Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
it_user241749 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Consultant
FirePOWER mobile is good, but they should make the device accesible from the web.

What is most valuable?

  • Firewall
  • VPN
  • FirePOWER mobile

What needs improvement?

They should make the ASA accessible via the web instead of ASDM. Also, a big improvement is needed on the transparent mode.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used it for over six months.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

There were some issues.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Firewall
April 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Secure Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
845,589 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There have been some issues with Java.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were some issues.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

8/10.

Technical Support:

8/10.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

Make sure to plan your network carefully.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

PeerSpot user
Rich text editor
    it_user2871 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Network Engineer at a university with 51-200 employees
    Vendor
    Powerful firewall and VPN device that is highly stable with multiple contexts but has latency and NATing issues

    Valuable Features:

    -Powerful firewall provides multiple contexts. -Highly stable firewall for campus traffic with no shutdown and zero maintenance compared to the Juniper SRX family which performs like a software firewall after 3 months of operation and did not allow the administrator to login. -Easy to use both GUI and command line. Also it may be more easily used through a management application like Cisco ASDM

    Room for Improvement:

    -Latency and delay due to configuration and monitoring of multiple VLANS and traffic -Increases the delay as the firewall and IPS polices increase -We faced usually a problem with NATING

    Other Advice:

    Cisco delivers a powerful firewall -- it’s not just a firewall but also a modular device that can deliver IPS hosting and wireless LAN controller as well. It also provides site to site VPN and remote access VPN services.
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

    PeerSpot user
    Rich text editor
      Buyer's Guide
      Cisco Secure Firewall
      April 2025
      Learn what your peers think about Cisco Secure Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2025.
      845,589 professionals have used our research since 2012.
      Network Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
      Real User
      Easy to operate with good technical support, but needs better logging features
      Pros and Cons
      • "The command line is the same as it is on the Cisco iOS router."
      • "The solution needs to have better logging features."

      What is our primary use case?

      We primarily provide implementation and maintenance services to our clients.

      What is most valuable?

      The software itself is very simple.

      The solution is easy to operate. It's not overly complex.

      The command line is the same as it is on the Cisco iOS router.

      The technical support is very helpful and responsive.

      What needs improvement?

      The solution needs to have better logging features.

      Cisco needs to migrate its ASA Firewall to a management console or to a web console.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I've been working with the solution for six years at this point.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      The solution is largely stable. Once we adopted Cisco services, we found that everything was pretty reliable. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's quite good.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      The scalability is a problem as the solution has a low throughput.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      We've been in touch with technical support and I've always found them easy to reach. They're responsive and helpful. I find their service much better than, for example, Fortinet or Palo Alto. Overall, we're satisfied with Cisco with respect to their technical support.

      Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

      We have some experience working with Palo Alto and Fortinet solutions as well.

      What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

      While I don't have the exact pricing of the solution, it's my understanding that Cisco is rather costly. It's not the cheapest option on the market. It's expensive. It's more costly, for example than Palo Alto.

      What other advice do I have?

      We have a gold partnership status with Cisco, however, we are also partners with companies such as Fortinet and Palo Alto.

      For a next-generation firewall, I would likely recommend Palo Alto. However, if a company had the budget, I would recommend Fortinet. That said, for a VPN gateway, I would recommend Cisco ASA.

      In general, I would rate Cisco's ASA Firewall at seven out of ten.

      Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

      PeerSpot user
      Rich text editor
        it_user682167 - PeerSpot reviewer
        Network and System Engineer at a non-tech company with 201-500 employees
        Real User
        IPS features can be accessed from a separate interface

        What is most valuable?

        I enjoy the interface of Cisco products, especially the CLI version. I think the IPS feature in the product is best compared to products of other vendors. All the IPS features can be accessed from a separate interface, e.g., Cisco IDM.

        How has it helped my organization?

        We are an educational institute, and we are required to block many websites that are not suitable for students and teachers. Most of the sites, like YouTube uses an https version, thus blocking with IP address was becoming problematic. Moreover, certificate domains for Gmail and YouTube are the same. But the IPS feature in this product helps us to overcome this limitation.

        What needs improvement?

        Pricing of this product needs improvement.

        For how long have I used the solution?

        I have used this solution for two years.

        What do I think about the stability of the solution?

        I did not encounter any issues with stability.

        What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

        I did not encounter any issues with scalability.

        How are customer service and technical support?

        I would give technical support a rating of a nine out of 10.

        Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

        I worked with Cyberoam and Fortinet UTM at my previous job. When I joined my present company, they were already using the Cisco ASA solution. But my present company may switch to other vendors, especially Fortinet, because of the license renewal price.

        How was the initial setup?

        As I enjoy working on CLI, I would say that the initial setup was not complex.

        What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

        License and appliance costs are more expensive as compared to other vendors on the market.

        What other advice do I have?

        If your company is small or mid-range, it is better to go with other vendors, because of the pricing.

        Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

        PeerSpot user
        Rich text editor
          it_user470943 - PeerSpot reviewer
          ICT Manager - Network Operations at a healthcare company
          Vendor
          ​Pricing is competitive and licensing cost is on the higher side for non-profit organizations​.

          What is most valuable?

          Firewall, VPN and Single Sign On.

          How has it helped my organization?

          Remote Access and SSO Authentication.

          For how long have I used the solution?

          One year.

          What do I think about the stability of the solution?

          No.

          What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

          Not yet.

          How are customer service and technical support?

          Good.

          Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

          Watchguard Firewall. Switched due to license cost.

          How was the initial setup?

          A bit complex compared to Watchguard Firewall.

          What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

          Pricing is competitive but licensing cost is on the higher side for non-profit organizations.

          Which other solutions did I evaluate?

          If so, which ones? Yes, Checkpoint, Juniper, Cyberoam.

          What other advice do I have?

          Cisco is good. Look at your requirements and create a matrix to figure out the best option.

          Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

          PeerSpot user
          Rich text editor
            it_user349320 - PeerSpot reviewer
            Corporate Information Security Officer
            Vendor
            A standard rule based firewall that has solved many remote access problems.

            What is most valuable?

            It's a standard rule based firewall for us. The AnyConnect VPN has solved a lot of remote access problems. High availability is good. It will fall back to the other ASA without any disruptions.

            How has it helped my organization?

            It has secured our DMZ.

            What needs improvement?

            I would like to see the following made easier:

            • Objects
            • Removing objects
            • Correlating access rules and AnyConnect ACLs

            Sometimes we suffer from older versions, such as objects, object groups, and aliases (name).

            For how long have I used the solution?

            We have been using the solution for nine years.

            What do I think about the stability of the solution?

            We did not encounter any stability issues.

            What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

            We did not encounter any scalability issues.

            How are customer service and technical support?

            The technical support is good.

            Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

            We used Cisco PIX.

            How was the initial setup?

            I can't really remember the setup. It was too long ago.

            What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

            We bought the solution, so there were no real recurring costs at that time.

            Which other solutions did I evaluate?

            We didn't evaluate any alternative products.

            Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

            PeerSpot user
            Rich text editor
              PeerSpot user
              Senior Technical Consultant - Network and Security at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
              Consultant
              It provides our company with security and protection on all our devices, but we had some issues during deployment.

              Valuable Features

              • It provides our company with security and protection on all our devices.
              • It's highly available.

              Improvements to My Organization

              We're able to implement best security practices to secure our company data.

              Use of Solution

              We've used it for over seven years.

              Deployment Issues

              We had some issues during deployment.

              Stability Issues

              No issues encountered.

              Scalability Issues

              No issues encountered.

              Customer Service and Technical Support

              Customer Service:

              Customer service is excellent.

              Technical Support:

              Technical support is excellent.

              Initial Setup

              It was a little complex, but not so much that we couldn't figure it out.

              Implementation Team

              I was the implementor for a client.

              ROI

              It's excellent.

              Other Solutions Considered

              Depends on the customer's budget, but we evaluate all vendors that meet the them. It's a mission-critical product.

              Other Advice

              I give it a thumbs up.

              Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

              PeerSpot user
              Rich text editor
                it_user150300 - PeerSpot reviewer
                Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
                Consultant
                The features are quite powerful and it's easy to set-up

                Valuable Features

                Anyconnect VPN

                Improvements to My Organization

                The features are quite powerful, easy to set-up and for ease of use end user too is excellent. Moreover, this has been quite stable since the day we installed them.

                Use of Solution

                More than 5 years

                Deployment Issues

                No

                Stability Issues

                No

                Scalability Issues

                No

                Customer Service and Technical Support

                Customer Service: Very GoodTechnical Support: Excellent

                Initial Setup

                Yes, the document repository is pretty robust and easy to understand.

                Implementation Team

                In-house

                Other Solutions Considered

                Yes, Checkpoint & Juniper
                Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

                PeerSpot user
                Rich text editor
                  Buyer's Guide
                  Download our free Cisco Secure Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
                  Updated: April 2025
                  Buyer's Guide
                  Download our free Cisco Secure Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
                  ...
                  ...