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Azure Firewall Manager vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center comparison

Microsoft and Cisco are both solutions in the Firewall Security Management category. Microsoft is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0, while Cisco is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.2. Microsoft holds a 1.7% mindshare in Firewall Security Management, compared to Cisco’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Cisco users who would recommend it.
Azure Firewall Manager
Read 8 Azure Firewall Manager reviews
  • 568 Views
  • 367 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Read 26 Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center reviews
  • 461 Views
  • 152 Comparison Views
86% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Azure Firewall Manager and Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center are competing products in the network security landscape. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center emerges as the superior product due to its advanced features and comprehensive management capabilities, which users find worth the investment, despite Azure Firewall Manager showing competitive pricing and support satisfaction.

Features: Azure Firewall Manager provides seamless integration with Azure services, central management capabilities, and enhanced security policies. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers strong analytics, advanced threat protection, and extensive policy control, making it suitable for complex network environments.

Room for Improvement: Azure Firewall Manager could improve with more robust analytics, enhanced threat detection, and expanded policy control features. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center can benefit from more competitive pricing, simplified deployment options, and integration flexibility with non-Cisco products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure Firewall Manager provides cloud-native deployment optimized for quick setup and effective management within Azure. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers an intricate on-premises or cloud-based deployment model with detailed documentation and robust customer service, beneficial for troubleshooting complex issues.

Pricing and ROI: Azure Firewall Manager is cost-effective with a flexible pricing model, offering good ROI through integration within Azure. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center involves a higher initial cost but justifies this with substantial long-term ROI due to its comprehensive features and robust security infrastructure.

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To learn more, read our detailed Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
June 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Azure Firewall Manager
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
12th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (28th)
Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Azure Firewall Manager is 1.7%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 1.0%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

MuhammadShakeel - PeerSpot reviewer
Manages multiple firewalls effortlessly but faces challenges with cost efficiency
Azure Firewall Manager is good most of the time, but it could be improved regarding cost. The cost is a significant concern because we are in a region where the dollar is not our default currency, and converting to dollars makes it very expensive. Microsoft should calculate and show the products in local currencies, such as PKR or Bangladesh currency, and also introduce Indian currency similarly for Pakistan. The technical support could be improved. When a resource is assigned, that resource should follow the ticket and respond swiftly, including sending an email to inform me that an agent has been assigned. I still find myself waiting for an agent to connect with me and resolve my issues. I have not been integrating Azure Firewall Manager with Azure Virtual WAN.
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Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
Great dashboard with extensive visibility and good support
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration. The logging of FMC should be improved as it does not offer real-time solutions like DazaSodo.
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is very easy to set up."
"We are utilizing Azure Entra ID for group labeling, so Active Directory, or now it is Entra ID, securing our application for everyone who accesses it, and Azure Firewall Manager is definitely securing our projects and all its features are fine."
"The most valuable feature of Azure Firewall Manager is the testing and configuration."
"Azure Firewall Manager centralizes network security management with a hub and spoke architecture."
"The tool's support is good."
"Azure Firewall Manager centralizes network security management with a hub and spoke architecture."
"The best feature of Azure Firewall Manager is that it is easy to maintain and configure."
"It is easy to install and does not require any plugins for your browser."
More Azure Firewall Manager pros
"The most valuable features are the Virtual Private Network and the Electronic Control Lists."
"It's a fine solution in terms of scalability."
"One of the most valuable features of Cisco Secure Firewalls is their seamless integration with other Cisco products."
"The solution is quite scalable."
"The policy management capabilities streamline security tasks by facilitating policy configuration. This ensures the impactful implementation of security policies during product installation, enhancing overall security measures."
"Scalability is not an issue as long as you are able to buy additional licenses. Ten percent of our customers use Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, and we have large accounts with 50% of their end users behind this firewall."
"It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The tool helps with internet access protection."
More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center pros
 

Cons

"The cost is a significant concern because we are in a region where the dollar is not our default currency, and converting to dollars makes it very expensive."
"The solution can improve the integration with open-source tools."
"The tool's security features need to improve. It needs also to include a monitoring system for logs. It is also complicated to find a query on the Azure firewall."
"The configuration and settings require substantial time for learning, particularly for new users."
"There should be a simple one-click deployment for a firewall, rather than a set of setup instructions that include steps such as the DNS configuration, et cetera."
"For Azure Firewall Manager, the learning curve for new people is a bit challenging, but the integration should be more straightforward for configuring a centralized system."
"We could do only one-way NAT-ing, where the traffic comes from outside to internal, to Azure, which is fine. However, when we actually do NAT-ed traffic to hit the firewall, that way is not working."
"The price is okay. This said, the solution is certainly expensive in comparison with other cloud services."
More Azure Firewall Manager cons
"The solution should improve the user interface."
"We use the suggested standard policies that come with the equipment. We don't put much effort into customizing these policies, which we know is a risk. We're moving to a more advanced IT area that will change how we manage the firewall policies. Cisco offers many ways to manage the equipment, but our team lacks extensive knowledge. We're moving these responsibilities to a specialized security team."
"The IOS and the deploy option could be improved."
"The interface is an area that could be improved."
"Areas for improvement include pricing points and the range of products available at any given time."
"Due to the lack of enough tutorials available online, I face problems with Cisco."
"It takes five to seven minutes to push one policy."
"Cisco firewalls use old ESR or a Linux system, and there are problems with encryption. When we switch on encryption, the throughput goes down."
More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is certainly expensive in comparison with other cloud services."
"The price of the solution is reasonable but it is reasonable for the features."
"My license offers all the protection, like malware protection, VPN protection, IDS, IPS, and endpoint protection."
"As for pricing, the tool is expensive for us. I'd rate it eight out of ten on a scale where ten is the most expensive."
"The solution is not expensive."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center has the best price on the market."
"I use the free version of the product."
"One of the advantages of Cisco is its range of flexible licensing options."
"It could be considered relatively cheaper when compared to some other vendors in the market."
"Technical support is an additional annual cost and is not included with the license."
More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Government
21%
Computer Software Company
19%
Engineering Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Firewall Manager?
The most valuable feature of Azure Firewall Manager is the testing and configuration.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Firewall Manager?
The pricing for Azure Firewall Manager seems okay compared to its good features. Although extra expenses are incurred for additional services, these are not directly related to the firewall, and th...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Azure Firewall Manager?
The configuration and settings require substantial time for learning, particularly for new users. Improvements in ease of configuration would benefit users significantly.
See all answers
What do you like most about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
The platform has significantly enhanced our organization's operations by providing secure communication channels between different office locations.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
I would rate setup cost as four for now.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Azure Firewall vs Azure Firewall Manager Logo
Azure Firewall vs Azure Firewall Manager
Compared 38% of the time
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs Azure Firewall Manager Logo
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs Azure Firewall Manager
Compared 25% of the time
Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Azure Firewall Manager Logo
Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Azure Firewall Manager
Compared 17% of the time
AlgoSec vs Azure Firewall Manager Logo
AlgoSec vs Azure Firewall Manager
Compared 12% of the time
AWS Firewall Manager vs Azure Firewall Manager Logo
AWS Firewall Manager vs Azure Firewall Manager
Compared 8% of the time
More Azure Firewall Manager Competitors
Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Logo
Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
Compared 52% of the time
AWS Firewall Manager vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Logo
AWS Firewall Manager vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
Compared 48% of the time
More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Firewall Security Management
June 2025
Azure Firewall Manager reportDownload Azure Firewall Manager product report
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
June 2025
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center reportDownload Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center product report
 

Overview

Azure Firewall Manager is a security management service that provides central security policy and route management for cloud-based security perimeters.

To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

Microsoft

The Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is the administrative nerve center for select Cisco security products running on multiple platforms. It provides unified management of Cisco Secure Firewalls with Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) software for port and protocol control, application control, IPS, URL filtering, and malware protection functions. Firewall Management Center is the centralized event and policy manager for:

● Cisco Secure Firewall with the Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) OS

● Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services

● Cisco Secure IPS (Firepower Next-Gen IPS / NGIPS)

● Cisco FirePOWER Threat Defense for ISR

● Cisco Malware Defense (AMP)

Cisco
Buyer's Guide
Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
June 2025
Free Report: Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center
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