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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Ethernet Switches

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/ACisco offers Ethernet switches.N/A

    FireMon

    Score7.9 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    FireMon is a real-time security policy management solution built for today’s complex multi-vendor, enterprise environments. Supporting the latest firewall and policy enforcement technologies spanning on-premises networks to the cloud, FireMon delivers visibility and control across the entire IT landscape to automate policy changes, meet compliance standards, to minimize policy-related risk. Since creating their policy management solution in 2004, FireMon states they've helped…N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesFireMon
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesFireMon
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesFireMon
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    FireMon
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    94%
    Would buy again
    16 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    80%
    Delivers good value for the price
    4 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    5 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    16 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesFireMon
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
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    Medium-sized Companies
    RUCKUS Ethernet Switches
    Score1 out of 10
    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    HPE Aruba Networking Switches
    Score7.8 out of 10
    Cisco IOS Security
    Score9.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesFireMon
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (12 ratings)
    7.9
    (69 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.8
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (3 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.7
    (17 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.9
    (48 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Ethernet SwitchesFireMon
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    Cisco is a name well known in the IT field. The technology is tried and true and they have built a reputation on a solid platform. Though many people do not like the cost of the devices and the continued fees associated with long term ownership, you get what you pay for. I dont hesitate to recommend Cisco because I know people will get a solid product that will last a long time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FireMon
    FireMon is best used in a large environment (for example, I have >100
    firewalls in my environment). It's best used when trying to improve
    security posture and showing changes in firewall security over time. It
    might not be the best choice for smaller environments or those that aren't concerned about security management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • Easy setup and configuration. While the web UI has its quirks, setting up VLANs and other tasks which can be exceedingly complicated on other switches, are much easier on Cisco SG switches. You also have the ability to upload an existing configuration to switches, which can speed up the task of deploying many identical switches.
    • Features for the price. Getting a 48 port L3 switch with PoE+ for less than $2,000 is a great value.
    • Reliability. We have hundreds of the SG switches in dozens of client sites, many in harsh conditions, and they just keep going.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FireMon
    • Give good real time reporting for anyone making a change to any of our firewalls
    • Provides good reporting tools that are out of box
    • Provide good customization tools that is specific to our needs
    • Upgrades are a simple process and support does relatively well with assisting us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • The web UI has taken a turn for the worse with the latest firmware on the SGx50 models -- the bifurcation between basic and advanced modes and the changes to the way VLANs are modified is a step backward in my opinion.
    • The power bricks on smaller models are enormous. I'm sure, however, keeping this circuitry external to the switch is what keeps my switches running year after year in hot environments.
    • Fans can be a bit loud on larger switches -- this is true of pretty much any 1U device though.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FireMon
    • Some features could be added to the existing functionality which include NAT rules usage
    • Rule expiration normalization from firewalls rather than entering them in rule documentation
    • .csv exports of the files from the firewall pane only gives usage for 30 days by default and that should be increased
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    for their relialiabilty
    Read full review
    FireMon
    The shell is locked out and we can't run any general centos commands. The implementation and maintainence of the arch is very complex. Even with the right identifiers on log messages the log collection keeps failing. The warning messages on the device are ambiguous. The log messages on firemon are a bit confusing and don't show the exact issue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    It save me time and I'm able to have the review - review the rule independently with using my time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    FireMon has been relatively stable overall. However, there have been a handful of times where we had issues with the console. For example, we couldn't update which devices to include in a security assessment. The initial suggestion from support was to just reboot it. It seems like there weren't many other options available such as to restart services before going to the extreme of a complete reboot.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    I'm not sure we have the largest implementation of FireMon out there but we do have a few 1000 devices being probed by FireMon. Overall, the system's performance has been rock solid. The console refreshes quickly and reports are generated within an expected timeframe.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    FireMon technical support is awesome! They respond quickly to our requests and they are well trained and very knowledgeable about the tool. Some issues have to be referred to the development team, but technical support largely provides solutions for any issues that we may have.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    Implementation is fairly simple. Most issues can be resolved by referencing manuals.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Cisco is more enterprise level, more reliable, and generally more feature rich but also very expensive. That being said old or refurbished Cisco switches are much more affordable and in comparison to even new switches from the competitor they are still a great value even though they are used. I like Ubiquiti switches as well but Cisco is usually better overall.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FireMon
    I has worked with AlgoSec and while they are very similar product, I find the FireMon is easier to understand and get rolling with. While both require some learning, FireMon is by far the easier one. Once you have an understanding of how things are arranged and labeled you can easily import firewalls and begin to work on them to improve them
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    Firemon Is easily scalable and maintainable with any size team. Although it requires some tech debt, it is well worth the time to invest to ensure compliance is visible and reports are accurate. Although our environment is very large we do not fully utilize the scalability of the Firemon product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Failure on Cisco Switches, from my experience, is rare in the first 5 years the device is up.
    • I have see the Cisco 6500 switches go 5 years without a reboot, which is nothing short of amazing.
    • The service that you get is top notch and available 24/7, and you really cannot put a price on that.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    FireMon
    • FireMon's Compliance Reporting provided an immediate and tangible benefit
    • FireMon helps identify egregious or erroneous rules quickly across multiple platforms
    • FireMon took our audit process from an Excel spreadsheet into a far more advanced process with readily available context for reviewers
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots