Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs Vectra AI comparison

Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is designed for intrusion prevention, firewalling, and application filtering. It's deployed on-premises to secure networks and perform real-time traffic inspection, defining security policies to prevent malicious attacks.

Organizations use Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) to safeguard data centers, enterprise networks, and server environments. This technology integrates with advanced threat intelligence and multiple security features to enhance cybersecurity. Users deploy it at network perimeters, for firewall replacement, and to secure critical infrastructure. The platform supports modularity, anomaly detection, scalability, and centralized management, making it a comprehensive solution for modern security needs.

• Intrusion Prevention: Detects and blocks various network threats.
• Automation: Streamlines security processes for efficiency.
• Advanced Threat Detection: Identifies and mitigates sophisticated attacks.
• Centralized Management: Simplifies oversight with a unified interface.
• Anomaly Detection: Flags unusual behaviors and potential threats.
• Compatibility with Firepower: Integrates seamlessly with other Cisco solutions.
• DDoS Protection: Mitigates distributed denial-of-service attacks.
• Signature Updates: Ensures the latest threat definitions are in use.
• Access Policy Management: Enables precise control over user access.
• Real-Time Traffic Inspection: Monitors traffic to detect threats immediately.

• Enhanced Security: Improved protection against cyber threats.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduced time and effort in managing security.
• Scalability: Seamless scaling to accommodate growing network demands.
• Compliance: Helps meet regulatory and industry standards.
• Risk Mitigation: Reduced risk of data breaches and cyber attacks.
• Visibility: Increased insight into network traffic and threats.

This technology is widely implemented across industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail, ensuring robust security for sensitive data and critical infrastructure. Typical deployments include network perimeters and data centers, providing real-time threat detection and unified security management. The combination of integrated threat intelligence and advanced security features helps enterprises strengthen their defenses against evolving cyber threats.

Vectra AI is used for detecting network anomalies and potential malicious activities, providing visibility into network traffic and enhancing threat detection across environments.

Organizations deploy Vectra AI mainly on-premises with additional cloud components. It helps with compliance, incident response, security monitoring, detecting insider threats, and correlating network events. Vectra AI captures and enriches network metadata, provides detailed dashboards, reduces false positives, and supports cross-environment behavioral analysis to enhance threat detection and prioritization. While valued for its high accuracy and alert aggregation, it has room for improvement in UI/UX, packet management, and integration with SIEMs and other tools. It is noted for expensive pricing and limited proactive threat response features.

• High accuracy in identifying threat locations
• Aggregation of alerts into single incidents
• 24/7 threat detection
• Visibility into the entire attack lifecycle
• Risk score aggregation
• Effective triaging of alerts
• Integration with other tools

• Enhanced threat detection and prioritization
• Comprehensive network visibility
• Reduction in false positives
• Better incident response capabilities
• Improved compliance monitoring

In specific industries, Vectra AI is deployed to monitor complex networks and alleviate challenges in threat detection. It is particularly effective in sectors requiring stringent compliance and security measures, offering insights and capabilities crucial for protecting sensitive data and maintaining operational integrity.