Check Point NGFW vs Cisco Secure Firewall comparison

Sponsored
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2022
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate
Sponsored
Ranking in Firewalls
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
314
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (2nd), WAN Edge (1st)
Check Point NGFW
Ranking in Firewalls
6th
Average Rating
8.8
Number of Reviews
286
Ranking in other categories
Unified Threat Management (UTM) (1st)
Cisco Secure Firewall
Ranking in Firewalls
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
405
Ranking in other categories
Cisco Security Portfolio (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 22.6%, up from 18.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Check Point NGFW is 2.9%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall is 6.2%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewalls
Unique Categories:
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions
19.7%
WAN Edge
21.4%
Unified Threat Management (UTM)
16.8%
Cisco Security Portfolio
8.2%
 

Featured Reviews

PP
May 24, 2023
Provides solid protection against viruses, malware, and other threats
We use FortiGate for our firewall. We have a typical business environment that includes end-user workstations, an ERP, web hosting solutions, etc. It's around 600 endpoints.  FortiGate improved our security. It's one of the best hardware firewalls. We're secured against various outside threats.…
reviewer1531134 - PeerSpot reviewer
Oct 24, 2023
Good support with easy central management and a nice visibility
We are using Check Point Next Generation Firewall both as an edge border gateway and as an internal gateway protecting users and servers networks. Using the Virtual System solution we create different network environments and virtual system firewalls in which we have different modules (additional…
CW
Jun 15, 2023
Helped us consolidate tools and applications and provides excellent documentation and support
The solution has improved our organization. I think my company was using Check Point back in the day. My company has 12 Cisco products. We used Palo Alto in my old organization. It’s what I'm most familiar with. The application visibility and control with Secure Firewall are not bad. The product’s alerting is pretty good. There were a couple of things that surprised me about the solution. It works really well because we use it with Secure Client and Secure Endpoint. Sometimes the solutions can cross-enrich each other, which we wouldn’t get with a dedicated, standalone firewall. The solution has helped free up our IT staff for other projects. We don't even have a dedicated firewall person. I sometimes do some stuff. Mostly the dedicated network admins run it, and they have time to do the rest of their job. Our whole network infrastructure team's only five to six people, and they can manage multiple sites across all different firewalls. It's not unreasonable to demand at all. The product has helped us consolidate tools and applications. If we were using another solution, we would have had their firewall, management plane, and other appliances to back that up. Having a product in the Cisco universe definitely does help. It's all right there when we're using Secure Client and Umbrella. I want more of what Cisco Identity Services Engine and DNA do. I don't like switching tabs in my browser. We use a relatively basic subset of Cisco Talos for general threat intel. It's definitely helpful. It's mostly about just getting the Talos definitions into the firewall so it can do all the heavy lifting so we don't have to. Now that Cisco has the XDR product, it will probably make it even more useful because then we can combine the network side, the security operations, and the threat intelligence into one thing to work harder for us. Cisco Secure Firewall has definitely helped our organization improve its cybersecurity resilience. I like the IDS a lot. The definitions work really well. Making custom ones is pretty trivial. We don't have to do complicated packet captures or anything of that kind. My advice would be to lean really hard on your sales engineer to explain the stack to you. There's definitely a learning curve to it. Cisco does things in a very particular way that's maybe a little bit different than other firewall vendors. Generally, it's pretty helpful talking to post-sales about what you need because you're probably not going to be able to figure it out. It's definitely a pretty top-shelf tool. If an organization already uses Cisco, they probably want to invest in the solution. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I like Fortinet's cloud management. It allows me to manage all my devices in different branches for three cloud accounts. Even though I use on-prem devices, I can manage everything on the cloud."
"The performance is good."
"FortiGate's web and URL filtering are unlike any other firewall I've used. The functionality of URL filtering in those solutions is problematic because everything is encrypted, and firewalls can't break that encryption protocol. Fortinet has an SSL proxy, so the encryption is done before the packet ever leaves the FortiGate. The URL filter is definitely one of the most helpful features."
"Fortinet offers the latest versions to cater to the needs of enterprises."
"Fortinet FortiGate is easy to use."
"The Intrusion Prevention System and the web filtering are both working well."
"The solution has very good threat and content filtering switches."
"The simplicity of the configuration and the stability of the product are most valuable. The VPN concentrator is very useful."
"mart Console simplifies the management of current policies and objects, making it effortless to track an object's usage or identify unused objects, thus ensuring a tidy configuration."
"The information stored in the logs is very descriptive and includes a lot of details."
"The solution can scale."
"Check Point is more expensive but easier to manage, and their presales and after-sale support are way better than Fortinet's."
"Check Point offers excellent security."
"Check Point has a lot of features. The ones I love are the antivirus, intrusion prevention, and data loss prevention. Apart from that, there is central management through which we can integrate all the firewalls and support them. It makes it easy to manage all the firewalls."
"We have not had any issues with the firewall."
"The application control and URL filtering features are valuable since they allow very granular control of what is coming in and out of a network."
"Beats sophisticated cyber attacks with a superior security appliance."
"It protects our network."
"The features I have found most valuable are the ASA firewalls. I like to have features like most integrated systems in ACI."
"With the FMC and the FirePOWERs, the ability to quickly replace a piece of hardware without having to have a network outage is useful. Also, the ability to replace a piece of equipment and deploy the config that the previous piece of equipment had is pretty useful."
"Its in-depth monitoring and analysis help us to make better decisions and policies."
"One of the most valuable features is the GUI front end, which is very easy to use. But I'm also a command-line guy, and being able to access the device via command-line for advanced troubleshooting is quite important."
"The interface is user-friendly."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is AMP (Advanced Malware Protection), as this is really needed to protect against cyber threats."
 

Cons

"One area for improvement is the performance on the bandwidth demands for smaller devices, as well as better web filtering."
"Some configuration elements cannot be easily altered once created."
"It is very expensive, and their support is not very good. I hope that their technical support will be better in the future."
"It is stable, but its stability can be improved."
"We would like to have the ability to disable some of the security functionalities."
"Performance and technical support are the main issues with this solution."
"Fortinet FortiGate should improve the VPN tokens."
"If they could extend their fabric towards other vendor environments for integration, that would be great."
"The only reasons we are looking at other solutions are price and integration."
"There needs to be more storage space for reporting."
"This solution requires management software that is sold separately; it's actually a different appliance altogether."
"We faced many challenges. For example, an issue with the managed view that Check Point has."
"It could be easier to manage the licenses on blades and contracts."
"VMware is not supported by the platform."
"Sometimes when they bring on new upgrades, they affect something else."
"This product has room for improvement in technical support for Africa."
"Cisco should work on ASDM. One of the biggest drawbacks of Cisco ASA is ASDM GUI. Cisco should improve the ASDM GUI. The configuration through ASDM is really difficult as compared to CLI. Sometimes when you are doing the configuration in ASDM, it suddenly crashes. It also crashes while pushing a policy. Cisco should really work on this."
"The security features in the URL category need more improvement."
"Its interface is sometimes is a little bit slow, and it can be improved. When you need to put your appliance in failover mode, it is a little difficult to do it remotely because you need to turn off the appliance in Cisco mode. In terms of new features, it would be good to have AnyConnect VPN with Firepower. I am not sure if it is available at the moment."
"We're getting support but there's a big delay until we get a response from their technical team. They're in the USA and we're in Africa, so that's the difficulty. When they're in the office, they respond."
"In today's world, cyberattacks have become a common occurrence. However, so far, we have not faced any issues with our systems. I hope the situation remains the same in the future. If Cisco introduces even more advanced security measures, it would be beneficial."
"Cisco suffers from some integration issues with other products... There is a problem with the Cisco Catalyst Switches in terms of assembling bursts and having them interact properly with the Cisco Firepower."
"We wanted to integrate Firepower with our solution, but it didn't have the capability to accommodate our bandwidth since they only had two 10 gig interfaces on the box. We run way more than that through our network because we are a service provider, providing Internet to our customers."
"This is an older product and has reached end-of-life."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Fortinet FortiGate could improve, it is expensive."
"The price of the license and warranty can be better because it is very expensive."
"If the price of the license in Fortinet FortiGate was less expensive it would be better."
"Fortinet costs are 25% lower than the high-cost provider. There is an equipment cost and a recurring monthly cost for licenses and technical support."
"Each feature costs money, so it is important to study your needs."
"The license is yearly. We pay for the top end. It's called 360."
"For the price, I'd rate it a ten because it's very cost-effective."
"Its price is normal. If I compare it with other vendors, such as Palo Alto, it's normal. Palo Alto is expensive."
"In terms of quality versus price, Check Point is very balanced."
"The pricing is high compared to competitors."
"It falls in a moderate price range, not as inexpensive as some alternatives but not as costly as Palo Alto."
"Though we did not take issue with the price of Check Point NGFW, we felt that it was providing us with inadequate support here in Uganda."
"The pricing falls in the middle, meaning it's neither cheap nor expensive."
"The price may be perceived as relatively high when compared to the features and capabilities they provide."
"Comparatively, Check Point pricing is a little high. However, if you have that budget, I would recommend anybody to go with Check Point."
"The price could be decreased, because the competitors of Check Point Firewall are giving lower prices in comparison."
"We've gone to all smart licensing, so that works well."
"There are licensing costs."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing when compared to the market. Although, when you compare the benefits of support from Cisco, you can adjust the value and it becomes comparable, because you usually need very good support. So you gain value there with this device."
"This product requires licenses for advanced features including Snort, IPS, and malware detection."
"We paid about $7,000 for the Cisco firewall, plus another small Cisco router and the lead switch. It was under the combined license. It's a final agreement."
"​Price point is too high for features and throughput available.​"
"They're not too expensive. They're a little more expensive than other products, but you are getting the name, the company, and the support."
"Licensing is expensive compared to other solutions."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewalls solutions are best for your needs.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user206346 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 11, 2015
Cisco ASA vs. Palo Alto Networks
Cisco ASA vs. Palo Alto: Management Goodies You often have comparisons of both firewalls concerning security components. Of course, a firewall must block attacks, scan for viruses, build VPNs, etc. However, in this post I am discussing the advantages and disadvantages from both vendors concerning…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
21%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Educational Organization
54%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Government
4%
Educational Organization
25%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
6%
Manufacturing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?
When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...
What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?
From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...
What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?
As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...
How does Check Point NGFW compare with Fortinet Fortigate?
I have experience on both from Disti and channel experience. Please find below my comments (nothing new as such). -Ch...
Which would you recommend - Azure Firewall or Check Point NGFW?
Azure Firewall is easy to use and provides excellent support. Valuable features include integration into the overall ...
What do you like most about Check Point NGFW?
Check Point NGFW provides essential security, featuring no-obligation access for secure connections, strong intrusion...
Which is better - Fortinet FortiGate or Cisco ASA Firewall?
One of our favorite things about Fortinet Fortigate is that you can deploy on the cloud or on premises. Fortinet Fort...
How does Cisco's ASA firewall compare with the Firepower NGFW?
It is easy to integrate Cisco ASA with other Cisco products and also other NAC solutions. When you understand the Cis...
Which is better - Meraki MX or Cisco ASA Firewall?
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software is the operating software for the Cisco ASA suite. It supports netw...
 

Also Known As

FortiGate 60b, FortiGate 60c, FortiGate 80c, FortiGate 50b, FortiGate 200b, FortiGate 110c, FortiGate
Check Point NG Firewall, Check Point Next Generation Firewall
Cisco ASA Firewall, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Firewall, Cisco ASA NGFW, Cisco ASA, Adaptive Security Appliance, ASA, Cisco Sourcefire Firewalls, Cisco ASAv, Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewall
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1. Amazon Web Services 2. Microsoft 3. IBM 4. Cisco 5. Dell 6. HP 7. Oracle 8. Verizon 9. AT&T 10. T-Mobile 11. Sprint 12. Vodafone 13. Orange 14. BT Group 15. Telstra 16. Deutsche Telekom 17. Comcast 18. Time Warner Cable 19. CenturyLink 20. NTT Communications 21. Tata Communications 22. SoftBank 23. China Mobile 24. Singtel 25. Telus 26. Rogers Communications 27. Bell Canada 28. Telkom Indonesia 29. Telkom South Africa 30. Telmex 31. Telia Company 32. Telkom Kenya
Control Southern, Optimal Media
There are more than one million Adaptive Security Appliances deployed globally. Top customers include First American Financial Corp., Genzyme, Frankfurt Airport, Hansgrohe SE, Rio Olympics, The French Laundry, Rackspace, and City of Tomorrow.
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point NGFW vs. Cisco Secure Firewall and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.