Cisco Duo vs Symantec Advanced Authentication comparison

Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8, while Broadcom is ranked #23. Cisco holds a 4.8% mindshare in AS, compared to Broadcom’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 77% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Cisco Duo

Read 116 Cisco Duo reviews

7,616 Views
4,950 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Symantec Advanced Authentic...

Read 9 Symantec Advanced Authentication reviews

786 Views
762 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

Cisco Duo

Symantec Advanced Authentic...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Symantec Advanced Authentication and Cisco Duo are both utilized for secure access and authentication management. Users are happier with the feature set and integration capabilities of Cisco Duo, though Symantec Advanced Authentication scores better in deployment and customer service.

What features are offered by Symantec Advanced Authentication in comparison to Cisco Duo?

Symantec Advanced Authentication provides a robust set of features tailored for enterprise-level secure access, including flexibility, customization, and high-security controls. Cisco Duo is noted for its ease of use, wide range of integration capabilities, and comprehensive features that cater to various business sizes, making it more appealing to users.

What areas of improvement can be found in Symantec Advanced Authentication in comparison to Cisco Duo?

Symantec Advanced Authentication users frequently mention the product's complexity, steep learning curve, and need for better user interface design. Cisco Duo reviews highlight the pricing structure, limited customer support responsiveness, and areas for improved reporting capabilities.

How is the ease of deployment and customer service of Symantec Advanced Authentication in comparison to Cisco Duo?

Symantec Advanced Authentication requires a more intricate setup process but benefits from excellent customer service support throughout deployment. Cisco Duo is praised for its swift and hassle-free deployment but receives mixed reviews regarding customer service responsiveness.

What setup costs and ROI can be seen with Symantec Advanced Authentication in comparison to Cisco Duo?

Symantec Advanced Authentication users mention higher setup costs but recognize its ROI through high security and functionality for complex needs. Cisco Duo, while noted to have more competitive initial pricing, demonstrates strong ROI through its user-friendly interface and efficiency, making it worthwhile despite a few concerns over its tiered pricing model.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Duo vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication

March 2026

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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

Cisco Duo

Ranking in Authentication Systems

2nd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

116

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (3rd), Access Management (3rd), ZTNA as a Service (3rd), Cisco Security Portfolio (1st), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (1st)

Symantec Advanced Authentic...

Ranking in Authentication Systems

23rd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

8.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Cisco Duo is 4.8%, down from 9.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Advanced Authentication is 1.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Authentication Systems Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Duo	4.8%
Symantec Advanced Authentication	1.5%
Other	93.7%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

Charles Slaustas

Information Technology Contractor at Insight global

Supports seamless authentication for users across multiple organizations and personal portals

The features I use in Cisco Duo include Duo Pushes to confirm my identity to the device, and eventually as MFA security was increased, I actually had to use exchange passcodes. Sometimes, I have to go into the site and get into Cisco Duo to retrieve the passcode, and many of them have been two-factor, where the sites send a passcode that I have to enter into Cisco Duo. It has been more of the latter. I have not seen issues with lagging or crashing on Cisco Duo's end; it was usually on the client end, often because someone set up a bad upgrade or there were connection issues with the Cisco Duo cloud through the administrative site.

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Umair (Abu Mohaymin) Akhlaque

Group CEO at Flexsolutions

Ensures robust security features and ease of deployment, although it may lack some of the more modern authentication options

There has been a need for aggressive development to modernize the product and align it with contemporary security requirements. While the rebranding has been a step forward, further enhancements are essential to meet the evolving demands of the market. It lacks features such as ActiveSync Exchange security, and it doesn't offer alternatives like password-less authentication via biometrics or patches. While Symantec mainly relies on traditional token-based or password-based methods, newer authentication methods are missing from its repertoire. Support services often lack promptness and depth of knowledge, leaving customers waiting for weeks to resolve issues. In the realm of multifactor authentication, swift resolution of problems is critical, as any slowdown or interruption can significantly impact operations. Urgent improvement is necessary to ensure that support responses are faster and more effective, aligning with the demands of MFA implementation.

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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 feature of Cisco Duo that I appreciate most is the push notifications."

"The thing that I appreciate the most about Cisco Duo is the ease of setup."

"It's fast; the whole process takes less time compared to other tools we've used before, which is very helpful."

"As a former employee, I think it's top-notch when it comes to protecting internal and external threats and preventing unauthorized access to the network."

"Cisco Duo has benefited our company overall by giving us the ability to have multi-factor authentication."

"All features of the solution are effective, particularly those involved in identifying vulnerabilities and updates."

"The most valuable aspect is the authentication and the SSO."

"Duo is a cloud-based product and it is a good product to maintain the security for the VPN."

More Cisco Duo pros

"One of the most valuable aspects is its remarkable stability."

"CA products are the best fit with our backend systems."

"Symantec Advanced Authentication can be useful for wherever you require a strong authentication."

"It tells us exactly what we want in terms of authentication to various applications and provides protection for users who access them."

"Ease of deployment: no need to keep up with physical devices for multi-factor authentication; no software to deploy on end-user computers requiring administrative rights."

"It actually increases our revenue and the customer base."

"The most valuable feature is that we get a wide range of authentication methods and authentication integrators, so different platforms can get service authentication with transparency to the final user while providing strong authentication forms and connectors."

"Being able to issue a soft token, but still having fairly strong security, is a big factor for us."

More Symantec Advanced Authentication pros

Cons

"When you come to the push in Duo Security, there are some integrations where you have to use the code instead of the push functionality."

"It took me a while to figure it out. I went to every user and forced them to set it up. I might have done it the long way."

"Certain customers can not use this product because it is cloud-based."

"Regarding the pricing, setup costs, and licensing, I find that for some companies using Azure, they question why they should switch when they already have Microsoft Authenticator, which can make it commercially challenging when explaining why they need to transition to Cisco Duo."

"I would like to see some features simplified, such as securing, configuring, and implementing Microsoft Remote Desktop. Other than that, the solution was rock solid throughout my time administering it."

"Integration with a product such as Microsoft Sentinel would be great."

"An AI support robot or bot that provides direct answers to questions without requiring the search for facts or documents to find solutions would be an improvement."

"We have a 24 hour timer for our Duo cookie and we would like to reduce this to a shorter time when using Duo."

More Cisco Duo cons

"They definitely need to automate a few processes like the Wiley process."

"Arcot itself is based on a browser technology. This means that the office ID is effectively stored as a cookie in the browser."

"Advanced Authentication talks about the Device ID. But how the device ID is captured, I want to know more about that."

"Urgent improvement is necessary to ensure that support responses are faster and more effective, aligning with the demands of MFA implementation."

"The initial setup of the tenant is a big cost element of the service and we were doing multiple tenants for our customer."

"Symantec has very bad support, so I have no words for it. It's one of the worst support experiences I've ever had."

"We have seen quite a few issues with bugginess. It is indeed pretty buggy and we have had to install some fixes."

More Symantec Advanced Authentication cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Their pricing model is a little bit weird. Currently, there is no price advantage in signing up for yearly contracts. There are no additional costs to the standard licensing costs."

"Overall, the pricing is fair. Customers can wrap it into their Enterprise Agreement, making it easier for them to solve their issues."

"It's very simple. Its price is fair. We use the hardware tokens as well. You get what you pay for. In terms of licensing, Cisco has very complicated products, but Duo Security was surprisingly easy."

"The pricing is pretty competitive. It's pretty cheap. Anybody can adopt it."

"I haven't seen any information on the pricing in four years, so I can't comment on that."

"I haven't seen it in a while, but it's at par with everything else licensing-wise."

"Cisco has the most expensive products because market leaders tend to charge a lot."

"Price wise, it's not cheap, but it's not expensive at all either. It's in the middle."

More Cisco Duo pricing and cost advice

"There are eventually going to be implementation costs. Sometimes you're required to have custom code developments there, so that has to be part of the implementation price."

"The price is reasonable."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	54

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?

We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Duo Security?

I cannot speak to the financial planning of the organization, but I can confirm that Cisco Duo falls within the security budget that has been allocated to us.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Duo Security?

Areas that have room for improvement in Cisco Duo include pricing, as Cisco is quite expensive, and the fact that Cisco Duo relies heavily on external identity providers such as Active Directory or...

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Comparisons

Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Duo

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiToken vs Cisco Duo

Compared 4% of the time

Yubico YubiKey vs Cisco Duo

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Duo

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Duo Competitors

RSA Authentication Manager vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 14% of the time

Ping Identity Platform vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 12% of the time

Symantec VIP Access Manager vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 11% of the time

Thales Authenticators vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 11% of the time

RSA Adaptive Authentication vs Symantec Advanced Authentication

Compared 11% of the time

More Symantec Advanced Authentication Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo

March 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Symantec Advanced Authentication

March 2026

Download Symantec Advanced Authentication product report

Also Known As

Duo Security

CA Advanced Authentication, CA Strong Authentication, CA Risk Authentication, Arcot WebFort, Arcot RiskFort

Overview

Cisco Duo is a cloud-based identity security platform safeguarding critical resources for any user and device worldwide. Known for its ease of use, Duo offers seamless protection across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.

Cisco Duo is designed to secure access with identity-first protection and provides extensive visibility throughout an organization's identity ecosystem. Offering multi-factor authentication, Duo facilitates easy integration and management, allowing teams to protect data effectively on VPNs, applications, and networks. Its single-pane management improves security processes while enhancing trust, making it suitable for diverse IT infrastructures.

What are the key features of Cisco Duo?

Multi-factor Authentication: Strengthens user verification with multiple methods.
Push Notifications: Simplifies authentication with quick approvals.
Single Sign-On: Enhances convenience by allowing one set of credentials.
VPN Access: Secures remote connections with reliable authentication.
User Activity Visibility: Offers comprehensive insights into access patterns.

Which benefits and ROI should users consider?

Quick Deployment: Facilitates rapid integration within existing systems.
Effective Management: Streamlines IT operations with centralized control.
Regulatory Compliance: Aids in meeting industry standards for data protection.
Enhanced Trust: Strengthens security posture across networks.
User-friendly Approach: Simplifies authentication for non-technical users.

In industries like education and finance, Cisco Duo is widely employed to secure multi-factor authentication across platforms such as email, databases, and servers. Its integration capabilities with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and VPNs like AnyConnect are instrumental in verifying user identities using mobile apps or OTPs, catering effectively to both remote and on-premise environments.

Cisco

CA Advanced Authentication provides a secure, user-convenient and cost-effective way to protect online and mobile applications. The solution consists of two components: CA Risk Authentication allows the enterprise to silently and transparently collect data and assess risk based on device identification, location and user behavior, among other factors, and CA Strong Authentication provides a wide variety of software-based, two-factor authentication credentials and technology to make passwords more secure. Together they enable an intelligent, layered security approach to protect user identities and organizational data.

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Broadcom

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Global bank, Large Filipino Bank and SK Infosec

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo vs. Symantec Advanced Authentication

March 2026

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