Armis - The leading enterprise-class agentless device security platform to address the new threat landscape of unmanaged and IoT devices.

ManageEngine OpManager - Monitors routers, switches, firewalls, load-balancers, wireless LAN controllers, servers, VMs, printers, storage devices, and everything that has an IP and is connected to the network.

Symantec Critical System Protection - Symantec Critical System Protection is a flexible and compact behavioral security engine built with application whitelisting infused with anti-exploits for managed or standalone IoT devices.

DCImanager - DCImanager is a platform for managing physical equipment. Connect any physical equipment to a single platform. Use the platform to manage your servers, switches, PDU as well as physical and virtual networks.