Cisco IOS Security vs. FireMon vs. X-VPN

When it comes to security on the edge of your network (downstream) Cisco's IOS security features provide pretty much everything you need when it comes to securing your network, network devices, and access. I would absolutely recommend Cisco switches due to many reasons, but a big reason is security.

Incentivized

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

• Using Cisco IOS security features, you can set up a zone-based firewall to protect the internal network, separating a DMZ if necessary, to deploy services that should face the internet.
• Because Cisco iOS security is available in different router models, you can apply the same security configuration in each of the remote locations you have. With that, you can basically deploy a configuration template for every remote office or plant, regarding the size of the site.
• Because Cisco iOS security is embedded in the OS, it doesn’t require too much hardware resources to run effectively. This gives you the opportunity to have the same level of security in a small router as you would have on a big one.

Incentivized

• PCI Reporting - After identifying which firewalls and rulesets are in scope, producing a report artifact to satisfy PCI requirements on Firewall reviews is literally a two-click operation.
• Storing Rule Metadata - FireMon stores metadata (prefilled fields, standard fields, and custom fields) for each rule in each policy which is valuable for context during firewall reviews in particular
• API - FireMon exposes most if not all of its functionality via REST API

Incentivized

• CLI is great for those that know how to use it. It is my preference. Cisco is also excellent at providing training and documentation. They have excellent GUI tools for switches and wireless. The only thing lacking is a solid GUI for routers. CCP is Java based and can be a little buggy at times.
• Pricing. Cisco is a rock solid device but they charge accordingly. Sometimes it can be hard to be competitive. You have to work with your account manager and obtain deviations to be competitive with other products.

Incentivized

• 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

Once all the customization has been completed, the business is starting to see the return on investment. The visibility it provides into the network gear that is owned by other IT groups is immeasurable and has allowed us to apply standards across the board. The only thing I have concern with is their support documentation.

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

It save me time and I'm able to have the review - review the rule independently with using my time.

Incentivized

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

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

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.

Incentivized

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

Implementation is fairly simple. Most issues can be resolved by referencing manuals.

Incentivized

Managing and using Cisco IOS Security for configuration is very easy for a CCNA level engineer, while Cisco shares the same concept with other vendores like HPE and Dell, Cisco IOS Security still offer bettee usability and freindly commands points. With newer version the commands page has become GUI and its easier to be configure but lacks more depth.

Incentivized

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

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

• Increased network security.
• Saved data and information which means saving money.

Incentivized

• It helps us save us time in determining what change was made and by whom.
• Real time alerting is a great convenience in helping us know if something went wrong, we can immediately review the last report to determine what has changed.
• Allows us to determine what rules are not used and if said rules are still required.

Incentivized