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Cisco IOS Security vs NetFort LANGuardian comparison

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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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS Security
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (38th), Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (17th)
NetFort LANGuardian
Average Rating
10.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (89th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Cisco IOS Security and NetFort LANGuardian aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco IOS Security is designed for Firewalls and holds a mindshare of 0.6%, up 0.4% compared to last year.
NetFort LANGuardian, on the other hand, focuses on Network Monitoring Software, holds 0.4% mindshare, up 0.2% since last year.
Firewalls Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco IOS Security0.6%
Fortinet FortiGate12.9%
Cisco Secure Firewall8.1%
Other78.4%
Firewalls
Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
NetFort LANGuardian0.4%
NETSCOUT Network & Application Observability3.8%
Zabbix3.7%
Other92.1%
Network Monitoring Software
 

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.
it_user172854 - PeerSpot reviewer
Research Special Projects Lead at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Cost effective but when we originally purchased LANGuardian, some features needed further development.
The ability to detect and decipher torrent traffic for the purpose of identifying what some refer to as "copyright violators" Our CIO asked us to track down the source of undesired uploads, which trigger e-mails received by outside bodies regarding what they refer to as "copyright violations",…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is endpoint protection."
"The technical support is good."
"Cisco IOS allows us to keep the same security features as our principal offices."
"The hardware is pretty stable. It's also a very good product performance-wise. Initially, it wasn't mature like a firewall and there were other leaders, but now they have included almost all the features of next-generation security. Basically, it's a good product to work with."
"The Intrusion Firewall is a valuable feature."
"We are able to filter a lot of traffic especially when a lot of the traffic is in layer 7."
"The product's stability is good."
"Thinking about the ease of managing these platforms and the technical support that we have, we can avoid extra costs and investments."
"Our CIO asked us to track down the source of undesired uploads, which trigger e-mails received by outside bodies regarding what they refer to as "copyright violations", and Languardian was the most efficient and effective tool for the job."
"If you are looking for a solid solution that can be easily deployed then I'd recommend considering Netfort solutions."
 

Cons

"The solution is complex and can be more user-friendly."
"Sometimes I find it difficult to manage. Some configurations are difficult for new engineers, for example."
"The solution’s setup process could be better."
"It's a good device yet it's not a market leader. There are better options for customers to choose from."
"While I do not have specific recommendations for improvement, pricing can be reduced."
"I think they should bring back remote VPN for users."
"While Cisco IOS Security is stable and scalable, I would like to see it improved to be even better."
"A few things have room for improvement in your opinion. That would start with cost."
"Sure, at the time we bought the product, the GUI and graphs/reports/pie charts etc ... were not fully developed."
"It takes a long time to load results. I think it would be great if they fix the slowness issue in the next release."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is expensive."
"Cisco IOS Security is not very expensive, and pricing depends on where you live. It's affordable for both individuals and institutions. On a scale from one to five, I would give Cisco's pricing a four."
"The licensing is on a subscription basis, and it is fairly costly. I would prefer a one-time payment."
"The product is expensive."
"The licenses for this solution are expensive."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The cost may be around $5,000 to $10,000 a year. If you want support you have to pay at least this price."
"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."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
16%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
16%
Construction Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Outsourcing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise18
No data available
 

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...
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Also Known As

IOS Security
LANGuardian
 

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
City of Armadale, NCG Group, King Faisal Hospital
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, Cisco, Netgate and others in Firewalls. Updated: October 2026.
920,574 professionals have used our research since 2012.