No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Cisco IOS Security vs Fortra's Tripwire Enterprise comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

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 IOS Security
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (41st)
Fortra's Tripwire Enterprise
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 2.4%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortra's Tripwire Enterprise is 2.1%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS Security2.4%
Fortra's Tripwire Enterprise2.1%
Other95.5%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Danijel Cerovecki - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
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.
reviewer2093205 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cybersecurity Analyst at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It has excellent scalability and allows you to execute custom COCR rules, letting you fine-tune agent monitoring
I'm using Tripwire Enterprise version 9.0. In my company, thirty to forty people use Tripwire Enterprise, mainly different types of engineers, governance, risk, compliance, and cybersecurity personnel. I advise people planning to use Tripwire Enterprise to take the training because the solution has a fairly complex interface. You can do a lot of work with it, but it isn't very easy. Tripwire Enterprise is a sophisticated tool. I rate the tool an eight on a scale of one to ten because it does an excellent job of handling the unique challenges of maintaining NERC CIP compliance and monitoring industrial controls.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It covers everything we need it to without looking to secondary solutions."
"Cisco is great, a lot of the tech companies are doing really well, but Cisco is still in the forefront and they are on top of this category of products because they cover pretty much everything that you would need a firewall for and then you get Cisco's support behind the products."
"The security is very good."
"The software offers plenty of security solutions that can work in the most sophisticated enterprise but also works well for small/mid-range enterprises."
"What I have used the most and received the most benefit from is the IPsec technology."
"Cisco IOS Security is pretty reliable, and it also has really good documentation."
"We use Cisco IOS Security mostly for routers to route off the firewall. It's a next-generation device."
"We are able to filter a lot of traffic especially when a lot of the traffic is in layer 7."
"The most valuable feature is the integrity."
"The product supports different platforms."
"The most valuable feature is integrity management. I had some discussions with service providers, and they also agreed."
"Even if you change a single word in Notepad, it will let you know whether it was added, removed, or modified."
"File monitoring is the most valuable feature of the solution."
"Its reporting features are great. It gives you an in-depth report. Its customization is also great, and it is working fine."
"I would recommend to anybody to try out Tripwire Enterprise."
"What's most valuable in Tripwire Enterprise is the ability to execute custom COCR rules that lets me fine-tune how I monitor Linux and Windows agents."
 

Cons

"The configuration should be easier in the solution."
"It is not the most stable system that I have worked with."
"An area for improvement in Cisco IOS Security is the performance because it's not as stable sometimes."
"I would like to see much more embedded security that works and that isn't a bolt-on."
"Cisco is a scalable product, but it is expensive compared to other vendors."
"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."
"IOS security related IPS facility is not as strong as Cisco ASA and the signature file of IPS does not update automatically like Cisco ASA."
"We have a very bad experience on the support. They take too much time requesting logs, and they are not coming directly online to resolve the issues."
"There are several errors when deploying this solution to AIX systems, but with the help of support, it can be done."
"An area for improvement in Tripwire Enterprise is stability, as my company had stability issues with the last few versions of the solution. Tripwire Enterprise has been a bit buggy."
"The Windows online integration license needs to be improved."
"The deployment with certain systems can be difficult and it needs to be simplified."
"The initial setup is complex."
"The main way that it can be improved is through better reporting."
"A lot of network devices need a custom integration."
"Cloud monitoring could be better. It would also be better if the company followed a pay-as-you-use model."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of the license, to the best of my knowledge, is approximately two thousand dollars."
"We can purchase its licenses as per specific business requirements."
"You can get a better price if you commit to a longer-term license. Three years, five years, or even seven or ten years will be cheaper than a three-month or one-year term."
"The pricing is average and includes all features with support."
"The product is expensive."
"They have smart licenses that can be provided for one year, two years, three years, five years, and seven years. Alternatively, they have perpetual licenses available."
"Cisco IOS Security price could be reduced, it is more expensive than many of the other solutions, such as Sophos and Fortinet FortiGate."
"Palo Alto networks are more expensive than this solution and this is why you will see more products like this one in Mexico."
"The licensing depends on the equipment, how many devices and the types of devices."
"Tripwire is more expensive than Netwrix."
"Cloud monitoring could be better. It could also be cheaper. It would be better if the company followed a pay-as-you-use model."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) solutions are best for your needs.
908,877 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
19%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Construction Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS Security?
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.This can be a major issue as enterprise customers are o...
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
Regarding improvements in Cisco IOS Security, what consistently confuses me is the inability of Cisco to maintain a clear licensing policy.This is an issue that I have observed for years now. Cisco...
What is your primary use case for Cisco IOS Security?
The main use cases for Cisco IOS Security include elementary device hardening, access control, control-plane policing, AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting), network security, Layer 2...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

IOS Security
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
1. Aetna 2. Adobe 3. ADP 4. Airbus 5. Amazon 6. American Express 7. Aon 8. ATT 9. Bank of America 10. Barclays 11. Baxter International 12. Bechtel 13. Boeing 14. Cisco Systems 15. CocaCola 16. Comcast 17. Dell 18. ETRADE 19. ExxonMobil 20. Ford Motor Company 21. General Electric 22. General Motors 23. Google 24. JPMorgan Chase 25. Kraft Foods 26. Lockheed Martin 27. McDonald's 28. Merck 29. Microsoft 30. Morgan Stanley 31. Nike 32. Oracle
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS Security vs. Fortra's Tripwire Enterprise and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
908,877 professionals have used our research since 2012.