

Skybox Security Suite and Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center are leading contenders in the security management space. Skybox appears to have an edge in scalability and large network insights, while Cisco benefits from product integration and centralized management.
Features:Skybox Security Suite is known for its massive scalability, network path analysis, and comprehensive vulnerability management. It offers valuable insights, particularly for large networks. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center excels with its seamless integration within the Cisco ecosystem, its powerful Intrusion Prevention System, and extensive application visibility that benefits users within the Cisco environment.
Room for Improvement:Skybox's transition from a thick client interface to a web-based GUI could enhance user experience. Improvement is needed in change management and reporting features to better suit evolving user needs. Cisco Firewall Management Center should focus on crafting more intuitive dashboards and simplifying its patching processes to improve real-time monitoring effectiveness.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Skybox offers on-premises and hybrid cloud deployment, providing flexibility for diverse needs. Cisco supports quicker and more efficient customer service, whereas Skybox may face delays due to limited engineer availability and requires enhancement in multilingual support.
Pricing and ROI:Skybox is perceived as pricey with a complicated licensing model, urging precise ROI evaluation, especially for smaller companies. Its feature-rich solutions are valuable for large enterprises. Cisco also presents high costs but offers adaptable licensing options, making it reasonably priced against other options, though pricing can still be challenging for some customers.
With Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, we can push policies centrally to multiple devices in just a few minutes, which has significantly reduced the effort and time.
There are a lot of solutions which can provide the same features.
Cisco's documentation and knowledge base are quite strong, which helps with resolving issues without always raising a ticket.
I rate the technical support from Cisco as ten out of ten.
A significant issue was contacting support after hours on the weekends.
It supports managing multiple devices and policies from a single console, which makes scaling operations easier.
For the 3000 new series and the 4000, we can make a cluster.
I would rate scalability capabilities as ten out of ten.
One issue I faced with scalability was the transition from Skybox Security Suite's 6500 platform to the 7500 series due to licensing costs becoming prohibitive.
We have not faced any major outages from the platform itself.
Now Cisco has published the 120 series and the 1100 series, which support SD-WAN features in the firewall.
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.
At times, it can feel complex, especially for new users, and navigation between different sections could be more intuitive.
The lack of continued support and problematic licensing costs were also areas needing improvement.
Only the licensing part of Skybox had an edge. We were not renewing the licenses of Skybox every year, but in the case of other tools, we would have to renew if we wanted to use those tools.
It would be better if something more attractive or similar useful information found in AlgoSec was available.
If I have only one firewall with high availability deployment, it becomes very reasonable when I purchase Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center relative to my deployment or actual need.
The initial setup cost can be significant because it involves licensing along with compatible hardware or virtual deployment.
From a commercial perspective, AlgoSec is more expensive compared to Skybox Security Suite.
The pricing became prohibitive when transitioning between the 6500 and 7500 series models.
With Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, we can manage policies from a single console, which has improved efficiency and reduced configuration errors.
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.
It provides full visibility of my devices, whether I have six or ten devices.
The tool successfully helped in preventing vulnerabilities and breaches.
Skybox Security Suite's network modeling and path analysis is a good feature when we need to check regarding the connectivity.
The most helpful feature is the firewall analyzer.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Skybox Security Suite | 7.7% |
| Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center | 2.6% |
| Other | 89.7% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 12 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 9 |
| Large Enterprise | 8 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 21 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 21 |
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is a robust platform with features like intrusion prevention and centralized management, enhancing security with compatibility across Cisco's ecosystem.
Designed for enterprises, Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center provides advanced features like application visibility and seamless policy deployment. Its user-friendly design and extensive monitoring capabilities enable effective network management. While it excels in threat intelligence and automation, challenges remain in interface complexity, pricing, and performance. Improved API integration and enhanced user support would bolster its functionality, especially in policy management and monitoring.
What are the key features?In financial and healthcare industries, Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center optimizes security operations by managing firewalls and ensuring network protection. Its deployment aids in advanced malware detection, supporting compliance with industry regulations and securing sensitive data efficiently.
Skybox Security Suite provides network path analysis, firewall assurance, change management, and vulnerability control. It supports diverse security operations with automation and threat insights through a comprehensive dashboard, offering scalability in large networks and integration with various vendors.
Skybox Security Suite excels in network visualization, firewall rule management, compliance checks, and vulnerability management. It enables cybersecurity teams to audit firewall configurations, ensure compliance with standards like NIST, and identify security gaps. It simplifies security operations for complex network environments with effective integration and optimization features. Despite its high pricing, the suite's automation capabilities, data extraction ease, and extensive threat insights are critical for network infrastructure optimization. Areas for improvement include a web interface, enhanced reporting and automation, broader vendor support, and improved customer support and integration with tools and devices.
What are the key features of Skybox Security Suite?Skybox Security Suite is utilized across industries for its robust network visualization, compliance, and vulnerability management capabilities. Financial services focus on auditing and firewall management to meet stringent regulatory standards. Healthcare relies on it for vulnerability monitoring and patient data protection. Energy sectors benefit from its change management and threat insight features to secure large and diverse infrastructures.
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