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Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs Fortinet FortiGate IPS comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 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
6.7
Cisco Secure IPS effectively detects threats and integrates with NIST, yielding positive ROI despite setup costs and financial quantification challenges.
Sentiment score
6.7
Fortinet FortiGate IPS improves network efficiency, reduces costs, consolidates security, and enhances ROI by optimizing resource allocation.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Secure IPS customer service is praised for expertise but noted for inconsistent response times and initial contact challenges.
Sentiment score
7.3
Fortinet FortiGate IPS customer service is generally praised for responsiveness and comprehensiveness, though some report slow response times.
Fortinet, on the other hand, offers quicker response times and same-day RMAs, which gives them an edge in customer service.
Compared to SonicWall security services, Cisco's technical support has no competition.
The response was fast, and they provided experts to solve our issues quickly.
The support package being an additional extra, even with an enterprise package purchase, is pathetic.
The technical support from Fortinet is rather good.
Fortinet support is very responsive.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.0
Cisco Secure IPS scalability varies; effective for large environments but may need upgrades for extensive user capacity.
Sentiment score
7.1
Fortinet FortiGate IPS is highly scalable, accommodating diverse needs and expansions, with high user satisfaction among various enterprise sizes.
I can easily integrate it with FortiFabric and manage multiple firewalls and other Fortinet solutions from a single dashboard.
The scalability of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is good, and I would rate it nine out of ten.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Secure IPS is stable but has bugs; continuous improvements are needed to compete with Fortinet and Palo Alto.
Sentiment score
8.3
Fortinet FortiGate IPS is praised for its reliability and stability, with few issues and high stability ratings.
The software situation with Cisco is problematic.
There are no issues with stability, and it integrates seamlessly with the main product, which is a firewall.
Stability is generally good, but if you include FortiOS underlying in the FortiGate, there are often some patches to do and some loopholes.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure IPS needs better SIEM integration, user interface, stability, reporting, scalability, pricing, support, and cloud and endpoint integration.
Fortinet FortiGate IPS needs enhancements in pricing, performance, integration, AI capabilities, user interface, threat protection, and scalability.
CLI is very important in professional working, and it was an unwise decision by Cisco to remove it.
Incorporating AI capabilities would enhance its functionality.
More advanced AI capabilities would be beneficial in future updates.
Scalability issues.
The pricing of Fortinet FortiGate IPS could always be improved.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure IPS is costly, especially versus competitors, with pricing influenced by features, support, and potential bundling discounts.
Fortinet FortiGate IPS pricing is seen as competitive by some but expensive by others, with licenses ranging $1,000-$7,000.
It's cheaper to integrate with existing IT security solutions compared to other expensive brands with subscription costs.
There are no extra expenses involved after purchasing the solution.
I rate the pricing with an eight out of ten.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure IPS provides robust protection with strong integration, intelligence, and ease of use for comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
Fortinet FortiGate IPS delivers powerful security, ease of use, advanced features, and regular updates for diverse environments.
They can discover new versions of malware, which is very beneficial.
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is quite powerful for threat detection and includes botnet detection.
The most valuable feature is the deep inspection for traffic, which is capable of identifying zero-day attacks.
The firewalls are valuable for threat prevention.
It provides real-time updates, offering a good vision on any changes.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS)
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
10th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Fortinet FortiGate IPS
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is 4.5%, up from 4.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate IPS is 6.9%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate IPS6.9%
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS)4.5%
Other88.6%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Yosevan Sinaga Sinaga - PeerSpot reviewer
Effectively identifies malicious behavior while future automation and AI advancements hold potential
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is quite powerful for threat detection and includes botnet detection. It effectively blocks unwanted software, hashes, and suspicious behaviors. The tool is easy to integrate with other IT security solutions due to similar protocols. The system offers effective threat detection features, although automation capabilities are not yet fully utilized.
Bart Homblé - PeerSpot reviewer
Real-time updates strengthen our network edge security with effective threat detection
We use Fortinet FortiGate IPS to enhance our network security. It is especially necessary to secure the edge of the company The whole IPS suite is valuable, especially with the updates from FortiGuard. It provides real-time updates, offering a good vision on any changes. For example, if the…
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) solutions are best for your needs.
867,349 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
University
17%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise26
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise23
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco NGIPS?
The product's initial setup phase was easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco NGIPS?
Cisco is one of the top brands known for cost-effectiveness, making it worth the money. It's cheaper to integrate with existing IT security solutions compared to other expensive brands with subscri...
What needs improvement with Cisco NGIPS?
There are numerous things that could be improved about Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) to get it back on track. Sollution for small branches: when we have to connect a lot very small branches (or sometime...
What do you like most about Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
The most significant aspect of IPS is self-explanatory as it primarily focuses on intrusion prevention, which is crucial for Fortinet's internal outbreak prevention efforts and ensuring compliance ...
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiGate IPS?
The operational logic is not as straightforward as a Sophos XGS device. When creating rules in the Sophos firewall, they are more intuitive than in the Fortinet FortiGate IPS device. The Fortinet F...
 

Also Known As

Sourcefire NGIPS, Firepower NGIPS
FortiGate IPS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Electric Power, Huntington Bank, Keycorp, Nationwide, Transunion, Marriott, Inova Health, Ford, Thomson Reuters, Dow Chemical, Equifax, Chevron, Walmart, Coca Cola
Riverside Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Dell SecureWorks, Credit Bank Zagreb
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs. Fortinet FortiGate IPS and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,349 professionals have used our research since 2012.