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Cisco IOS Security pros and cons

Vendor: Cisco
4.0 out of 5
1,424 followers
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Pros & Cons summary

Cisco IOS Security hardware is noted for its stability and robust performance. It integrates well with branch offices and perimeter security, offering scalability and reliable support. Enhanced VPN features aid remote work with effective management tools. Known for advanced DNS services and intrusion features, it maintains privacy and protection. Local support in regions like Pakistan is a strong point, although it needs more affordable licensing, improved interfaces, and better performance stability.

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Cisco IOS Security offers extensive scalability and robust stability, securing a leadership position in technical support and next-generation security features.
It effectively integrates with other systems and provides comprehensive security features that accommodate business needs without secondary solutions.
Cisco IOS Security offers advanced security features like endpoint protection and intrusion firewall, enhancing overall network security.
It has been praised for its VPN services, which are particularly valuable for remote work scenarios, ensuring secure and efficient management tools.
It maintains a strong presence in regions like Pakistan due to its reliable local support infrastructure, outperforming competitors who lack direct support.

CONS

There is no link-by-link feature in Cisco IOS Security, which is available in other firewalls and can also be added to Unified Threat Management (UTM) firewalls from Cisco.
Integration with UTM is missing and load balancers are also not available in Cisco IOS Security.
Pricing is seen as a con as it is high and makes it less accessible to small or medium-sized organizations.
Signatures and other critical definitions need more frequent updates; performance needs improvement due to occasional stability issues and latency.
Some configurations are difficult for new engineers and the setup process could be improved, especially in legacy environments.
 

Cisco IOS Security Pros review quotes

TM
Sep 21, 2020
Completely integrates branch offices with perimeter security.
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Karthik Venkataraman - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 5, 2024
Cisco IOS Security is a mature product with extensive capabilities, serving as the base for the defense layer. It offers good network visibility, which helps in rapid response through the Rapid Threat Containment feature. Its deployment and configuration are straightforward.
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reviewer1540473 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 3, 2021
Cisco Technical Assistance Center works on a follow-the-sun concept and gives real 24x7 customer support, which is a great advantage when you have a service contract with them.
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Cisco IOS Security
November 2024
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Javed Hashmi - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 11, 2020
The hardware is pretty stable. It's also a very good product performance-wise. Initially, it wasn't mature like a firewall and there were other leaders, but now they have included almost all the features of next-generation security. Basically, it's a good product to work with.
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BS
Aug 16, 2022
The VPN was valuable for us because more people are working from home. It has a lot of reporting and easy-to-use management tools.
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reviewer1074924 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 23, 2019
Previously, anyone in the organization would see any data point in the wall. They could just go and connect their machine with that data point and could access the network. But now, even if someone came and tried that, they will not be given access.
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reviewer1296726 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 29, 2020
What I have used the most and received the most benefit from is the IPsec technology.
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PF
Sep 27, 2020
We are able to filter a lot of traffic especially when a lot of the traffic is in layer 7.
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CE
Jun 26, 2019
We use Cisco IOS Security mostly for routers to route off the firewall. It's a next-generation device.
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reviewer1063173 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 21, 2020
Cisco has always been a premium product. There's a lot of other entry-level solutions. This is more robust.
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Show 10 more reviews (out of 44)
 

Cisco IOS Security Cons review quotes

TM
Sep 21, 2020
The pricing is the only con for this product.
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Karthik Venkataraman - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 5, 2024
In the security portfolio from Cisco, the issue is marketing. Cisco is still seen primarily as an enterprise network player rather than being acknowledged as a security vendor.
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reviewer1540473 - PeerSpot reviewer
Dec 3, 2021
There are the usual bugs that are inherent to some software upgrades. Sometimes this provides some unexpected issues, however, it happens with all brands all the time.
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Buyer's Guide
Cisco IOS Security
November 2024
Free Report: Cisco IOS Security Reviews and More
Learn what your peers think about Cisco IOS Security. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
DOWNLOAD NOW
816,636 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Javed Hashmi - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 11, 2020
I would love it if it has a link-by-link feature, integration with Unified Threat Management (UTM), and load balancers. They haven't got any link-by-link feature right now, which can be a very attractive option. This link-by-link feature can also be made available for Cisco's UTM firewalls. The link-by-link feature is available in some of the other firewalls. Currently, integration with UTM is missing. Cisco IOS Security also doesn't have the load balancers and a few things that need to be done to get a good UTM firewall. Normally, other firewalls have UTM. As a next-generation firewall, it's good, but as a UTM, it has to do some work.
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BS
Aug 16, 2022
The configuration and reporting interfaces need a lot of improvement. It needs to be more accessible forsolide without a strong technical background. If you had a simplified dashboard, the lower-level techs could manage the solution and provide services. Cisco IOS Security requires someone who is highly trained to operate it.
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reviewer1074924 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 23, 2019
We have a very bad experience on the support. They take too much time requesting logs, and they are not coming directly online to resolve the issues.
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reviewer1296726 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 29, 2020
With respect to user-friendliness, it is a command-line interface and those with such experience will get along just fine, whereas others may struggle.
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PF
Sep 27, 2020
The user interface needs to be improved.
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CE
Jun 26, 2019
Most of their features are meant for Cisco. You cannot integrate them with any other vendor.
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reviewer1063173 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 21, 2020
The company needs to make its solution more affordable to make it more accessible to larger markets. Otherwise, it's seen as an enterprise-level solution that small or medium-sized organizations can't afford and therefore they won't even look at it.
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Show 10 more reviews (out of 42)

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