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Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs Trend Micro Deep Discovery 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

Cisco Sourcefire SNORT
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
14th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Trend Micro Deep Discovery
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (17th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco Sourcefire SNORT is 3.1%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Trend Micro Deep Discovery is 3.5%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Trend Micro Deep Discovery3.5%
Cisco Sourcefire SNORT3.1%
Other93.4%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2772102 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Architect at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
Logging and customizable rules have helped improve threat monitoring and detection
The logging is mainly what I consider one of the best features with Cisco Sourcefire SNORT. Being able to log and store it in a file allows you to push it to a centralized repository. The logging and reporting help improve incident response. You should always be logging threats, any sort of misconfiguration, and anything that could be an issue. It's important to at least log and monitor it. The basic rules provide a good baseline in assessing Cisco Sourcefire SNORT's ability in providing real-time analytics for threat detection, but as a professional, you should look to constantly modify that baseline. They provide extensive customizability so you can define your own rules. The customizability allows it to be adaptable in protecting against diverse network threats to the constant change.
reviewer2266119 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior IT Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Has improved email security through advanced filtration and timely threat detection
I work with Trend Micro Apex One. I have used the Deep Discovery's Sandbox analysis feature, and we utilize another appliance known as Deep Discovery Analyzer, abbreviated as DDA. This tool makes analysis for URLs and attachments contained in inbound emails, so whenever we receive an email with a URL or attachment, it will be analyzed by Trend Micro Deep Discovery Analyzer. In evaluating Deep Discovery's real-time visibility on network traffic, it is important to note that we applied our Deep Discovery Analyzer for Trend Micro to conduct sandboxing specifically for email channels only, and we do not utilize it for network channels. For network channel sandboxing, we use a solution called FortiAnalyzer, which belongs to another team called network security. I assess Deep Discovery's effectiveness in identifying sophisticated attack patterns by looking at how it handles high traffic loads, and how effectively it can use its instances and images to analyze numerous URLs and attachments simultaneously. Additionally, I evaluate its ability to maintain round-robin or load balancing across different analyses without leaving samples queued for analysis. The performance is critical when the product updates for signatures are up-to-date, as this aids in the detection and classification of URLs and attachments without delay in the analysis process. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Trend Micro Deep Discovery a nine.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It simplifies the configuration process by offering pre-defined base configurations, including security and connectivity settings."
"In general, the features are all great. However, if I need to take hardware for ASA, because they need to upgrade to Firepower, we want to create rules. For that, most of the time we go to the command line. Right now Firepower is working really hard on the grid. You can apply all those rules to the grid. Even if you want to monitor the logs, for example, the activity will tell you which particular user has been blocked because of that rule. Firepower's monitoring interface is very good, because you can see each and every piece. ASA also had it, but there you needed to type the command and be under the server to see all that stuff. In Firepower you have the possibility to go directly to the firewall. The way the monitoring is displayed is also very nice. The feature I appreciate most in Firepower is actually the grid. The grid has worked very well."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the filtering."
"Cisco technical support is unbeatable. It offers a premium service every time."
"The most valuable feature is the visibility that we have across the virtual environment."
"Solid intrusion detection and prevention that scales easily in very large environments."
"The URL filtering is very good and you can create a group for customized URLs."
"It has a huge rate of protection. It's has a low level of positives and a huge rate of threat protection. It's easy to deploy and easy to implement. It has an incredible price rate compared to similar solutions."
"Sandboxing gives us a chance to identify malicious behavior, especially for unknown vulnerabilities, although it's rarely needed as a last resort after all other security measures have failed."
"Trend Micro Deep Discovery is a very specific product for threat intelligence with smart protection."
"Generally speaking, it just gives us a broad understanding of exactly what kind of threats occur. The submission point, analyzing point, and virtualization are within the environment that it supports. It helped us to improve our security levels and protect our internal network from any threats outside."
"Trend Micro Deep Discovery Email Inspector includes its ability to perform mail detection and mail filtration against various email attacks such as phishing and spam, serving as an email gateway for both inbound and outbound traffic."
"The most valuable features are monitoring for advanced persistent threats, the system runs in a sandbox allowing for effective zero-day exploits management, and the Inspector has a built-in sandbox."
"It is a very good solution. It is very light, and it is quite quick to figure out the problem in your network."
"The most valuable feature of Trend Micro Deep Discovery is its complete end-to-end visibility of threats."
"One of the most valuable features is the performance, since, so far, we have not faced any issues with Deep Discovery."
 

Cons

"The cloud can be improved."
"The initial setup is a little difficult compared to other products in the market. It depends on the environment. If we are doing any migration, it might take months in a brown-field environment."
"Cisco Sourcefire SNORT can scale, but if you have too much, you could fill up your log files, which I consider when discussing scalability."
"The customization of the rules can be simplified."
"There are problems setting up VPNs for some regions."
"The implementation could be a bit easier."
"We are unhappy with technical support for this solution, and it is not as professional as what we typically expect from Cisco."
"Integration with other components — even Cisco's own products — can be enhanced to improve administrative experience."
"I would like to see them create a rule where It could integrate with the network and start mitigating with auto-detection."
"The scalability is sometimes limited."
"This solution could be improved with faster technical support and cheaper licensing prices."
"The product's security features need enhancement."
"Trend Micro Deep Discovery's technical support could be improved, and it could be made more active."
"The stability of the solution could be improved. It should be 100% stable, but it's not there right now."
"The main issue is its high cost."
"All issues we faced related to false positives regarding many hashes and URLs specifically for mail gateway and sandboxing, which led us to open a threat ticket with Trend Micro support for validation."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I don't know the exact amount, but most of the time when I go to a company with a proposition, they will say, "This thing that you are selling is good, but it's expensive. Why don't you propose something like FortiGate, Check Point, or Palo Alto?" Cisco device are expensive compared to other devices."
"The cost is per port and can be expensive but it does include training and support for three years."
"Licensing for this solution is paid on a yearly basis."
"We have a three-year license for this solution."
"If one is an extremely expensive product, and ten is cheap, I rate the tool's price as a five."
"The tool's licensing costs are yearly. There are no additional costs associated with the product."
"The licensing cost is a bit pricey. We pay a yearly subscription."
"Compared to its competitors, Trend Micro Deep Discovery is a little expensive."
"Overall, the price is good."
"The tool’s licensing costs depend on the customers."
"Overall, Trend Micro Deep Discovery has proven to be a reliable solution that enhances our security posture while minimizing operational disruptions."
"The pricing is okay for some, and sometimes, some people find it expensive."
"Its price is fine, but Trend Micro can improve the pricing in general. It is a hardware solution. It is based on the number of nodes, and according to the number of nodes, clients decide which box they should acquire. They have to renew their license every year. It is subscription-based."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
University
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?
The product is inexpensive compared to leading brands such as Palo Alto or Fortinet.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?
If one is an extremely expensive product, and ten is cheap, I rate the tool's price as a five. There are some other tools in the market that are more expensive than Cisco. There are no additional c...
What needs improvement with Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?
I have not had much experience with the community-driven rule set while utilizing Cisco Sourcefire SNORT. I don't have experience with recognizing zero-day vulnerabilities, but based on my knowledg...
What do you like most about Trend Micro Deep Discovery?
The tool's most valuable feature is its collaboration with other products. Integrating with other security products was simple and easy.
What needs improvement with Trend Micro Deep Discovery?
Server Protect is not commonly used. When considering the Sandbox feature, it only inspects small files, and not all types of files are supported. The solution is very expensive. The solution is no...
 

Also Known As

Sourcefire SNORT
Trend Micro Deep Discovery Inspector, Trend Micro Deep Discovery Analyzer
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

CareCore, City of Biel, Dimension Data, LightEdge, Lone Star College System, National Rugby League, Port Aventura, Smart City Networks, Telecom Italia, The Department of Education in Western Australia
Allied Telesis, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Babou, Blekinge County Council, Delacour, Hiroshima Prefectural Government, Live Nation Entertainment Inc., Mazda Motor Logistics Europe, McGill University Health Centre, Mikuni Corporation, OKWAVE, Sinar Mas Land, SWICA, UTOC Corporation
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs. Trend Micro Deep Discovery and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,346 professionals have used our research since 2012.