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Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cisco IOS Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
7.7
Cato SASE Cloud offers increased reliability and reduced costs, achieving a 246% ROI in under six months.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco IOS Security delivered significant ROI through improved routing, security, stability, and cost-efficiency, despite competitive vendor pressures.
The return on investment is satisfactory with Cisco products as they have long lifespans, and our customers are satisfied with them.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Cato SASE Cloud's customer service is praised for responsiveness and problem-solving, though professional services can be expensive.
Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco IOS Security support is generally praised for speed and skill, though some report delays and complexity in access.
Their knowledge portal and Cato Academy portal are excellent resources.
Our customer service experience is excellent
They provide very good technical support.
My impression is that the support quality has deteriorated over time.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
The Cato SASE Cloud Platform is praised for scalability, supporting growth effortlessly for businesses of all sizes and demands.
Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco IOS Security offers scalable, enterprise-level solutions but may increase costs and limit universality due to required hardware.
As an MSSP, we find it scalable for end users across EPP platforms, network, and cloud sides.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Cato SASE Cloud Platform is highly stable, with users praising its reliable performance and minimal outages or issues.
Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco IOS Security is generally reliable with occasional issues, frequently updated for stability, scoring 7-10 in satisfaction.
I would rate the stability of the solution as ten on a scale of one to ten.
We have not seen many issues with Cato SASE Cloud Platform recently.
We find Cisco products stable and thoroughly tested before new software or firmware versions are released.
I find Cisco IOS Security to be a very stable product.
 

Room For Improvement

Cato SASE Cloud needs better granularity, integration, enhanced security, and user-friendly features, with advanced reporting and AI integration.
Cisco IOS Security struggles with integration, usability, cost, lacking features, complex licensing, performance, and requires enhancement and support.
The platform lacks strong security features on the edge.
The kind of integrations they offer today, in the future, I would think they would add more and more feature sets, especially around where they remove the dependency of having specialist solutions on a typical monitoring side.
Cisco changes their licensing policy quite frequently, which is becoming confusing and complicated.
 

Setup Cost

Cato SASE Cloud offers flexible, value-driven pricing based on bandwidth, with competitive costs and robust functionality compared to rivals.
Cisco IOS Security is costly, favoring medium to large enterprises with longer-term savings over SMB challenges.
The features are available for much less than Palo Alto.
The pricing is flexible due to our special partnership with Cato Networks.
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.
 

Valuable Features

Cato SASE Cloud Platform offers zero-trust connectivity, advanced security, and scalability with reduced operational costs and streamlined management.
Cisco IOS Security offers scalable, stable solutions with VPN, AAA, firewall integration, and user-friendly management for high-demand environments.
It is scalable for end users across network and cloud sides and saves operational costs.
They offer a very lightweight and powerful console where it has everything needed to manage as a service.
This solution, called Network Access Controller, handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for devices accessing the network.
There are higher-level systems such as intrusion prevention systems which detect intrusions within the system.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cato SASE Cloud Platform
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
13th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
WAN Optimization (1st), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (6th), Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (6th), WAN Edge (7th), ZTNA as a Service (3rd), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (4th), Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) (2nd)
Cisco IOS Security
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (24th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cato SASE Cloud Platform is 2.7%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 1.6%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cato SASE Cloud Platform2.7%
Cisco IOS Security1.6%
Other95.7%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

YOGESHSINGH - PeerSpot reviewer
Have streamlined policy configuration and improved network adaptability with some need for better reporting and observability
I may not be that equipped now, but there are certainly growth areas for them, especially around how they provide reporting and monitoring and then flexibility of combining it with an observability part attached to it. This would remove the need to integrate another specialist tool for observability or monitoring part. They would certainly employ AI, especially agentic AI. I think that should be already part of their roadmap as a transversal. But certainly, the kind of integrations they offer today, in the future, I would think they would add more and more feature sets, especially around where they remove the dependency of having specialist solutions on a typical monitoring side. I think it's a fair price. It's positioned very well in the market. It's not low or very high. In the future, I hope that with more services being bundled as part of the solution on the cloud side, they should reduce the price being, provide bundle service. I think in the future they will come up with reduced pricing, more competitive pricing. But today it's fair. It's not very low or very high.
Danijel Cerovecki - PeerSpot reviewer
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
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
26%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise18
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cato Networks?
The solution is a simple WAN solution. We've onboarded the socket on the Cato platform, and it provides connectivity. There is no complex routing.
What is your primary use case for Cato Networks?
Actually, we propose Moogsoft as a solution. Previously we were using the solution for our customer, and we were basically using in-house to train our resources. We still propose this as a solution...
What advice do you have for others considering Cato Networks?
My experience would be four out of five. I personally need to understand it more deeply. But it appears good at this point, as it's one of the good products which are expanding very fast and the ma...
What do you like most about Cisco IOS Security?
Cisco IOS Security is a mature product with extensive capabilities, serving as the base for the defense layer. It offers good network visibility, which helps in rapid response through the Rapid Thr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS Security?
Pricing can be reduced. I rate the current price for the product a four out of ten.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
While I do not have specific recommendations for improvement, pricing can be reduced.
 

Also Known As

Cato Networks
IOS Security
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Paysafe, AdRoll, Pet Lovers Centre, Arlington Orthopedics, Humphreys & Partners Architects
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 Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Cisco IOS Security and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
871,358 professionals have used our research since 2012.