Cisco Secure Access vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform comparison

Cisco and Versa Networks are both solutions in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category. Cisco is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.6, while Versa Networks is ranked #18 with an average rating of 7.7. Cisco holds a 2.5% mindshare in SASE, compared to Versa Networks’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Versa Networks users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 6, 2024

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge and Cisco Secure Access compete in the secure access solutions category. Versa appears better in pricing and user support, while Cisco is favored for its advanced features.

Features: Versa SASE incorporates integrated security functions, robust scaling capabilities, and cost-effectiveness. Cisco Secure Access includes a wide range of network security features, superior integration abilities, and adaptability.

Room for Improvement: Versa could enhance its analytics, reporting tools, and expand customization features. Cisco is suggested to improve configuration options, expand documentation, and refine usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Versa SASE offers a streamlined deployment process and positive customer service feedback. Cisco provides efficient deployment but has mixed reviews regarding support response times, although their assistance is detailed.

Pricing and ROI: Versa SASE is recognized as cost-effective with a rapid return on investment. Cisco Secure Access, while slightly more costly upfront, is seen as a valuable long-term investment due to its extensive features.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Access vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

July 2025

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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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of iboss is 1.8%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Access is 2.5%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is 1.5%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Featured Reviews

Matt Crockford

Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water

It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless

One aspect we value about iboss is its simplicity. Their customer service is brilliant, and they are super responsive and knowledgeable. It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless. We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times. The user interface is highly intuitive. Our IT team picked it up with minimal training. It's arranged so that it's easy to find where things are. Another advantage is the single pane of glass console, which gives you visibility into what's happening. We're not fully there yet because we haven't implemented zero trust, but we're excited about the possibilities from the demos we've seen. We launched a POC of iboss' ChatGPT Risk Protection feature two weeks ago. AI is a great tool, but you need to be careful what you put into it. My biggest fear is employees inputting sensitive corporate information or customer PII data into one of these chatbots. I was impressed by our trial of the feature. It's exactly what we wanted. Now, when a user goes to ChatGPT, there's a banner warning them not to share information, and we can block conversations containing customer data like bank details and email addresses. I don't want to stop people from using it, but we need visibility. We've only tried it on a test group of 15 people. You can configure it to look for specific keywords or integrate it with your DLP policy if you have that configured

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Vasil Blagov

Manager, Network at Duracell International, Inc.

Easy management and security ensure reliable 24/7 connectivity

Zero Trust Network Access has helped my organization in securing standard applications because it's mandated to have it. It provides peace of mind knowing that we have that deployed in our network. Cisco Secure Access's ability to provide secure access via standard HTTP2, and optionally, QUIC protocol is good. It complies with the new standards. The impact of Cisco Secure Access on protecting my organization from phishing and ransomware threats has been good so far. We've been doing well with no threats.

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PranavGupta

Assistant Manager at Shyam Telecom Group

A cloud-managed, cloud-delivered private access service efficiently connecting distributed users with. distributed applications without compromising on security or user experience.

Certainly, there are areas that require enhancement, and the current focus is on improvements. Presently, I believe that the emphasis should be on enhancing user interface (UI) features, particularly over end devices. The issue arises when attempting to log in to Versa from other devices, as the UI is not device-specific. Consequently, guiding someone to log in to Versa antivirus becomes challenging. Despite the absence of issues on the website, the lack of a login scope impedes graphical representation of user data or databases. Since work databases support only a limited range of features, I recommend augmenting features for end devices to address these limitations.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent. That's something that really helped us out. It's not just a simple proxy that just blocks the insights of potential threats that come on behind it. They do malware detection and that helps us a lot."

"First of all, the security policies are essential. I do not have to rely solely on Active Directory for our users."

"Granular setup, which was able to set different levels of filters using the OUs in the AD."

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"iboss is pretty scalable. They provide good support. The case managers you work with to coordinate what you need are pretty good."

"Our primary use case for this product is DLP,"

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device. It operates on the network side and is not device-based. This feature was one of the main reasons why we stayed with them for so long."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

More iboss pros

"Cisco Secure Access has protected our company against threats such as phishing or ransomware, as we have seen it successfully address various cybersecurity vulnerabilities."

"The feature of Cisco Secure Access I appreciate the most is the DNS functionality."

"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."

"I rate the stability of Cisco Secure Access as ten out of ten."

"The impact Cisco Secure Access has on protecting my company from threats such as phishing and ransomware is significant."

"They've protected us from threats like phishing and ransomware."

"I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten."

"The main feature of interest to me and the customers is DNS security and Integrated Secure Web Control (ISWC)."

More Cisco Secure Access pros

"I like all the features. We utilize different LAN, bandwidth transferring, bandwidth balancing, and mappings. We use it as a centralized solution, and use the same product at all our locations."

"The most valuable features are the main steering and the firewall. The security features and SD-WAN features are also quite good."

"The granularity when it comes to configuration and security features are valuable."

"The product has a dynamic VPN feature for SD-WAN."

"Their dashboard is also a good point for us and the customer. The solution is very clean and easy."

"Our organization finds the application routing features extremely useful."

"It's very powerful, especially for engineering teams."

"Versa FlexVNF is a scalable product because it does not have any hardware dependencies. This makes it a versatile solution that can be easily integrated with any firewall."

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform pros

Cons

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"Sometimes when you call in support, you get someone who is just following a sheet. It feels like a runaround. You feel that you are running into that support wall."

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc. It is easy to gain access if, for example, hackers obtain my username and password."

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability with in the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing. It is kind of there, but it's not perfect. Quite frequently, I receive links that lead me to pages with error messages."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"To scale up, a new iboss Node Blade Chassis must be purchased."

More iboss cons

"In my opinion, Cisco Secure Access could be improved by potentially incorporating features that other brands have been using. I"

"From a licensing perspective, Cisco can improve."

"Cisco Secure Access can be improved with more integration; the more integrations, the better. There are always third-party products that you might have, such as Carbon Black."

"The main issue with pricing is that it is higher compared to other competitors, making it challenging to work with customers unless they specifically request Cisco."

"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 licensing is confusing."

"There is a need for improved global coverage since the service relies on the cloud provider's data centers."

"We don't have any good tools right now, which is a problem."

More Cisco Secure Access cons

"We've had the odd occasional stability issue with software upgrades."

"The support needs to be improved."

"Future releases should contain AI for the voice feature."

"Certainly, there are areas that require enhancement, and the current focus is on improvements. Presently, I believe that the emphasis should be on enhancing user interface (UI) features, particularly over end devices. The issue arises when attempting to log in to Versa from other devices, as the UI is not device-specific. Consequently, guiding someone to log in to Versa antivirus becomes challenging. Despite the absence of issues on the website, the lack of a login scope impedes graphical representation of user data or databases. Since work databases support only a limited range of features, I recommend augmenting features for end devices to address these limitations."

"I heard about them for the first time just before I started working on Versa. They do have blogs for information, but they could publicize more about the documentation and architecture. It doesn't seem to have that much exposure, and they should work on their customer base more."

"The security should be improved."

"The cost of Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is higher than other solutions available in the market."

"The stability of FlexVNF's controller and devices could be improved."

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"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."

"Price wise, it's more expensive than is the competition. I would give pricing a rating of three out of five."

"It is neither cheap nor expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten on a scale where one is cheap and ten is expensive."

"While I cannot provide too much commentary on the price, I feel it to be fair for the moment."

"It is not very expensive because of the white box support. Its hardware is much cheaper than other products. With the support for x86 and white box, it is one of the most cost-effective platforms that are currently available."

"The price is expensive but it makes sense for the market."

"I find Versa a little more expensive than VMware in terms of remote access and secure web gateway elements."

"We provide subscriptions for our customers on a yearly, not monthly, basis."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company Exxon...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

Previously when I used iboss, we did the POC for iboss for ExxonMobil. Four or five people wanted to move from our ol...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern. There are cheaper alte...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Access?

For what you get, it's a fair price in comparison to other products.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Access?

Our main use cases for Cisco Secure Access are security and managing access.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Secure Access?

My advice to other organizations considering Cisco Secure Access is that they should definitely give it a try. It's o...

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What do you like most about Versa Titan?

The necessary enhancement pertains to the controller segment, specifically addressing the issue of frequent flapping ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Versa Titan?

The solution is very expensive, costing above one crore Indian rupees for our setup, which spans around twenty five b...

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What needs improvement with Versa Titan?

The cost of Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is higher than other solutions available in the market. A...

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Comparisons

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 15% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 13% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 11% of the time

Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

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Cisco Umbrella vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 53% of the time

Netskope vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 15% of the time

FortiSASE vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 11% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 7% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 7% of the time

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Fortinet FortiGate vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 18% of the time

Meraki SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 12% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 12% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 11% of the time

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

Compared 8% of the time

More Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

August 2025

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access

August 2025

Download Cisco Secure Access product report

Buyer's Guide

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

July 2025

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform report

Download Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

Versa FlexVNF, FlexVNF, Versa Titan

Overview

iboss offers a comprehensive security platform designed for diverse use cases such as web filtering, data loss protection, corporate proxy services, and URL filtering.

iboss integrates advanced features to address dynamic security needs, leveraging its strength in SASE, ZTNA, AI initiatives, and cloud integration, while ensuring seamless operations for remote work. It excels in historical forensics, malware protection, and flexible cloud deployments. Users benefit from comprehensive traffic scanning, robust malware detection, and PaaS capabilities that reduce hardware management. An intuitive admin console ensures efficient management with content filtering and low false positives. SSL decryption enhances security, while DLP protects data in AI conversations. Deployment is rapid and scalable, allowing effortless integration with emerging technologies.

What features does iboss offer?

Granular Web Filtering: Provides precise control over web content access.
Traffic Scanning: Monitors data through multiple ports for security breaches.
Malware Detection: Ensures superior protection against malware threats.
PaaS Capabilities: Eliminates need for hardware management.
SSL Decryption: Enhances data protection by decrypting secure connections.
DLP Capabilities: Safeguards data during AI interactions.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts quickly to growing demands and emerging tech integration.
Rapid Deployment: Reduces time to implement security measures.
User-Friendly Admin Console: Facilitates efficient operations management.
Low False Positives: Increases accuracy of threat detection systems.

iboss finds significant application in sectors such as education, where web filtering for K-12 is crucial, and in corporate environments requiring robust proxy services and URL filtering for network security. Its adaptability is essential in scenarios demanding flexible, decentralized security frameworks, particularly for remote work setups.

iboss

Cisco Secure Access is a comprehensive solution that ensures secure access to networks and protects against unauthorized access. It is used for network authentication, enforcing access policies, managing user identities, securing remote access, and providing secure connectivity for devices. Users have praised its robust security measures, seamless integration with existing systems, user-friendly interface, and reliable network performance.

Cisco

The Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform is a comprehensive solution that provides secure access to cloud applications and services. It combines networking and security functions into a single platform, making it easier for organizations to manage their network infrastructure. The platform includes features such as SD-WAN, VPN, firewall, web filtering, and more. It also offers advanced security capabilities such as intrusion prevention, malware protection, and threat intelligence. With the Versa SASE Platform, organizations can ensure secure access to their cloud applications and services from any location, while also reducing costs and simplifying network management.

Versa Networks

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

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

CenturyLink, RCN Business, Colt Technology Services

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

July 2025

Free Report: Cisco Secure Access vs. Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform

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