Cisco Secure Email Reviews

We have a number of different types of customers and organizations who need to secure their environment. These range from healthcare professionals to financial organizations to very small organizations. They have a number of security requirements, whether it's just to secure the actual environment where they're working and also to provide additional services, such as VPNs and remote access for their remote workers.

Most of the customers that I work with tend to be on-prem, and a lot of them go with the centralized management system, FMC, purely because it has larger memory and larger hard disk space, and it can hold reports for a much longer period of time. Also, as their network infrastructure scales, FMC can manage more and more of their devices, and they're not having to manage individual devices. It's all centralized for them. 

A lot of our customers use another Cisco product already, so they have confidence in Cisco products. The firewalls they are currently deploying and using have evolved from their older ASA products. They are now moving to the new Firepower Threat Defense, which incorporates many more features and allows them to get the latest ALOFT download and feeds for any security vulnerabilities and they're able to react very quickly to any vulnerabilities that have been highlighted.

Initially, when the firewalls were first marketed and came onto the market, the visibility wasn't very good. But as the software evolved over time, that visibility has increased a lot more, and that is giving customers a lot more competence in the traffic and the traffic flows that they're seeing through the actual devices, so they can better understand the types of applications that they have on their network.

The good thing about the actual firewall itself is that it can integrate with other Cisco products, such as Cisco ISE so that it allows full end-to-end visibility of connectivity. It gives very good visibility. It's that integration with other products, not just what that individual firewall can do itself.

Talos is obviously fundamental to the actual firewall, reporting on vulnerabilities that are happening day to day. And the regular downloads, obviously, give customers confidence that their products are as secure as they can actually be.

There are a number of valuable features because we have that sort of single product that can do a number of different things, but remote access for users is very important, and visibility of the types of traffic that are passing through the actual appliances is very good, and the reporting of the devices is very good. 

It's not just the firewalls themselves, but one thing I think, where certainly firewalls and other products could actually improve, is in the licensing. Licensing is quite complicated for a number of customers, including ourselves. The licensing appears to be changing on a regular basis depending on the product and the software versions, so we are constantly having to keep up to speed with the different licensing types.

I have been using Cisco Secure Email for over ten years.

When most software evolves, the software becomes more stable and feature-rich. As we're seeing with the latest version from seven onwards, it's a lot more resilient and a lot more robust. The actual GUI interface is also a lot slicker now, whereas before it was a little bit clunky. We've definitely seen improvements with the latest version of Secure Firewall.

We typically work with customers to price space. We don't typically work with customers in the service provider realm where they would typically have very large scaling of firewalls. They would do clustering and things like that. We know that these features are available, but that's not a particular area that we would actually work in. But, obviously, there's a breadth of Firepower products and platforms, and we can actually scale or arrange the correct firewall for the particular needs of that customer.

As with most Cisco products, we typically find Cisco and their support very good. In the unlikely case, we have to raise a tech issue, they're very responsive, and they generally always provide a quick resolution to any encountered problems.

The tech engineers are very knowledgeable. The tech engineers who pick up cases know the product very well. And they always dive deep into the problem and provide regular updates to us or to the customer. If there are any other problems that are noticed after we've had an issue, the case can be reopened and investigated further.

Positive

We and our customers use a variety of different firewall manufacturers, not just Cisco. And as with all vendors, some have better properties or better features than others. Cisco Firewalls for Firepower had to use the centralized management system, FMC, but where some customers prefer just an On-Box GUI to configure the device, Cisco was playing catch up with other vendors who were operating in that same area. But what we found is that with later versions of Firepower and also FDM which is the On-Box management, those features have now come leaps and bounds. They are now on par with the centralized FMC to the FDM, allowing customers an easier way to deploy these products not only on-premise but also in the cloud.

I would give Cisco Secure Firewall an eight out of ten. We're expecting that with later versions of software, again, more features will become available.

We have approximately 2000 employees and we sell a variety of Cisco solutions and products. 

I use Cisco Secure Email mainly as a email security gateway, including internal email distribution.

We rely heavily on antivirus protection, email content filtering, and authentication mechanisms to ensure compliance with email security. Regarding phishing attempts, while phishing protection features are crucial, we also emphasize user education as a critical defence. The intelligence services Cisco provides, such as the Cisco Intelligence Center, play a significant role in analyzing and validating threats, including phishing attempts, in our email security practices.

The discontinuation of physical hardware solutions is a significant area for improvement in the Cisco Email Security Appliance. This decision has posed challenges as virtual appliances are now the only option, which may not be suitable for all industries. The uncertainty regarding the future of the hardware aspect of the solution is a notable concern.

I have been using Cisco Secure Email for the past twenty years.

In terms of stability, there have been minimal issues, mainly typical hardware-related ones like hard disk failures. However, overall, it's a competent solution.

My experience with the scalability of Cisco Email Security Appliance has been positive, as it can handle our processes efficiently. We do have plans to increase usage based on business needs.

The technical support is satisfactory.

Positive

The setup process for Cisco Email Security Appliance is straightforward in my experience. Integration with our existing ecosystem of Cisco tools was seamless for networking features.Maintenance primarily involves tuning and understanding SMTP and email infrastructure and general email operations.We deployed it on our private cloud, and the physical enablement on the network was relatively fast, usually within a day.

Regarding return on investment, I find it highly valuable and worth its cost in the email security market. I recommend this solution to others, as it stands out as one of the best options .

The pricing for Cisco Email Security Appliance involves recurring costs for licenses based on the contracted time frame, such as one year, three years, or five years. Renewals are required after the license expires.

Cisco Secure Email may incorporate AI capabilities, but I'm not directly familiar with its implementation in threat detection. I would rate it as a nine out of ten due to its effectiveness, reliability, and value for investment.

I work at S21sec, which is a partner of Cisco in Portugal. We do integration of different Cisco solutions for our customers. Nowadays, we mostly do integration of Cisco cloud solutions for customers.

Cisco Secure Email is the solution that we deploy for customers in Portugal mostly as a backup of an existing solution such as Office 365 because it guarantees that the customer never falls out of options if the main product has some problem. If they rely on having an email solution that cannot fail, that's an excellent option for them to have in place. It's the oldest solution that we deploy for customers in Portugal. It has a very nice history and very good quality. It's perceived by our customers as an email solution that functions all the time.

One benefit is the resilience of the solution when implemented in conjunction with other solutions, and the other one is the new features that Cisco is adding to the solution itself, such as awareness of advanced phishing threats. The environment that Cisco is building around this primary product in its catalog is helpful.

We offer almost all of the Cisco Security solutions, but recently, we've been working more with cloud solutions. It's easier for customers to adopt them. We also continue to deploy some of the firewall solutions with the physical devices and also email protection solutions either with the VM solutions or with the physical appliances. We've been seeing evermore integration of the products based on the browsing console, which is very nice for customers because they only need to have a browser to access all the different consoles of different products. They can be consolidated with SecureX. It's an advantage for the customer to be able to handle all the different consoles for different integrations that the customer has in one place.

Cisco Talos is a very nice complementary solution to the email protection suite. It gives you the threat intel regarding the latest news and infections that can be problematic for the customers. They become aware of what's happening and any latest vulnerabilities they may have on-prem.

The advanced phishing protection and the integration with the awareness tool that Cisco has embedded into the solution to bring awareness to the customers about the dangers of phishing attacks and other things that come from email are the most valuable features.

Cisco has already improved this solution with some add-ons to the basic product. Cisco is already providing a very good environment with the IronPort solution, but there could be some more integration with other products. For instance, an integration with the EDR solution could be there to raise an alert.

We've been a partner of Cisco for more than 10 years, and we've mostly done integration of solutions. 

We usually give the first line of support to the customer, and then only, we go to the Cisco support. We have a very strong Cisco security team in Portugal, so whenever we need any support, we use those resources. I don't remember a time when I had to open a ticket because the local team has been very good.

Positive

Cisco Secure Email hasn't helped clients consolidate any applications. In Portugal, there's no business for that because what you usually do is implement several solutions that are regarded as the better solutions in terms of the market. In some cases, it could be Cisco, and in other cases, it could be another player. At S21sec, we try to give a better solution to customers and adapt and customize it to the specific needs of our customers.

The main difference between Cisco Secure Email and other solutions is the reliability and the capability to offline the email if there are some problems on the customer side. We can also overcome problems that may arise in terms of the local telecommunication operators that handle the communication. If there's a failure there, we can overcome those problems with the relays from the Cisco solution.

The deployment model varies a little bit. In Portugal, some sectors still rely on on-prem solutions, but we are trying to build awareness that the new solutions relying on the cloud are better for the customers because they don't have to worry about getting new patches and new security updates and patching the infrastructure. They only need to rely on having a service that is provided by Cisco for having the best security. They don't have to worry about the maintenance of the platform itself. The cloud provider that our clients use varies. We work a lot with the banks and financial organizations in Portugal. They are historical customers that don't want to go for public cloud solutions. They still rely on on-prem solutions. They have evolved to having virtualized solutions instead of appliance solutions, but they still rely on having mostly private cloud solutions. They use local providers. We are seeing a shift to global providers but not with all of them.

It's a very modular solution. We have some customers who have deployments all over the world. We clusterize the solutions in each of those locations, and then they connect them with the global management solution. We can manage all the operations of the different clusters spread around the world from one site. It's a very good solution in terms of redundancy even in different geographies.

It's a very easy solution. You can go for a very customizable environment, but usually, for the day-to-day needs of most customers, it's very easy to deploy. You can just customize the options to make it more secure for a customer's environment.

It's adapted to the market. It's similar to other vendors. We at least don't have many problems regarding that because Cisco is adaptable on that side. When we present the solutions to the customers, we tend to achieve the goals that the customer has in terms of the budget for such implementations.

We offer the best solution for what customers intend to do and the type of problems that their business may have. When a solution is adaptable and customizable to the customer environment, customers tend to go ahead with it. Even if it requires more investment, we find a way of getting it to the budget and getting a good return on investment.

To those evaluating this solution, I'd recommend trying the product. Cloud solutions are very easy to use, and you can do a PoC. In a matter of hours or a day, you can deploy the solution and use it fully.

We are Cisco partners. Cisco has a very nice solution and a very good security team in Portugal, but obviously, they can't cater to all the customers. An integrator does that part. With the relationship that we have with the customers, we can apply and customize the solutions that Cisco has in its portfolio according to the environment and specific needs of each customer.

Our partnership with Cisco is pretty close to a 10 out of 10 because we are getting different kinds of solutions. We at S21sec handle just security. We don't do storage, and we don't do servers. We are very focused on security, and the partnership that we have with Cisco is ever-growing because nowadays, for instance, OT solutions are also a very huge concern for us, and what we have seen with Cisco solutions that are being brought to the market is that they also started to handle the new security issues that we find in other sectors. They are not only into IT. They are also going into the OT and the IoT world. They are able to customize and bring new solutions, even some developed insights, by buying other companies and adapting them to the Cisco reality. They are able to devise a product that handles the needs of different kinds of customers in different areas of the business, not just the IT world but also the industrial world.

I would rate Cisco Secure Email a nine out of ten. It's growing up to be much more than just an email protection tool. It's going for the awareness of the customers, and that's a good complementary solution that addresses other problems that come from using email nowadays.

I primarily focus on managing secure settings for our organization. About ninety percent of my work involves overseeing security measures. I begin by concentrating on the operational site and then extend my attention to other aspects, such as network sites. As I progress, I tackle new tasks that come my way, often centered around enhancing security and efficiency.

The primary consideration for adopting a new product revolves around its most valuable features, and this assessment is product-specific. In our organization, we heavily rely on this evaluation to determine if the product aligns with our needs.

Capital expenditure is a significant consideration, and the impact on major expenditures prompts a careful analysis before onboarding the new product. We evaluate its suitability for our organization, assessing whether it aligns with our requirements.

Many smaller businesses opt for more cost-effective solutions, such as Gmail or Hotmail accounts, instead of investing in Cisco Secure Email, given its higher cost. While theoretical knowledge, especially in terms of POC and PNA technology, is commendable, the challenge lies in the practical application.

We have been working with it for the past five months.

The stability depends on the volume of the workload.

It provides a high scalability. Our customers are enterprise businesses. I would rate is eight out of ten.

It provides good customer support services. I would rate it nine out of ten.

Positive

The ease of deployment is contingent upon the size of the organization, specifically the number of users and titles involved. If the deployment is for a smaller organization, with a straightforward configuration, it can be completed quickly, often within a month or two. In contrast, for larger enterprises with a significant number of users, numerous branches, and a complex organizational structure, the deployment timeline can extend to six to eight months.

It is a relatively expensive option compared to other alternatives. I would rate it eight out of ten.

While Cisco is a preferred choice for larger enterprises, its products, especially in the realm of security, tend to be more expensive due to their advanced features. Many organizations commonly rely on Microsoft Outlook for their email needs. Transitioning to Cisco security solutions, including Cisco SecureMail, requires careful consideration and typically involves a learning stage. The decision between traditional hardware and virtual machines (VMs) for deploying solutions like Cisco Secure Mail often depends on financial considerations. VMs are generally more cost-effective compared to dedicated hardware, leading industries to increasingly favor VM deployment. The choice is particularly relevant when the server's capabilities are robust enough to meet organizational needs. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

We use Cisco email security against threats such as phishing and malware and block weaponized URLs. Cisco provides a cloud solution, along with the appliance, and a hybrid solution is also there. We deploy the solution as per the customer's requirements.

The solution is very robust because it talks to Cisco Talos. Talos is the number one threat detection engine, the most trustworthy and used globally. That's one strong reason we back our products. Not only do we use it on our premises, but this is the product's main USP when we sell it.

Cross-platform is one major pain point. Many of our clients use an open-source Linux system. These components cannot provide for any Ubuntu or any Linux open-source system, and that's where we get stuck most of the time. Previously, we were doing a POC for Cisco Umbrella, and we got stuck at the point where the customer had almost 200 to 300 of his endpoints, almost 80% of his workforce, working on Linux. This was both on the server and roaming user sides, and Cisco has no solution for Ubuntu. We have raised this suggestion many times when interacting with Cisco during seminars and webinars we've attended. However, we only got feedback from them that they will introduce that feature very soon with their Cisco AnyConnect agent. But it's still only available for Windows and Mac.

I've used this solution for one year.

The product is stable. There have been no complaints from the customers. Fine-tuning is important, which will come whenever you go live, especially for larger domains where customers have 1,000 or 2,000 email IDs and multiple domains. That is the only challenge where we have to fine-tune the policies. But the product is stable.

Cisco Email Security's scalability is good. We have had a couple of cases where the user increased the licenses. There is no challenge to scalability. For the past year, there have been four to five customers to whom we have sold the product.

Cisco's technical support is excellent. Whenever we contact tech support, the hierarchy starts with our regional ACs. If they cannot resolve our issue, we contact TAC, and TAC is a ten-on-ten. They're well versed with their technology. They know the capabilities of their product and how it works. The one thing we expect when we contact an OEM technical person is clarity on the subject and the issue. There should not be a gray area. When we reach out to them with any issue and when the customer is also on the call and has already purchased the product or is about to purchase the product, the most important thing is for there not to be a gray area in figuring out whether the product will work or not. That's more important than providing a prompt solution. Cisco's tech support always clarifies whether a feature will work before proceeding with the solution. If it is possible, they always provide the solution. If it is impossible, they provide the proper documentation explaining why it is impossible.

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward. That's one of the main USPs, the deployment of these products. It takes hardly 20 minutes to deploy Umbrella over a network. And with email security, it's less than a one-hour job. After deploying, the fine-tuning part comes. That comes under the policies, so I don't count that under deployment. The next step will take another one or two hours, but not more than that.

When deploying the solution, we first go on a call with the customer, understand their pain points, and understand their existing network. We have to analyze the scope of work before deploying. Depending upon the existing setup the customer has, we make our steps. "Is there any prerequisite required? Are there any virtual appliances needed in the network to be deployed?" Accordingly, we will plan our activities. In a two or three-hour call for the first session, we have to define what we have to cover, and in the second session, we have to define the success criteria. The deployment is not a template. It changes from customer to customer.

Cisco's price point is good. When we talk about Cisco to our customers, they already have the mindset that Cisco has a particular price point. It beats other competitors when it comes to the quality of the product.

I rate Cisco Secure Mail a nine out of ten. Cisco is improving. We had a session where we asked them to improve their GUI. They have improved it and the end-user experience because it was too mechanical a dashboard earlier, where it was difficult to find mail logs. We recommend the solution.

We use Umbrella for our DNS layer security, blocking all the DNS layer threats. For endpoint security, we are using Cisco Amp. Whenever there is a requirement, we hunt for greenfield opportunities where no Cisco solution is present. We can then create a window where we can reach in. We deploy one product and then explain the single vendor advantages to customers. That mostly goes with the Cisco Umbrella, which goes hand in hand with Meraki. Once the user gets his ecosystem on Cisco, giving a single vendor solution is possible.

Similarly, XDR is there. XDR is one of the key products we're pitching these days. It's a simple single glass pane where we can orchestrate all the customer's products from a single dashboard. That's a major concern we hear these days from security personnel and IT teams. They have several products from several OEMs, and whenever it comes to orchestration or finding a glitch, they have to access all the products independently on different tabs or screens.

As far as policies and security with the components are concerned, Cisco is the perfect product.

The tool has a DLP solution which we can implement. Its database is updated regularly. 

The tool's pricing can be improved. 

I have been using the solution for seventeen years. 

Cisco Secure Email is stable. 

We have more than 1500 users for the product. 

The tool's support is good. 

Cisco Secure Email's installation was straightforward. We discussed with the integrator, designed the implementation and tested the product. 

An integrator helped us with the product's installation. 

Cisco Secure Email is not expensive, and licensing costs are yearly. 

I rate Cisco Secure Email a nine out of ten. 

This solution provides some benefits, like comfortable access to TAC support. You get prompt support when working directly with Cisco. Moreover, the current integration level is fine.

There are some drawbacks, like the pricing. It's not a default version, and the cost can be prohibitive. If you're working on projects where winning the bid is crucial, then the high price tag can be a major obstacle. Partnerships are required to use the solution. So it can be more affordable.

In future releases, I would like to see two main improvements come to mind. First, the current solution requires maintaining two separate operating systems for FTD, which can be cumbersome. I'd love to see a single operating system for the FTD box. 

Second, some improvements could be made in the documentation and reporting.

I  have been using it for two years. 

Performance is actually very good. I have deployed around 10 to 15 instances of this solution, and so far, I haven't encountered any major issues. As of now, it's a good product.

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. 

The customer service and support are very good. 

Positive

The initial setup is not that easy. We needed experienced engineers because FTD is a new technology, especially if you're used to VMware or other on-box solutions. Cisco provides both on-box and VM solutions. However, deploying the FTD with the on-box option requires managing two separate operating systems: the FXOS and the FTD. It's not the most user-friendly process, but once deployed, management is quite easy.

You can use the FMC to manage all Cisco security products from one place, making management convenient. However, deployment is still a bit clunky.

Deployment typically takes a whole day. The time can vary depending on the number of firewalls involved. Updating the system can also be time-consuming, especially with the new FCDI and FCDO operating systems.

Maintenance is actually quite easy after initial deployment. Once a supplier sets it up, ongoing maintenance is straightforward.

I would rate the pricing a ten out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. 

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

Our customers use the solution as an email security tool.

The product blocks spam emails.

The scalability must be improved. The product is a bit traditional. There are many vendors in the market. A customer might not always choose Cisco.

I have been reselling the solution since 2010.

I rate the tool’s stability an eight out of ten.

I rate the tool’s scalability a seven out of ten. Our customers are medium and enterprise-level businesses.

I rate the ease of setup a seven or eight out of ten. The deployments takes one to two weeks.

I rate the product a seven out of ten on a scale where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

Sometimes, customers choose Forcepoint or Barracuda. Usually, if the customers have a Cisco setup, they choose Cisco Secure Email.

Cisco is an integrated solution. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.