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

Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs Cisco Sourcefire SNORT vs Trellix Intrusion Prevention System comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Secure Network Analytics1.2%
Zabbix11.7%
LibreNMS4.6%
Other82.5%
Network Monitoring Software
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Sourcefire SNORT3.5%
Darktrace18.0%
Vectra AI10.6%
Other67.9%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Trellix Intrusion Prevention System3.5%
Darktrace18.0%
Vectra AI10.6%
Other67.9%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid - PeerSpot reviewer
Have streamlined network visibility and troubleshooting while seeing benefits from AI integration
In terms of improvements for Cisco Secure Network Analytics, from the implementation point of view, now that AI is in use, some other features need to be upgraded considering AI solutions. Proper management of the database is also important; it should be centralized for easier data collection from a single database. When precise manual analysis is needed, it's sometimes difficult, so having a centralized database will allow network admins to find actual scenarios more effectively, especially since some information may not be visible on the GUI. Cisco should upgrade their hardware part to run the database, because sometimes it cannot handle the load while all features are running in the network. The database management should indeed be centralized because while AI runs behind the systems, central management is essential. For example, in a network with 100 Cisco switches, a few routers, firewalls, and access points, all data generated should be preserved in a central database. This approach simplifies management and analysis for troubleshooting, as GUI interfaces may not always provide visible information. Centralizing the database will allow for better understanding of which information is preserved for each specific device.
Jack Poon - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers ease of setup and good documentation
When it comes to the product's deployment phase, we have a lot of vendor support. We have a lot of skills here in Hong Kong. Our company doesn't find any problem deploying Cisco solutions. The solution is deployed on an on-premises version. Speaking about the time required to deploy the solution, I would say that we have quite a lot of previous experience with deploying Cisco products. We have our company's standard design document, which we need to follow. We have a standard testing procedure for all those features. We just take out some appropriate parts and then compile them into one document for an individual project. It is actually quite easy for us to do the documentation, so it just takes one or two hours, and we can do the implementation because all the materials and testing procedures are already in our company standard documents, so it is not that difficult for us.
Daniel_Martins - PeerSpot reviewer
Decade of experience empowers seamless problem resolution and support
I haven't seen threat intelligence and machine learning for predictive threat analysis in the Trellix Intrusion Prevention System yet. For Trellix IPS, AI improvements are an area where it can improve. It's a significant feature. Regarding the Trellix Intrusion Prevention System's flexibility for catering to our organization's specific infrastructure requirements, we have only on-premises and virtual appliances, but it's acceptable. The access and platform could potentially integrate with SaaS. Similar to when you put the EPO in mode integration with SaaS, you can connect with a local credential and with an X Console credential. Another possibility would be to connect with an integration login with the X Console. We have this with EPO on-premise, but with IPS, we don't have it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"From a security standpoint, it is just seeing pockets as well. Visibility is very key for us."
"Cisco Secure Network Analytics has increased the visibility of what is happening in our network, and I think that's the most important reason to use it. We can see what is really happening instead of just looking at numbers from routers or switches."
"The solution has increased our threat detection rate. Cisco Stealthwatch has not reduced our incident response times. It has not reduced the amount of time it takes us to detect immediate threats. It has reduced false positives."
"Ease of deployment, once you get your ducks in a row."
"The most valuable feature is NetFlow. The beginning of any security investigation starts with NetFlow data."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it helps you gain visibility for your application."
"This product alleviates the day-to-day headaches for us, in regards to metrics."
"Being able to identify specific date closed across the network is invaluable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the filtering."
"I like most of Cisco's features, like malware detection and URL filtering."
"The URL filtering is very good and you can create a group for customized URLs."
"The product is inexpensive compared to leading brands such as Palo Alto or Fortinet."
"The whole solution is very good, and stable."
"It simplifies the configuration process by offering pre-defined base configurations, including security and connectivity settings."
"The tool's most valuable feature is threat detection, which is important because we have multiple layers not only in Cisco."
"Cisco technical support is unbeatable. It offers a premium service every time."
"McAfee NSP is much more stable than Cisco."
"The ability to centrally manage all the IPS sensors, track the different security events generated by it, and customize the different policies, depending on their location."
"Overall the solution is very good. It offers great protection and gives us a good overview of what is on the network."
"Great monitoring feature."
"The most valuable features are the customization of the signature and the unlimited amount of signatures in IPS."
"The product is worth the investment."
"There's a good dashboard you can drill down into. It helps you easily locate intrusions and the source of attacks."
"The solution can scale."
 

Cons

"It is time-consuming to set it up and understand how the tool works."
"It's a good solid solution but integration with Network Access Control products with Cisco ISE would be good."
"The usability of this solution needs to be improved."
"I would like to see a hybrid solution that can work without being connected directly to the internet for those destinations."
"Stealthwatch needs improvement when it comes to speed."
"We are continuing down the road of ACI and ISE with Cisco, so we would like to see the continuation of Stealthwatch integrating into ISE for exchange of information, and also, more into the ACI environment too."
"The customizability of the UI should improve."
"I would like the search page available with Cisco Stealthwatch to be more intuitive. The previous release was better than the current one for the UI."
"To be frank, the product is not really stable, although they're working on that. Whenever I go to the technical community with an issue, they will usually say that it is not there yet, but the technical team are working on it. The issues are not insolvable. I think they should just keep working on the product to make sure that the product can become very stable. The technical support is great. I appreciate that. We have a lot of communities supporting Firepower now, so you can find help for whatever issue you have."
"I want to see a better dashboard for the product. The dashboard can be a bit modified or enhanced."
"I would like to have analytics included in the suite."
"The implementation could be a bit easier."
"I don't think this solution is a time-based control system, because one cannot filter traffic based on time."
"The initial setup is a little difficult compared to other products in the market. It depends on the environment. If we are doing any migration, it might take months in a brown-field environment."
"I did not experience any pain points that required improvement. Maybe a couple of false-positives, but that's about it."
"The solution's approach to managing traffic blocking is confusing and impractical."
"The Network Security Managers could be more stable, agile, and work faster. When it comes to instability, there is room for improvement."
"The solution could improve some aspects of detection."
"We would like to have a simpler version. Some settings and functions on the McAfee console are complex and complicated. I want the management console to be simpler."
"The pricing could be improved."
"The solution needs to improve the graphical interface. And they had a limitation in some of the sensor modems as well."
"The platform’s GUI could be the latest."
"The area of concern where the tool needs improvement is how the product prompts users at a network level that helps prevent any wireless network attacks through alerts and notifications."
"The management component could be simplified."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing for this solution is good."
"Pricing is much higher compared to other solutions."
"The yearly licensing cost is about $50,000."
"There are additional licenses needed for the number of so-called network flows. It's hard to plan the number of flows you need in the network, this is a problem. The price of the Cisco Stealthwatch is relatively inexpensive"
"Our fees are approximately $3,000 USD."
"Licensing is on a yearly basis."
"We pay for support costs on a yearly basis."
"This is an expensive product. We have quit paying for support because we don't want to have to upgrade it and keep paying for it."
"The cost is per port and can be expensive but it does include training and support for three years."
"If one is an extremely expensive product, and ten is cheap, I rate the tool's price as a five."
"I don't know the exact amount, but most of the time when I go to a company with a proposition, they will say, "This thing that you are selling is good, but it's expensive. Why don't you propose something like FortiGate, Check Point, or Palo Alto?" Cisco device are expensive compared to other devices."
"We have a three-year license for this solution."
"Licensing for this solution is paid on a yearly basis."
"The tool is competitively priced."
"I rate the product’s pricing an eight out of ten."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Monitoring Software solutions are best for your needs.
866,956 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
University
9%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise52
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Stealthwatch?
The most valuable feature of Cisco Secure Network Analytics is the Threat Intelligence integration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Stealthwatch?
Regarding cost, for the Bangladesh context, Cisco Secure Network Analytics is a little bit high-priced because we are...
What needs improvement with Cisco Stealthwatch?
In terms of improvements for Cisco Secure Network Analytics, from the implementation point of view, now that AI is in...
What do you like most about Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?
The product is inexpensive compared to leading brands such as Palo Alto or Fortinet.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?
If one is an extremely expensive product, and ten is cheap, I rate the tool's price as a five. There are some other t...
What needs improvement with Cisco Sourcefire SNORT?
Cisco offers the Cisco DNA Center, which is a source that provides crucial information for us to monitor performance,...
What do you like most about McAfee Network Security Platform?
The threat intelligence updates are very accurate.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for McAfee Network Security Platform?
The tool is competitively priced. I rate the pricing a six out of ten.
What needs improvement with McAfee Network Security Platform?
I haven't seen threat intelligence and machine learning for predictive threat analysis in the Trellix Intrusion Preve...
 

Also Known As

Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Stealthwatch Enterprise, Lancope StealthWatch
Sourcefire SNORT
McAfee Network Security Platform, McAfee NSP, IntruShield Network Intrusion Prevention System, IntruShield Network IPS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Edge Web Hosting, Telenor Norway, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Webster Financial Corporation, Westinghouse Electric, VMware, TIAA-CREF
CareCore, City of Biel, Dimension Data, LightEdge, Lone Star College System, National Rugby League, Port Aventura, Smart City Networks, Telecom Italia, The Department of Education in Western Australia
Desjardins Group, HollyFrontier, Nubia, Agbar, WNS Global Services, INAIL, Universidad de Las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Cook County, China Pacific Insurance, Bank Central Asia, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, City of Chicago, Macquarie Telecom, Sutherland Global Services, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, United Automotive Electronic Systems
Find out what your peers are saying about Zabbix, Auvik, SolarWinds and others in Network Monitoring Software. Updated: September 2025.
866,956 professionals have used our research since 2012.