We are using this product to filter network traffic.
Information Security Manager at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Flexible, high quality, and provides good security
Pros and Cons
- "It's a flexible solution and is well-known in the community."
- "It's a flexible solution and is well-known in the community."
- "In the next release, I would like to see the VPN and UTM features included."
- "In the next release, I would like to see the VPN and UTM features included."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It's a flexible solution and is well-known in the community. Most professionals are familiar with Cisco products and we prefer to work with products that we know. That is why we chose to work with Cisco firewalls, and also for the quality.
What needs improvement?
In the next year, we are planning to migrate to the Cisco Firepower. Our planned product would be Cisco Firepower 20 or the 40 series.
In the next release, I would like to see the VPN and UTM features included.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the Cisco ASA Firewall for the past ten years.
We have a few different versions that we are using. Some are 5505, 5510, and 5515.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. We have not had any issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. We have five or six users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support because we have not had any issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we did not use any other solutions. Our company is almost 11 years old and have been using this solution for ten years. We have been using this solution from the beginning.
How was the initial setup?
I have not been present for most of the deployments, but from my experience, the deployment is not complex for organizations like ours because we have less equipment and infrastructure.
In Ethiopia, most of the deployments, especially in government organizations, are on-premises because of government policy.
Our policies are limited and not complex.
Overall, I would say that it's pretty straightforward. While I was not a part of the deployment and had to guess, I would say it may have taken a week to deploy.
We require a team of four or five to maintain this solution.
What other advice do I have?
In summary, this is a good product and I recommend it.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enterprise Integration Architect at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Reliable and mature with good support but the content filtering needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "It's very stable and mature."
- "Cisco ASA Firewall is a good product."
- "The content filtering on an application level is not as good as other solutions such as Palo Alto."
- "The content filtering on an application level is not as good as other solutions such as Palo Alto."
What is most valuable?
It's very stable and mature.
What needs improvement?
The content filtering on an application level is not as good as other solutions such as Palo Alto.
While the price is fair with all of the features that it has, it should be cheaper.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the Cisco ASA Firewall for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution.
We have plans to continue using this solution in the future.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable product. We have 200,000 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
Cisco technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used other products. We used Fortinet and CheckPoint.
How was the initial setup?
We have a team of 50 or 60 Network Engineers to maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is fair. It's not the cheapest, but it's not bad.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco ASA Firewall is a good product. I would recommend it to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate it a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Systems Administrator\Ag. IT Manager at a construction company with 201-500 employees
It secures my network and is very stable
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very stable product. I've not had any issues with it. It is a super product, and I won't need to change it anytime soon."
- "It is a very stable product; I've not had any issues with it, it is a super product, and I won't need to change it anytime soon."
- "Its configuration through GUI as well as CLI can be improved and made easier."
- "Its configuration through GUI as well as CLI can be improved and made easier."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Cisco ASA as my firewall. I use it for security purposes to block access and for VPN. It is on the perimeter, so basically, it secures my network.
What is most valuable?
It is a very stable product. I've not had any issues with it. It is a super product, and I won't need to change it anytime soon.
What needs improvement?
Its configuration through GUI as well as CLI can be improved and made easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than five years. I am using the Cisco ASA 5505 model.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I manage it myself. If I can't, then I get somebody else. I don't have any support from Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was slow. It took a day or two.
What about the implementation team?
Unfortunately, there were not too many skilled guys who could install it. I had to get a third party for installation and configuration. I had to get somebody qualified in Cisco Security, and he was the only person who could actually configure it well.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I just bought it off the shelf, and I'm using it with my previous one, so I have not spent that much.
What other advice do I have?
I would definitely recommend this solution. You just have to learn how to configure it. It is a Cisco solution, and there is not much to be improved. I plan to keep using it and expand its usage.
I would rate Cisco ASA Firewall an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Lead Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A recommended firewall solution that is straightforward, stable, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "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."
- "It is 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."
- "The firewall models that we have are quite legacy, and they have slower performance."
What is our primary use case?
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.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Cisco ASA Firewall for around one hour and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is quite stable. We didn't have any issues or crashes, so we find it to be a solid solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't have Cisco support because these models are excellent.
How was the initial setup?
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.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're using the smart license for this firewall. The models that we have require licensing for remote access.
What other advice do I have?
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.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Owner/CTO at FS NETWORKS
Good solution that is easy to implement
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is easy."
- "Cisco is very reliable and very secure, but has to compete with Fortinet which is very hard."
- "In terms of what could be improved, I would say 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."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
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.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco ASA Firewall for about 15 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have maybe 100 - 200 end users using the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
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.
How was the initial setup?
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.
What other advice do I have?
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.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Jr. Engineer at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
User-friendly, easy to install with updates available online, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "The interface is user-friendly."
- "All of the computer updates are available online, so you can update, all of the licensing features can be upgrades, and the interface is user-friendly."
- "The cost is very high. Most organizations cannot afford it."
- "The cost is very high. Most organizations cannot afford it."
What is our primary use case?
In our organization, we are using it as an internal firewall.
What is most valuable?
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.
What needs improvement?
The cost is very high. Most organizations cannot afford it.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the latest version of this solution for the last five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. We have more than 2000 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is fine, we have no issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy. Cisco documentation is online, so it was no problem at all.
It took approximately 30 minutes to install.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If we compare it with FortiGate and the co-existing ASA, FortiGate is better in terms of price.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I can recommend to others.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group Information Technology Manager at a mining and metals company with 201-500 employees
Provides great VPN and firewall features; very stable
Pros and Cons
- "VPN and firewall are good features."
- "The solution is stable, we haven't had any issues."
- "Lacks a good graphical user interface."
- "In terms of improvement, we'd like to see a good graphical user interface."
What is our primary use case?
I'm the group information technology manager and we are customers of Cisco.
What is most valuable?
The best feature for me is the VPN and I also like the firewall.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 18 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
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.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't made any changes since implementing and we haven't tried scaling.
How are customer service and technical support?
We get our support from the resellers, not from Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
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.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Security Presales Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Good throughput, with one-of-a-kind support, that is scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of this solution are the integrations and IPS throughput."
- "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."
- "The price and SD-WAN capabilities are the areas that need improvement."
What is our primary use case?
I am a pre-sales engineer, and I do comparisons based on my customer's requests.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are the integrations and IPS throughput.
What needs improvement?
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?
For how long have I used the solution?
I have familiar with the Next Generation firewalls for two years, and six years with firewalls in general.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable indeed.
Our clients are SMB Enterprise.
How are customer service and technical support?
It's just a fact, nothing is better than Cisco technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
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.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. With other vendors, it is easier, but it was straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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