Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) vs. FireMon vs. Speedify VPN

It's well suited in our corporate offices, where all our business users resides and where we can control all their accesses. What doesn't really fit well is when we have our branch fronts, where all the software domain access features aren't utilized to its fullest, due to the fact that customers and users don't really need to have all the security features that SDA provides.

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

Sometime the bandwidth of my network is low but it work quite efficiently and able to finish my work. It [gets] connected within seconds and sometime it also does not need password to fill-up, it automatically detects the password and connect within seconds. [Speedify VPN is] quite an expensive tool but overall good.

Incentivized

• Automation, pushing template-based configuration to multiple devices in one push saves time and manpower.
• Assurance [helps trace] issues related to devices, clients, and provide the troubleshoot as [the] best practices.
• Segmentation, with the use of the SGT tags, we are able to achieve segmentation and micro-segmentation securely.

Incentivized

• Give good real time reporting for anyone making a change to any of our firewalls
• Provides good reporting tools that are out of box
• Provide good customization tools that is specific to our needs
• Upgrades are a simple process and support does relatively well with assisting us.

Incentivized

• Security-wise they use the standard 256-bit military-grade encryption.
• It has a built-in kill switch - used to kill a connection entirely when the connection drop or disappears.
• Performance-wise it is super duper fast and has 200 plus servers available across 30 countries.

Incentivized

• Documentation: Working in this solution I realized there were missing information details about the fusion device support for nexus.
• Fusion router: This roll in the fabric should be already integrated in the solution, right now it is configured manually.
• Bugs: Unfortunately the solution still present a lot of bugs, mainly in the controller.

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

• Provide browsing activities, browsing histories and connection logs
• Please provide VPN IPs Records and DNS queries
• Need to improve in the organisation of traffic

Incentivized

The shell is locked out and we can't run any general centos commands. The implementation and maintainence of the arch is very complex. Even with the right identifiers on log messages the log collection keeps failing. The warning messages on the device are ambiguous. The log messages on firemon are a bit confusing and don't show the exact issue.

Incentivized

It is difficult to start using the product due to its unfamiliar name and acronyms. ,The task should be accomplished in a specific order to ensure success

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

As far as my experience with SD-Access -I'd say things that can be improved are - better functionality with ISE, ease to understand licensing and better documentation for configuration (add-ons, etc), and licensing.

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

I rated the training an 8 because overall, it was well-structured, and the instructor was highly knowledgeable on the subject matter. The content was relevant, and I appreciated the clear explanations of complex topics. However, I felt that some sections were covered too quickly, making it difficult to fully absorb the information before moving on. Additionally, I would have liked more time dedicated to Q&A, as there were moments when I had questions but didn’t get the opportunity to ask them due to time constraints. Adding more interactive discussions or hands-on exercises could further enhance the learning experience and make it even more engaging

Incentivized

At the beginning, we had to open a TAC case for every single step during the implementation phase.

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

Automation, pushing template-based configuration to multiple devices in one push saves time and manpower. Assurance helps trace issues related to devices, clients, and provide the troubleshoot as the best practices. Segmentation, with the use of the SGT tags, we are able to achieve segmentation and micro-segmentation securely.

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

Most VPNs required four main features are 1) Ease of use, 2) Security, 3) Performance and 4) Value. The speedify, fulfils all features as compared with others out there. Specifically, It has a lot more security, is faster allows you to stream and torrent and all the things that really make VPNs worth their weight in gold

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

• Integration with other platforms in a single platform is a great advantage for the user.
• Saves time in configuring devices on the network

Incentivized

• FireMon's Compliance Reporting provided an immediate and tangible benefit
• FireMon helps identify egregious or erroneous rules quickly across multiple platforms
• FireMon took our audit process from an Excel spreadsheet into a far more advanced process with readily available context for reviewers

Incentivized

• More secured and faster allowing you to stream and torrent
• Users can not find any live chat options if any queries, but provide email support and quick reply.
• Not having a logging policy, impacts negatively when it's consideration regarding clients.

Incentivized