Cisco IOS Security vs Fortinet FortiGate IPS comparison

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Cisco Logo
401 views|306 comparisons
91% willing to recommend
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4,111 views|2,584 comparisons
95% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco IOS Security and Fortinet FortiGate IPS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco IOS Security vs. Fortinet FortiGate IPS Report (Updated: May 2024).
769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"There is a positive impact on security, particularly the intrusion feature, which helps keep the solution concealed and secure.""The stability of this solution is excellent.""Cisco IOS Security has many good features, but compared to other solutions, it has a more user-friendly interface with steps to apply and manage rules. Another good part of the solution is that it's more straightforward.""Cisco IOS Security is very robust and works very well.""Technical support for this solution is very good.""I've found their network routing to be very good.""The most valuable feature is endpoint protection.""The Intrusion Firewall is a valuable feature."

More Cisco IOS Security Pros →

"Fortinet FortiGate's most valuable features are the UTM package which provides internet blocking restrictions and load balancing. Additionally, the solution is easy to use and the security reporting is good. The security fabric which they have launched Fortinet FortiGate IPS, it's very good in terms of giving details.""The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate IPS are firewall and filtering.""The GUI is the most valuable feature.""Before using this solution, we had so many problems accessing our resources because we don't have a lot of internet bandwidth. And by using application control and traffic shaping, we were able to manage user to quickly access services that are important. This tool has aided to the simplicity of our day-to-day management.""The most valuable features of Fortinet FortiGate IPS are the dashboard and reporting which give us very good visibility.""We have not had to reach out to FortiGate support yet and that is a pretty good track record.""The Fortinet FortiGate IPS has a good interface and integration.""It does not require a lot of maintenance."

More Fortinet FortiGate IPS Pros →

Cons
"I think they should bring back remote VPN for users.""The company needs to make its solution more affordable to make it more accessible to larger markets. Otherwise, it's seen as an enterprise-level solution that small or medium-sized organizations can't afford and therefore they won't even look at it.""I would like to see much more embedded security that works and that isn't a bolt-on.""Cisco very slowly introduces and implements the products, unlike other brands.""I wish it would be more like the next generation firewall technology. There should be more selection between the application and filtering.""Cisco IOS Security could improve its security features. There are competitors that have some additional security features, such as Fortinet FortiGate. Additionally, there should be better synchronization with Cisco IOS Security and other vendors, and improved AI features would be beneficial.""Cisco IOS Security could improve by having more compatibility with other Cisco solutions.""Signatures and other critical definitions need to be updated more frequently."

More Cisco IOS Security Cons →

"The prevention mechanisms and implementation are not easy.""The solution is not scalable.""There could be more modifications.""Fortinet can add some Machine Learning and AI to improve its accuracy and give it an edge on IPS detection and protection.""While the security is good, we'd always prefer if it was even better to ensure protection.""Right now, it's not really scalable, but it's okay for us. However, looking ahead to three years from now, we might have a problem with scalability. We foresee a little risk down the road. The stability is okay for now.""We would like to see an improvement in the consistency of the product's performance levels.""We'd like to have multi-factor authentication via fiber."

More Fortinet FortiGate IPS Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The pricing is very expensive. Normally I do a yearly contract; I don't know the exact pricing, but it's around $75,000 USD per year. That's the standard licensing."
  • "The licensing is on a subscription basis, and it is fairly costly. I would prefer a one-time payment."
  • "The licenses for this solution are expensive."
  • "It is an expensive solution."
  • "The pricing is okay. It is competitive. It costs more when you need get more features."
  • "Price is certainly something that the IOS technology has fallen behind the competition on."
  • "It is necessary to pay for a license in order to use the solution. It is on a yearly basis and the price is high."
  • "Palo Alto networks are more expensive than this solution and this is why you will see more products like this one in Mexico."
  • More Cisco IOS Security Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing for FortiGate IPS is competitive with other products in the category."
  • "We are currently evaluating a Palo Alto solution, and the pricing could be a reason for going for Palo Alto."
  • "They are more expensive than others."
  • "It is not expensive as compared to Cisco."
  • "The price is okay, so far so good."
  • "The solution could be better priced."
  • "The licensing costs are very competitive."
  • "There is an annual license to use this solution. The prices have been increasing over the years."
  • More Fortinet FortiGate IPS Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: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 Threat… more »
    Top Answer:The challenge often comes down to pricing for SMB customers or those below enterprise level. It's tough for them to invest in Cisco Security products, not because the products lack quality—on the… more »
    Top Answer:In the security portfolio from Cisco, the issue is marketing. Cisco is still seen primarily as an enterprise network player rather than being acknowledged as a security vendor. Cisco offers a vast… more »
    Top Answer:The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance on… more »
    Top Answer:There is room for improvement in being proactive about identifying and integrating new signatures.
    Ranking
    Views
    401
    Comparisons
    306
    Reviews
    18
    Average Words per Review
    383
    Rating
    7.9
    Views
    4,111
    Comparisons
    2,584
    Reviews
    26
    Average Words per Review
    369
    Rating
    8.4
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    IOS Security
    FortiGate IPS
    Learn More
    Overview
    Cisco IOS Software delivers a sophisticated set of security capabilities for a comprehensive, layered security approach throughout your network infrastructure. Cisco IOS security technologies help to defend critical business processes against attack and disruption, protect privacy, and support policy and regulatory compliance controls.

    Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a highly effective intrusion detection and prevention solution. It is designed to secure a user’s system from end to end and ensure that users are equipped to handle even the most sophisticated threats. Organizations across a wide variety of industries trust IPS to help them prevent unwanted intrusions from harming their networks.

    Fortinet FortiGate IPS Benefits

    Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy Fortinet FortiGate IPS include:


    • Vulnerability scanning and patching. IPS scans for threats on a deeper level than more traditional software might. It penetrates the uppermost layer of a network and identifies vulnerabilities that might not be easily spotted. It scans the entire network to give administrators a full understanding of the potential threats that they might have to address. They can then patch the points of vulnerability before those areas can be exploited.


    • Flexibility. IPS is highly flexible in that it is truly agnostic. It is capable of operating across a wide variety of devices and environments. Any network, cloud, or device type that an organization wants to protect can run IPS. Users do not need to buy any other solution to enable this to operate in the way that they need.


    • Reliability. IPS provides a complete protective package without requiring users to sacrifice speed. It allows for quick threat identification and remediation.


    Fortinet FortiGate IPS Features


    • Machine learning and AI. IPS puts powerful machine learning and AI tools into the hands of its users. These tools enable users to find threats that users might not otherwise be able to identify. They identify vulnerabilities that traditional software simply cannot and enables users to address them before they can escalate. They analyze every portion of an organization’s network architecture to find areas that can be exploited.


    • Integration suite. IPS enables users to integrate their security with many different cloud and application security services. This gives users the option to plug any feature hole that they might perceive. Advanced threats that ordinarily cannot easily be dealt with using IPS’ features can now be easily resolved. Organizations can seamlessly combine the features that IPS offers with other platforms to bolster their effectiveness and resolve virtually any type of threat.


    • Security controls. IPS comes equipped with security controllers that enable users to run it on the web server application of their choice.


    Reviews from Real Users

    Fortinet FortiGate IPS is a highly effective solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Two major advantages are the powerful zero-day protection features and the way it manages to compete with even its fiercest competitors.

    Srahavan A., the CEO of a computer software company, said, “We like signature-based anomaly detection and zero-day protection features. For zero-day protection, we use Cloud Sandboxing, so whenever the zero-day threat occurs, it automatically sends it to its Cloud Sandbox. After getting information from Cloud Sandbox, then the intrusion is defined.”

    Sachin V., a network administrator said, “We've found the most valuable feature to be the very user-friendly interface... It has a good set of UTM features, a good bandwidth shaping mechanism, and other features. It has efficient algorithms and it competes well with Palo Alto and TechPoint.

    Sample Customers
    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
    Riverside Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Dell SecureWorks, Credit Bank Zagreb
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider17%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company22%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Comms Service Provider19%
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company24%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business34%
    Midsize Enterprise28%
    Large Enterprise38%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise56%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business51%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise36%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise57%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco IOS Security vs. Fortinet FortiGate IPS
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS Security vs. Fortinet FortiGate IPS and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    769,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco IOS Security is ranked 10th in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) with 47 reviews while Fortinet FortiGate IPS is ranked 4th in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) with 54 reviews. Cisco IOS Security is rated 8.0, while Fortinet FortiGate IPS is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Cisco IOS Security writes "User-friendly and excels in documentation, making it easier to resolve issues". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Fortinet FortiGate IPS writes "Very stable with good network protection". Cisco IOS Security is most compared with Cisco Secure Firewall, Fortinet FortiGate, Meraki MX, Fortinet FortiOS and Netgate pfSense, whereas Fortinet FortiGate IPS is most compared with Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, Trend Micro TippingPoint Threat Protection System, Cisco NGIPS, Check Point IPS and Cisco Sourcefire SNORT. See our Cisco IOS Security vs. Fortinet FortiGate IPS report.

    See our list of best Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) vendors.

    We monitor all Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.