Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 26, 2023
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco ACI
Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
Network Virtualization (1st), Software Defined Networking (SDN) (2nd)
Illumio
Ranking in Cloud and Data Center Security
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP) (14th), Microsegmentation Software (3rd)
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Cloud and Data Center Security category, the market share of Cisco ACI is 6.4% and it decreased by 31.5% compared to the previous year. The market share of Illumio is 31.4% and it increased by 30.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud and Data Center Security
Unique Categories:
Network Virtualization
44.4%
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
30.6%
Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP)
6.1%
Microsegmentation Software
29.5%
 

Featured Reviews

Jeffry Miguel De Los Santos - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 5, 2022
It helps us configure and manage all the infrastructure in our data center.
We use ACI to configure and manage all the infrastructure in our data center. We're trying to automate the process and centralize the management of all our devices. We deploy the network-centric mode in our Cisco ACI ACI divides the management process in the network. It's a software-defined…
CH
Jun 28, 2022
Great auto policy writing and good mapping with an easy setup process
Right now, we are using a non-production, 21.2.3 version. In production, we are in 19.3.6, which we are going for an upgrade on the weekend, which will be 21.2.30. Right now, the deployment is on-premises. The roadmap is to go to a SaaS product with Illumio, however, right now, it's on-premises. It is being used for on-premises, however, we are thinking to make use of the cloud as well, using the CloudSecure product. We like the solution. It's light. It doesn't take too many resources. For anyone to implement the product, it's pretty straightforward and simple. It's also very effective. It's very quick and very flexible to implement. That's the thing I can advise - just to implement this product and try it out. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"PBR has been beneficial for network efficiency."
"The security component is its most valuable feature."
"We had different networks and combined them with ACI so we could have the control of one controller-based network. Also, everything is combined now."
"It offers multitenancy. The opportunity to install it on the same platform with a huge amount of customers."
"There are many features which are useful, like the automatic completion of the VXLAN."
"I especially like the host-based routing feature of Cisco ACI because it's straightforward to do it on different data centers. Another valuable feature of Cisco ACI is that its management controller works very well with no issues."
"The best part of ACI is that it can integrate with a lot of virtual environments like VMware, Hyper-V, and KVM."
"Automation is its most valuable feature."
"The solution helps to maintain logs and monitor activities. It also helps us with access management. The tool helps us to secure organizational data that include files."
"The most valuable feature of Illumio Adaptive Security Platform is monitoring. When I have no requirement from the other application, I can use the web block traffic to build."
"It has helped us to understand internal network visibility and firewall policy implementation. We use the product to simplify firewall policy implementation."
"The solution is easy to use."
"The Explorer allows you to know the traffic between source and destination."
"The features that I have found most useful is the ability to centralize all the rules and then distribute them across various locations. However, I've encountered challenges related to tagging policies, which can be complex to devise. It's a matter that requires careful consideration and stakeholder involvement before implementing such policies."
"The product provides visibility into how the applications communicate and how the network protocols are being used."
"The flexibility of the solution is its most valuable feature."
 

Cons

"I would like to be able to test the upgrades in a simulation before implementing them in production because not everyone has a lab."
"In the new version of 4.0, the management groups for updating the software is not the best way to do it. It was better in 3.2."
"I would like them to simplify the way you configure the Fabric. The process is quite complex. This can be a barrier to entry. For anything, where it should take two or three steps, you have ten steps"
"Cisco SDN will only work with its own devices, so that's a downside."
"I would like to see more troubleshooting apps."
"Cisco ACI would benefit by providing the option to integrate easily with DNAC in their next release."
"The learning curve is long. It's very difficult to learn Cisco ACI. As a result, our customers usually have difficulty working with this solution."
"The tool's initial deployment is complex and takes five hours to complete."
"Illumio Adaptive Security Platform could improve by supporting more operating systems. For example, Cisco and Apache appliances."
"The interaction we've had with the support team hasn't been ideal. Technical support should be improved."
"Some of the features that can be improved is offer additional guidance on creating an effective and risk-free tagging policy would be highly beneficial."
"The customer service is lagging a bit. It could be better."
"The product’s agents don't work very well in OT environments."
"The solution is very basic and doesn't do anything other than the orchestration of layer four endpoint firewall rules."
"I would like to see better data security in the product."
"It requires a low-level re-architecting of the product."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco ACI is more expensive than Juniper, however, ACI is not the most expensive option."
"Price is always an issue."
"The thing that I like the most from Cisco is the support and all the documentation that they have. We do have to pay for it though."
"A big company can automate it themselves or spend a lot of money and buy it."
"It is quite expensive. It is not at all on the cheap or medium side."
"We bought a package for hardware, software, and support. At that time, Cisco was simply selling that package to distributors, then we opted for it directly."
"The pricing is pretty good for new technology."
"Cisco ACI costs depend on how many sites you have. One simple site with a simple installation, including two leaves, two spines, and some fibers, would cost $200,000 to $300,000 for the licenses. The solution is a bit expensive, but it's a good investment if you want your data centers to work without interruption."
"There is a subscription needed to use Illumio Adaptive Security Platform and we pay every three years. Overall the solution is expensive."
"The product's pricing is around 10,000-15,000 USD. The pricing is on a yearly basis."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
There are some very major differences between both the Products and to name a few. -Cisco ACI have physical network gear (9K Switches) where the Code runs in ACI Policy Mode & the UCS server wh...
What are the biggest differences between Cisco ACI and VMware NSX?
Once you know your way around the Cisco ecosystem, using Cisco ACI is not so difficult. It is a global product, so when you change one interface, changes are automatically reflected on every switch...
What do you like most about Cisco ACI?
The flexibility of adding new components with minimal impact on existing services running in the data center is a key benefit of this ACI-based solution.
What do you like most about Illumio Adaptive Security Platform?
The features that I have found most useful is the ability to centralize all the rules and then distribute them across various locations. However, I've encountered challenges related to tagging poli...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Illumio Adaptive Security Platform?
The product's pricing is around 10,000-15,000 USD. The pricing is on a yearly basis.
What needs improvement with Illumio Adaptive Security Platform?
Some of the features that can be improved is offer additional guidance on creating an effective and risk-free tagging policy would be highly beneficial.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Illumio Adaptive Security Platform, Illumio ASP
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bowling Green State University, du, Qatar University
Plantronics, NTT Innovation Institute Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco ACI vs. Illumio and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.