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Check Point IPS vs Cisco IOS Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point IPS
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco IOS Security
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (22nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Check Point IPS is 6.1%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 1.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Greg Tate - PeerSpot reviewer
Great for detection and access with the capabilities of defining specific rules
Support is the biggest area for improvement. Check Point is responsive, however, their support agents seem to be very siloed in their ability and/or product knowledge. It takes time and escalation to get through most tickets as they are passed from one group to another and then back again. We are able to navigate our support issues with the aid of our account team, so I want to underscore that support is indeed responsive. However, the processes support techs have to follow seem to be the root cause of the support response issues.
Karthik Venkataraman - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly and excels in documentation, making it easier to resolve issues
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. From a networking perspective, for instance, Cisco IOS incorporates time-tested security features. The zone-based firewall feature has significantly influenced our network security management. For instance, when managing multiple geolocations, it's essential to apply geographically appropriate policies. If a customer operates within the UK zone, I need to implement UK-specific policies. This approach is also applicable to customers in the Asia Pacific and UK regions. It enables me to tailor security policies based on the geographical location of my customers, such as adjusting policies for customers in China or Japan. This flexibility helps in creating a comprehensive zone list. Additionally, this feature allows for seamless service agreements between all zones from headquarters, providing access to all zones within the firewall we create. Essentially, it facilitates the creation of zones within the firewall.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The possibility of customizing the rules is great."
"Protection in real-time is very good. It helps us detect things on time and make decisions to improve perimeter security."
"The autonomous threat prevention is very easy to use. The APIs and SmartConsole tool also work well."
"IPS logs enable complete visibility and reporting through the smart console."
"The solution's IPS functionality and firewall functionality are the solution's most valuable features."
"Among its great features is the ability to detect outgoing malware or extraction of compromised data and stop it, thus safeguarding us by isolating the network, the equipment, or the identity of the affected users."
"The product's initial setup is easy."
"The integration of IPS with the firewall is quite efficient."
"What I have used the most and received the most benefit from is the IPsec technology."
"It is less expensive than alternative firewalls."
"The most valuable feature is the scalability. The nice thing with the bigger vendors is that they're very good at scale."
"This solution, called Network Access Controller, handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for devices accessing the network."
"We use Cisco IOS Security mostly for routers to route off the firewall. It's a next-generation device."
"Technical support for this solution is very good."
"The capabilities for scalability with this product are huge"
"Cisco IOS Security has many good features, but compared to other solutions, it has a more user-friendly interface with steps to apply and manage rules. Another good part of the solution is that it's more straightforward."
 

Cons

"I observed on our management that sometimes IPS does not connect to the threat cloud, we have to check and improve it. Otherwise, all of the features are good."
"The area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required consist of support availability."
"There is a performance impact on the NGFW post-enabling the IPS blade/Module, which can even lead to downtime if IPS starts to monitor or block high-volume traffic."
"In my opinion, the Check Point software engineers should works on the performance of the blade - when it is activated with the big number of the protections in place, the monitoring shows us the significant increase in the CPU utilization for the gateway appliances - up to 30 percents, even so we are cherry-picking only the profiles that we really needed."
"When entering, it always takes a long time to load."
"It is generally good, but improving the performance would be the one thing I'd take a look at right now."
"Having additional reports available would be helpful."
"The pain point that I have with this solution is contacting technical support."
"I would like to see much more embedded security that works and that isn't a bolt-on."
"We faced significant challenges related to licensing issues, particularly when licenses expire."
"There's a technology called SD-WAN that we would like to see. We are unable to handle multiple connections or to automatically load balance. I would like to have a feature that enables us to automatically prepare for load balancing."
"Most of their features are meant for Cisco. You cannot integrate them with any other vendor."
"I think setup could be one area for improvement, because sometimes we don't have people inside so we have to move to the place."
"The solution is complex and can be more user-friendly."
"Cisco is a scalable product, but it is expensive compared to other vendors."
"While I do not have specific recommendations for improvement, pricing can be reduced."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a license needed to use the Check Point IPS which is not expensive. However, the Check Point IPS device is expensive."
"The module has a considerable cost but you can save by purchasing a package with several modules instead of making a single purchase."
"The price of this product should be reduced."
"I think that the price of support is around $40,000 USD or $50,000 USD per year."
"Enabling IPS does not require any additional license purchase from OEM, as it comes by default with the NGFW bundle."
"It is a reasonably priced product."
"The tool's licensing model is good. The licensing costs are yearly. I rate it an eight out of ten."
"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one means it is very cheap and ten means it is very expensive. The product is expensive."
"The pricing is okay. It is competitive. It costs more when you need get more features."
"Price is certainly something that the IOS technology has fallen behind the competition on."
"Cisco IOS Security price could be reduced, it is more expensive than many of the other solutions, such as Sophos and Fortinet FortiGate."
"Palo Alto networks are more expensive than this solution and this is why you will see more products like this one in Mexico."
"The solution's pricing is very good."
"The pricing is expensive."
"The pricing is average and includes all features with support."
"I rate Cisco IOS Security's pricing a ten out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
30%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Check Point IPS?
The most valuable feature of the solution is called tunneling. Tunneling is one of the major security features that hackers cannot penetrate through.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point IPS?
The price could be lower. It's always better for an end user when prices are reduced. The cost makes it difficult to implement in smaller companies.
What needs improvement with Check Point IPS?
Currently, the solution is good for my needs, so I don't have any particular improvements to recommend. However, a reduction in price would always be welcome.
What do you like most about Cisco IOS Security?
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 Thr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS Security?
Pricing can be reduced. I rate the current price for the product a four out of ten.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
While I do not have specific recommendations for improvement, pricing can be reduced.
 

Also Known As

Check Point Intrusion Prevention System
IOS Security
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Morton Salt, Medical Advocacy and Outreach, BH Telecom, Lightbeam Health Solutions, X by Orange, Cadence, Nihondentsu, Datastream Connexion, Good Sam, Omnyway, FIASA, Pacific Life, Banco del Pacifico, Control Southern, Xero, Centrify
Arup Group, Brunel University London, City of Biel, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha, K&L Gates , New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Offshore Northern Seas, Transplace
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point IPS vs. Cisco IOS Security and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
839,255 professionals have used our research since 2012.