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

Cisco Secure Access vs NetFoundry Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 22, 2026

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 Secure Access
Ranking in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
72
Ranking in other categories
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (4th), Firewalls (9th), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (3rd), ZTNA (6th), Domain Name System (DNS) Security (2nd)
NetFoundry Platform
Ranking in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
26th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA as a Service (23rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Access is 3.9%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetFoundry Platform is 1.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Access3.9%
NetFoundry Platform1.4%
Other94.7%
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
 

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.
DS
Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Easy to set up, stable, and helpful for integrating the systems that require a fast and reliable connection
They can provide hardware for specific use cases because some of the NetFoundry solutions don't have the hardware. Currently, they're more into software, but some of the clients want a single brand instead of having multiple vendors. So, if they can offer hardware as well, it would be good. If they have a firewall capability, that would be good. Currently, because they don't have a firewall, we are required to put another layer of control on top of their solution. A built-in firewall would be quite good. Their technical support can be improved. There should be a better handover of a case from one support person to another.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I rate the stability of Cisco Secure Access as ten out of ten."
"Any tool that provides telemetry through logging is a particularly good fit for us because we have to really automate our monitoring."
"It works well. It hasn't broken. While I don't know enough about all the features yet, it hasn't caused us any problems."
"After implementing Cisco Secure Access, I observed complete automation, a complete Zero Trust architecture, and complete automation of security."
"Cisco Secure Access provides application-level access, removes the dependency of VPN, and user authentications are continuously based on identity, device, and risk, which is an add-on there."
"Cisco Secure Client is really efficient for all the users and mostly for the enterprise, so I would say Cisco Secure Client would be the primary one."
"I like the dashboard feature of Cisco Secure Access the most, just how simplistic it is and user-friendly, with everything on one page as well."
"Our security posture has improved significantly with Cisco Secure Access."
"The Network as a Service that they offer is most valuable."
"The price is very reasonable compared to others and the cloud service is free."
"It is quite stable; we don't have a problem, and in terms of reliability, we haven't encountered or heard of any issues from our customers."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is in the cloud."
 

Cons

"My advice to another organization considering using Cisco Secure Access is that there is a reason the cost is high, because of the security, but other than that, that is really it."
"In my view, to improve Cisco Secure Access, any agentic AI applications or features should be added in."
"One critique I have about the onboarding process is that for a lot of Cisco apps, you do have to sign back into everything."
"To improve Cisco Secure Access, I would suggest simplifying the need for different components that Cisco has tried to implement; for example, to have Cisco Secure Access, it is necessary to have AnyConnect, ISE, and Duo, meaning there are various products that need to integrate to achieve the same result, unlike the all-in-one compact products from other vendors."
"In general, I think features can be improved."
"There is one particular disadvantage of Cisco Secure Access, and the main thing is pricing."
"Regarding support, I do not know what happened to Cisco. I contact them, and the support has been a pain."
"The license model can be simplified; it is a bit tricky to understand exactly which licenses you need."
"If they have a firewall capability, that would be good. Currently, because they don't have a firewall, we are required to put another layer of control on top of their solution. A built-in firewall would be quite good."
"The solution could provide internet access control."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is confusing. When you look at the prices, you have different licensing and years of licensing that you have to purchase. Additionally, it's unclear what service you get from those licenses regarding end-user support. We have a representative who has to walk me through it every time."
"The pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Cisco Secure Access have been very competitive compared to other platforms. I believe that if Cisco continues to improve costs or offers something similar to a Cisco credit, it would attract more customers."
"For what you get, it's a fair price in comparison to other products."
"I don't have the cost, but in terms of its management viability, it is acceptable for most of our clients. It seems quite fair."
"The price is very reasonable compared to others and the cloud service is free."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions are best for your needs.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise36
No data available
 

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...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

No data available
NetFoundry Edge Router
 

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
OSM Maritime Group, Klarrio, Alliance Technology Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Access vs. NetFoundry Platform and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.