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Cisco IOS Security vs Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS Security
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
9th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (22nd)
Palo Alto Networks Advanced...
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 0.9%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is 7.5%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

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.
Carlos Bracamonte - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust, reliable, simple to install and good technical support
We are attempting to improve the use of URL filtering beyond threat protection. I'm not sure what the remaining threat protection features are off the top of my head. But beyond that, we use URL filtering. We have three approved cases for using external dynamic lists that are stored in a bucket repository. Then, for each URL site that needs to be whitelisted, we add it to the external dynamic list in order to gain access to this email. I would like Wildfire to be implemented. We use the equivalent in Cisco is the integration policies. We have the Wildfire but we are not currently implementing it. We don't have the license to use it, but we are not currently implementing it until we present the use cases that the company gives some value to and they approve the use of it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"In Pakistan, we only use Cisco because they have good local support infrastructure. Huawei and Fortinet don't offer direct support in Pakistan."
"The solution is easy to use."
"We are able to filter a lot of traffic especially when a lot of the traffic is in layer 7."
"Cisco IOS allows us to keep the same security features as our principal offices."
"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."
"The product is easy to use."
"The most valuable feature is endpoint protection."
"The sandboxing tools offer great prevention for cloud feeds."
"Everything has been okay with the solution. We are using all of the features."
"It effectively prevents malware, ransomware, and other attacks."
"The most valuable feature is its use of machine learning to detect potentially unknown threats."
"The most valuable features are the simplicity, transparency, and overall ease of management."
"The most valuable features are that it's user-friendly, has interesting features, URL filtering, and threat prevention."
"We are currently using the URL filtering feature, which is the most popular."
"The stability of Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention is good."
 

Cons

"An area for improvement in Cisco IOS Security is the performance because it's not as stable sometimes. There's also some latency in the solution, which could be improved. Cisco IOS Security integrates with other solutions, but you'll encounter many errors after integration, so this is another area for improvement. I'd like to see enhanced performance and a simplified setup in the next version of Cisco IOS Security."
"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."
"Cisco IOS Security could improve its security features. There are competitors that have some additional security features, such as Fortinet FortiGate. Additionally, there should be better synchronization with Cisco IOS Security and other vendors, and improved AI features would be beneficial."
"Most of their features are meant for Cisco. You cannot integrate them with any other vendor."
"The configuration should be easier in the solution."
"Signatures and other critical definitions need to be updated more frequently."
"The solution is complex and can be more user-friendly."
"The solution’s setup process could be better."
"The organization mail security solutions could be improved. There is no mail security solution available."
"The solution could benefit from improved AI analytics to predict potential attacks before they occur, similar to NDR systems."
"Palo Alto's maintenance needs to be improved."
"The solution needs to improve its local technical support services. There is no premium support offered in our market."
"Sometimes when you want to group a set of ports, and communicate with Palo Alto, you cannot group TCP and UDP ports together. This needs to be adjusted."
"The application’s pricing and dashboard need improvement. It could be user-friendly."
"The cost involves the price of the hardware, which is expensive. However, most of the Palo Alto solutions are expensive."
"There is a potential drawback with the lack of support for the ICAP protocol."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool could be priced lower. If you want advanced services, then you need to purchase them."
"It is an expensive solution."
"Cisco IOS Security price could be reduced, it is more expensive than many of the other solutions, such as Sophos and Fortinet FortiGate."
"They have smart licenses that can be provided for one year, two years, three years, five years, and seven years. Alternatively, they have perpetual licenses available."
"The pricing is expensive."
"The product is expensive."
"Price is certainly something that the IOS technology has fallen behind the competition on."
"The cost of the license, to the best of my knowledge, is approximately two thousand dollars."
"It's not too expensive."
"Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention could improve by having consistent pricing at system levels."
"The pricing has improved with the newer generation of their Firewalls, but the price could always be lower."
"There is an initial, expensive investment but the return is good."
"The cost involves the price of the hardware, which is expensive. However, most of the Palo Alto solutions are expensive."
"The product’s pricing is expensive for small companies."
"If you want to have all of the good features then you have to pay extra for licensing."
"The price of the solution is higher than others on the market. A price reduction would be beneficial if it does not impact their database quality."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
30%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
The challenge often comes down to pricing for SMB customers or those below enterprise level. It's tough for them to invest in Cisco Security products, not because the products lack quality—on the c...
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
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. Cisco offers a vast ...
Which is the best DDoS protection solution for a big ISP for monitoring and mitigating?
Arbor would be the best bid, apart from Arbor, Palo Alto and Fortinet have good solutions. As this is an ISP, I would prefer Arbor.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Threat Prevention?
Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention is quite competitive, offering extensive threat detection and prevention capabilities, though it is priced higher than some alternatives. I would rate ...
 

Also Known As

IOS Security
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, SkiStar AB, TRI-AD, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS Security vs. Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.