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Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 0.8%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is 8.3%, down from 10.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
Great dashboard with extensive visibility and good support
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration. The logging of FMC should be improved as it does not offer real-time solutions like DazaSodo.
Kim Ejby Lorentzen - PeerSpot reviewer
Unified firewall management streamlines operations across branches with prompt support services
The primary use case for this solution is the management of the entire firewall portfolio across various branches Palo Alto Networks Panorama has simplified management by providing a unified interface for firewall management and configuration. One of the key advantages of Palo Alto Networks…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is quite scalable."
"The product's user interface is very easy to use and convenient."
"The tool's deployment is not complex."
"The overall product rating is eight out of ten."
"The most valuable aspects are the antivirus and URL filtering."
"It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"One of the most valuable features of Cisco Secure Firewalls is their seamless integration with other Cisco products."
"The solution has a great UI and a policy deployment mechanism, and all the configuration is easily manageable for the firewalls."
"The most valuable feature is WildFire."
"Palo Alto Networks Panorama is stable."
"A valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is reporting because it gives you different reports on data, logs, and threats. I also like the centralized firewall management feature of the product."
"The main value of Palo Alto Networks Panorama lies in its ability to centralize management, similar to FortiManager."
"The solution, especially the latest versions, is very stable."
"The initial setup isn't very complex, it's user-friendly."
"What I like most about this solution is that it allows me to push multiple policies on multiple followers at the same time."
"The ability to manage a large number of firewalls from a single point is most valuable."
 

Cons

"We use the suggested standard policies that come with the equipment. We don't put much effort into customizing these policies, which we know is a risk. We're moving to a more advanced IT area that will change how we manage the firewall policies. Cisco offers many ways to manage the equipment, but our team lacks extensive knowledge. We're moving these responsibilities to a specialized security team."
"The performance of the Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center could be improved."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center needs to reduce its price."
"The product's setup could be easier."
"It's not very user-friendly and can be somewhat disorganized."
"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."
"The solution should improve the user interface."
"The product could be improved by simplifying its user interface and reducing complexity."
"This would be a better solution if it were more tightly integrated with the firewalls."
"Palo Alto Networks Panorama has some bugs that could be fixed."
"There needs to be an improvement in integrating AIOps functionalities into Panorama."
"It is an expensive product."
"It is not a cheap product."
"There is room for improvement in the graphical user interface (GUI), which is becoming outdated, especially the NAT section."
"A potential improvement for Palo Alto Networks Panorama could be a more competitive pricing structure."
"It could be more secure."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate Secure Firewall Management Center eight out of 10 for pricing."
"My license offers all the protection, like malware protection, VPN protection, IDS, IPS, and endpoint protection."
"I rate the tool's pricing a four out of ten. The licensing costs are yearly."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"Technical support is an additional annual cost and is not included with the license."
"The platform is costly."
"The solution is expensive. We have a multi-license, and we pay extra for support."
"As for pricing, the tool is expensive for us. I'd rate it eight out of ten on a scale where ten is the most expensive."
"The price of Palo Alto Networks Panorama could be lower."
"It has freed up staff time, which is where we are seeing ROI."
"We're a reseller, and we're an MSSP. So, we get some extreme discounts."
"The price of Panorama is expensive."
"You can buy the hardware only and each box is not even $10,000. It's only $8,000 for the unit itself. However, then you are charged a three-year license at $81,000."
"We have a yearly license. The cost is not that high and not that cheap either."
"Cost-wise, it's very expensive."
"The licensing is not cheap. There are always hidden costs. You have support costs, or maybe you need to buy more optics on how the solution fits into the rest of your environment. It is possible some of the rest of your environment will need to change too."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
21%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Engineering Company
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
The platform has significantly enhanced our organization's operations by providing secure communication channels between different office locations.
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I...
What do you like most about Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks Panorama for me is the centralized management of multiple firewalls.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
The solution requires more flexibility and quicker response times. High-speed replies are crucial. Additionally, the AI module should be on-premises, not in the cloud. It should support more flexib...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs. Palo Alto Networks Panorama and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,466 professionals have used our research since 2012.