Item: Cisco Firepower 1000 Series
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have a few remote sites that connect via a metro-E link that needed a way back to the network via a more secure route than we were using before. Using the Cisco Firepower 1120 and 1140 we were able to successfully get those sites back onto the network over a VPN link with a much better/safer protocol and connection type.

Pros and Cons

Uses the latest high security protocols
Lots of other great firewalling tools and abilities
Fairly priced for a NGFW
Good technical support

Must upgrade to the higher end models in the series to add sfp ports
Racking the smaller units can be difficult due to reduced size/non standard racking type
Price of an 1150 is almost comparable to the 2000 series

Return on Investment

Getting our remote sites on a fast and safe connection pays off in the long run
Less worry when designing a secure remote LAN
Lots of frequent bug patches keep the net admins happy

Simplified Administration

The first steps of configuring the device out of the box was in fact very straight forward and easy. Once its assigned an IP and up on the network, you can get it handling traffic very quickly and easily. Management interface is HTML based and snappy. Would like to see some more of the deep command line features make to the web interface, however.

Performance

Great performance even on the lower end model of the series. You can push a lot of traffic through these devices without much performance impact. If you decide you want to inspect encrypted traffic however, you may take a big hit on the cpu and memory of the box, but they still manage to keep up even with all the bells and whistles turned on.

Support Rating

Well Cisco TAC is known for their hard work and determination to fix your problem, and this has no[t] changed recently. Whether you're calling to get help on your fifty thousand dollar core switch, or you're calling about one of these 1000 series firewalls, you get the same great service. Very little to complain about in this department.

Other Software Used

Cisco Firepower 2100 Series, Cisco Firepower 4100 Series, Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC series appliances)

Likelihood to Recommend

Getting Cisco into your network is never a bad proposition. If I was asked by a friend, then Cisco's name would always be in the top 5. Now if you're needing something that is going to cover more than just a small site, or handling your main internet connection, [then] going up a rung to the 2000 series would be my next recommendation.

Cute little firewalls that can keep up with the big boys!

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Firepower 1000 Series