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Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall vs Cisco IOS Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.4
Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall offers cost-effective security, enhancing ROI, but user experiences with savings vary.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco IOS Security delivered significant ROI through improved routing, security, stability, and cost-efficiency, despite competitive vendor pressures.
I see value for money with Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall, as it has delivered what I aimed to achieve within a tight budget.
Network Architect at neev limited
it comes from multiple areas such as the reduction in annual security incidents, mean time to detect and mean time to respond, audit preparation time reduction, reduction in internet bandwidth misuse, and also with respect to firewall uptime and availability.
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
The return on investment is satisfactory with Cisco products as they have long lifespans, and our customers are satisfied with them.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Arista NG Firewall's support is skilled and helpful, benefiting SMEs, but global support needs improvement despite good response times.
Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco IOS Security support is generally praised for speed and skill, though some report delays and complexity in access.
their engineers are skilled and provide good support overall.
Network Architect at neev limited
My experience with Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall's customer support has been very good as the response times were satisfactory.
Supervisor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The response from the engineers is good, they have a strong documentation knowledge base.
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
My impression is that the support quality has deteriorated over time.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall scales less efficiently than competitors but adapts well to diverse environments and organization sizes.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco IOS Security offers scalable, enterprise-level solutions but may increase costs and limit universality due to required hardware.
For instance, if I want to accommodate 10,000 users, I need to deploy multiple Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewalls compared to other vendors, which can handle far more users with fewer nodes.
Network Architect at neev limited
I consider the scalability of Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall to be good as it adapts well to different environment sizes.
Supervisor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.8
Users find Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall highly reliable, stable, and suitable for small to mid-sized organizations.
Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco IOS Security is generally reliable with occasional issues, frequently updated for stability, scoring 7-10 in satisfaction.
Overall stability would be a nine out of ten; it's quite reliable.
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
We find Cisco products stable and thoroughly tested before new software or firmware versions are released.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
I find Cisco IOS Security to be a very stable product.
Partner/Owner and Director of Human Resources at Up arrow Systems
 

Room For Improvement

Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall needs better UI, documentation, AI, integrations, and support, hindering adoption and usability.
Cisco IOS Security struggles with integration, usability, cost, lacking features, complex licensing, performance, and requires enhancement and support.
The product suits larger organizations well, it can be overly complex for small businesses.
Network Architect at neev limited
I see the need for improvements in Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall particularly in automatic threat detection and rule optimization.
Supervisor at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The adoption has to increase amongst large customers, and threat intelligence needs to improve for many customers to adopt, enhancing the security ecosystem that is relatively small.
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Cisco changes their licensing policy quite frequently, which is becoming confusing and complicated.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
 

Setup Cost

Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall is affordable, offering flexible pricing and discounts for various organizations, with modular licensing.
Cisco IOS Security is costly, favoring medium to large enterprises with longer-term savings over SMB challenges.
Licensing is modular, allowing customers to pay only for the applications they need, and especially for non-profit organizations, education institutions, and government organizations, they offer discounted pricing.
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
The pricing is reasonable compared to other products, especially since they are relatively new and offer better pricing.
Network Architect at neev limited
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
 

Valuable Features

Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall provides advanced security features, easy deployment, and high threat detection while optimizing processes and compliance.
Cisco IOS Security offers scalable, stable solutions with VPN, AAA, firewall integration, and user-friendly management for high-demand environments.
I shifted to Arista Edge IPS due to cost and better app-based, AI-based detection mechanisms that can detect even AI-based threats from external users.
Network Architect at neev limited
Typically, we've seen a drop in the threats because they've been blocked, which contributes to cyber risk reduction.
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall has positively impacted my organization by reducing botnet attacks.
systems engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
There are higher-level systems such as intrusion prevention systems which detect intrusions within the system.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
This solution, called Network Access Controller, handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for devices accessing the network.
Partner/Owner and Director of Human Resources at Up arrow Systems
 

Categories and Ranking

Arista Edge Threat Manageme...
Ranking in Firewalls
39th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco IOS Security
Ranking in Firewalls
41st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (16th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall is 0.3%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall0.3%
Cisco IOS Security0.6%
Other99.1%
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

TarunKumar11 - PeerSpot reviewer
Global Leadership Council at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
Secure internet access has reduced threats and simplifies firewall management for distributed teams
Threat detection needs improvement; Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall should follow Alto and Fortinet. One limitation that I've seen is AI-driven automation which needs to vastly improve. It has fewer third-party integrations, and therefore the adoption amongst very large enterprises is less; it's largely with the SMBs. Customer support can be improved. It's a smaller global footprint that Arista provides, with fewer certified partners in some regions and limited 24/7 support for premium vendors. I've categorically mentioned that it has sophisticated threat detection capabilities but they can be bettered. AI-driven automation can be improved, and therefore, I think the adoption with large enterprises can be much better. I think the current AI capabilities of Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall are a bit limited compared to other vendors. It primarily relies on threat intelligence feeds, signature-based detection, and reputation services. Currently, I would rate its AI capabilities as probably a seven out of ten because it does not provide for extensive GenAI or advanced ML-driven autonomous capabilities like some of its competitors. Threat intelligence aspects can be further improved, and I think there's a lot that the product can do with respect to the usage of AI. AI-driven automation and threat detection can vastly improve. I don't think they were purchased through AWS Marketplace. The adoption has to increase amongst large customers, and threat intelligence needs to improve for many customers to adopt, enhancing the security ecosystem that is relatively small.
Danijel Cerovecki - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
Have faced challenges in keeping licensing clear and consistent while ensuring reliable network protection
We are a Gold Partner with Cisco. Our customers come from various industries, including service providers, and we target service providers and enterprise customers.We do not extensively use Zone-Based Firewalls in Cisco IOS Security, instead typically deploying standalone firewalls such as Cisco FTDs or Cisco ASA devices. For threat analytics and vulnerability scanning, we utilize third-party vendors with dedicated devices and software. We use products such as Tenable from Nessus for this type of analysis. We have implemented Secure Access Control Server in Cisco IOS Security, which combines multiple security mechanisms including AAA, 802.1X for network access control with Cisco ICE, TrustSec for identity-based segmentation, and Cisco DNA Center. Cisco IOS Security's VPN support is comprehensive and increasingly important in daily communication, from basic site-to-site tunnels to remote access VPNs and SD-WAN secure VPNs. Protecting and encrypting communication is essential in modern networks. The challenges with Cisco IOS Security are more operational than product-related. There is an understaffing issue, making automation and orchestration capabilities particularly valuable. For the products themselves, we only encounter routine operational matters such as addressing new vulnerabilities and patching. For those considering Cisco IOS Security, it is important to understand that Cisco offers a complete ecosystem. When embracing the Cisco ecosystem fully, customers receive excellent products and comprehensive solutions. On a scale of 1-10, I rate Cisco IOS Security a 9.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
34%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
5%
Construction Company
19%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise18
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall?
I do not handle the economic aspects of negotiations with the client, so I do not have experience with the pricing, implementation cost, and licensing of Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall.
What needs improvement with Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall?
I believe Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall could be improved by adapting even more to advances in artificial intelligence and I would like the platform to offer or improve on that front.I ...
What advice do you have for others considering Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall?
I would not like to add anything else about the main use case or any situation.I would not like to add anything else about the tool's features. I would not like to add anything else about the neces...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS Security?
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.This can be a major issue as enterprise customers are o...
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
Regarding improvements in Cisco IOS Security, what consistently confuses me is the inability of Cisco to maintain a clear licensing policy.This is an issue that I have observed for years now. Cisco...
What is your primary use case for Cisco IOS Security?
The main use cases for Cisco IOS Security include elementary device hardening, access control, control-plane policing, AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting), network security, Layer 2...
 

Also Known As

No data available
IOS Security
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Arup Group, Brunel University London, City of Biel, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha, K&L Gates , New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Offshore Northern Seas, Transplace
Find out what your peers are saying about Arista Edge Threat Management NG Firewall vs. Cisco IOS Security and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.