Cisco IOS Security Reviews

My organization is an ISP using IOS Security to secure enterprise resources. We previously had it deployed on-premises, but we have switched to the cloud. We prefer AWS for latency purposes because it's based in South Africa. 

The VPN was valuable for us because more people are working from home. It has a lot of reporting and easy-to-use management tools.

The configuration and reporting interfaces need a lot of improvement. It needs to be more accessible forsolide without a strong technical background. If you had a simplified dashboard, the lower-level techs could manage the solution and provide services. Cisco IOS Security requires someone who is highly trained to operate it. 

There is central management, but reporting could be more centralized too. You can have a lab module. However, we need to see some es, and that will help you deploy without breaking the live system. There's no way for me to have a live system to test my new configuration. If it breaks, I have to deploy it and reverse it to the previous configuration. 

It would be nice if I could create an online lab on the fly to test for 10 minutes to an hour without messing anything up. That would be great, especially for things that we do on our live network appliance.

I've been using Cisco since the late 90s.

The stability is great. It takes a bit of time for them to introduce new features that I want. 

All Cisco products are scalable. The scalability is there, but the pricing model isn't straightforward. 

I rate Cisco support four out of 10. Dealing with Cisco support is complicated. First, there's a time difference because we are in the GMT+2 time zone. It sometimes takes a while for your ticket to be assigned. Today, I find that other cloud service providers respond much quicker than Cisco, even though they are smaller. They need to improve on response time.

Neutral

It was the first solution I've used, and I've stuck with it because I'm comfortable with it. I haven't used other products, but I'm evaluating some because Cisco is becoming more complicated in terms of licensing, features, and other stuff. 

I wouldn't say the deployment was complicated, but I wouldn't use the word "easy" either. It's straightforward if you know what you're doing. However, it can be complicated if you don't know what you're trying to do. You need a bit of training before touching it. By contrast, FortiGate is easier to get started, but Cisco solutions require training before you start messing with them. 

It wasn't much of a challenge for me because I've been working with Cisco for a while. Initially, there were some painful moments where you thought these things would break.

We were doing everything by ourselves at first, but we ended up using an integrator at some point.

In IT services, we don't calculate return on investment. It allows the business to grow, so we don't calculate the return. We just look at the IT cost. 

I rate IOS Security six out of 10 for pricing

I rate Cisco IOS Security six out of 10. For someone who wants something that works, they can be sure that Cisco will be there in the next five years. Cisco products have longevity because the company is secure, and you know the product will be supported for many years. 

There is longevity if you can afford it. At the same time, you'll need to invest in learning the product. The most vital aspect of Cisco is that it works, and the company is there for you. You are sure it'll be there tomorrow.

Primarily, we were looking for security solutions for a specific project and another one after that.

Compared to other products I've used, it offers greater stability and performance, along with a wider range of features. Plus, the VPN connection portal scan works flawlessly, which was a big plus for us.

Some GUI modules have extended prices compared to other vendors, which isn't ideal.

Cisco is a scalable product, but it is expensive compared to other vendors. Huawei, Netgear, and FortiGate all offer scalable solutions at a lower cost. There is room for improvement in licensing. 

I've been using Cisco IOS security for quite some time. Everything worked smoothly without any issues.

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten.

It is a scalable product. We have about 15 devices implemented across the company.

We can get technical support from Cisco directly or the support community. It was customer-friendly. 

Positive

It has easy installation. I didn't face any complex configurations, whether in the program itself, firewalls, routers, or switches.  

Our current firewall isn't cloud-based, so we rely on both standalone firewalls and independent ones. Some features have cloud-based deployment options, but that's not our main concern.

Deployment time really depends on the specific project scope. Let's say you have a project with 100 users and need the full installation implemented. That might take around a week, including design, installation, and finalizing the project. However, if you only need specific changes or process implementations, it could be as quick as two days.

We need one architect, two engineers, and one technician for this project.

Cisco comes with a premium reputation, and while it's certainly not the cheapest option. Compared to other products like Huawei, Netgear, or even Fortinet, which are cheaper than Cisco. 

We pay yearly for the license. 

I would recommend this product if it fits the budget. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We use the solution to secure data centres for clients.

The solution has the best features for routers embedded with firewall capabilities. It helps us protect the network.

The solution’s setup process could be better. It is complex regarding troubleshooting, and only highly skilled engineers can resolve it.

We have been using the solution for 15 years.

The solution is stable.

It is a scalable solution. We have more than 100 clients using the solution.

The solution's technical support is excellent. The team includes certified engineers.

The solution's initial setup process is easy if you are highly skilled in handling the troubleshooting part. The deployment takes around two to three weeks, depending on the requirements.

We can purchase the solution's licenses as per specific business requirements.

The solution provides a robust system. I advise others to understand the technology to use the system with ease.

I rate it a ten out of ten.

We use the product for firewalls. 

We cannot directly upgrade the system. The tool's deployment is also very difficult in legacy environments. The tool needs to have bigger ports as well. 

I have been working with the product for four years. 

The product is stable. 

The tool is scalable. 

The tool's deployment takes around thirty minutes to complete. 

The tool could be priced lower. If you want advanced services, then you need to purchase them. 

Most of our customers are from the banking and financial domain. I have chosen the product after a thorough comparison and reading through whitepapers. 

We use Cisco IOS Security for security functions like firewalls and IPS in specific remote branches.

Cisco IOS Security enables communication between our network nodes. The solution provides authentication like policy enforcement, QOS, and intelligent routing. We use Cisco IOS Security for administration purposes.

Cisco IOS Security increases the overall security of our network, performs authentication, and provides level 15 access and privileges.

Cisco IOS Security should improve its functionalities.

I have been using Cisco IOS Security for more than four years.

I rate Cisco IOS Security a nine out of ten for scalability.

The solution's technical support is good. I rate the solution's technical support eight and a half out of ten.

Positive

The solution's initial setup is straightforward.

We have seen a return on investment with Cisco IOS Security.

The solution's pricing is very good.

Overall, I rate Cisco IOS Security a nine out of ten.

Cisco IOS Security helps us with splitting the DNS between a specific perimeter.

The product has valuable features for business intelligence. It enables intrusion detection for the network.

The product's technical support services need improvement.

We have been using Cisco IOS Security for more than ten years.

Cisco releases new patches and updates, whenever required. I rate its stability a nine out of ten.

I rate the product’s scalability a ten out of ten. We have three users for it in our organization. We might increase the usage depending on the business requirements.

Cisco has a lot of support partners. However, it takes a long time to replace some equipment.

Positive

I have used Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) before.

The initial setup requires specific training. I rate the process an eight out of ten. The deployment involves setting up a bot for Buffalo with the management IP address. After that, I deploy the data center and access it remotely to complete the process.

I rate Cisco IOS Security's pricing a ten out of ten.

We evaluated a few products. Later, we opted for Cisco as we already have experience working with it.

It is a good product. It is valuable in terms of availability. Once configured and installed, the equipment runs for years. I rate it a seven out of ten as its support cost is high.

We use Cisco IOS Security to segregate IT and OT environments.

Cisco IOS Security is very robust and works very well. Once set up and operational, very limited human interaction is required with the device to run it for years. We deployed the solution, activated certain features, and forgot about it. We didn't have the necessary tools to monitor and maintain the solution actively.

Cisco IOS Security's monitoring is rather rudimentary and could be improved.

I have been using Cisco IOS Security for around 15 years.

I rate Cisco IOS Security a ten out of ten for stability.

Less than fifty users were using Cisco IOS Security in my previous organization.

The initial setup for Cisco IOS Security is relatively straightforward compared to other firewalls. We had two people, including myself and a network specialist, for the deployment and maintenance of Cisco IOS Security.

We implemented the solution in-house.

Cisco IOS Security got the job done. The solution was secure and stable. So we got a decent return on investment.

I look at companies and what they specialize in, and Cisco never really specialized in security. Other companies have security as their core focus. I will not be deploying any Cisco security devices in the near future.

Overall, I rate Cisco IOS Security a seven out of ten.

Our company uses the solution as intrusion protection for customers. It fully integrates with the BMA and ISE. We manage all traffic in data centers to protect them from internal users and outside traffic.

The solution effectively integrates with Umbrella which has an intelligent background and is very helpful in tech analysis or discovery. 

The solution is not user friendly and it is hard to manage the GUI interface. This is an ongoing CISCO problem. 

The solution needs Active/Active firewalls to have good load balance with high availability. The firewalls should work simultaneously, not just as failovers. 

I have been using the solution for ten years. 

The solution is very stable if configured properly. I rate stability a nine out of ten. 

The solution is very highly scalable and other products really don't compete with its scalability. The solution can easily be used for small companies or big enterprises with thousands of users. I rate scalability an eight out of ten. 

Technical support does not have a broad knowledge base, so I rate them a six out of ten. 

Neutral

The setup is better than before but still not easy or clear like Palo Alto. If you want to configure the solution, then you need to study how to do it. 

The setup is difficult so I rate it a six out of ten. 

We implement the solution for customers on our own unless we have an issue or bug. It takes one expert staff person for deployment. Depending on the customer's policies and the network's complexity, deployment might take from three to seven days. 

Our process includes verifying the license and setting up the firewall, hardware, FMC, and the failover when there is more than one firewall. We then define or set up the configurable interfaces and the IP addresses. Finally, we define the VLAN of the customer and policies for each VLAN. 

The solution does not require ongoing maintenance if it is configured properly. 

Our ROI is that the solution saves time because it reduces attacks and helps with ongoing protection. The subscription model is also very helpful for ROI. 

I rate ROI at 1800%. 

The pricing is average and includes all features with support. I rate pricing a six out of ten. 

Palo Alto has a better GUI interface for handling all features and is easier to configure. 

I recommend the solution and rate it an eight out of ten.