Cisco Duo Reviews

We actually partner with Duo Security. We use the API to send a step-up on your phone for granting access to normal doors. You can tap your physical fob card or any other device at the door, and then receive a push notification. Depending on the success or failure of the authentication, we can either grant or reject access at the door. So it provides two-factor authentication. We use Duo for that purpose, as well as for an API and our internal VPN.

However, with our product, we use Duo Security end-to-end. Duo Security has a blind spot when it comes to physical security. It doesn't cover scenarios where someone gains physical access to our network room, which involves different technologies outside of its scope. 

From my perspective, it can't be considered truly end-to-end in that regard. Nonetheless, Duo Security offers significant value for network security and VPN access. If we combine our product with Duo Security, then we can achieve comprehensive end-to-end security.

We work for businesses, B2B. So we work in the data center space. A lot of our work focuses on providing the best authentication at your access points, be it a door or a data center cabinet. 

We can integrate our device without requiring you to replace your card, so we can put our device in. You can keep your card. You don't have to replace it. You can simply tap your card, even if it's in your wallet or for home use. The process remains the same. I tap my card, receive a push notification on my phone, and then press enter to gain access. It's great because it ensures that it's actually me and not someone who found my card.

The product has helped our organization by providing easy-to-set-up security. Additionally, through our partnership, we can offer a use case that adds value to our customers. They don't have to deal with the hassle of replacing their existing systems; instead, they can extend their investment in Duo Security and apply it to their access points. This makes it easier for us to deliver value to our customers.

Having that second-factor validation with Duo, or any multifactor authentication solution, is highly important. There are numerous options available in the market. Whether it's Duo or others, the key is to have that additional layer of security. In our organization, we utilize Duo Security across various use cases, which makes perfect sense. 

With Duo Security, it is easy to get that validation you need to make sure that you have security. It's very easy to set it up. It's simple, but it's secure. For me, that's the best part.

Integration for a partner is very useful because you can work with the API or admin API, whatever it is, and get a lot of logging details and pass them to your SIM. It's very useful for that.

Duo Security provides a high level of certainty regarding the identity of the individual performing an action. Whether it's logging into a system, using VPN, or utilizing Autopay, establishing that trust is crucial. I can't imagine any security company, organization, or IT team that wouldn't prioritize having multifactor authentication enabled when accessing critical systems.

Duo's user authentication and device verification are indeed effective in preventing identity-based attacks. The second factor authentication and clarification it provides are valuable. While there are certain situations where we might desire additional data from the API, I consider that to be a minor aspect.

I have a few suggestions for improving Duo Security. One major aspect would be the ability to gather contextual data. This means being able to determine the location where someone is authenticating from and whether it aligns with their regular location patterns. While two-factor authentication with mobile devices provides a high level of security, it's still not foolproof, as someone could potentially steal your phone. It would be beneficial to have information about the authentication location. 

If a partner could obtain that data, we could implement it, or if we had our own application, we could incorporate this feature. Additionally, having the ability to customize aspects of the API or the app's appearance would be useful. For example, if you're using Duo for both VPN access and authentication, you might want a different user interface for each scenario. This way, you can easily identify if someone is impersonating you at the door or accessing your computer. These are some suggestions to enhance the functionality of Duo Security.

I have been using Duo Security for a few years. We've used Duo Security for all two-factor authentication.

Duo Security is a stable solution. 

It is a scalable solution. From what we've seen, it's pretty scalable. It's really good. In terms of when you get an API response, I don't have to keep pulling that endpoint; I just get a response back, which is better than some of the other ones that exist.

We actually have our own application that we can utilize as well. However, Duo is the prevalent one we use. As a security company, we've conducted tests on various options like Okta Verify and Duo, alongside our own solution. In the end, we opted for Duo. The decision was based on its ease of use.

Implementing Duo Security was actually quite easy. Depending on other factors involved, it could potentially be even easier. The integration process mainly requires three values: the client ID, the secret, and the integration key. It is enough to do. 

However, for layman customers, it might be easier to set it up in a different way, such as a one-click setup, to further simplify the process. This is something we can discuss and collaborate on as partners. Overall, though, the setup of Duo Security is easy to set up. 

Duo Security's add-in value lies in its access security for establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from.

However, when I say "no matter where it comes from," it's not just about computer logins or VPNs; physical access requests are equally important. It covers both cybersecurity and physical security aspects. While Duo Security adds value to both areas, it's worth noting that it doesn't fully cover the physical security aspect, which is the focus of our integration. However, in terms of digital security, it is indeed effective.

Now, if someone is considering getting Duo Security, my recommendation would depend on their specific needs and reasons for wanting it. However, if their goal is to implement multifactor authentication, then absolutely, they should go for it.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

Our primary use case is for two-factor authentication. We also use the solution to secure Microsoft Remote Desktop, VPN, and SSH connections.

We deployed the product primarily to address security concerns, for example, implementing a more secure security posture using Duo Security.

My initial deployment of the product at a previous employer was across multiple environments and business units. We were primarily an active directory shop using Windows servers and desktops and Wise desktops, all of which utilized Duo Security as their two-factor solution.

In my current environment, the tool is implemented in different forms, on-premise and in the cloud. We deploy it everywhere.

Duo Security has been utilized in multiple organizations I've worked for, and it simplifies connecting securely via VPN, Microsoft Remote Desktop, and SSH.

The app has greater stability than rival solutions such as Google Authenticator, and Duo Push authentication is a valuable feature. 

The product worked to establish trust for as long as I've used it. It's a more functional solution than some competitors, which I discovered during the POC process. I think that Duo Security considering all resources to be external is one of the reasons why they are at the top of their field. 

Duo Security simplified establishing trusted connections, making it easier to implement distributed network solutions. I've always found it to be a good part of a layered defense strategy. 

Most of the end users when I was responsible for implementation, didn't quite understand the value of the solution until it was demonstrated. 

The tool does provide single-pane-of-glass management in my experience. I haven't implemented the solution for years, but I'm a user in my personal and professional life. Therefore, I can say that feature is essential in making Duo Security one of the critical steps in a defense-in-depth strategy. 

I never had any problems maintaining network connectivity, and it always performs well.  

Based on the logging I have seen Duo Security use, I would say their solution does help with threat remediation. It is an integral part of the defense strategy. 

A robust two-factor authentication solution is a massive part of a proper defense strategy, and having Duo makes it easier to implement and manage that two-factor solution. 

I would like to see some features simplified, such as securing, configuring, and implementing Microsoft Remote Desktop. Other than that, the solution was rock solid throughout my time administering it. 

I have been using the solution for six years.

The solution is very stable, I've never seen it go down.

The product is incredibly scalable.

I had to contact technical support on a few occasions, and my problem was always resolved, but it took some time and work to reach a workable solution. My experience with them is primarily positive, but there is room for improvement.

Neutral

At the job in which I carried out the POC for the solution, we used physical RSA tokens, and I have been at locations that use HID tokens. In my opinion, the soft token solution is far better; it's more user-friendly, and staff can utilize the strategy more efficiently, effectively, and, unfortunately for RSA, more securely than the physical tokens offer.

The basic deployment is very straightforward, though some Microsoft Remote Desktop support elements were a little more complicated. Primarily in getting the correct values and additional resources required for the deployment.

I wasn't involved in the deployment at my current company. At my previous employer, I did the POC and the initial training for our help desk groups.

I carried out the implementation myself; I was responsible for maintaining all of the integration points and training the help desk team members to support the product.

It's hard to precisely measure an ROI for security solutions, but I would say it provides a return.

I haven't seen any information on the pricing in four years, so I can't comment on that. 

We tested a SecureAuth solution that didn't meet our security standards. We wanted to try RSA Authentication Manager, but that was more complex for users, so we decided to go with Duo Security.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

When I carried out the POC for Duo Security at my former employer, I pitched it to them because it simplifies the login process and has excellent notifications. Physical tokens can be hard to read, especially for admins and staff trying to remediate problems late at night. We wanted a solution that was easy to set up and configure, and that is what we got; being a cloud-based solution, Duo Security is much easier to manage. We don't need to worry about managing, upgrading, and configuring much on our side; that's all handled in the cloud.   

The first company I mentioned working for was based in Ann Arbor, and Duo Security is or was based there too. I had personal relationships with several team members and recognized their product's value.

The solution improved trust models within our organization, significantly changing how people view connecting to the network. I don't think that it has had an impact on employee morale.

We use Duo Security for 2FA during logins.

We needed 2FA for compliance. We already used Cisco across the board, so it made sense to use the product. We benefit from using the solution. We were unaware that some users were sharing logins and doing some things that went against policies. Once we had Duo Security in place, we realized that codes were not going where they needed to, and we could sort that out. The solution is easy to use.

We have some users that don't prefer to use the app. The product could be more intuitive on the app. We have users that are a little dated in their technology adoption. Telling some of our non-intuitive users to use the app was a little struggle.

We implemented the solution about a year ago.

We haven't had any issues with the solution’s stability at all. We've had no issues with it not being compatible anywhere.

We're a pretty small shop. We have less than 100 employees, so scalability is not a huge concern because there's not a lot of growth right now. However, bundling and provisioning the tool with any device is pretty easy.

Support is good. We've had a couple of issues with the tool, and anytime we needed anything answered, we've got it resolved. Everything's been quick and reasonable. We generally expect to get answers the same day we have the problem, although it is not possible.

Positive

To my knowledge, we didn't have any issues in the rollout. We tried to phase it out over the course of a few weeks. Once we got a few of them tested, we went to the next phase. Then, we decided to go 100% with it because we saw no problems doing a stack of implementation. It was pretty good.

My organization sees an ROI on the product. If there's any attempt at a breach, then we're confident that it will be stopped.

The solution is deployed on the cloud. We're pretty sure it's on our end with the telephone system. We have set up automated phone calls to the desk phones, and sometimes they don't go through or are delayed. However, we've been looking through it and are pretty sure it’s on our telephone system.

I rate the product a seven out of ten in securing our infrastructure from end to end. It's pretty straightforward for people that have done 2FA before, but we have a lot of users that haven't. We have to do a little convincing to get them to do the additional step.

We have saved time by using the tool so that we can dedicate our time to other valuable projects. The tool’s Self-Service Portal helped us with uptime. The solution is good at establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from.

We have policies for our machines and for our phones. The solution really opened our eyes to what people needed to do on their phones and what they were actually bringing to the building.

Duo Security absolutely helped our organization improve its cybersecurity resilience. Our employee and guest network are separated. However, people were bringing their personal devices and doing work-related things on them that we weren't aware of. The solution allowed us to see a little bit more of what was going on at the user level.

Duo Security was the first implementation in our organization. We did not use similar solutions before. Choosing the solution was a pretty quick process. Duo Security was the first one that we demoed. We didn't have any issues, so we went right with it. We chose it because of its ease of use and implementation. We were able to roll it out fairly quickly, so there was no reason to look elsewhere.

We had some partner companies and sister companies that were starting to have breaches. They told us that if we had 2FA, it wouldn't have been a problem.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

We use it citywide. I work for a city, local government, and we implemented it during the pandemic.

We support it for remote access to our network. Every city employee is required to use it, including the police and fire departments. However, it's hard to concretely say if the solution has helped reduce the risk of breaches in one way or another.
Apart from that, we focus on user education in cybersecurity and provide training to our end-user population to heighten awareness. This is in addition to the two-factor authentication, so we don't solely rely on that.

Duo Security has improved our organization from a security standpoint. The two-factor authentication has become a requirement in most cases. It is specifically required by cybersecurity insurance.

Not only are we doing it for requirement purposes, but it also gives us an additional layer of confidence. Duo Security's additional layer of security gives us added confidence that our network will be less likely to get hacked, compromised, or otherwise.

Moreover, we're very satisfied with the solution for helping secure our infrastructure from end to end. It definitely gives us an added layer of our confidence knowing that two-factor authentication is implemented. In our organization, network-wise, the confidence level is fairly high, and we're happy with it.

The way we involve the end users is with their mobile devices and mobile phone numbers. Once they do get involved, we are pretty confident that they are being reached out to through the number that we have in the system for them, and there's really no reason on our end to doubt the validity of those authentication requests when they come through. We trust Duo Security for every access request, no matter where it comes from.

Duo Security has become essential to our environment, considering today's time when our workforce is becoming more and more mobile.

Duo Security helped our organization improve its cybersecurity resilience. It has given that added layer of security and keeps the awareness on the user's end as well.

It's easy to use, frankly. All it takes really is for the end user to download the app. For me, I have an Apple Watch; I don't even have to wait for my phone. I can accept the prompt right there and just be on my way.

Moreover, we are comfortable and have high confidence in the solution's user authentication; device verification can prevent identity-based attacks.

One of the challenges was for the police force. A lot of them, at first, weren't keen on using their personal cell phone for, quote-unquote, city business. As a city, we require them to download an app for two-factor authentication. There is a little bit of apprehension for some users thinking, well, "How do I know this app is not collecting personal information from my personal device?" was the only obstacle we ran into. Overall, satisfaction is good.

To mitigate this problem, there was an option where the city would choose to just go with utilizing the app. There's another option where you can get a text message as opposed to having to download the app and accept what the app has on it.

I have been using Duo Security for three years. 

Duo Security is a stable solution. 

We never encountered any issues in terms of scalability. 

The customer service and support have been very good. We haven't had to call them many times. They've been able to assist every time there was an issue.

The responses have always been timely, and I haven't gotten any complaints from our security manager.

We used a different solution but had it in limited use only for our public safety team. That was a requirement at the time because of the type of information that they had access to. We were looking for something versatile. 

With Duo Security, the easier user access and user adaption were a little easier. We felt the solution was a little clunky at times, and we are already in the Cisco ecosystem, and that's one of their products. So we decided that was the best solution at the time. That's why we switched to Duo Security.

Implementation was fairly easy. Moreover, once you have it implemented, it's very minimal.

Duo Security doesn't require a lot of maintenance. From that standpoint, the solution has freed up time. However, it's not something that we had beforehand. In other words, it's not necessarily alleviating work. However, it is easy to manage.

The pricing was a lot more than what we were paying for our previous solution. However, our previous solution only covered two out of the sixteen departments within the city.

It’s a bit of a pie chart in that sense but we understood that with Duo Security, we were deploying it on a broader scale.

Overall, the pricing was higher than our expectations, but considering the circumstances during the pandemic and the increased demand, we understood the importance of making the right decision and moving forward with the best product.

I would say we are happy with it. However, I haven't conducted any recent market surveys to compare pricing, so it's difficult to make a definitive statement. Ultimately, what matters most is the satisfaction of our end users, and in that regard, it is currently very high.

We did look at some other products. We had a security manager who was responsible for conducting the necessary research and legwork. However, he did present us with a few different solutions, and our network manager was also involved in exploring options. Ultimately, Duo Security was selected as the preferred solution.

And also, what happened right before then, we had attended Cisco Live, had been exposed to Cisco Duo, and really liked what we saw. So we went into it with a bit of bias, to be honest, because we already saw it.

Duo Security is a great solution. The adoption and learning curve for the end user is low, in our opinion.

Overall, I would rate Duo Security an eight out of ten.

We use Duo Security for multi-factor authentication.

The product makes our organization more secure.

Duo is reliable and easy to use. I’m pretty happy with all of the features. The user experience is pretty good. People without any technical background can run the applications without any issues.

The technical engineers in the first line of support should improve their knowledge. We often have to bounce all the cases to different levels.

I have been using Duo Security for more than ten years.

Technical support is pretty responsive. When there was an issue, support was able to provide a solution.

Neutral

From the security team’s perspective, the solution is pretty easy to deploy. From an end user’s perspective, it is very easy to download it and add the device to the profiles.

We deploy the solution in-house.

The pricing is reasonable.

Since I'm not an admin, I don't know how the device gets set up. The product is pretty good at securing our infrastructure. It protects everything and hardly leaves anything open. The infrastructure is secured.

Duo Security cannot do it all when it comes to reducing the risk of breaches. It can probably provide up to 50%, and the rest depends on the user. Things like phishing emails depend on the user. There is nothing that Duo Security can't do. The product does a pretty good job of protecting the infrastructure.

Duo Security’s user authentication and device verification are very good and very reliable. When we get a message to upgrade, we upgrade the tool. I don't have to spend a lot of time to get the device up to date.

The solution is reliable for establishing trust for every access request. It definitely is able to establish trust for the identity to protect the infrastructure. Our organization doesn’t necessarily believe that all resources must be considered external. We try to strike a balance between convenience and security. We don't treat everything as external. We keep certain internal stuff that doesn't have to go through the authentication.

The product increases the awareness of the employees about cybersecurity. Every time I log in, a Duo box pops up saying that I am authenticated and not leaving everything wide open. Try it and get a trial base, and then you will see the difference the tool can make.

Duo is the first platform that we used. My organization did an analysis to see how many potential attacks we'll have and how much money will be lost if we do not deploy Duo. I am not sure about the metrics, though.

Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

We use it for MFA to secure our Outlook webmail and some other applications as well. We use Duo for pretty much anything that uses MFA. 

We were looking for increased security. We wanted to make sure that the person who is trying to log in to our services is actually who they claim to be. We wanted to lock down our applications more and provide extra security.

We have some on-prem servers for the gateways and it's in the cloud as well.

It has definitely made our company more secure. It's pretty easy to incorporate into any sort of application you want to. We also use it for single sign-on for certain applications and that has been nice. People hate passwords.

It's really great for remote workers and a hybrid workforce nowadays, for people who are trying to access their VPN or any applications from outside of the company. It helps us make sure it's someone who should be accessing those things. It does a good job.

It's definitely a factor in achieving that Zero Trust.

In a way, it helps us remediate threats more quickly. If someone is trying a brute-force attack, trying all the passwords they can, and they're not getting a response through Duo, you can see certain security threats that are happening and remediate them.

Duo has also had a big impact on employee morale. People like it. They feel that their data is more secure. Resiliency is very key to keeping people doing their jobs. Cyber security resilience has been very important for us. It used to be that security was not to be the main focus, but it's extremely important now. There are a lot of ransomware attacks and people need to be very cognizant of that. It's important to have redundant and resilient systems in place to support that.

It's nice to have that push notification with the app and it's pretty easy to use. Our users are usually pretty open to it, and it's pretty easy to onboard people.

It also seems like it's accurate, and you can add multiple devices to your account.

In addition, typically, if it detects that you're on an internal network, you can bypass the Duo portion of it. That way, people don't have to do MFA when they're on campus.

Another feature is the single pane of glass management. That's important for analytics and also for troubleshooting. It means there's one place that you go to at least start the troubleshooting process. It also helps with the user experience because you can manage all the user accounts from that one spot, including setting up new users, making adjustments, editing their preferences, et cetera.

It could be a little bit more intuitive when it comes to the sign-up process. I know they send out an email, but sometimes our users get a little confused. It could be an end-user problem, but Cisco could work on that a little.

I've been using Duo Security for about two years.

It seems very stable. I don't think there has been any point at which people have tried to use it and it has failed.

The scalability seems fine. As long as you get the licensing to support it, you can add as many users as you'd like.

We have five or six offices locally, and a few more in different states in the US. We also have one in Shanghai, but they're doing their own thing there. But everyone in our US offices uses it, they all get enrolled. Typically, people will install the app on their phones although they don't have to.

I don't think we've had to use technical support too often, which is a good thing about the product itself.

We didn't use an MFA before Duo.

When the solution was rolled out, I wasn't with the company, but we then expanded it in different ways and I have been involved in that. In terms of the initial deployment, from what I can tell, it was relatively straightforward. And from what I've seen since, it hasn't been too hard to expand it to other services.

It's definitely a valuable product to have.

We may have evaluated other options at a surface level, but we didn't really go too deeply into them. We pretty much went with Duo out the gate.

I would tell leaders who want to build more resilience within their organization to do it right now. It's definitely important and there are a lot of resources out there that can help them on that path. Duo helps with that.

It does what it's marketed to do.

We use it for multi-factor authentication. That's the only use case we have now. We're not using it to its maximum capabilities but we'll use it for more functions moving forward.

Duo Security has improved our cybersecurity resilience. Multi-factor authentication gives us another layer of protection. Having another layer of security is very important for us.

Duo Security establishes trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from. This is something that's absolutely needed.

It's easy to deploy. It's easy to manage. It's easy to integrate with other applications. 

We also use it for single sign-on with Meraki and VPN access for non-Cisco firewalls, but we're now migrating to Cisco firewalls. It's easy to deploy, and it works.

I'm not using it as much as I could. So far, it has everything I need. I don't have any requirements or improvements. Everything is working smoothly, and we're happy with it.

We have been using Duo Security for about two years.

Its stability is great.

We have 1,500 users that use Duo Security. We're planning to use Duo Security for more applications, but the number of users won't increase anymore, so in terms of scalability, I don't think we'll have any issues.

We have opened some cases with Cisco for questions and things at all, and they were very helpful. They're very good. They answer questions quickly, and the people who work there are knowledgeable, so I can't complain. I'd rate them a ten out of ten because I got prompt responses and knowledgeable people.

Positive

We were using Microsoft Authenticator before, but we had a lot of problems with that, so we had to move away from that. Initially, we didn't have any multi-factor authentication, so having a multi-factor authentication for multiple applications and services that we provide helps us in making our network more secure.

You synchronize your AD with Duo Security and create all the groups for access.  You send the emails to do the deployment, and you load the cell phone numbers. That's for the end-user side, and for the firewall, we have the proxies. We're using a proxy for one of the products. Our firewall sends RADIUS requests to the proxy, and the proxy communicates to Duo Cloud. The virtual machine deployment for the process was very easy. The configuration takes a few steps, but it's easy.

We've both on-premise and cloud deployments. We're using the tool on the cloud, but we don't have any infrastructure on the cloud.

We did the deployment ourselves.

We have seen an ROI. The cost of not having it means you're vulnerable to hacking and other things. Nowadays, multi-factor authentication is required for insurance. It's a must now.

It's very simple. Its price is fair. We use the hardware tokens as well. You get what you pay for.

In terms of licensing, Cisco has very complicated products, but Duo Security was surprisingly easy. The licensing model is easy. The license is based on the intent. You can see how many licenses you have. It's one of the easiest solutions I have deployed, so I'm very happy about it. Every other Cisco product—such as switches, APs, wireless, and controllers—has a very complicated license model. The new smart license model doesn't always work. It's very complicated. The vendors will put your license somewhere else. You need to talk to vendors. It's complicated, but Duo Security licensing is simple.

We evaluated RSA, Microsoft, and Duo Security. We evaluated these three, and we realized that Duo Security had better reviews, and it was easier to deploy and cost-effective, so it made sense to use it.

Overall, I'd rate Duo Security a ten out of ten.

You don't need any other Cisco security products in order to use it. That's what makes it easy.

Normally, people use it for multi-factor authentication. It's an easy-to-install multi-factor authentication platform.

Regarding the valuable features, I would say that Duo Security is easy to use, has speed, and is dependable.

It would be nice if there was a biometric option rather where you could accept with a fingerprint. Like, in an iPhone, they have fingerprint authentication and face ID. It would be nice if there was a biometric acceptance as opposed to just clicking and accepting.

I have been using Duo Security for thirteen years. I am a distributor of the solution.

Regarding stability, I don't know if that comes into question. With my clients, I haven't seen them facing stability issues.

I have seen it deployed in an organization with 50 people and another with 5,000 people.

I love the solution's technical support. Regarding the adjectives I would use to describe the support, I would say that the support was professional and accommodating. I wish that the support would be a little bit more prompt and a little bit more flexible because there are certain things that they will do and certain things they won't do. Then they push what they won't do back down to the distributor.

I also wish that they consider us as distributors because we're not the traditional partner. It's almost like we are Cisco. I wish that we could share more resources behind Cisco Firewall and behind Cisco's resources. I rate the support an eight out of ten.

Positive

The reason we chose Duo Security over its competitors is because it's a freebie that you can try and see how it goes. There is also the ease of integration with Duo Security. I don't really know of any other MFA that is as simple. With Duo Security, it's like, here's your authorization, and you need to click on the yes or no options.

I would say that the solution does increase security because it does require MFA, and as long as the company enforces it installed on a specific device, it works.

It does not secure my infrastructure from end to end and detect or remediate threats. It's not the function of the product.

Regarding my assessment of Duo Security for establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from, I would say that it is absolutely dependent on how the company deploys it. If the company says just deploy Duo Security on an old device, then it's kind of a hope.

 The whole point of having Duo Security is that it considers all resources to be external. 

Multi-factor authentication in general helped my organization improve its cybersecurity resilience. Any MFA will do that.

I would tell those considering having Duo Security in their organization that it's easy. You don't need to have every other Cisco product out there since I know that, for a fact, you can do it with Sophos and Fortinet. You can do it with other products, not just Cisco.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.