Network Lead at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Simple deployment and is easy to manage but the GUI, functionality and flexibility should improve
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Secure Firewall improved our organization. We have it in every one of our French offices."
  • "One thing that Cisco could improve is the GUI. The graphic user interface should be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for Cisco Secure Firewall is segregation between different environments. We put Cisco Secure Firewall between each of those environments to create this segregation. 

How has it helped my organization?

Cisco Secure Firewall improved our organization. We have it in every one of our French offices. 

What is most valuable?

What I like about Cisco Secure Firewall is that you get to integrate it into one box. For example, you can have one big switch with a model inside of it. This makes it easy to manage. 

What needs improvement?

One thing that Cisco could improve is the GUI. The graphic user interface should be more user-friendly. If you compare it with some of its competitor's GUIs, Cisco falls short in terms of how rules are pushed. 

We have also run into issues with functionality and flexibility. Cisco does fall behind its competitors in this regard. It's our opinion that Cisco is not a leader in security devices. 

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Firewall
March 2023
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Secure Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2023.
688,083 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Secure Firewall for two decades. 

How are customer service and support?

We are satisfied with the level of support we get from Cisco. Getting support is quite easy. When we have a problem, our engineer just opens up a case and we get a reply quickly. The support usually has deep knowledge of the solution. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I was involved in the initial deployment. It was quite simple, not complex at all. 

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment in terms of price because we have a partnership with our provider. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We chose Cisco Secure Firewall because we were already using Cisco switch routers and other products, so we wanted everything to be from one provider. However, we do use other products as an additional security measure.

What other advice do I have?

The solution does help us save time because it enables us to do a good job of filtering from the get-go. This ensures we have fewer potential threats to look through.

Cisco Secure Firewall has not helped us consolidate tools because part of our security strategy is having multiple firewalls from different providers. Our company policy is that it is better to have different technology, so we do have some overlap.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Network & Systems Administrator Individual Contributor at T-Systems
Real User
Top 10
Good user interface and easy to configure but needs better integration capabilities.
Pros and Cons
  • "The management aspect of the product is very straightforward."
  • "It would be nice if you didn't have to configure using a command-line interface. It's a bit technical that way."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for configuring the firewall.

What is most valuable?

It's an almost perfect solution.

The configuration is very easy.

The management aspect of the product is very straightforward.

The solution offers very good protection. 

The user interface itself is very nice and quite intuitive.

What needs improvement?

It would be ideal if the solution offered more integration capabilities with other vendors. For example, if you had a web security appliance, it would be great to be able to integrate everything in order to better report security events.

While I can't think of specific features I'd like improved, overall, they could do more to continue to refine the solution.

It would be nice if you didn't have to configure using a command-line interface. It's a bit technical that way.

For how long have I used the solution?

We first started using the solution in 2015. It's been five years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. We've found it to be extremely reliable. There are not bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale well. that's not a problem at all. If a company needs to expand it to fit their needs, they can do so.

How are customer service and support?

We've been in contact with technical support on multiple occasions and each time we've had a good experience. We're satisfied with their level of support. They are fairly good.

How was the initial setup?

I have nothing bad to say about the deployment. It went pretty well, and we can configure everything as we need to.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't really handle the billing, so I'm unsure of the pricing. I work more on the technical side. 

What other advice do I have?

We're just customers. We don't have a business relationship with Cisco.

It's a very good solution. I'd recommend it to other users.

Overall, I'd rate it seven out of ten.

Although I can't speak to the pricing, I've found the solution works quite well for us. I'd rate it higher if it could integrate a bit better with other solutions.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Firewall
March 2023
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Secure Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2023.
688,083 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Imran Rashid - PeerSpot reviewer
IT/Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with self employed
Real User
A reliable next-generation firewall solution with good support
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall is reliable. Support is also good."
  • "We only have an issue with time sync with Cisco ASA and NTP. If the time is out of sync, it will be a disaster for the failover."

What is our primary use case?

In the new design, I put Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall as a LAN segment and as the data center firewall. In the old design, I just used FortiGate Firewall for configurations, and we are going to replace it. The complete solution will be replaced with a two-tiered data center.

What is most valuable?

I like that Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall is reliable. Support is also good. 

What needs improvement?

We only have an issue with time sync with Cisco ASA and NTP. If the time is out of sync, it will be a disaster for the failover.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall for about 11 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good, but just like the issue with Palo Alto and Fortigate, there is also an issue with Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall. I can configure it easily because of my Cisco background, but others in my team aren't comfortable with it.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good. They were both fast and reliable and quick in making decisions. We faced specific issues, and tech support was efficient and provided an immediate solution. Other firewall vendors are slow to respond, and I'm not satisfied. It's also easy to Google and find solutions to our problems. We can't do that for other firewalls.

On a scale from one to five, I would give technical support a five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used FortiGate Firewall, but we are replacing it with Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall because we had issues with HP solutions. We also switched because I am Cisco certified, and my background and expertise are in Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. 

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on our investment. 

What other advice do I have?

I will tell potential users that the data center firewall is a good solution. But most of the companies are using other firewalls like Palo Alto and FortiGate. Most of the design architects prefer the parameters of the firewalls like we prefer the data center firewall.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall a ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Service Technician at Scaltel AG
Reseller
Can easily segment the network but does not have direct access via web browsers
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature for the customers is that they can control what communication is allowed and what is not allowed. That is, they can allow or deny client traffic."
  • "Cisco Secure Firewall should be easier to handle. It uses ASDM, which is not easy to understand. It would be better if there was direct access via HTTPS."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cisco Secure Firewall in our own company for site-to-site VPN to access our customers and provide remote support.

We sell the solution to our customers as well. They use the ASA or FMC for dedicated networking, for example, the process network. That is, they dedicate the process network or ASA to the user network.

As a Cisco Secure reseller, I add value with my professional background, for example, in Cisco TAC, to my customers. We choose to sell Cisco Secure Firewall because of our partner status with Cisco.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature for the customers is that they can control what communication is allowed and what is not allowed. That is, they can allow or deny client traffic.

It also secures the internal network to allow specific client traffic or machine traffic.

Cisco Secure Firewall helped reduce our clients' meantime to repair by 40%. This is because they can easily segment the network. It's easy to troubleshoot because of micro-segmentation.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Secure Firewall should be easier to handle. It uses ASDM, which is not easy to understand. It would be better if there was direct access via HTTPS.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for around five years, but my company has been using it for 30 years.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco's technical support for security is good. The support staff are professional and know what to do. I would give them an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The deployment of the firewall is more difficult if you want to use all of the features. However, if you're using it only as a VPN, then it's a little bit easier to deploy.

What other advice do I have?

Compared to Cisco Secure Firewall, other firewall solutions are easier to handle because they do not use ASDM. They have direct access via web browsers.

If you're considering Cisco Secure Firewall, take a look at what you want to use the firewall for and what kind of handling you prefer. If you prefer easy handling via browsers, then you may need to use another solution because ASDM is no longer the state of the art.

Overall, I would rate Cisco Secure Firewall at seven on a scale from one to ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Network Systems Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
MSP
VPN enables staff to work from home, and our response times to events has been reduced
Pros and Cons
  • "The VPN feature is the most valuable to us because it accomplishes the task well. We're able to do everything we need to do."
  • "I would like to see them update the GUI so that it doesn't look like it was made in 1995."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for our VPN requirements. We wanted to allow people to work from home and we used the ASA to create VPNs through AnyConnect at the endpoints.

How has it helped my organization?

It has 

  • allowed people to work from home when they otherwise couldn't
  • improved response times when there are fires that need to be put out when people are not onsite.

What is most valuable?

The VPN feature is the most valuable to us because it accomplishes the task well. We're able to do everything we need to do.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see them update the GUI so that it doesn't look like it was made in 1995.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the Cisco ASA Firewall for between one and two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's been very stable. I don't think we've ever had an issue with it failing entirely.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales well. We've had no issues ramping things up.

We're going to expand our usage of it. We rolled it out to about 200 users and now we're going to expand that to about 1,000 users out of our 3,000-user base. It has been really good.

How are customer service and support?

The tech support is excellent. I've always gotten really good tech support from Cisco.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not have a previous solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing could always be cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

The solution always requires maintenance. I have about two people who are the "experts" and they help maintain it pretty well.

Cyber security resilience has been extremely important for our organization because of our customers' demands for security. The ASA has really helped to accomplish that with the VPN. My advice to leaders who are looking to build resilience is don't go cheap, and make sure you have backup solutions and high availability.

It's a good, robust firewall and VPN solution, with lots of knobs to turn. It is effective at what it does.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Ahmet Orkun Kenber - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Network Expert at NXP Semiconductors Netherlands B.V. Internet EMEA
Real User
Quality product with a well-suited to top-down architectural level
Pros and Cons
  • "The features I have found most valuable are the ASA firewalls. I like to have features like most integrated systems in ACI."
  • "I think that the solution can be improved with the integration of application-centric infrastructure. It could be used to have better solutions in one box."

What is our primary use case?

As a manufacturing company, we have to use many different concepts of firewalls. That's one reason we had to use a trusted firewall for security and trust reasons.

How has it helped my organization?

We use a top-down architectural level mostly. For this reason, Cisco Secure Firewall is the top product for us.

I would say that this solution has saved our organization's time because we are certified engineers and experts. It helps us to connect quite well with our customers on a professional level.

What is most valuable?

The features I have found most valuable are the ASA firewalls. I like to have features like most integrated systems in ACI.

What needs improvement?

I think that the solution can be improved with the integration of application-centric infrastructure. It could be used to have better solutions in one box.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for around seven or eight years.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've used different concepts of solutions before Cisco. Cisco is much better than Juniper, Brocade, or Foundry, as it is much easier to use and get directions from. It is also easier to integrate Cisco if you compare it with other customer concepts, such as Juniper, Brocade, or Aruba.

How was the initial setup?

I am not involved in all Cisco firewall deployments. We also have an architectural team. We deploy based on a top-down level architecture and implementation structure.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When it comes to pricing, quality is important to us. When looking at products, we prefer quality over speed. Cisco is on that quality side mostly.

What other advice do I have?

We are currently using the Cisco Firepower firewall, which is dependent on the situations in the data center and regional data center concepts. 

The way that this solution helps secure our infrastructure end-to-end is by enabling us to easily integrate all end-to-ends for monitoring.

Whether this solution saves us time depends on the situation. We use highly secure networks on the national security level and that's why it helps to use different products as Cisco is one of the best.

Overall, I would rate this solution a nine, on a scale from one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at EURODESIGN
Reseller
Is stable and has the best support
Pros and Cons
  • "I work with Cisco and other partners, but the Cisco team is the best team in our country. When I call them, they always help us."
  • "We are Cisco partners, and when we recommend Cisco FirePower to customers, they always think that FirePower is bad. For a single installation of FirePower, if I have to write about 18 tickets to Cisco, it's a big problem. There was an issue was related to Azure. We had Active Directory in Azure. The clients had to connect to FirePower through Azure. We had a lot of group policies. After two group policies, we had to make groups in Azure, and they had to sign in and sign back. It was a triple-layer authentication, and there was a big problem, so we didn't use it."

What is our primary use case?

We have a lot of use cases of FirePower. In one of the use cases, we have two offices, and we use FirePower on our two sites. One of them works through the site-to-site VPN, and we have a controller on this site.

What is most valuable?

I work with Cisco and other partners, but the Cisco team is the best team in our country. When I call them, they always help us. 

What needs improvement?

I started to configure the device with version 7.2. After that, I had a problem. It was not a physical problem. It was a software problem. They advised me to install 7.0. I uninstalled and reinstalled everything. It took time, but it started to work normally.

I am not a programmer, but on the business side, they should fix all such issues in the future. We are Cisco partners, and when we recommend Cisco FirePower to customers, they always think that FirePower is bad. For a single installation of FirePower, if I have to write about 18 tickets to Cisco, it's a big problem. There was an issue related to Azure. We had Active Directory in Azure. The clients had to connect to FirePower through Azure. We had a lot of group policies. After two group policies, we had to make groups in Azure, and they had to sign in and sign back. It was a triple-layer authentication, and there was a big problem, so we didn't use it.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's very stable now. Everything is fine for me.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I use just two devices. I've not tested anything else.

How are customer service and support?

Their customer support is very good. We also work with other vendors, but Cisco's support is still the best. I'd rate them a 10 out of 10.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

For me, it was very easy because I solved all problems, but I had to install it two times. 

What other advice do I have?

We are a reseller, and for us, it's a 10 out of 10 because if we sell it, we will earn money, but customers have to agree with us.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Security engineer at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
We have more control over things going in and out of our network
Pros and Cons
  • "We definitely feel more secure. We have more control over things going in and out of our network."
  • "Third-party integrations could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use it for ICS security.

How has it helped my organization?

We definitely feel more secure. We have more control over things going in and out of our network.

Cybersecurity has been our top priority because of the last few attacks on our peers in the oil and gas industry.

What is most valuable?

The IPS solution helps us to not only navigate north-south traffic, but also east-west traffic.

What needs improvement?

Third-party integrations could be improved.

Not everything works out-of-the-box. Sometimes, you have to customize it to your needs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable for the most part.

There is maintenance needed for software, firmware, and updates. Three or four people keep up with the updates, etc. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is pretty scalable. We can add as many devices as we want.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. I would rate them as 10 out of 10.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously had a different platform. We wanted to converge multiple platforms into one.

I switched companies. So, I have more experience with Palo Alto.

What was our ROI?

We saw immediate benefits after deployment from having more control and visibility.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pretty much everything is included in the price for what we are using.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at Check Point, Palo Alto, Fortinet, and a bunch of others. The management and support for the CIsco product is better.

What other advice do I have?

Listen to your customers and see what their needs are.

The whole stack provided by Cisco is a holistic solution for cybersecurity experts, like myself, and companies who are looking to secure their network.

You should partner up with a good team to view all products available, which cater and are customized to your needs.

We haven't found any gaps where it is lacking.

I would rate this product as eight or nine out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Secure Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2023
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Secure Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.