Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Reviews

It acts as a security center that deals with anti-malware, antivirus, and protection against network attacks.

It acts as a safeguard against external threats such as viruses, malware, and offers URL scanning. Cisco Secure Firewall's strength lies in its regular updates and automated blocking of threats, reducing the need for manual intervention.

The most valuable aspects are the antivirus and URL filtering.

Cisco Firepower has been effective in solving various problems, but it could be improved by making it simpler and more user-friendly like Fortinet. Additionally, making it available for offline practice through an emulator would be beneficial.

I've been working in my organization for the past six months, and during this time, we deployed it in our office. Previously, we were using a basic Cisco ASA firewall, and we managed it using the ASDM. Now, we've upgraded to a more advanced firewall and manage it through the MMC.

I would rate it a seven out of ten. 

Scalability needs to be improved and I would rate it a six out of ten. 

They don't offer sufficient materials on their website, unlike Cisco. Moreover, the FMC (Firepower Management Center) is expensive, and there is a lack of helpful materials available online. The existing documentation can be quite extensive and challenging to comprehend.

Positive

They opted for the Cisco Firepower Management Center due to new, more complex threats that the basic ASA couldn't effectively handle. They did evaluate other options like Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Juniper, but their management recommended Cisco, leading them to choose it.

I rate it on a scale of one to ten, with one being highly difficult and ten being very easy. In terms of technical analysis, I would rate it a three. It's also rather difficult to deploy.

It took about one or two hours consistently because it's quite heavy to deploy.Initially, I need to set up a virtual machine, which is the first step. After that, I deploy it as a virtual machine, and then I go through the process of configuring the license features and adding the devices. This is a somewhat lengthy task.

It is rather expensive.

I will advise them to explore simpler solutions like Palo Alto Networks or Fortinet UCC, which offer more straightforward options. I would rate it six out of ten. 

I like its system management and filtering options as a layer seven firewall. You can also use a multi-mode environment, which means you can use multi-ISP. You can utilize that particular standard, and that is helpful. 

Moreover, there is an SDM in Cisco, though we are using Cisco FMC. FMC manages multiple FDT devices, and an entire organization can be managed over Cisco.

Some duplicated values and security standards are not working in some high-application protocols with Cisco's next-generation firewalls.

I have worked with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center for five years.

Sometimes we face issues because VDP updates are happening frequently from Cisco. At that time, I have sometimes seen it rebooting FDT devices. It stabilizes once the solution updates the new policies. It is stabilizing now, whereas earlier, there were some bugs.

The solution is very easy to scale. Three people in my organization are working on it.

The core customer support is good, but they don't help us immediately. For example, if it is a P1 issue, they do not contact me immediately because it takes time to contact us. It will take time to resolve the issue if it's an emergency.

The installation is not that easy and not that tough also. When you learn Cisco, you can do the initial setup step by step. Some specific knowledge of rules is required to set up the solution. The deployment process takes more than a week, and five engineers are required to deploy it. Only two engineers are enough to maintain the product.

The solution is expensive. We have a multi-license, and we pay extra for support.

It is better to go with Palo Alto right now. Palo Alto is better from a price point-of-view, and some applications are better with Palo Alto than Cisco. However, Cisco is easy to learn compared to other solutions, and many people are learning to use Cisco. There are many documents for Cisco on the Internet. I rate Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center a nine out of ten.

I had a challenging time trying to size the firewall on the cloud. Maybe the information is there, but I couldn't find it easily. Usually, it depends on the cloud provider itself, whether you use AWS or Azure. These guys give you the information, so this part is not as detailed.

I have used Cisco products for more than 10 years, but I've used Secure Firewall Management Center for two years.

My clients have never contacted me with any issues, so I believe the solution is stable.

I rate Secure Firewall Management Center eight out of 10 for scalability. My client's organization has more than 5,000 users. 

My company provided local support to our client, and we don't usually go to the vendor. I rate Cisco support eight out of 10. 

The deployment took three or four weeks. The implementation team deployed it. I was only the architect. 

I rate Secure Firewall Management Center eight out of 10 for pricing. 

My customer needed multi-tier firewalls, so they purchased Cisco and another product, and they knew what they want. 

I rate Cisco Secure Firewall Management eight out of 10. Cisco firewalls aren't fully mature like other competitors in terms of controls. For example, it isn't good if you want to block some specific functions of an application or use it on the SD-WAN feature. You can only allow or block the whole application. For other firewalls, you can select specific features for the SD-WAN.

You have to go with the FTD license. They still have the ASA model, which is only Layer 4 firewall. If you're going to use Cisco, you should go with FirePOWER. There are two interfaces using different technologies, and they don't work together.  The other firewalls let you manage the whole thing from one interface. There are still some concerns with Cisco, but they recently released the 3000-Series, which is really promising.

We use the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center to manage our firewall devices. Every configuration is applied to the management center, and any policy will be pushed and deployed to the firewall. We use the solution for management, reporting, and logging analysis.

The solution has a great UI and a policy deployment mechanism, and all the configuration is easily manageable for the firewalls.

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center's logging functionality could be improved.

I have been using Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center for four years.

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is a stable solution.

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is a highly scalable solution.

The solution's technical support team is very supportive.

Around 20 people are required to deploy and maintain the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center.

The solution has great functionality and a user-friendly interface. It also has great functionality for reconstruction. It's also automated and can be integrated with other devices, services, or interfaces.

Overall, I rate Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center a nine out of ten.

The platform's most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system (IPS). It offers many customization options.

We encountered challenges, particularly when building use cases for this firewall, as it requires specific OS versions and firmware upgrades, which can lead to increased downtime.

It adds an administrative burden on the operation team, as it is essential for managing the firewalls.

I recommend they work on usability and ensure the solution is more user-friendly. It includes improving the connectivity and functionality when bugs occur.

I have been using Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center for one year.

I rate the product's scalability as a nine, particularly for larger hardware appliances.

The technical support team is responsive and supportive. 

Positive

The platform's deployment can take about two days to complete especially if all components need to be configured.

The product pricing is reasonable and falls in the mid-range.

Setting up the solution's management center is relatively easy, but we occasionally face bugs that require additional troubleshooting.

I recommend taking comprehensive backups and preparing thoroughly for implementation, especially when managing multiple nodes.

Overall, I rate it as a seven out of ten.

Our primary use case for the solution is to manage and secure our network infrastructure. In our environment, we use it to handle multiple devices from a central control point.

The platform's most valuable feature has been its centralized management capability, which allows us to monitor and control multiple devices from one location. It is crucial for effectively managing our extensive network infrastructure.

The product could be improved by simplifying its user interface and reducing complexity. Additionally, better integration with other tools and more intuitive dashboards would enhance the user experience.

Future releases should include improved AI-driven analytics for efficient threat detection and response. 

I have been using Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center for approximately one year.

The platform is stable. However, there could be occasional issues due to its complexity.

The platform scales well, handling increased traffic and more devices as our network grows.

Customer service and support have been adequate but could have been more exceptional. Response times can be slow, and resolutions are sometimes less effective than required.

Positive

We previously used WatchGuard and Microtech. We switched because we needed more advanced features and better centralized management capabilities.

The initial setup was complex due to the product's intricate configuration options and requirements.

We implemented the solution with the help of our in-house team. 

The ROI has been moderate. 

We evaluated several options, including Fortinet and Palo Alto.

Be prepared for a steep learning curve and consider the potential need for additional training or support to fully utilize the solution's capabilities.

Overall, I rate it a six out of ten. 

We use the product to manage our infrastructure.

The product's user interface is very easy to use and convenient.

The product's setup could be easier.

I have been using the product for one and a half years.

My company has 15-20 users for the product.

The product's setup was moderate which was not too easy or hard. We had encountered some hiccups but we managed through it.

I would rate the product a ten out of ten.

This solution is used for security.

The most valuable feature of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is the UTM.

The solution could improve the number of ports available and load balancing.

In a feature release, it would be beneficial to add a sandboxing feature.

I have been using Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center for approximately three years.

I rate the stability of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center an eight out of ten.

We have approximately five customers using this solution. 

I rate the scalability of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center an eight out of ten.

I rate the support of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center an eight out of ten.

Positive

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center's initial setup is of a middle range of difficulty. The deployment took us approximately one week.

I rate the setup of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center a five out of ten.

The price of the solution is expensive. We do not have to pay more than the standard licensing fees.

I rate the price of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center a six out of ten.

This solution provides a middle level of security.

I rate Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center a seven out of ten.