Item: Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Network security is one of the pillars of any company. Our organization is highly focused on seeking the best available solutions in the market for this segment. We have acquired 2 units of Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services, model 5545-x, in high availability to meet the demand of a medium-sized site. Cisco's solution has all the functionalities of next-generation firewall, VPN, threat control, web and layer 7 protection in a single appliance. Its main goal was to create protection for the edge of the network.

Pros and Cons

The Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services model works perfectly for network edge protection scenarios.
It allows for the creation and connection of sites through site-to-site VPN configuration.
It enables remote connection and home office with remote SSL or IPSEC VPN.
It has layer 7 traffic protection and visibility.
It has anti-malware protection from start to finish.
The configuration is easy to perform.

FirePower services licenses are not perpetual.
The graphical console could be more intuitive.

Key Insights

Do you think Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services again?

Yes

Return on Investment

I can state that it has positively benefited us by offering more protection and less work to put out network fires.
Remote access with greater security.
More peace of mind for our teams regarding data theft.

Performance

Solution in an appliance with all services integrated in a single hardware. Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services has high reliability and security. It may have a higher price than the competition, but it is necessary to identify its security and durability differentials. Over these 3 years, it has provided us with a lot of security and we are already considering purchasing a Cisco firewall that supports even more users in the future.

Support Rating

Cisco's support is exemplary, with a lot of speed in identifying and solving doubts and problems reported by phone. The only negative point is the high cost. This is something that should be considered in the project due to its high importance.

Other Software Used

Easynote, Cisco Business Edition 7000, Aruba Networks Wireless WAN

Likelihood to Recommend

The scenario implemented by our teams was for edge protection. We also created a DMZ network for access to some servers and services. Our firewall has a remote SSL VPN license that allows remote access for several employees working from home or traveling on business. We created web access networks with content filtering, specific application protection with AVC, IPS, and protection against malware and external intruders. Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services is one of the best solutions in the market that we researched for a long time to protect our data and access from intruders.

Great Cisco appliance with excellent added value in integrated product and services.

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services