Cisco Secure Firewall is a Great tool
Updated July 22, 2025
Cisco Secure Firewall is a Great tool
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Firepower 1010
Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Secure Firewall
Cisco Secure Firewall is used as the primary defense tool on the edge of our network. The firewall is used to permit access both for employees and external clients who use internal networks, which we maintain. These external clients use these networks to configure devices such as switches, routers and systems
Pros
- Gives detailed information on what user is utilizing the VPN such as Ip address and the origin of country for the Ip address.
- The graphical user interface is detailed and organized, a good level of intuition.
- It provides troubleshooting tools such as packet tracer, that allows individuals to see where the packets are being accepted or dropped.
Cons
- I wish that the deployment of the updates to the sensors from the FMC was faster.
- Cisco ASA firewall did a great job of authentication and authorization on the local firewall. FTD does not authorize users well in terms that an AAA must be setup to provide the granular tools that the ASA did.
- Cisco's method of licensing the firewall can be improved. The FMC and the FTD are licensed through the Cisco software manager and there are instances where the devices are licensed but the firewall still displays and error due to licensing.
- Cisco Secure Firewall gives details on the possible intrusions attempts that are occurring on the network, which gives stakeholders confidence that the network is being protected.
- Cisco's reputation as a longstanding network leader provides the trust that is needed in keeping networks secure.
- The wide variety of tools and features that Cisco Secure Firewall provides allows business owners to plan for changes that can occur in the network as Cisco is able to adapt to the different needs.
Currently Cisco advanced inspection mode is not used in our network, however, Cisco has implemented methods of preventing password spray attacks which were an issue that we needed to address. The method allows the administrator to customize different methods of reducing password spray or eliminating it completely. This is done on the number of times an IP address can be used to connect to the network.
VPN use is done extensively in our environment as, external clients use our network to fulfill their business needs. This feature is central to our business requirements, as without it we could not give this service, VPN has a large impact on the security posture as we depend on the VPN to be reliable and operate as a secure method of accessing the network.
Do you think Cisco Secure Firewall delivers good value for the price?
Not sure
Are you happy with Cisco Secure Firewall's feature set?
Yes
Did Cisco Secure Firewall live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Cisco Secure Firewall go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Cisco Secure Firewall again?
Yes
Cisco Secure Firewall Feature Ratings
Cisco Security
Security is at the very top of the organizations priorities in terms of architecture, implementation and the solutions that we have internally and also for our clients. We have a relationship with many vendors and examine their solutions with security in mind. Some of the forces that drive our investements in cybersecurity are client peace of mind, scalable and secure solutions and the ease of administration of these solutions.
Cisco has a reputation of providing secure solutions, and as a vendor that has been there at the early start of the internet has an established system and architecture and the reliability to provide solutions for our organization and for our clients. We have utilized solutions such as the asa firewall with Firepower and more recently the Firepower threat defense system which has helped meet our network infrastucture needs
We have a great relationship with Cisco and this is seen through our access to technical support, architectural and deployment and continued administration consultation. When there is an issue, their tier 1 solutions are second to none in quickly assessing the issue and providing fast and speedy solutions to solve the issue so that there minimal interruption to our organization and to our clients.
We had been using the ASA firewall with firepower and it met our security needs in terms of providing a secure method of having external clients access networks provided for them. The Cisco secure firewall was chosen as this is the upgrade to the ASA firewall with firepower that has become end of life
Parts of cybersecurity is a cat and mouse game and I think that AI will bring that attack versus protection to another level. AI will actualize the tools that we currently have such as deep packet inspection, layer 7 firewall capabilities to become predictive of when an attack will occur and possible solutions for this issue. AI with the proper tools will help keep ahead of the bad actors that are present.
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