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Cisco Secure Access vs Forcepoint ONE comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 6, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.2
Cisco Secure Access boosts ROI with efficiency, cost savings, enhanced security, AI-driven features, and improved user experience.
Sentiment score
6.2
Forcepoint ONE reduces HIPAA risks, enhances cybersecurity, and boosts efficiency, reducing costs and improving productivity with centralized management.
At Amazon, we knew exactly how much it would cost if a fulfillment center was down for an hour.
Director, Network Services at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
The AI features further contribute by expediting threat detection and incident response, ensuring tangible returns through operational savings.
Principle Cloud Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It is one of those tools that needs to work right out of the box, and thankfully, it does; it is reliable, and the setup time was quick and straightforward.
Cyber Security Manager at a non-profit with 501-1,000 employees
I have fewer employees because Forcepoint ONE does the work that I used to rely on a team of engineers to previously detect.
Presales engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Since I'm on the technical side, I don't handle ROI or financial metrics directly, but based on client feedback, many have seen improvements in operational efficiency mainly through centralized policy management and reduced manual investigation time, resulting in time savings and better visibility across their environments.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
It is very difficult to measure the return on investment, but the control for the data is very important for companies because without an application similar to Forcepoint ONE, there is no control.
Security Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Cisco Secure Access customer service is efficient, knowledgeable, and generally well-rated, with users praising support engineers' expertise.
Sentiment score
6.9
Forcepoint ONE's customer service is praised for its responsiveness, professionalism, and commitment to resolving complex issues swiftly.
Cisco TAC is very competent.
Network Operations Engineer at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
With our established point of contact within Cisco, our experience has greatly improved; we no longer log all issues through technical cases, as we can go directly to our account managers or customer service team, which expedites resolution.
Cyber Security Manager at a non-profit with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate the technical support ten out of ten. Hands down.
Senior Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Having a local principal support available also helps speed up communication and coordination, especially for urgent or region-specific cases.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
An engineer comes to resolve the issue.
Security Engineer at itsipl
They are responsive and assist me with creating cases for any complex issues.
Deputy Manager of Networks and Communications at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
5.5
Cisco Secure Access efficiently scales with organizational growth, integrating seamlessly with infrastructures while offering robust performance and adaptability.
Sentiment score
7.2
Forcepoint ONE provides efficient scalability and seamless expansion with cloud-native architecture, integrating security and supporting large enterprises.
We turn the traffic to the Cisco Secure Access cloud, and we can manage and apply the policies that are necessary, making it very easy to scale the solution.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Cisco has a great benefit in that you can integrate with other solutions in an easy way because it has a lot of protocols to integrate with others and sophisticated steps that we can apply for integration.
IT Manager at Bavaria Egypt S.A.E.
Performance has remained consistent, usage has increased, and we have not experienced scalability-related limitations.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
It can easily scale to support thousands of users and devices without requiring major infrastructure changes.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Forcepoint ONE runs smoothly, and scaling is easy.
Security Engineer at itsipl
Forcepoint ONE is very scalable because it is located in the cloud, and I don't have to manage the machines or anything with the infrastructure.
Security Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Cisco Secure Access offers reliable performance and 99.9% uptime, with occasional, swiftly resolved issues like SSL decryption challenges.
Sentiment score
7.9
Forcepoint ONE offers 99.99% uptime, minimal latency, high stability, easy scalability, and operates seamlessly with few performance concerns.
Cisco is renowned for their reliability, and their products perform well under high data usage.
Network Operations Engineer at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The service consistently provides secure connectivity for remote users, contractors, and hybrid environments with minimal disruption.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
I rate the stability of Cisco Secure Access as ten out of ten.
General Manager at Datasoft Comnet
Forcepoint ONE is very stable.
Security Engineer at itsipl
There have been some specific outcomes since switching to Forcepoint ONE.
Senior Network Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
I think Forcepoint ONE is pretty stable, as the connection and agent synchronization are reliable, but it can still be improved.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure Access needs better integration, simplified pricing, enhanced AI, automation, and improved analytics for efficient administration.
Forcepoint ONE needs better integration, scalability, intuitive design, documentation, policy management, threat detection, and responsive enterprise support.
Modernization is needed, specifically in the enhancement of security features and functionality.
Pre-Sales Solution Partner at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
It was challenging to learn because it has a significant learning curve and requires considerable training to become proficient.
Network Operations Engineer at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The granular access issue is coming from the product limitation at the moment, as it does not offer us the option to tell it that a particular role can only manage websites, allowed sites, and blocked sites.
Technical Product Owner at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I need to control specific functionalities within certain applications, like preventing the transfer of certain file types.
Deputy Manager of Networks and Communications at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Having more flexible reporting and alert customization to tailor insights for different clients and compliance needs would be beneficial.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
There is room for improvement in making the reporting closer to real-time, ideally around five or ten minutes instead of half an hour.
Head of IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure Access offers value but requires careful evaluation of pricing models, discounts, and service expectations for enterprise suitability.
Enterprise buyers appreciate Forcepoint ONE's competitive pricing and flexible licensing, with potential additional costs for maintenance and training.
The solution is cheaper than premium options such as Palo Alto, existing Cisco licenses facilitate replacing previous solutions with Cisco Secure Access smoothly and affordably.
Principle Cloud Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It is good because you want to push Cisco Secure Access, and regarding the price, it is very much below other products.
Junior Information Technology Consultant Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Improvement on the pricing will help in expanding the market for Cisco Secure Access and then it can be affordable to much more number of companies than what it is right now.
Technical Manager at Ledorbis Solutions
The pricing is very good and cheaper than other solutions like Netskope and Forcepoint.
Deputy Manager of Networks and Communications at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
the pricing is better than all
Security Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
The licensing and pricing were fine with no issues.
Head of IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Access enhances connectivity and security with VPN, Zero Trust, AI policy management, and cloud-based architecture.
Forcepoint ONE offers comprehensive security with data protection, compliance, and integration, enhancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness in cloud environments.
It eliminates the hassle of switching on VPNs and provides a direct connection to resources via Cisco Secure Access.
General Manager at Datasoft Comnet
They are sending the traffic encrypted and categorizing the traffic based on the type, whether web traffic or internet traffic, and doing the security mechanism that is needed for the traffic type.
Solution Architect at Velocis Systems
Using ZTNA in Cisco Secure Access has positively affected my transition and my clients' transition to Zero Trust and least privilege principles, reinforcing the security posture.
Ts Senior Technical Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The most valuable feature was the website blocking capability, which allowed me to quickly block any dodgy websites.
Head of IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
It shortens response time for our clients, allowing their security team to view incidents in real-time, classify them easily, and focus on genuine risks instead of sorting through false positives, and it simplifies reporting and audit preparation since all the relevant data is consolidated in one place.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Forcepoint ONE made a difference, particularly regarding cost reduction because all the features that Forcepoint ONE bundles are in one package.
Presales engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Access
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
4th
Ranking in Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)
3rd
Ranking in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
72
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (9th), ZTNA (6th), Domain Name System (DNS) Security (2nd)
Forcepoint ONE
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
13th
Ranking in Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)
13th
Ranking in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
14th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Access is 3.1%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Forcepoint ONE is 1.7%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Access3.1%
Forcepoint ONE1.7%
Other95.2%
Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2788500 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Operations Engineer at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Secure access has unified zero trust and web protection while AI assistance automates tasks
From a feature perspective, I have not experienced any issues, drawbacks, or shortcomings. However, the cost of Cisco's products and licensing is high. My clients usually prefer cheaper options if possible. Mid-size or smaller businesses typically cannot afford Cisco Secure Access. Additionally, there is a steep learning curve, as it is very intensive. Someone with significant knowledge can work on it, but a new professional would have to spend considerable time to get accustomed to it. It is hard to find engineers who can work on it. Overall, we get what we pay for, as it is a pretty good feature and service. The pricing of Cisco's products and licensing is higher than competitors. If they could be more reasonable, that would help. The support offered for two years also has higher costs. Overall, the client's IT budget gets affected. It was challenging to learn because, as mentioned, it has a significant learning curve and requires considerable training to become proficient.
reviewer2765397 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Delivers reliable policy control and improves data protection across cloud and endpoints
The best features Forcepoint ONE offers include the DLP engine with predefined policies for common data types that help us determine and use it directly, as well as cloud app control to protect SaaS platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. We are also helped by the Incident Management Dashboard for quick review and policy tuning, along with integration with Forcepoint Endpoint DLP, allowing us consistent enforcement across devices. The DLP engine and Incident Management Dashboard have made our work much more efficient in daily operations, as detection accuracy reduces the need for manual review, and the centralized dashboard helps us quickly identify which incidents need escalation or policy adjustment. It shortens response time for our clients, allowing their security team to view incidents in real-time, classify them easily, and focus on genuine risks instead of sorting through false positives, and it simplifies reporting and audit preparation since all the relevant data is consolidated in one place. One feature that really stands out for us and our client is the seamless integration between Forcepoint ONE and the on-premise Forcepoint DLP, as it allows consistent data protection policy across both cloud and endpoint environments, making it much easier to manage. Forcepoint ONE has positively impacted our organization by streamlining DLP policy management and reducing time spent on troubleshooting and manual reviews, providing faster compliance reporting for internal needs and compliance with local regulation, and improving visibility into how sensitive data moves across cloud and endpoint environments. Overall, it helps our customers operate more efficiently and confidently in enforcing data protection controls.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Secure Web Gateways (SWG) solutions are best for your needs.
909,647 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise36
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Access?
Before adopting Cisco Secure Access, we primarily relied on traditional VPN-based remote access solutions combined with supporting security tools for web filtering, access control, and visibility. ...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Access?
Cisco Secure Access serves as our primary solution for providing secure remote access to corporate applications and resources for a distributed workforce. We use it to enforce consistent security p...
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Secure Access?
My biggest piece of advice is to approach Cisco Secure Access as a strategic, zero trust initiative rather than simply a replacement for traditional VPN technology. Organizations get the most value...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Forcepoint ONE?
The aspects of pricing, setup cost, and licensing are managed by our sales team, as I handle the technical side.
What needs improvement with Forcepoint ONE?
Forcepoint ONE could be improved in terms of scalability to better support hybrid environments, as many organizations still operate partially on-premises while gradually moving to the cloud. Enhanc...
What advice do you have for others considering Forcepoint ONE?
I advise others looking into using Forcepoint ONE to study its features, as it covers many of the use cases usually associated with customers looking into solutions like this. I would rate this pro...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Bitglass
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1. IBM 2. Microsoft 3. Amazon 4. Google 5. Apple 6. Cisco Systems 7. Oracle 8. Intel 9. HP Inc. 10. Dell Technologies 11. Verizon Communications 12. AT&T 13. Comcast 14. T-Mobile 15. Sprint 16. Vodafone 17. Orange 18. BT Group 19. Deutsche Telekom 20. Telefonica 21. Nokia 22. Ericsson 23. Samsung Electronics 24. Sony 25. Panasonic 26. LG Electronics 27. Siemens 28. General Electric 29. Ford Motor Company 30. General Motors 31. Toyota Motor Corporation 32. Volkswagen Group
UNC-Charlotte
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Access vs. Forcepoint ONE and other solutions. Updated: July 2026.
909,647 professionals have used our research since 2012.