Cisco IOS Security vs. Cisco Secure Firewall

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco IOS Security
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
IOS Security from Cisco is network security technology.N/A
Cisco Secure Firewall
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Secure Firewall delivers comprehensive threat protection for modern, distributed networks. Built to support hybrid workforces and multicloud environments, it enables Zero Trust access, application visibility, and secure remote connectivity. With integration across the Cisco Secure portfolio, including SecureX and Talos threat intelligence, the firewall powers organizations to detect and stop more sophisticated threats. Centralized management simplifies policy enforcement, orchestration,…N/A
Pricing
Cisco IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Free Trial
NoYes
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 IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Considered Both Products
Cisco IOS Security

No answer on this topic

Cisco Secure Firewall
Chose Cisco Secure Firewall
Integration with ISE to deploy identity based policy
Features
Cisco IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Firewall
Comparison of Firewall features of Product A and Product B
Cisco IOS Security
-
Ratings
Cisco Secure Firewall
8.0
171 Ratings
7% below category average
Identification Technologies00 Ratings8.2153 Ratings
Visualization Tools00 Ratings7.5154 Ratings
Content Inspection00 Ratings8.2153 Ratings
Policy-based Controls00 Ratings8.4161 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP00 Ratings7.8140 Ratings
Firewall Management Console00 Ratings7.2160 Ratings
Reporting and Logging00 Ratings7.8162 Ratings
VPN00 Ratings8.1145 Ratings
High Availability00 Ratings8.5156 Ratings
Stateful Inspection00 Ratings8.6152 Ratings
Proxy Server00 Ratings7.485 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Small Businesses
NinjaOne
NinjaOne
Score 9.1 out of 10
pfSense
pfSense
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cisco Meraki MX
Cisco Meraki MX
Score 9.0 out of 10
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Quantum Firewalls and Security Gateways
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Cisco Meraki MX
Cisco Meraki MX
Score 9.0 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Palo Alto Networks Virtualized Next-Generation Firewalls - VM Series
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(5 ratings)
8.0
(142 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(4 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
6.4
(3 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.7
(4 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(2 ratings)
7.2
(78 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.8
(4 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco IOS SecurityCisco Secure Firewall
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
We used to access list remote login to the switches for only network admin from specific vlan. And allow some vendor server to connect for snmp messages. This has allowed us to monitor with external vendor while keeping security tight and audit for users. In other hand we had to use external solution for NAC
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Cisco
We can create personalised policies for our environments. Support every type of old and new environments for deployments and integration. It is necessary for managing hybrid networks where network security is mandatory. Ensure better control of our networks to handle all the issues. I would rate it 9/10. So, my team always suggested it.
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Pros
Cisco
  • Authentication.
  • Access lists.
  • Port security.
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Cisco
  • Cisco's firewall actually does its job of blocking what it is supposed to block. We had an old Firewall that led to slippages. Cisco catches 97% of malware and vulnerabilities during testing. For Coitiar, that means an engineer who clicks a link with malware is handled quickly.
  • We actually tested if failovers would affect running sessions. We pulled our primary unit during a certification submission period. The firewall just switched, and the connection kept running.
  • The AI assistant in policy management is excellent, and for our lean team, it makes the whole process easy and efficient. I don't have to audit 200 policies manually; the AI steps in and does its thing.
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Cons
Cisco
  • Cisco could provide an initial set up script for those are not used to the CLI (Command Line Interface). With that initial script, people could easily deploy the security features instead of having to learn how to use the commands.
  • The web interface that Cisco provides with the routers, although it’s useful to set up the security features, it could also have some sort of tutorials to help people understand the main concepts of iOS security.
  • You have to license iOS security separately from the main OS. For that reason, sometimes it tends to be a little expensive if you have a small business.
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Cisco
  • I mean I think a lot of the technology with managing them is getting better. There's a few cons to the new firewall management console. You can't sort through routes or I think you can with interfaces now, but there's a few caveats that they haven't really worked out yet, but they're implementing AI into it, so it's getting to be a lot easier to use.
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
It works really well. We can do most anything we want or need to with it, and you don’t have to have a doctorate or multiple certs to necessarily figure it out. The thing that would probably have to happen to make us switch would be if we just got priced out - Cisco’s more powerful and higher bandwidth models cost a pretty penny.
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Usability
Cisco
Cisco IOS Security usibility require a network administrator or an engineer with CCNA knowledge to know how to handle and configure Cisco IOS Security. The Cisco IOS Security usability once you know your way is smooth and very helpful. Even for new commands you can just type question mark and the new commands will pop on the screen.
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Cisco
i think overall after ALOT of tac cases it works allright now. But still have alot of issues if you use cloud based mangement. fx, if you open 2 windows of access policys, both of the pages, rules starte to jump form side to side. if you then open one more list, its start to jump even faster. if you close the 2 of them, its back to normal. ALSO the extended access lists for VPN, SUCKS. Its the tiniest window when opening the editor, and you are not able to give the rules names, Which means finding and editing rules SUCKS, its a horrible experience, and eveytime we have to we want to yell :P
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Reliability and Availability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
Rationale:


Strengths:


High availability (HA) and failover configurations ensure continuous operation during hardware or network issues.


Minimal unplanned outages reported; system remains responsive under full inspection load.


Centralized monitoring and proactive alerts help prevent downtime.




Minor Considerations:


Occasional maintenance windows or updates may require brief service interruptions.


Complex integrations with other systems may sometimes require extra attention to maintain uptime.




Overall, Cisco Secure Firewall is highly available and dependable, supporting business continuity and operational resilience.
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Performance
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
We have not had any performance issues with Cisco Secure Firewall, even with DPI and IPS enabled, we have not seen a performance hit. Emoployes have not complained about any slow network speeds that could have been attributed to the secure firewall it has always been something else within the office network.
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Support Rating
Cisco
Cisco has the best Support team that gives us 24/7 support as we need. Cisco has huge detailed documentation for design, implementation, and troubleshooting all areas of the IOS security. There are many communities discussing all Cisco devices and solutions for studying groups and for customers to share their stories, technical problem and solutions.
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Cisco
Firewall support is professional just like any other technology Cisco sells. From answering simple questions to bringing out outages affecting a large population of our workforce, Cisco support is always courteous, professional, and communicates with our team to keep our request on their radar. Some of the brightest people I've met are from Cisco support both in IQ and EQ which shows the talent Cisco is able to onboard to their team.
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In-Person Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
very good
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Online Training
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
was a good training but questions was answered not so good. Training was "Fundamentals of Cisco Firewall Threat Defense and Intrusion Prevention (SFWIPF)".
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
Our initial implementation was aided by Cisco's professional services and was excellent. The engineer was very knowledgeable and helped us work through issues while building out our new internet security edge Part of this involved tools to migrate the firewall configuration from old to new.
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Alternatives Considered
Cisco
IOS Security is a bonus feature when you purchase Cisco devices. It is great to have a vendor provide equipment to go above and beyond the minimal needs for business operation. Having security at the downstream edge of our organization provides a sense of ease from potential attacks.
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Cisco
Cisco Secure Firewall works better with the Cisco ecosystem when we can utilize it and feels beefy enough when we utilize it in the data center. The Fortinet we have found are great, small cost boxes for remote offices with a better UI then Cisco Secure Firewalls. The feature set included with the firewalls feels similar from a security point of view.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
A solid, realistic rating most people give for Cisco Secure Firewall pricing is 7 or 8 out of 10 (because the product is strong but licensing can be a bit complex)
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Scalability
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
Cisco Secure Firewall has never given us any trouble, it has stayed up at all times, upgrading the appliance has also become much simpler. We operate the appliance in a HA pair, so 0% downtime within our organisation. During switchover while upgrading, not a single packet seems to get lost, so this has been a very valuable asset to our company.
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Professional Services
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Cisco
was not involved
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • There are no negative impacts. ROI Is great as hardware lasts for ever.
  • Never needs a reboot for standard maintenance. Less downtime
  • Less downtime means better customer service. Our customers reach us without difficulty
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Cisco
  • Cisco Secure Firewall gives details on the possible intrusions attempts that are occurring on the network, which gives stakeholders confidence that the network is being protected.
  • Cisco's reputation as a longstanding network leader provides the trust that is needed in keeping networks secure.
  • The wide variety of tools and features that Cisco Secure Firewall provides allows business owners to plan for changes that can occur in the network as Cisco is able to adapt to the different needs.
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ScreenShots

Cisco Secure Firewall Screenshots

Screenshot of Cisco Secure 1200 Series Firewall FamilyScreenshot of Cisco Secure 4200 SeriesScreenshot of Cisco Secure 4200 SeriesScreenshot of Cisco Secure Firewall 1200 Stack FamilyScreenshot of Cisco Secure Firewall 200 SeriesScreenshot of Cisco Secure Firewall 200 Series