Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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
1.8
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers mixed financial results, but benefits include cost reduction, efficiency, and ransomware protection.
Sentiment score
6.9
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall offers cost savings, enhanced security, and value with favorable pricing and comprehensive features over competitors.
There are a lot of solutions which can provide the same features.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall provides the same features that higher-end models offer, but at a much lower cost.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center's support is praised but has response time issues, sanctions, and overwhelming documentation.
Sentiment score
7.6
FortiGate CNF offers effective customer support, scoring high user ratings, yet there's room for improvement, particularly with technical training.
I rate the technical support from Cisco as ten out of ten.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
For technical support from the vendor, I would give it probably an eight as they are fairly responsive and usually fairly knowledgeable.
Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)
There is local support through the distributor, which is efficient and provides a friendly relationship.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
Fortinet's support is good and helpful.
Director at Movate
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center excels in scalability, effectively supporting diverse user needs and network environments with flexible licensing.
Sentiment score
7.0
FortiGate CNF is scalable, flexible, but faces challenges with hardware compatibility and seeks improvement in open-source integration.
I would rate scalability capabilities as ten out of ten.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
For the 3000 new series and the 4000, we can make a cluster.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The scalability allows for increasing the capacity through configuration adjustments.
Director at Movate
Unfortunately, FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is not very scalable.
Key Account Manager at ITBiz Solutions
There are plans to launch new projects, and once that's done, we will definitely scale our FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall as needed.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is stable and reliable, with most users rating it 7-9/10 despite occasional update issues.
Sentiment score
8.5
FortiGate CNF is praised for stability, rarely experiences issues, and is highly valued for reliable infrastructure security.
The stability of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is highly appreciated by the people I work with, as they love its reliability.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
I would rate the stability of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) as nine out of ten, indicating it is very stable.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
When we install FortiGate firewall, I do not hear back from the clients often, indicating there are usually no issues caused by the appliance.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center struggles with pricing, performance, support, integration, user management, and lacks SD-WAN functionality.
FortiGate CNF faces criticism for high pricing, limited customization, performance issues, and lagging behind competitors in AI and threat monitoring.
Now Cisco has published the 120 series and the 1100 series, which support SD-WAN features in the firewall.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
The Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) in Fortinet products, including FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF), is not very strong; we often prefer Cisco IPS instead.
Key Account Manager at ITBiz Solutions
It is a tool that we have used quite heavily, but it has a lot of vulnerabilities and they are starting to be dropping support for it.
Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)
The prices for FortiGate are way too high and are perceived as overpriced.
Technical Presales at A.G.A.S. מחשוב ותקשורת לעסקים
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is costly but offers flexible licensing and cost-effective virtual options for minimal device management.
FortiGate CNF pricing is mixed, seen as costly yet cost-effective, balancing value with enterprise needs amid currency challenges.
I find the pricing for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center to be very reasonable, as they offer the license for both virtual and hardware options.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A $80 or $200 device translates to approximately 8,000 to 10,000 Rand, which includes licensing costs.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
The pricing of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall is very good and is not considered expensive compared to other products.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
FortiGate's cost-effectiveness is noticeable as it provides many features with one license, saving costs compared to Cisco ASA.
Senior Manager Tech Compliance at Qenta Inc.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center enhances security with advanced features, seamless integration, and customization options for effective threat management.
FortiGate CNF is valued for scalability, advanced threat protection, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration with robust support.
I consider Talos feedback that Cisco provides as free threat intelligence to be the most valuable for me and for the operation of the security policy in my organization.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It provides full visibility of my devices, whether I have six or ten devices.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
Threat detection and prevention features are the most effective aspects of FortiGate CNF.
Director at Movate
It enables better segregation and integration with on-premise firewalls and infrastructure so that I can seamlessly handle both on-prem physical firewalls and cloud firewalls.
Senior Cyber Security Specialist Architect at a tech consulting company with 11-50 employees
The visibility and exposure to logs provide valuable insights for our InfraSec team, aiding in monitoring and managing communication and policies.
Senior Network Consultant at Visionet Systems Inc.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
FortiGate Cloud-Native Fire...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center1.6%
FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)2.0%
Other96.4%
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
Great dashboard with extensive visibility and good support
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration. The logging of FMC should be improved as it does not offer real-time solutions like DazaSodo.
Andrew_Jackson - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems engineer at The IT Team (New Zealand)
Centralized management has streamlined access for staff and support has consistently addressed issues quickly
I see areas for improvement, particularly around the SSL VPN. It is a tool that we have used quite heavily, but it has a lot of vulnerabilities and they are starting to be dropping support for it. So we kind of see that they have left a vacuum by removing that feature. The VPN feature is indeed the main concern so far. Security around it is a concern, and then the fact that they have just dropped it and have not really provided a solution that fits for us. Their solution was either IPsec or ZTNA, which is not as flexible as the SSL VPN was for our customers.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Firewall Security Management solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
9%
Retailer
9%
Performing Arts
9%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Media Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
The platform has significantly enhanced our organization's operations by providing secure communication channels between different office locations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
I find the pricing for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center to be very reasonable, as they offer the license for both virtual and hardware options. For the virtual option, they have minimum lice...
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
So far, I find that everything related to Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is adequate. The only thing that was missing in the portfolio was SD-WAN, which I would like to use similar to Fort...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)?
The pricing is a bit expensive, primarily due to licensing fees. Extra expenses include upgradations beyond licensing.
What needs improvement with FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)?
I see areas for improvement, particularly around the SSL VPN. It is a tool that we have used quite heavily, but it has a lot of vulnerabilities and they are starting to be dropping support for it. ...
What is your primary use case for FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF)?
The major use case for this product is if customers have on-prem hardware to protect, along with the other use cases with SD-WAN and VPN connectivity.
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs. FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.