Item: Cisco Firepower 1000 Series
Rating: 7
Author: Victor Lau

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Across the entire company, this is the main firewall. This controls access to the Internet and provides content filtering for all corporate users. Guest users also have restricted access through the firewall. The firewall is also being utilized for VPN tunneling between branches and other remote sites. The previous firewall was a Cisco ASA and getting quite outdated.

Pros and Cons

Small form factor
Threat mitigation
Threat licensing

Complexity of install
Cost of add-on features
Cost of Smartnet

Return on Investment

Secure high-end solution, protects the business
Updates threat licensing, constant updates allow ease of management
Higher cost of ongoing maintenance
Higher cost of licensing features

Simplified Administration

It is a simpler solution to configure and manage than previous solutions. Easier to apply licenses and updates to the system which allows less trained users to work on the solution. More wizards to allow for assistance with common tasks and processes. Overall good feature with Cisco integrating different solutions together.

Performance

Cisco Talos backed threat solution provides a robust comprehensive security solution. Sourcefire technology has been nicely integrated to give the product more robustness. The system is very robust and even fully loaded with threat license features it can easily handle the entire company’s mitigation load. There is still plenty of available throughput for the full feature set.

Support Rating

Support is quite good. Cisco Smartnet and TAC are the best in the industry. Any calls into TAC are handled quickly with good resolution. I’ve not had to utilize Smartnet for any hardware issues but would expect a superior experience as this is a critical piece of the company’s network. Any calls are typically handled with urgency.

Alternatives Considered

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series, Fortinet FortiGate and Juniper SRX

Cisco is up there, not the lowest cost in terms of initial purchase or maintenance. Also not quite the best in terms of reputation yet but getting better. Some companies bundle their hardware, license, and support better. Cisco has a more modular approach that allows for choice but also complicates the buying process.

Other Software Used

Cisco Umbrella, Aruba ClearPass, FortiClient

Likelihood to Recommend

Very robust enterprise-grade security solution with updated threat features to handle any current and upcoming threats. The solution is backed by Cisco Talos to ensure constant security updates. Integrated AnyConnect remote client VPN is a big plus to allow for secure remote workers access. Easier to set up a site to site VPN due to the large user base and case studies published on integrating to other manufacturer solutions.

Cisco for small enterprise security

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Firepower 1000 Series