Cisco SecureX [EOL] vs Nucleus Security comparison

Cisco and Nucleus Security are both solutions in the Application Security Tools category. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Nucleus Security users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 23, 2026

Cisco SecureX EOL and Nucleus Security compete in the cybersecurity market. Nucleus Security takes the lead due to its comprehensive features and enhanced security capabilities.

Features: Cisco SecureX EOL integrates threat intelligence and automation in a centralized management platform. It seamlessly connects within Cisco's ecosystem, enhancing interoperability. Nucleus Security focuses on vulnerability management, risk prioritization, and real-time insights. Its strength lies in detailed risk assessment analysis, augmenting decision-making processes effectively.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco SecureX EOL benefits from easy integration with existing Cisco environments, providing robust support services aligned with customer network infrastructure needs. Nucleus Security offers a simple and universally adaptable deployment model, supported by responsive customer service catering to diverse security landscapes. Its versatile deployment ensures quick adaptation across various IT environments.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco SecureX EOL is considered cost-effective for businesses invested in Cisco infrastructure, leading to favorable ROI due to reduced additional costs. Nucleus Security, though higher in initial cost, provides comprehensive features enhancing security posture. This leads to high ROI by effectively preventing vulnerabilities and threats.

To learn more, read our detailed Application Security Tools Report (Updated: July 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

Qualys TotalCloud

Featured Reviews

Robert Orłowski

IT Security Expert at Alior Bank S.A.

Unified risk scoring has improved our cloud visibility and simplifies remediation priorities

Qualys TotalCloud provides unified vulnerability and threat assessment across both IAS and SaaS. This solution provides a single prioritized view of risk, which helps reduce the work I would have to do. We are no longer based on CVSS; we are based on Qualys risk scoring, which is based on CVSS plus internal findings made by Qualys, and then assigns its own score. The TruRisk insight feature has found a small number of assets with high vulnerability scores, though I am cautious since some information is classified. Qualys TotalCloud has positively impacted our bank's performance, and we have definitely seen benefits after implementing this solution.

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Alon K

CTO & VP of Cyber Solutions, Israel at Rockwell Automation

Gives our customers visibility and they don't have to go multiple management consoles anymore

One of the examples is related to forensics. The forensics are amazing because when you have enrichment, and the solutions talk with each other, when you need it, you have the ability to know everything in the organization: when, why, whatever. With just one click you have information from email, from the endpoint, from the web. Let's say that tomorrow morning, you have a ransom[ware] attack in your organization and you would like to know from which email it came, or where the customer saved the file, even though the incident didn't occur at the same moment. With SecureX, you have Cisco Threat Response inside. [With] one click, you get all of the flow. That's amazing value. That also releases resources for our customers. The customers don't have to connect many systems and try to register the event on each system, or to go to the SIEM and do a correlation. That's the one-stop shop for the customers, and that's amazing.

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reviewer2872923

Vulnerability And Compliance Manager at a insurance company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Unified vulnerability view has improved risk-based decisions but reporting still needs work

One of the main issues with Nucleus Security is its lack of reporting capability. The user interface resembles an early 2000s application style, and although its speed is decent, it could be improved as more data is ingested. The overall appearance and feel need work, especially compared to modern applications from Rapid7, Qualys, and Tenable, which have more engaging user interfaces. The reporting capability is severely lacking; not being able to filter to granularity or have custom built queries is an annoyance that needs an overhaul. Additionally, there are bugs that have not been resolved, such as when you create a report and remove an asset, the asset still appears in the report despite not being present in the system anymore, leading to issues that need to be addressed quickly. Nucleus Security can become a difficult investment because I already have a vulnerability management solution, and I question where Nucleus Security fits with its licensing model. While I acknowledge automation has been described, it would be amazing to control the entire vulnerability management workflow from Nucleus Security without needing to log onto other systems. Having controls or actions that can be sent from the console down to the scanner for rescans would be beneficial. If Nucleus Security is going down this path, it should ensure that it becomes a one-stop shop for vulnerability management across multiple applications.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is extensibility."

"While automatic inventory detection upon connection is a helpful feature, a truly valuable capability would be assessing an environment's security posture against Azure and CIS best practices."

"The vulnerability management feature is the one I like the most because it provides a clear picture of all vulnerabilities."

"Its excellent graphical interface makes the scanning process simple."

"I would rate Qualys TotalCloud ten out of ten."

"I depend heavily on the reports that I have from this tool."

"I like the web API security and IoT scanning features the most. The user-friendly design of TotalCloud's interface enables customers to navigate it and use its full potential easily"

"TotalCloud offers a comprehensive suite of features, including EDR, XDR, and TrueRisk, providing a centralized platform for managing vulnerabilities and security risks."

More Qualys TotalCloud pros

"Using SecureX, a tool provided by Cisco, we can easily integrate it with many of our other Cisco products such as Cisco ISE and many networking devices."

"It is one of my favorite things that has ever been built."

"The most beneficial feature of Cisco SecureX for cybersecurity efforts is its integration with other Cisco solutions and the environment. This sets it apart, as its APIs and overall integration capabilities are very strong. Additionally, its detection capabilities are commendable."

"Our customers find the product's third-party integrations valuable. Our customers are also impressed with the tool's capability to pick up third-party threat feeds and use that as part of the decision-making process."

"SecureX definitely provides us with contextual awareness throughout our security ecosystem, since it allows us to integrate multiple threat intelligence feeds, as well as multiple security appliances and platforms."

"One of the most valuable features is the simplicity of deploying SecureX. It's very easy to do that and then you gain very detailed visibility into everything that's going on in your network and, obviously, at the device level. There's just a wealth of information that you can pull from all of these products that are part of SecureX. You know exactly if you have an issue or not."

"When it comes as a business bundle, we come to customers to provide a one-stop shop, and we provide a return of value on human resources, with an XDR SecureX platform offer that customers love."

"It has evolved a lot, just that monitoring piece to the current Orchestrator piece. The additional analytics are there. They now have something called Insight, which can basically take data from Microsoft Azure AD and Intune to give us information about our endpoints. This is detailed information about the endpoints, from Secure Endpoint and all these different products. So, it is just constantly evolving. Every time that it evolves, we have more information with more visibility. There are more features that we have that just make everything so much easier, and it is in one place. I don't have to keep going back and forth. I don't have to go to Secure Endpoint and ISE to get the data. I don't have to go to Intune on Microsoft to get the information. It is all in one place."

More Cisco SecureX [EOL] pros

"Nucleus Security has fundamentally changed how we manage our vulnerability lifecycle and made our entire incident response process much more proactive, organized, and reliable."

"Nucleus Security has impacted my organization positively by providing a single pane view of vulnerabilities from different connectors and enabling the automation of reporting and alerting on findings that are out of due date or out of SLA."

"The best features Nucleus Security offers, in my opinion, are that it is really great in showcasing things and providing centralized vulnerability management."

"The best features that Nucleus Security offers in my experience are the unified integrations with all of the different vulnerability management platforms."

Cons

"I sometimes have difficulty detecting or uninstalling certain versions of applications, which I have to do manually."

"Some major banks and insurance companies require an on-premises solution for comprehensive vulnerability management, which TotalCloud does not offer."

"Enhancing clarity regarding its compliance capabilities would be beneficial, as the current scope is limited in geographic coverage."

"The response part of the Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) module can be improved."

"In TotalCloud, I would suggest improvements in policy checks to cater to various inventory types like VPCs, subnets, S3 buckets, or IAMs. There is a lack of data segregation according to criticality or inventory."

"With the growing integration of AI, I would like Qualys to enhance its service offerings to better accommodate AI-related risks."

"It has been working very well, but it would be helpful if the dashboard could generate reports tailored to specific compliance needs. For example, in India, we have to comply with RBI and SEBI guidelines. It w"

"From a downside perspective, the UI is not user-friendly and feels dated compared to other tools like Prisma Cloud."

More Qualys TotalCloud cons

"The documentation can be improved and the on-prem integration. The set of applications that it was integrated with wasn't comprehensive."

"Sometimes it's a little slow so that is also something Cisco should check."

"They could expand into more areas."

"I would like it to integrate with another solution, e.g., DNA. I would like it to connect to that solution, but not the security aspect."

"The automation and orchestration could be simpler."

"The playbooks provided with the product are great, although I would appreciate having more playbooks available. Threats are constantly evolving, so having access to updated playbooks is crucial."

"what's missing right now is the multi-tenant capability."

"For us, the biggest sticking point is that the product is not being designed for multi-tenancy use at present, from an MSP perspective."

More Cisco SecureX [EOL] cons

"Nucleus Security needs a better view into exposure management, as exposure management and attack path management are missing."

"One of the main issues with Nucleus Security is its lack of reporting capability."

"On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Nucleus Security overall a six."

"While the platform is incredibly powerful, the initial configuration curve of Nucleus Security can be a bit steep."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As a middle management member, I do not have direct pricing knowledge, but based on the knowledge from our meetings, its pricing is competitive."

"While Qualys TotalCloud's pricing is currently acceptable, it is becoming increasingly expensive and may soon be considered overpriced."

"The cost is high, but it meets our organizational needs."

"Qualys TotalCloud is expensive."

"Qualys TotalCloud is cost-efficient and was selected for its value compared to other products."

"Qualys TotalCloud offers good pricing that is affordable and competitive with the market. Our partnership also provides us with additional benefits."

"The pricing for TotalCloud is attractive and competitive in the market. Given the features, especially the dashboard, I have no concerns regarding pricing."

"The pricing is comparable. It is built into our other product, so I cannot piecemeal it. It is a part of our subscription."

More Qualys TotalCloud pricing and cost advice

"It is free. It can't get any better than that."

"The pricing is the best part of this solution. It is free if you buy Umbrella or Duo Security. It is also a good solution."

"Cisco SecureX is more expensive than Trend Micro. However, considering the integration capabilities with other solutions and the quality of technical support, I believe there's justification for the price difference."

"The pricing is competitive, especially for education institutions. Licensing can be a little bit difficult to navigate, especially with resellers with Cisco, but for us it has been pretty easy."

"For the value you get, the pricing of the solution is excellent."

"It comes free with all Cisco products. So, it is a good price."

"It would be nice if they had a different pricing model. Most of our budget for projects goes towards Cisco."

"You can spend less money for another solution, but if you really want to have a good solution you have to pay. We are happy that we are getting such a good solution for what we are spending."

More Cisco SecureX [EOL] pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

14%

Outsourcing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

19%

Construction Company

14%

Marketing Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	30

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys TotalCloud?

The price is very expensive, actually.

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What needs improvement with Qualys TotalCloud?

Areas that need improvement in every solution include the remediation part. The remediation steps should be simple en...

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What is your primary use case for Qualys TotalCloud?

Our use case involves the assets that we have under cloud, the assets exposed to the internet, and the internal appli...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nucleus Security?

I have a good experience with that, so we don't have much problem dealing with pricing, setup, and licensing.

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What needs improvement with Nucleus Security?

While the platform is incredibly powerful, the initial configuration curve of Nucleus Security can be a bit steep. Wh...

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What is your primary use case for Nucleus Security?

In the initial phase when we first brought Nucleus Security into our environment, instead of immediately pushing it i...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Qualys TotalCloud

July 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco SecureX [EOL]

August 2026

Download Cisco SecureX [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

Nucleus Security

July 2026

Download Nucleus Security product report

Also Known As

Qualys TotalCloud with FlexScan

Kenna.AppSec, Kenna.VI

No data available

Overview

Qualys TotalCloud enhances security posture across cloud environments with continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, and risk visualization, ensuring efficient threat assessment and automated remediation for improved cyber risk reduction.

Qualys TotalCloud offers a robust suite of security tools essential for organizations managing multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating cloud accounts and automating workflows, it supports AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering comprehensive vulnerability management and zero-day detection. The platform's user-friendly design, combined with its extensive risk management and unified threat assessment capabilities, enables organizations to prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively. TruRisk Insights provides clear insights on cyber risks, while the automation options streamline patch management and scanning processes. API integration across IaaS and SaaS environments further enhances resource allocation efficiency and saves time, addressing misconfigurations across cloud environments.

What are the most important features of Qualys TotalCloud?

Accurate Vulnerability Reports: Delivers precise and actionable insights for risk mitigation.
Zero-Day Detection: Identifies and addresses zero-day vulnerabilities proactively.
Unified Threat Assessment: Offers comprehensive evaluation of threats across the environment.
Extensive Risk Management: Manages risks effectively with advanced insights and prioritization.
Continuous Monitoring: Provides non-stop surveillance for vulnerabilities and threats.
Cloud-Native Automation: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts using automation.
FlexScan for Internet-Facing VMs: Scans external VMs efficiently to detect vulnerabilities.
Dashboard Risk Visualization: Clear visualization helps prioritize vulnerabilities.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Improved Security Posture: Enhances threat detection and response across clouds.
Time Savings: Automation reduces time spent on manual vulnerability management.
Resource Efficiency: Better allocation of resources through streamlined workflows.
Enhanced Risk Prioritization: Focus on critical vulnerabilities for effective mitigation.
Integrated Cloud Accounts: Facilitates seamless cloud management and security.

Qualys TotalCloud is deployed in sectors needing rigorous vulnerability management, such as finance and healthcare. Companies utilize it to secure multi-cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP, focus on compliance, and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines to detect and remedy threats pre-deployment.

Qualys

Cisco SecureX is an integrated security platform that connects the breadth of Cisco's integrated security portfolio and the customer's infrastructure to create a consistent experience. The solution unifies visibility, enables automation, and strengthens your security across network, endpoints, cloud, and applications. Cisco SecureX is embedded within every Cisco Security product and supports integrations with SIEM and SOAR, so customers will not need to replace any solution or worry about layering on new technology.

Cisco SecureX Features

Cisco SecureX has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Unified overview: Cisco SecureX offers key metrics on transactions and threats for network, endpoints, cloud and applications. In addition, the SecureX interface is integrated into all Cisco Security technologies.

Automation and an increase in operational efficiency: With Cisco SecureX, you gain better automation of workflows for products of the Cisco Security portfolio and third parties, allowing you to focus on other more important tasks. By eliminating manual work (through automatic identification of threats using analytical data of Cisco Talos and other sources), the solution helps your organization save a significant amount of time.

Security strengthening: Cisco SecureX makes it easy to compare analytical data from a set of various sources with the telemetry received from network, endpoints, e-mail, cloud, and third-party products.

Cisco SecureX Benefits

Some of the benefits of using Cisco SecureX include:

Secure every business endeavor with an open, integrated platform that has out-of-the-box interoperability and scales to meet security needs.

Advance your security maturity level using existing resources.

Turn security from a blocker into an enabler. Cisco SecureX allows you to add new security capabilities for the threat landscape.

Maximize your operational efficiency, helping you get the most from your security investments.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Cisco SecureX users.

PeerSpot user Wouter H., Technical Team Lead Network & Security at Missing Piece BV, shares several reasons why he thinks the solution is fantastic. In his opinion, “SecureX takes all the separate pieces of security within your company, adds in intelligence from different sites and services on the internet, and makes them work together. If an email is received on a machine and malware is being executed, it can be put into lockdown mode. The fact that you can have a single solution that combines endpoint intelligence with email intelligence, firewalls, and publicly available intelligence is really helpful. Also, SecureX provides us with contextual awareness throughout our security ecosystem. Before SecureX, things that were not possible, or that would take days, now literally take seconds to find out.

Michal S., Infrastructure Engineer at a media company, says, “SecureX provides many measurements and has a really good dashboard. Working with it you are able to see things very clearly and you have every detail on a single display. That saves us money and time.” He also adds, “It brings all our data into a central point. It also shows us many data connections between many of our environments. SecureX gives you really good information about potential risks. You are able to find the source of a risk, a potential risk from a user or a machine.”

Blair A., Technology Director at Shawnee Heights USD #450, explains, "One of the most valuable features is the simplicity of deploying SecureX. It's very easy to do that and then you gain very detailed visibility into everything that's going on in your network and, obviously, at the device level. There's just a wealth of information that you can pull from all of these products that are part of SecureX. You know exactly if you have an issue or not."

Cisco

Nucleus Security offers a scalable vulnerability management platform designed for effective risk reduction. By integrating with existing IT infrastructure, it enhances security measures and improves agility.

As a comprehensive security tool, Nucleus Security provides customizable vulnerability assessment, streamlined workflows, and integration capabilities with security tools to enhance threat detection and response. It's tailored for enterprises seeking an intuitive management platform that delivers actionable insights and increases efficiency. By leveraging robust automation and advanced analytics, the platform aids organizations in optimizing their cybersecurity posture.

What are the key features of Nucleus Security?

Customizable Dashboards: Offers personalized views for better visibility and control.
Automated Workflows: Reduces manual tasks, allowing for quicker incident response.
Extensive Integrations: Connects with major security tools to unify threat data.
Risk Prioritization: Analyzes threats to focus on the most critical vulnerabilities.

What benefits can users expect from Nucleus Security?

Increased Efficiency: Streamlined processes lead to faster threat resolution.
Enhanced Data Visibility: Comprehensive data access improves decision-making capabilities.
Cost Reduction: Automation reduces labor costs and minimizes resource expenditure.
Improved Compliance: Facilitates adherence to regulatory standards and policies.

In industries like healthcare, finance, and technology, Nucleus Security is implemented to address specific risks and compliance needs. It provides tailored solutions to safeguard sensitive data, manage regulatory pressures, and ensure robust threat detection. Industries benefit from its ability to adapt to sector-specific challenges while maintaining high security standards.

Nucleus Security

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

NHS, Rackspace, UNC Pembroke, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Missing Piece

Information Not Available

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