Cisco Secure Access vs FortiSASE comparison

Cisco and Fortinet are both solutions in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category. Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Fortinet is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.9. Cisco holds a 3.7% mindshare in SASE, compared to Fortinet’s 6.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 10, 2024

FortiSASE and Cisco Secure Access compete in secure access solutions. FortiSASE has the upper hand in pricing and customer support, while Cisco Secure Access shines in advanced features with justified costs.

Features: FortiSASE includes comprehensive security tools, scalable solutions, and praised customer satisfaction. Cisco Secure Access stands out with robust integration capabilities, advanced security measures, and is favored for extensive feature integrability.

Room for Improvement: FortiSASE could improve reporting, simplify security policy management, and enhance management tools. Cisco Secure Access needs better documentation, improved initial setup support, and feedback suggests enhancing user guides.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FortiSASE is noted for straightforward deployment and responsive customer service. Cisco Secure Access is more complex to deploy, but users acknowledge attentive support accompanying its setup.

Pricing and ROI: FortiSASE is known for competitive pricing and faster ROI with affordability. Cisco Secure Access requires higher initial investment but offers long-term benefits that justify its cost, appealing to those valuing extensive features.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Access vs. FortiSASE Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access vs. FortiSASE

March 2026

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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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of iboss is 2.5%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Access is 3.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FortiSASE is 6.9%, down from 7.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Access	3.7%
FortiSASE	6.9%
iboss	2.5%
Other	86.9%

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Featured Reviews

reviewer2701851

Managing Director

Enhances web security with a single pane of glass and flexible deployment

I don't see any need for improvement; one of the really good things about iboss as a company is that they listen to customer feedback. I have suggested enhancements, and they are responsive, making changes for the better, and they do a lot of testing. To improve iboss, although we haven't used it, we considered the VPN solution that comes with the highest tier licensing, which includes DLP and various other add-ons. We prefer using another product which automatically logs you back onto your network when turning on your PC. With iboss, the connection is manual, which doesn't meet our needs. Additionally, sizing can be tricky because, although the initial recommendations may seem adequate, actual usage may require more gateways than anticipated.

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Kartik Amin

Network Operations Engineer at Redex IT Limited

Secure access has unified zero trust and web protection while AI assistance automates tasks

From a feature perspective, I have not experienced any issues, drawbacks, or shortcomings. However, the cost of Cisco's products and licensing is high. My clients usually prefer cheaper options if possible. Mid-size or smaller businesses typically cannot afford Cisco Secure Access. Additionally, there is a steep learning curve, as it is very intensive. Someone with significant knowledge can work on it, but a new professional would have to spend considerable time to get accustomed to it. It is hard to find engineers who can work on it. Overall, we get what we pay for, as it is a pretty good feature and service. The pricing of Cisco's products and licensing is higher than competitors. If they could be more reasonable, that would help. The support offered for two years also has higher costs. Overall, the client's IT budget gets affected. It was challenging to learn because, as mentioned, it has a significant learning curve and requires considerable training to become proficient.

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LalitKumar10

Head Vice President, Delivery at Gehnax Technologies LLP

Implementation complexity challenges are addressed and bundled solution offers significant ROI

For other solutions such as FortiAnalyzer and FortiSIEM, integration is easy, but it's not straightforward due to license complexity. As FortiSASE is new in the market in India, if you want to use a Delhi data center, you need a separate license, and if you have a different kind of firewall, you cannot transfer your license from one box to another box. FortiSASE implementation is too complex where other products take two to three months or maximum four months to implement, FortiSASE took more than double that time. The product appears to have been launched without being tested properly in real market conditions. While testing may have been done in lab environments, real-time scenarios seem to be missing from this solution. The SPA licenses are limited to the box UTM, UTM make and model. If someone has a UTM currently and plans to upgrade or downgrade in the coming year after procuring the SPA license for three years, they cannot transfer those licenses to another box, which is a challenge that needs improvement.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This product is solid, fairly easy to use, and reliable."

"iboss is definitely very good in terms of service."

"I would rate the technical support of iboss a solid 10 without a shadow of a doubt."

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent."

"iboss has significantly lowered the number of security incidents. It is crazy how much it blocks and how much it is aware of the outside danger."

"Granular setup, which was able to set different levels of filters using the OUs in the AD."

"The iboss system is highly reliable. The false positive rates are small compared to some other systems we've experienced through other partner agencies who use competing solutions."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

More iboss pros

"Since I started using Cisco Secure Access, I have noticed positive impacts on my organization."

"Cisco Secure Access has had a positive impact on protecting our organization from threats such as phishing and ransomware."

"The integrated capabilities of Cisco Secure Access deliver significant ROI through reduced mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR), with resource efficiency notably improved as fewer personnel are needed for triage and system management."

"The feature I like the most about Cisco Secure Access is the whole concept of zero trust, as it is exactly what we need and I believe that Cisco Secure Access is the future of cybersecurity."

"I rate the stability of Cisco Secure Access as ten out of ten."

"They've protected us from threats like phishing and ransomware."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco Secure Access is the VPN, which I find very easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of Cisco Secure Access is the secure web gateway, which provides the secure edge."

More Cisco Secure Access pros

"I find Fortinet to be competitive with its firewalls."

"It is highly scalable."

"This advantage is having the ability to create an SPA unit of FortiGate."

"It is easy to integrate with Fortinet."

"The product can scale."

"FortiSASE can operate in a cloud environment with client certificates for authorizations and access control using features like PostCheck."

"The solution is scalable, it is highly scalable."

"The solution is easy to deploy and simple to manage."

More FortiSASE pros

Cons

"The solution could be stronger on the integration side and offer more cloud applications like G Suite or Oracle."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"If they could implement an extra security layer preventing access to iboss from the open internet, it would be great."

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company ExxonMobil."

"Sometimes the agent stops working in iboss, and we have to reinstall the agent."

"It is stable, but due to growth, it can sometimes be less stable than wanted."

More iboss cons

"Managing Cisco Secure Access in a single cloud management console is moderate in difficulty."

"However, the cost of Cisco's products and licensing is high, and mid-size or smaller businesses typically cannot afford Cisco Secure Access."

"Having been associated with Cisco for more than fifteen to twenty years, I find it increasingly difficult to get tech support these days. Although Cisco is reliable, the process to raise a support ticket has become more complex, requiring specific user accounts and access to specialized platforms."

"The Talos database is insufficient because Cisco Secure Access web gateway database is not big enough to hold every URL, leading to numerous problems with URLs not being categorized correctly and a slow turnaround for recategorization requests."

"The way that we're using Cisco Secure Access today, it doesn't scale with the growing needs of our organization, however, if we leveraged more of the cloud services, it would fit better."

"The license model can be simplified; it is a bit tricky to understand exactly which licenses you need."

"In my opinion, Cisco Secure Access could be improved by potentially incorporating features that other brands have been using. I see benefits from features offered by competitors, which could enhance the Cisco experience if adapted thoughtfully."

"From a licensing perspective, Cisco can improve."

More Cisco Secure Access cons

"The GUI and connectivity, along with the support offered, are some of the areas of concern in the product where improvements are required."

"They are trying to improve the features of FortiSASE, however, many FortiSASE gates still cannot connect. While connectivity from outside to inside is okay, inside to outside is not."

"FortiSASE is an expensive product and the cost is indeed high."

"FortiSASE implementation is too complex where other products take two to three months or maximum four months to implement, FortiSASE took more than double that time."

"While connectivity from outside to inside is okay, inside to outside is not."

"There are some issues at the agent level, and then we have to sign out and sign in."

"Security and support are two areas with certain shortcomings in the product where improvements are required."

"Some of the solution's back-end connectivity and visibility are not robust and could be improved."

More FortiSASE cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"The pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Cisco Secure Access have been very competitive compared to other platforms. I believe that if Cisco continues to improve costs or offers something similar to a Cisco credit, it would attract more customers."

"It is confusing. When you look at the prices, you have different licensing and years of licensing that you have to purchase. Additionally, it's unclear what service you get from those licenses regarding end-user support. We have a representative who has to walk me through it every time."

"For what you get, it's a fair price in comparison to other products."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."

"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is high price, and ten is low price."

"I can only speak about the pricing for education users because we get discounts. Other users aren't going to get the same price, but FortiSASE is competitive with the other products out there. All the solutions came in at the same price, so it just came down to the product that works best for us."

"I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	27

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company Exxon...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

Previously when I used iboss, we did the POC for iboss for ExxonMobil. Four or five people wanted to move from our ol...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern. There are cheaper alte...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Access?

My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Cisco Secure Access is that it is part of our security ...

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What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Access?

Cisco Secure Access has many features, and I want to clarify whether the discussion pertains to Cisco ISE or the Cisc...

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What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Secure Access?

Cisco Secure Access always requires monitoring for updates and signatures, similar to a health check, but not intensi...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiSASE ?

The pricing, licensing, and setup costs of FortiSASE are very advantageous if you are already a Fortinet customer. If...

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What needs improvement with FortiSASE ?

Areas of FortiSASE that could be improved or enhanced in future releases are related to being more open to supporting...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for FortiSASE ?

FortiSASE is typically used by customers with two major concerns: many branches or stores and sometimes remote worker...

See all answers

Comparisons

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

Twingate vs iboss

Compared 3% of the time

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Cisco Umbrella vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 22% of the time

Netskope vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 9% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 7% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 6% of the time

Prisma SD-WAN vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 2% of the time

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Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs FortiSASE

Compared 19% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs FortiSASE

Compared 10% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs FortiSASE

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs FortiSASE

Compared 8% of the time

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform vs FortiSASE

Compared 3% of the time

More FortiSASE Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

March 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access

April 2026

Download Cisco Secure Access product report

Buyer's Guide

FortiSASE

April 2026

Download FortiSASE product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

Overview

Iboss offers a comprehensive cloud-based security platform valued for its scalability and autonomous features, ensuring robust security with easy deployment and management capabilities.

Renowned for its robust security architecture, Iboss integrates seamlessly within diverse networks, delivering efficient granular filtering and advanced content categorization. Its single pane of glass console provides ease of management, allowing rapid scalability suitable for rapidly deploying environments. Operates in BYOD setups due to inline filtering without device installation. Integration with cloud-based applications enhances user control, and features like SASE, SSL inspection, and ChatGPT risk protection stand as highlights. Despite its strengths, users have pointed out areas for enhancement like direct navigation in reports, SSL decryption, and better cloud integration while having room to improve data loss prevention.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

Scalability: Supports rapid deployment across diverse networks.
SASE: A consolidated approach to secure access.
SSL Inspection: Ensures safe data transmission.
Granular Filtering: Detailed control over accessible content.
Single Pane Management: Unifies control through a centralized console.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing with robust features.
Autonomous Operation: Reduces management overhead.
Responsive Support: Provides assistance when needed.
Flexible Deployment: Available for both cloud and on-premises environments.

The usage of Iboss spans educational institutions, specifically K-12, to enforce internet policies, protect data, and support remote work environments. It provides web filtering and security frameworks to ensure safe browsing. Its platform-as-a-service model offers flexibility for both cloud-based and on-premises requirements, integrating seamlessly to deliver enhanced security features suitable for various deployment needs including zero trust, CASB, and network security for work-from-home setups.

iboss

Cisco Secure Access is a comprehensive Security Service Edge (SSE) solution (a key component of a SASE solution) that addresses the complexities of securing a hybrid enterprise. Cloud-delivered and grounded in zero trust, it delivers a unique blend of user simplicity and IT efficiency for frictionless, secure access to all applications—SaaS (with gen AI), private apps, and the internet—regardless of user location or device. Secure Access protects users, data, and devices against relentless, sophisticated, and constantly evolving threats including AI-driven attacks and identity breaches.

Provides all core SSE components (ZTNA, SWG, CASB, and FWaaS) plus extended capabilities.

Includes VPN-as-a-Service (VPNaaS), data loss prevention (DLP), AI Assistant, visibility/control/guardrails for generative AI use, digital experience monitoring (DEM), reserved IP, remote browser isolation (RBI), DNS-layer security, flexible security enforcement (in cloud or on-premises), policy verification, and more.
Protects users as they seamlessly access resources and apps with no extra steps needed, regardless of protocol, port, or level of customization
Simplifies IT operations through a single client, single dashboard, single license, and unified policies.
Lowers risk with least privilege, granular controls backed with unmatched threat intelligence of Cisco Talos.
Eases interoperability with other products from Cisco and third-party vendors with common administrative controls, data structures, and policy management.

Robust integrations

Integrates with Cisco Identity Intelligence to protect against the startling increase in identity-based attacks.
Integrates with many SAML Identity Providers (IDPs) such as AD, Azure AD, Okta, Ping, etc.
Integrates with Cisco offerings including SD-WAN, Splunk, XDR, Thousand Eyes, third party technologies such as Menlo RBI, Chrome Enterprise Browser, and AppOmni for SSPM.

Cisco

FortiSASE is a comprehensive security solution that combines SD-WAN, security, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) capabilities in a single platform. It provides secure access to applications and data from any device, anywhere, and at any time. FortiSASE offers advanced threat protection, real-time visibility, and control over network traffic, ensuring that organizations can securely connect their users and devices to the cloud and on-premises resources. With FortiSASE, organizations can simplify their security infrastructure, reduce costs, and improve their overall security posture.

FortiSASE Benefits:

Easy to use and set up
Good value for the price
Provides accurate and reliable results
Compact and portable design
Comes with helpful instructions and customer support

FortiSASE combines the following key elements:

Networking: FortiSASE provides networking capabilities, including SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network), WAN optimization, and network traffic routing. It allows organizations to optimize and secure their network connectivity.
Security: FortiSASE integrates multiple security services, including next-generation firewall (NGFW), secure web gateway (SWG), secure web application firewall (WAF), and zero-trust network access (ZTNA). It offers comprehensive protection against various threats, such as malware, intrusions, and data breaches.
Cloud Security: FortiSASE includes cloud-native security services to protect cloud-based applications and workloads. It offers secure access to cloud services, cloud-based firewalls, and security for multi-cloud environments.
Zero Trust Security: FortiSASE follows the Zero Trust security model, where all users and devices are treated as untrusted and must undergo strict authentication and authorization before accessing resources. It enforces granular access controls and micro-segmentation to limit lateral movement within the network.
Secure Web Access: FortiSASE includes secure web access capabilities, enabling organizations to enforce web filtering policies, block malicious websites, and protect against web-based threats like phishing and malware.
Visibility and Analytics: FortiSASE provides centralized visibility and analytics to monitor network traffic, security events, and user behavior. It helps organizations detect and respond to security incidents and provides insights for ongoing security improvements.

FortiSASE aims to simplify and streamline security operations by integrating multiple security functions and network services into a single platform. This approach allows organizations to reduce complexity, improve efficiency, and enhance overall security posture.

Reviews from Real Users

Peter VanDorp, Cyber Security Analyst and Network Operations Supervisor at a non-tech company, says that "Deep packet inspection is easier to deploy in the FortiSASE environment. It's much simpler to configure one-touch deployment. It was considerably more convoluted to get that to work using FortiClient. All that processing horsepower is happening in Fortinet's cloud infrastructure, reducing the load on our local routers and on-prem FortiGate firewalls."

Jose-Rivera, Account Manager at Telefónica, that FortiSASE is "Reliable with good security and helps with network optimization".

Fortinet

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

1. IBM 2. Microsoft 3. Amazon 4. Google 5. Apple 6. Cisco Systems 7. Oracle 8. Intel 9. HP Inc. 10. Dell Technologies 11. Verizon Communications 12. AT&T 13. Comcast 14. T-Mobile 15. Sprint 16. Vodafone 17. Orange 18. BT Group 19. Deutsche Telekom 20. Telefonica 21. Nokia 22. Ericsson 23. Samsung Electronics 24. Sony 25. Panasonic 26. LG Electronics 27. Siemens 28. General Electric 29. Ford Motor Company 30. General Motors 31. Toyota Motor Corporation 32. Volkswagen Group

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access vs. FortiSASE

March 2026

Free Report: Cisco Secure Access vs. FortiSASE

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Access vs. FortiSASE and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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