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Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 1.0%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is 7.9%, down from 10.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Kim Ejby Lorentzen - PeerSpot reviewer
Unified firewall management streamlines operations across branches with prompt support services
The primary use case for this solution is the management of the entire firewall portfolio across various branches Palo Alto Networks Panorama has simplified management by providing a unified interface for firewall management and configuration. One of the key advantages of Palo Alto Networks…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has a great UI and a policy deployment mechanism, and all the configuration is easily manageable for the firewalls."
"Malware detection, URL filtering, and antivirus are the most beneficial features for our security management. The platform has three main components: filters, hardware, and antivirus. We use the standard approach for automation and integration. The person in charge of management follows the rules and policies of the equipment and handles operations. However, we haven't set up any notifications, so it's mostly manual."
"I like the dashboard since it gives me a lot of information."
"Cisco's support and services are far superior to any other security product in Pakistan."
"The tool helps with internet access protection."
"The policy management capabilities streamline security tasks by facilitating policy configuration. This ensures the impactful implementation of security policies during product installation, enhancing overall security measures."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the intrusion prevention system."
"I like its system management and filtering options as a layer seven firewall."
"One of the key advantages of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is its unified platform that is quite similar to the firewall interface, making it easier for tech consultants to manage."
"The firewall rules and policies are the most valuable aspects of the solution."
"It's easy to deploy any software or policies."
"I like its flexibility."
"Using this solution means that you can store logs for longer periods, up to perhaps two years, depending on your attached storage."
"The solution offers good logging features."
"Palo Alto Networks Panorama is stable."
"The solution is easy to use."
 

Cons

"The IOS and the deploy option could be improved."
"Cisco Firepower has been effective in solving various problems, but it could be improved by making it simpler and more user-friendly like Fortinet."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center could improve by being less expensive."
"Cisco firewalls use old ESR or a Linux system, and there are problems with encryption. When we switch on encryption, the throughput goes down."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center needs to reduce its price."
"The first version had a lot of bugs, but the recent versions have sorted them out."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center's logging functionality could be improved."
"The interface is an area that could be improved."
"Instead of searching their knowledge base in their website, maybe they can interact with us in the user interface to explain things better."
"The initial setup requires expertise and can be a bit complex."
"When creating remote access for users, it would be beneficial to be able to base the object on on-premises or the cloud."
"The ability to add scheduled jobs would be a significant improvement. Panorama has the ability to push out OS updates, but it would be nice to be able to schedule those updates so not to affect the site during normal business hours."
"The implementation is not that easy."
"An area for improvement would be the connectivity, which sometimes means logs can be slow to display."
"The initial setup can be complex."
"There could be more integrations with third parties."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The platform is costly."
"When you are using a Cisco solution you know it will be expensive. Cisco makes you pay for everything individually. We pay for the licenses that we need."
"As for pricing, the tool is expensive for us. I'd rate it eight out of ten on a scale where ten is the most expensive."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center has the best price on the market."
"The price of the solution is expensive. We do not have to pay more than the standard licensing fees."
"One of the advantages of Cisco is its range of flexible licensing options."
"Technical support is an additional annual cost and is not included with the license."
"It could be considered relatively cheaper when compared to some other vendors in the market."
"With the URL filtering, we probably went down from around four hours in response time to about five minutes."
"The price of Panorama is expensive."
"It is not a cheap solution."
"My company pays for the licensing cost of Palo Alto Networks Panorama yearly, and it's all-inclusive, so there's no need to pay extra for some features."
"Everyone, I suppose, would like the price to be improved. Price is always a good thing to change."
"It is pretty reasonable as compared to other companies."
"The price of Palo Alto Networks Panorama could be lower."
"The pricing is considered a little bit expensive, but depending on the client, it's worth it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
22%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Engineering Company
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
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...
What do you like most about Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks Panorama for me is the centralized management of multiple firewalls.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
The solution requires more flexibility and quicker response times. High-speed replies are crucial. Additionally, the AI module should be on-premises, not in the cloud. It should support more flexib...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs. Palo Alto Networks Panorama and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,686 professionals have used our research since 2012.