Cisco Secure Firewall Reviews

We mostly use it for remote access. We also use this firewall between different segments of our enterprise network.

We have legacy models of this solution. We are using models 5510 and 5520.

We are mostly using it for remote access, so the remote access feature is the most valuable, but all other features are also needed and required. It is also a very straightforward and reliable solution.

We don't have any serious problems. The firewall models that we have are quite legacy, and they have slower performance. We are currently investigating the possibility of migrating to next-generation firewalls.

We have been using Cisco ASA Firewall for around one hour and a half years.

It is quite stable. We didn't have any issues or crashes, so we find it to be a solid solution.

We don't have Cisco support because these models are excellent.

It has moderate complexity. I didn't have any prior experience in configuring these firewalls. That's why I found its initial setup to be of moderate complexity, but now, I have got used to using and maintaining these devices.

We're using the smart license for this firewall. The models that we have require licensing for remote access.

I would absolutely recommend this solution. It is a very straightforward and reliable solution. I would definitely like to propose and offer this solution to other colleagues.

Cisco doesn't have any plans to develop this kind of solution more. Cisco ASA Firewall will not be developed in the future. The next-generation firewall is the next step in the development of the Cisco firewall. For this reason, we are investigating the possibility of migrating to another product.

I would rate Cisco ASA Firewall a nine out of ten. We are very happy with this solution. It is very straightforward and reliable, but it is quite a legacy solution and lacks performance. 

Our primary use case is for perimeter security.

We are using the enterprise version. Cisco has many versions. Maybe we are using the old version of ASA because it needs to be the freeware. In each freeware, there are different types of things. Maybe it is the standard version because the other version cost a lot. I need to combine it with another solution like an open source standard solution of the ASA firewall from Cisco.

Firewalls are about blocking. ASA is for blocking, but it does not have the intelligence like Fortinet to detect attacks. If I could use ASA to detect attacks, maybe we could buy another service from Cisco although it's very expensive. I would choose Fortinet, but my clients like ASA support. I prefer Fortinet because Fortinet has a UTM and it's a good firewall.

In terms of what could be improved, the UTM part should be more integrated for one price, because if you buy ASA from Cisco, you need to buy another contract service from Cisco as a filter for the dictionary of attacks. In Fortinet, you buy a firewall and you have it all.

I would like to see all the features like Fortinet has. If I buy ASA, I would like to see a Fortinet-like interface.

It would be good if Cisco could improve their web interface to configure the equipment. Cisco is very reliable and very secure, but has to compete with Fortinet which is very hard.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Cisco ASA Firewall a nine.

I have been using Cisco ASA Firewall for about 15 years.

We have maybe 100 - 200 end users using the solution.

I would give their technical support an eight out of ten because of their response time.

Let me give an example. When I have a problem, and I contact support, maybe there is a guy from India or from another country answering me. This is very slow. The people look at the ticket and increase the time for response.

The initial setup is easy. Firewalls are like programming. If you know programming, you know every language. Firewalls are the same. If you know the security and blocking the perimeter, it's the same for all the firewalls. The difference with the different firewalls are the functionalities. Learn the functionalities in every brand.

My advice to anyone considering Cisco ASA Firewall is that you need a lot of money to implement the Cisco solution. But it's a good solution. If you want to go to Cisco, you need a lot of money.

In our organization, we are using it as an internal firewall.

It is already improved because all of the computer updates are available online. So, you can update, and I think that the ASA 5585 is already updated.

All of the licensing features can be upgrades.

The interface is user-friendly.

The cost is very high. Most organizations cannot afford it.

We have been using the latest version of this solution for the last five years.

It's a stable product.

It's a scalable solution. We have more than 2000 users in our organization.

Technical support is fine, we have no issues.

The initial setup was very easy. Cisco documentation is online, so it was no problem at all.

It took approximately 30 minutes to install.

If we compare it with FortiGate and the co-existing ASA, FortiGate is better in terms of price.

This is a product that I can recommend to others.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

I'm the group information technology manager and we are customers of Cisco. 

The best feature for me is the VPN and I also like the firewall. 

In terms of improvement, we'd like to see a good graphical user interface. I'd also like to see the initial setup simplified. In comparison, if I were to implement the Fortigate firewall from scratch, it's a fairly simple set up. That is not the case with the ASA firewall, where you really need to have the skill and know what you're doing.

I've been using this solution for 18 years. 

The solution is stable, we haven't had any issues. If we need something, we go to a consultant. In terms of product stability, it works very well.

We haven't made any changes since implementing and we haven't tried scaling.  

We get our support from the resellers, not from Cisco. 

For those who have the technical know-how with Cisco products, I would recommend going with the ASA firewall, but if you're new to the field and running a smaller business, deployment will be complicated. 

I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

I am a pre-sales engineer, and I do comparisons based on my customer's requests.

The most valuable features of this solution are the integrations and IPS throughput.

The price and SD-WAN capabilities are the areas that need improvement.

In the next release, I would like to see more of the FortiGate features added. FortiGate is compatible with Cisco ACI, but I can't see Firepower with Security Fabric. For example, if I had Fortinet activated, could I integrate with it?

I have familiar with the Next Generation firewalls for two years, and six years with firewalls in general.

It's a stable product.

It's scalable indeed.

Our clients are SMB Enterprise.

It's just a fact, nothing is better than Cisco technical support.

Previously, I was working with Fortinet. I would most likely recommend Fortinet, because of the price and the security fabric integration with other products. It's scalable as well, and all of the FortiGate features are useful.

It's very easy to implement and it's very easy to administrate.

The initial setup was straightforward. With other vendors, it is easier, but it was straightforward.

This product is expensive.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

The number one use for this product is security.

The management of the application can be improved with enhancements to the user interface.

I would like the ability to drill down into certain reports because currently, that cannot be done. In fact, this is one of the reasons that we want to move away from Cisco. Better reporting tools would be an improvement.

We have been using Cisco ASA for approximately seven years.

This product is pretty stable.

Our current model is reaching its end of life, so it's not very scalable at the moment. We don't plan to increase usage.

It is currently providing protection for about 30 users.

The technical support is with our solution provider. I would say that it's average, rather than very good.

The initial setup is complex. I would say that it took a maximum of a week to deploy.

We had a service provider who took care of the installation for us.

This is an expensive product. We pay about €2,000 ($2,400 USD) per year for licensing. 

Technical support is in addition to the standard licensing fees.

At this point, Cisco ASA is not a product that I recommend. My advice is that people should look at other solutions because there are other products available on the market that are just as good, if not even better.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for basic firewall configurations such as NAT, FORWARD PORT and Block TCP-UDP Port.

My company is very small just built last year, i now am using cisco asa 5510 for NAT and Port Forward and limit users access directly from internet only via Remote-VPN.

The ability to block threats is its most valuable aspect.

Most clients in Laos use the basic setup, which works quite well. It ensures that nothing can get onto the local network.

It's pretty reliable and allows for isolation capabilities within the network.

The ADSM is very good.

I like that I can use the command line. I use a lot of Cisco and often work with this. If you are comfortable with the command line, it's quite good.

The user interface isn't as good as it could be. They should work to improve it. It would make it easier for customer management if it was easier to use.

Cisco does not have a lot of web management. We have to use ASTM server management to make up for it.

I've been using the solution, give or take, for around five years at this point.

When we need assistance from technical support, we typically deal with the team in China. They've been very good. Whenever I have a problem, they can resolve it. They are knowledgeable and responsive. We're satisfied with the level of support we get.

We typically offer clients a few different solutions. For example, we may recommend Fortinet.

For a new user, the initial setup may be a bit difficult. For me, since I am comfortable with Cisco, it's pretty straightforward. A new connection has its own complexities. It may be a different thing on Java SDK. There may be some programs that may not be able to access it.

In Laos, clients don't have much wiggle room when it comes to cost. The economy right now isn't very good. Most just choose the basic solution in order to avoid pricey licensing fees.

subscription payment  

We're just customers. We use it in our office and suggest it to clients. However, we don't have a business relationship with Cisco.

We try to adhere to our client's needs, and therefore, if they specify hardware they want to use, like Fortinet, we tend to accommodate them.

That said, if they ask my opinion, I usually recommend Cisco ASA.

I know a lot about the product and I'm good at controlling everything. I have a lot of knowledge and understanding after working with it so closely. That's why I tend to favor it when my customers ask for advice.

Overall, I would rate the solution seven out of ten. If the user interface were a bit better, I'd rate it higher.

We are a solution provider and Cisco NGFW is one of the products that we implement for our clients. My clients use it for internet access within the enterprise.

I like the firewall features, Snort, and the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). 

This product is managed using the Firepower Management Center (FMC), but it would be better if it also supported the command-line interface (CLI). Cisco's FTD devices don't support the command-line interface and can only be configured using FMC.

We have been using this product for the past four years.

This is a stable product and we plan to continue implementing it for clients in the future.

Cisco NGFW is a scalable firewall. My client has more than 100 users.

We have support from Cisco's TAC, the Technical Assistance Center, and they support this product well. We haven't had any issues with them.

Prior to the Next Generation firewall, my clients were using Cisco ASA for more than 10 years.

The initial setup is easy, with the installation and configuration taking about two hours.

I did the deployment myself.

This product requires licenses for advanced features including Snort, IPS, and malware detection.

In summary, this is a good product and I recommend it.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.