Cisco Secure Network Analytics vs IBM Security Network IPS comparison

Why PeerSpot?

The compared Cisco and IBM solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #32 in NMS , with an average rating of 8.5, and holds a 0.9% mindshare in the category. IBM is ranked #25 in ID , and holds a 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Read 62 Cisco Secure Network Analytics reviews

11,603 Views
4,873 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

IBM Security Network IPS

Read 4 IBM Security Network IPS reviews

1,636 Views
1,391 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Cisco Secure Network Analytics

IBM Security Network IPS

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Secure Network Analytics and IBM Security Network IPS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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October 2026

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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 Network Analytics

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Network Monitoring Software (32nd), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (5th), Network Detection and Response (NDR) (7th), Cisco Security Portfolio (7th)

IBM Security Network IPS

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) (25th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Network Security Systems solutions, they serve different purposes. Cisco Secure Network Analytics is designed for Network Monitoring Software and holds a mindshare of 0.9%, down 1.2% compared to last year.
IBM Security Network IPS, on the other hand, focuses on Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS), holds 2.0% mindshare, up 0.8% since last year.

Network Monitoring Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Network Analytics	0.9%
NETSCOUT Network & Application Observability	3.8%
Zabbix	3.7%
Other	91.6%

Network Monitoring Software

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
IBM Security Network IPS	2.0%
Darktrace	10.0%
Fortinet FortiGate	7.1%
Other	80.9%

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Harun-Owr-Roshid

CEO at BRIGHT-i SYSTEMS LIMITED

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.

Read full review

Jacob_Koithra

Project & Program manager at Shell Grp

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best feature of Cisco Secure Network Analytics is its reliability, which I find to be the one that gets used the most."

"Stealthwatch has definitely reduced the incident response time, making troubleshooting now only minutes instead of a couple of hours and increasing our threat detection rate by around 25-30%."

"There are already many functionalities, so I don't think there is anything to improve."

"Stealthwatch doubled our threat detection rate, while halving our incident response time and the time it takes us to detect and remediate threats."

"Stealthwatch reduced our incident response rate, as well as the amount of time it takes to detect and remediate threats by about 25%."

"The artifacts available in the tool provide better information for analyzing network traffic. It enables a holistic view of network traffic and general packet analysis. It's easy to identify anomalies without the use of signatures. The way in which we implemented Stealthwatch Cloud has enabled my team to analyze traffic behind proxies."

"From a security standpoint, it is just seeing pockets as well. Visibility is very key for us."

"Being able to look at the Layer 7 application and get information about intrusion attempts is the most valuable feature for us."

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics pros

"This is definitely a product that I recommend, especially for organizations that want a quick integration of data from the transaction systems, with a very low cost of operations."

"Signature based analysis and preventing different types of network attacks."

"IPS has helped us in understanding more about the latest threats out there and made us realize that we need to be proactive when it comes to security rather than reactive."

"The most valuable feature is its simplicity."

"The blocking feature is great; it acts as an in-line blocker, and any malicious traffic that you see, or anything really, it can block the traffic."

"The initial setup is simple."

Cons

"One update that I would like to see is an agent-based client. Currently, Stealthwatch is network-based. A local agent could help manage endpoints."

"The usability of this solution needs to be improved."

"This is a good solution, but Java is still in the SMC, the Firepower integration is not really there, and I would really appreciate people being told about the necessity of ISE beforehand."

"Cisco Stealthwatch is scalable with money. It's expensive."

"One of the things which bugs me about Lancope is the licensing."

"They should include Citrix VDIs in the next release."

"The interface is sluggish and not updated."

"Cisco Stealthwatch can improve by having bundled packages for popular add-ons. It would be a lot easier for people implementing it, have let's say a better way to use the product."

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics cons

"In terms of scalability, I would say that it is a little on the poor side."

"I'd like to see more integration with other tools and technologies."

"It's an expensive device."

"The management server can be made more user friendly and also the database configuration could be made simpler."

"The configuration of this product is complex. It could be made more user friendly."

"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 yearly licensing cost is about $50,000."

"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 pricing for this solution is good."

"On a yearly basis, licensing is somewhere around $30,000."

"One of the things which bugs me about Lancope is the licensing. We understand how licensing works. Our problem is when we bought and purchased most of these Lancope devices, we did so with our sister company. Somewhere within the purchase and distribution, licensing got mixed up. That is all on Cisco, and it is their responsibility. They allotted some of our sister company's equipment to us, and some of our equipment to them. To date, they have never been able to fix it."

"The solution is expensive. It costs several hundred thousand dollars per year (depending on how many flows you are collecting)."

"We pay for support costs on a yearly basis."

"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"

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics pricing and cost advice

"The cost of operations is very low."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

14%

Performing Arts

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	52

No data available

Questions from the Community

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 a developing country, making it tough to manage affordable solutions. However, ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco Stealthwatch?

Several features often look very promising during evaluation or implementation but end up being used only lightly in day-to-day operations. Advanced reporting and scheduled compliance reports look ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Stealthwatch?

My main use case for Cisco Secure Network Analytics has been network visibility and anomaly-based threat detection within the enterprise environment. In security operations and VAPT-related activit...

See all answers

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Comparisons

Darktrace vs Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Compared 6% of the time

NETSCOUT Network & Application Observability vs Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Compared 5% of the time

Vectra AI vs Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Compared 4% of the time

NetWitness Platform vs Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Compared 3% of the time

ThousandEyes vs Cisco Secure Network Analytics

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Secure Network Analytics Competitors

Darktrace vs IBM Security Network IPS

Compared 13% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs IBM Security Network IPS

Compared 12% of the time

Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention vs IBM Security Network IPS

Compared 11% of the time

Hillstone S-Series Network Intrusion Prevention System vs IBM Security Network IPS

Compared 9% of the time

TrendAI Tipping Point vs IBM Security Network IPS

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM Security Network IPS Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Network Analytics

October 2026

Download Cisco Secure Network Analytics product report

Buyer's Guide

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)

October 2026

Download IBM Security Network IPS product report

Also Known As

Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Stealthwatch Enterprise, Lancope StealthWatch

Security Network Intrusion Prevention System, IBM Security Network Protection, XGS, GX

Overview

Cisco Secure Network Analytics enhances network security through integrated threat detection and detailed traffic visibility, optimizing performance with AI analytics and strong platform integrations.

Cisco Secure Network Analytics offers deep visibility into network traffic, with tools like network maps and server response times. Its AI-driven analytics help detect threats, focusing on east-west traffic. Integration with platforms such as pxGrid and ISE complements its capabilities. Reporting and telemetry help in identifying bandwidth issues, yet improvements are desired in AI for better data organization. Installation complexity and false positives present challenges, and managing network loads effectively is a recognized need.

What are the key features of Cisco Secure Network Analytics?

Deep Visibility: Provides comprehensive insights into network traffic and server behavior.
Network Maps: Enhances understanding of traffic flow and infrastructure layout.
AI Analytics: Uses AI for superior threat detection and anomaly recognition.
Integration: Compatible with platforms like pxGrid and ISE for enhanced security management.
Telemetry: Delivers detailed bandwidth usage and traffic analysis reports.

How does Cisco Secure Network Analytics provide value?

Enhanced Security: Elevates threat detection and response capabilities.
Traffic Insights: Identifies encrypted and anomalous network behaviors.
Compliance Support: Assists in meeting industry standards for data protection.
Endpoint Protection: Guards network endpoints against potential threats.

Industries such as banking, defense, and police rely on Cisco Secure Network Analytics for securing networks against threats. Its capability to provide insights into encrypted traffic and facilitate device auditing makes it a sought-after choice for those requiring extensive network visibility. Users appreciate its application for threat prevention and response in demanding sectors.

Cisco

IBM Security Network IPS offers comprehensive protection and threat intelligence to secure network infrastructures, designed for businesses seeking enhanced cyber defense mechanisms.

IBM Security Network IPS stands out with robust features that deliver high-performance network protection. It actively analyzes traffic to prevent intrusions, offering a proactive approach to cyber threats. With seamless integration capabilities, it fits into existing security frameworks, ensuring enhanced visibility and control for IT administrators.

What are the key features of IBM Security Network IPS?

Real-time Threat Protection: Continuously monitors and inspects traffic to block and respond to threats instantly.
Advanced Threat Intelligence: Utilizes global threat data to provide insights and protective measures against emerging threats.
Scalable Architecture: Designed to accommodate varying network sizes, ensuring consistent protection as networks grow.
Comprehensive Reporting: Offers detailed analytics and reports for informed decision-making and strategy adjustments.

What benefits can be expected from IBM Security Network IPS?

Enhanced Security Posture: Robust prevention mechanisms that reduce the risk of cyber attacks significantly.
Cost Efficiency: By reducing incidents, it minimizes potential costs associated with data breaches.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlined workflows and automation that free up resources for strategic initiatives.

Industries such as finance and healthcare implement IBM Security Network IPS to safeguard sensitive information and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Its adaptability and thorough threat inspection make it an ideal choice for critical infrastructures requiring reliable protection.

IBM

Sample Customers

Edge Web Hosting, Telenor Norway, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Webster Financial Corporation, Westinghouse Electric, VMware, TIAA-CREF

Equifax, Christian Hospital Centre

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October 2026

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