Cisco Secure IPS vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Secure IPS
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Secure IPS (formerly Firepower Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System, or NGIPS) is an intrusion detection response system that produces security data and enhances the analysis by InsightOps. The technology replaces the former Sourcefire 3D IPS. Cisco acquired Sourcefire in 2013.N/A
Zscaler Internet Access
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Zscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
Pricing
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
Features
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure IPS
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
5.0
2 Ratings
53% below category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure IPS
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
10.0
2 Ratings
11% above category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure IPS
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.5
216 Ratings
9% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings8.7217 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings8.3214 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings8.5191 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings8.2205 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings8.8203 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings8.5199 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings8.5192 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure IPS
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.9
262 Ratings
4% above category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings8.7245 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.0236 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings8.1217 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings8.8219 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings8.6194 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.0230 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings8.8207 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
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Score 8.1 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
CrowdStrike Falcon
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Score 9.1 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
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Score 8.6 out of 10
Enterprises
CrowdStrike Falcon
CrowdStrike Falcon
Score 9.1 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
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Score 8.6 out of 10
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User Ratings
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(6 ratings)
9.0
(295 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.4
(6 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.8
(279 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(2 ratings)
7.2
(10 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Secure IPSZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Cisco Secure IPS is required for every organization and it gives us all the advanced security features for more visibility and control on our incoming and outgoing network traffic. We can easy to configure and management is also very easy. You can deploy in the existing network very easily. The price is very low and performance is very high and it works very quickly on threats and takes the necessary action.
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Zscaler
I feel the product is very good to set up basic standards and go beyond that in many aspects. However, due to being sometimes too simple, it limits the ability to do some other complex changes. Having the ability to do both would be ideal for some, if not all, of the products within Zscaler Internet Access. A simple setup to have it stand-up, and more advanced settings for those more experienced.
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Pros
Cisco
  • The option to deploy it as a virtual machine in a UCS-E inside a Cisco Router is something to consider a lot. It simplifies a lot the deployment in places where you need to optimize resources and keep things simple. It also saves some money on unnecessary hardware.
  • Having the most complete license, we can have in the same box IPS, inspection for malware and URL filtering. As Cisco uses Talos Intelligence network to mitigate and evaluate risks, having this complete set of security features turns the box into a powerful resource to protect our remote locations. Considering the hyper-connected business we have today, it's almost impossible to think that we can run a business without this kind of protection.
  • The integration between Firepower NGIPS and other products, like Cisco ISE and Splunk, is also a key feature for this solution. In both cases, you can integrate the product to have the best of both. As a security appliance, it's very important for us to have all the logs centralized in Splunk and this is done simply connecting FMC (Firepower Management Console) to the Splunk collector.
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Zscaler
  • Provides a secure VPN connection point for endpoint connectivity.
  • Provides the VPN connectivity in a fast and reliable connection state.
  • Very dependable, once connected the connection stays up and there's no fuss.
  • Very good at letting you know when you are not authenticated.
  • Very easy to authenticate and regain access when your session times out.
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Cons
Cisco
  • Wish additional modules were included such as FireAmp.
  • Wish it was easier to include customized signatures if needed. Required to know how to code with Snort in order to add real customization.
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Zscaler
  • ZS CLI support to turn off ZIA and ZDX service specifically on mac.
  • Better visibility into failed posture devices, including a timeline and the reason the posture failed (This is about the Zscaler mobile portal: Enrolled devices --> Failed posture devices).
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
We are in the middle of outsourcing and may not be able to keep this product.
Read full review
Zscaler
While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:
Key Gaps:
1. Advanced Threat Costs:
ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.
2. API Banking Scalability:
ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.
3. RBI Future-Proofing:
Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.
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Usability
Cisco
Very easy to navigate GUI in the FMC and very effective at performing the intending duties.
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Zscaler
Getting started was pretty straightforward. We can tell the product is way more robust than we are using it. It started as a replacement for previous DNS-blocking content filtering, but we're exploring how this will add value with an upcoming DLP redesign and with traffic optimization at some of our remote sites with severe bandwidth limits.
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Performance
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Zscaler
There are often performance issues reported
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Support Rating
Cisco
We didn't have any major issues that let us need support. Only, for this reason, I think Cisco Firepower deserves the rating. Even for small issues, the partner that helped us during the project could solve it quickly. There are also tons of documents and other online resources to help maintain, administer and support the product.
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Zscaler
Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
No answers on this topic
Zscaler
good the engineer give excellent support and eplanation
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Alternatives Considered
Cisco
Cisco Secure IPS is our first product. We were not using any other tools before. We are very happy with the Cisco Secure IPS features and customer support
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Zscaler
The overall user community and scope of supportability outweighed the others on our short list. Netskope was a close second, but the risk, though small, was greater than that of bringing Zscaler aboard. We were looking for a mature, well-supported, highly functional, and fine-grained solution that met all our user and information security requirements.
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Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Has made it much easier to determine when incidents have occurred
  • Has been effective in reducing false positives and making solution management more efficient and cost effective
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Zscaler
  • I would say it has a very good ROI, as whenever someone can't access something, they submit a ticket to our network engineer, and within minutes, the site is safely added to ZIA with best-practice configurations. After seeing a little of the UI from the Zenith event, it seems very user-friendly to control these policies.
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ScreenShots

Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.