The Swiss Army Knife of Firewalls
November 08, 2018

The Swiss Army Knife of Firewalls

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco ASA

Cisco ASA provides many security and networking features. These include VPN (Virtual Private Network) capabilities, traffic prioritization, DHCP, Firewall protection of our network, routing, and many more. These allow our business to operate securely, give remote employees easy access to our on-network services, shape our traffic to allow critical services (such as VOIP) to operate at higher priority, and generally give us fine-tuned control over the operation and management of our network and how it interacts with the outside world.

Pros

  • Performance
  • Reliability
  • Security
  • Configurability/Customization

Cons

  • User Interface
  • Ease of use
  • Setup
  • Improved efficiency for remote work
  • Improved security - much lower risk in day-to-day operations
  • Increased management cost of network/infrastructure
Cisco certainly has the more well-known brand. Although it's more expensive than competitors, it has a good reputation for support, reliability, and security. It's also very common for IT experts to be familiar with Cisco, since it is a common and sought-after brand. The additional cost may or may not be worthwhile for your business needs - consider cheaper alternatives and weigh the pros and cons with an expert!
You will want an IT expert who can assist with setup as well as day to day management. Certain VPN configurations may require additional licensing - make sure you know what your needs are and research costs accordingly. Licensing across the board should be researched carefully since it's not always clear with Cisco products. Ideally, have a Cisco expert research and quote a solution that meets your specific business needs.

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