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Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs IBM Security Network 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS)
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
68
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Security Network IPS
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
23rd
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is 4.4%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Security Network IPS is 0.6%, down from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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) ( /products/cisco-secure-ips-ngips-reviews ) 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.
Jacob_Koithra - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly and has a good blocking feature but is quite expensive
Defining the new security rules and policies sometimes becomes a challenge. Integration with other platforms becomes a challenge as well. I'd like to see more integration with other tools and technologies. XGS 7100 has an end of support for the 30th of December 2022. Many are losing support. All the products of the XGS, including XGS 3100, 4100, 5100, and 7100, support is ending in December 2022. We need to know what is the plan post that? Do we need to spend money on them? Will that be extended? There has been no communication on the website either. It's an expensive device.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Its ease of use and its ability to block and allow ports in and out of our organization are the most valuable features. It works very well. It gives us all the information that we need."
"The traffic filter of this solution is very valuable to us, and to our clients."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco NGIPS is the centralized user interface. You have the ability to quickly push out configurations across your environment using the Cisco UI. It's a powerful capability of that solution."
"The integration with the Cisco portfolio is very helpful."
"The initial setup wasn't complex or complicated."
"It is salable and technically sound."
"The tracking intelligence feature is very good. This solution provides us with the opportunity to detect threats in real-time."
"Good IPS and VirtualBox features."
"The initial setup is simple."
"The most valuable feature is its simplicity."
 

Cons

"The stability of the user console and some features could be easier to access."
"The stability needs improvement so is rated a four out of ten."
"Our customers are still facing many bugs on the system. It has matured noticeably, but we are still facing multiple stability issues on Firepower. There are more than 80 or 90 bugs for each release node. It's a considerable number of bugs."
"The look and feel of the console could be updated."
"My opinion is that this solution should improve the pricing."
"I would like to see better integration with SIEMs."
"We don't like its licensing model. It has separate licensing for all the features. For instance, to get URL filtering, you need to buy another license. Every feature set seems to require another license. Unless you purchase them all upfront, you find some surprises and realize that you can't do that because you need another license. Its logging isn't quite as good as it used to be in our previous solution. We used to have Cisco ASA, and we could view the logs a lot easier than NGIPS (also known as Firepower). We saw real-time logging, but we don't see that as much in Firepower."
"NGIPS' GUI interface could be improved and made more user-friendly."
"I'd like to see more integration with other tools and technologies."
"In the future, I would like to see a hybrid option so that we can work both on-premises and in the cloud."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing could be improved. Our customers have a yearly license."
"We pay for the IPS license to use this solution."
"The cost of the license depends on the level of support that you have with Cisco."
"The price of the solution is expensive to a degree it cannot be used by small businesses. It is best suited for medium and enterprise businesses."
"Cisco products are always expensive, but if you can afford the price then it's a great solution."
"We get cut in price since we use other Cisco products. We have the whole bundle of Cisco solutions."
"There are licensing fees depending on the features that you are using."
"Licensing fees for this solution are $3,500 USD, and there are no additional costs."
"The cost of operations is very low."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
University
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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?
In the future, I hope to see automation features like automatic blocking and rule creation. Additionally, incorporating AI capabilities would enhance its functionality.
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Also Known As

Sourcefire NGIPS, Firepower NGIPS
Security Network Intrusion Prevention System, IBM Security Network Protection, XGS, GX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Electric Power, Huntington Bank, Keycorp, Nationwide, Transunion, Marriott, Inova Health, Ford, Thomson Reuters, Dow Chemical, Equifax, Chevron, Walmart, Coca Cola
Equifax, Christian Hospital Centre
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) vs. IBM Security Network IPS and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
849,963 professionals have used our research since 2012.