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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco IOS Security

    Score9.6 out of 10
    N/AIOS Security from Cisco is network security technology.N/A

    LevelBlue USM Anywhere

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AThe LevelBlue USM Anywhere XDR platform (replacing the former AlienVault USM) delivers threat detection, incident response, and compliance management.

    $1,075

    per month

    Pricing
    Cisco IOS SecurityLevelBlue USM Anywhere
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Essentials
    $1,075
    per month
    Standard
    $1,695
    per month
    Premium
    $2,595
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco IOS SecurityLevelBlue USM Anywhere
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco IOS SecurityLevelBlue USM Anywhere
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    LevelBlue
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco IOS SecurityLevelBlue USM Anywhere
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft Defender XDR
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Score9 out of 10
    InsightIDR
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Score9 out of 10
    Microsoft Defender XDR
    Score8.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco IOS SecurityLevelBlue USM Anywhere
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.8
    (390 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.2
    (18 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.7
    (34 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (3 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.3
    (25 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.3
    (6 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (38 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (3 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (3 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.3
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.6
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.2
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco IOS SecurityLevelBlue USM Anywhere
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    LevelBlue
    At this point I'm saying a 4. While the marketing material make it appear to be easy to use and it was relatively easy to set up, as previously mentioned, each event description is based upon the individual asset making it nearly impossible for the administrator to be a SME for each asset. For example, if one of the assets reporting is a router, the administrator monitoring alerts would need to know what the various events are that can be triggered as an event for the particular router; however, if the asset is a workstation, the administrator would need to know the various events that are triggered for workstations.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Cisco
    • Authentication.
    • Access lists.
    • Port security.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    LevelBlue
    • AlienVault USM is simple and easy to deploy. Sensors can be deployed in as little as 15 minutes through the setup wizard.
    • The USM UI is easy to understand. I've trained multiple analysts who are able to perform their duties on their first day, in part because of USM Anywhere's ease of use.
    • Top-notch built-in compliance templates and reporting features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    LevelBlue
    • Personally, I've wished I could purchase a service that would configure AV for my environment. I get a lot of traffic on a daily basis and I almost need to hire an analyst that just works on AV.
    • Some of the filters when looking for a specific alert aren't that easy to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    The centralized logging and retention for PCI compliance was our main driver, and it is meeting that need. Otherwise there has been enough frustration with the lack of documentation and the need to customize through the CLI that I would be open to alternatives.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
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    LevelBlue
    Once you are able to navigate the different panels, finding what you need is quite easily. Before getting used it it can be a bit of challenge . Each panel is quite well laid out and the filtering search capabilities are quite strong.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    We do have issues with maintenance on the AlienVault USM as the disk fills up from time to time with other data sources. Sources for scanning logs and net flow data isn't calculated in regular disk maintenance and can easily fill up our disk if we do not keep an eye on it with some custom Nagios plugins. The system does properly trim logging data from logging sources properly.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    With the latest release of AlienVault USM overall performance has not been an issue. We have noticed single source events per second does not scale well with the overall system. 2,000eps on a vmware system with a single source produces delays of up to an hour for us. Pages, reporting and even raw log searches are rather quick though.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
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    LevelBlue
    The support we received from alienvault was excellent. They went above and beyond in making sure everything was working as it needed to be. They REALLY want their product implementation to be a success and our security goals be achieved. They are like a member of our security team.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    I did not have any experience with "in person" training directly. The free online classes offered for a half a day are based on the actual training offered. These little teasers are very good and well worth your time to learn a few quick and dirty ways of getting more information from your SIEM
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    It was very well organized and helpful in using the product to the fullest extent. The instructor allowed time for folks who were involved with managed services to receive tuning tips in order to better support their customers. In addition, the course materials were automatically updated when the new version came out.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    AlienVault USM was a very simple to implement and get up and running. We started with a trial version and had that up and going within an hour of receiving email instructions from the sales engineer. We never had to contact support to get the system up and going. It was extremely easy to convert over to a full license once we started with a paid version.
    Incentivized
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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.
    Incentivized
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    LevelBlue
    Splunk's ES is a paid add-on on top of an already pricey product. Finding a MSSP that supports Splunk and isn't a 6 figure annual commitment seems unlikely. LogRhythm did not have a cloud-based solution when we were considering SIEMs. Fantastic product though and have a good MSSP base. Devo did not have a MSSP partner base when we looked. Their product is fantastic too. AlienVault USM has good partners to choose from as well as an affordable cloud model, that's why we chose it.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    LevelBlue
    The AlienVault USM is not very scalable. Some scalability can be achieved by installing additional sensors, but this only offers 500eps per sensor and is still overall limited by the installation type of VM or physical. We have also noticed the EPS (events per second) is rated overall and not towards a single source. A single source on a very healthy VMware partition tops out at 2,000eps for us, no matter how we configure it. Maybe this is a problem of the 5.2 release?
    Incentivized
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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
    Incentivized
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    LevelBlue
    • Once you hit the 150 asset mark, you have to jump to their unlimited license. There is no middle ground. We were only 10 or so assets above the 150 so we had to chose to either not monitor those assets or pay the price of the upgrade.
    • AlienVault brings all the information to one place which makes it much quicker to track down problems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots