Cisco Firepower 2100 Series vs. WatchGuard Network Security

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Firepower 2100 Series
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Cisco offers the Firepower 2100 Series NGFW, designed to allow businesses to gain resiliency through superior security with sustained performance. The Firepower 2100 Series has a dual multicore CPU architecture that optimizes firewall, cryptographic, and threat inspection functions simultaneously, to achieve security doesn’t come at the expense of network performance.N/A
WatchGuard Network Security
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
WatchGuard Network Security is a network security and firewall software. WatchGuard includes secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, and network intelligence products and services designed for SMB’s.N/A
Pricing
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
Editions & Modules
Firepower 2100
3,000-20,000
per appliance
Support
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Basic Security
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Total Security
Contact sales team
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
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
Community Pulse
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
Features
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Firepower 2100 Series
8.4
1 Ratings
3% below category average
WatchGuard Network Security
8.4
474 Ratings
3% below category average
Identification Technologies7.01 Ratings8.4432 Ratings
Content Inspection9.01 Ratings8.4458 Ratings
Policy-based Controls9.01 Ratings8.9471 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP6.01 Ratings8.3401 Ratings
Firewall Management Console10.01 Ratings8.3463 Ratings
Reporting and Logging9.01 Ratings7.9458 Ratings
VPN10.01 Ratings9.1455 Ratings
High Availability10.01 Ratings8.7411 Ratings
Stateful Inspection8.01 Ratings8.6425 Ratings
Proxy Server6.01 Ratings8.7308 Ratings
Visualization Tools00 Ratings7.4427 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
Small Businesses
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.4 out of 10
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.4 out of 10
pfSense
pfSense
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 9.5 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 9.5 out of 10
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User Ratings
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
Likelihood to Recommend
5.5
(2 ratings)
8.4
(489 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(38 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.7
(119 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(5 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.3
(29 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(5 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(265 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(4 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(5 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Firepower 2100 SeriesWatchGuard Network Security
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
The Cisco [Firepower] 2100 [Series] is an easy sell for anyone looking. You already know Cisco excels in the security department, but now that firepower lives right on the box and inline with the rest of the firewall data flow you can save yourself a lot of time and headaches. Unless you cant quite afford Cisco's 2100 line, there's not much reason to go with the competition.
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WatchGuard Technologies
I've been impressed to consider how many Watchguard Network products we utilize. Firewall/VPN, Wireless APs, and endpoint antivirus. It makes it easy to diagnose issues and find resolutions with minimal interactions with the end user or their system. Reliability of the network hardware has been superb, and we have minimal issues with their software
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Pros
Cisco
  • For us, to power the whole system does scaling quite a bit. So we can definitely have a lot of room to grow if needed. The device can support a lot of way more than we need right now, but in the future, if we need more it seems to be a big pro of that. Also the support of Cisco, knowing that it's backed by Cisco definitely is good. You guys are the largest players in the market
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WatchGuard Technologies
  • Incoming Torrent attempts were blocked, but outgoing (by a user) were permitted. Similarly, other direct attempts were summarily blocked.
  • provides full administrative support for analysis of usage and scope.
  • strong Wi-Fi support and security - area wi-fi maps
  • They think of all the things secure and I don't have to worry about it.
  • I have not identified anything else that needs improvement - I am well satisfied.
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Cons
Cisco
  • Cisco patches bugs quickly but patches are slow to install and reboot
  • Smart licensing is getting better but still can be troublesome
  • Some weird visual interface glitches that require clicking the same options a few extra times
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WatchGuard Technologies
  • Sometimes, it is not very intuitive. You'll not know how to use certain features unless you read the documentation.
  • Some settings in the firebox are not visible unless you enter edit mode. This can cause inadvertent issues if you make a change when you just want to review the settings.
  • The use of blocks in the design of the Firewatch interface can be confusing. A better design could have been used.
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
I'm giving this note to WatchGuard Network Security due to its ease of daily support (after acquiring necessary knowledge in the solution), which allows agility in configuration changes, its integration of several reliable security features (such as SSL VPN, VPN Virtual Interfaces between companies, and others) and functional and stability in operation, with no downtime in the equipment due to problems or malfunctions
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Usability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
Although it might take some time to figure out, we have been able to use WatchGuard's online reference library and tech support to create/implement/modify all of our filtering rules and exceptions needed. There really has not been a shortcoming other than perhaps a learning curve.
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Reliability and Availability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
Availability has always been a strong point of this product, it is rare that watchguard does not have a solution for customers' network monitoring needs.
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Performance
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
The performance of WatchGuard Network Security is very good, in the years that we have used the solution we have only had a single error and Watchguard itself was able to solve it. Furthermore, when purchasing any product, the partner always evaluates the capacity of the solution to recommend the most appropriate product for our needs.
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Support Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
We have only had to contact them once during the initial set up to help bring the internet back on line. After that for the most part our systems have been automated, and could easily be checked form their online FAQ and Knowledge base that they provide. Everything else is easily handled from their browser based interface
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In-Person Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
We participate to a in person training and the three days of learning was really useful and complete to gain skill to solve the major part of the problem we encounter during our life. And more the in person training give us the opportunity to create a network with other WatchGuard partner.
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Online Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
Online training is good for learning how to use the product. It does not teach security strategy because that is not its intent.
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
I had my key information for setting up the firewall, and they assisted me in finding the settings and appropriate places to enter data. They also helped troubleshoot when I didn't understand some of their feature concepts, and we got it running.
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Alternatives Considered
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
Watchguard Network Security is easier to use and more effective that its competitors, with certifications you can trust and a good reputation, we can rest assured that our network security is in good hands. Competitors have also demonstrated poor aftersales support, which has not been the case with WG
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Scalability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
WatchGuard Technologies
This product is very scalable since previously everything related to Watchguard was on premises but that has now changed with the inclusion of watchguard cloud. Now the product has evolved to have full control of firewalls at the cloud level.
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • It's keeping threats out like a firewall should. Definitely cost wise it is at a higher cost center than other alternatives. Especially when it comes to licensing. Cisco is generally the higher, for perhaps, definitely for good reason, right? I mean, definitely positive impact as far as working as it should that's at cost.
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WatchGuard Technologies
  • The intuitive Web Interface reduces the entry to learning for new techs, so less training is required and inexperienced techs can figure out tasks if they understand basic networking and firewall functions.
  • The licensing model for the hardware places them at the top of the list for mid-tier devices that are overpriced. They are barely competitive considering that you can't use a device for more than 5 years no matter what. And the security/maintenance costs are in addition to the hardware costs which are already high compared to other mid-tier brands.
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ScreenShots

WatchGuard Network Security Screenshots

Screenshot of WatchGuard Cloud Customizable DashboardScreenshot of Threat Monitoring SummaryScreenshot of Device Security SummaryScreenshot of Automated ReportingScreenshot of User Authentication SummaryScreenshot of Endpoint Protection Summary