What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco Stealthwatch to monitor network traffic and make network traffic analytics on east, west, north, and south traffic in our company.
How has it helped my organization?
Cisco Stealthwatch has improved our organization because it has brought visibility that we didn't have previously before implementing it. We have information about all of the devices on the network, which include network devices, such as routers, firewalls, et cetera, and endpoint devices, such as users' laptops or servers. The information that we can receive includes what network traffic the user processes. For example, what network traffic gets to our servers and the network traffic that originates from our laptops and user machines.
We have a better understanding of the network which allows us to tweak our security policies from the information we receive.
What is most valuable?
Cisco Stealthwatch has predefined alerts for different types of security issues that might happen in the network. Whether it's PCs or servers that are used for botnets or Bitcoin mining we receive the alerts automatically. This functionality is what we receive from the solution out of the box.
The solution has a lot of add-on features available.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Cisco Stealthwatch within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The performance of the Cisco Stealthwatch is good. We haven't encountered any issue regarding performance, or that it cannot handle all the traffic that it receives.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable, it can be done easily. I don't see any problem with us expanding our network and for the solution to be able to accommodate our needs.
Our company has approximately 1,000 people employed and they all use Cisco Stealthwatch. We have administrators that can access it and do work on a daily basis in order to see alerts and inspect all the potential problems in the network.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't had any issues with somebody from Cisco assisting us with any technical needs. We have attended several workshops during the time that we wanted to implement Cisco Stealthwatch. We were at the workshops to get a full perspective on the solution and see what they have planned for the future for new features. The training workshops were not something that we specifically asked for. It was not tailored to us. It was open for Cisco partners, which we are as well. We haven't had any technical issues in our contact with Cisco technical support for any of our needs.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have not used a previous solution because Cisco Stealthwatch is a relatively new concept on the market and we haven't used or looked into any other similar solutions from that category.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation of the Cisco Stealthwatch should be easier. It is not very complex but it could be made easier. We had the solution up and running in approximately one business day.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of the solution ourselves. We did not need any assistance from any integrator.
One person is enough for maintenance, patching, and overall support of the solution. As we follow best practice, we use two people, because having two sets of eyes it's better than having just one. However, it is able to be maintained by one person.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing model for Cisco Stealthwatch can make it difficult for using to get the most out of the solution.
We looking or determining if Cisco Stealthwatch is an expensive or inexpensive solution is difficult because it is relative. However, the licenses are able to be purchased at different intervals, such as annually or every three years. The licensing is generally based on, features or sub-product categories.
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.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Cisco Stealthwatch to others.
The advice I would give others is to think about what they want to achieve from the Cisco Stealthwatch, whether it's monitoring their traffic in the data center or monitoring their endpoint users. When they make this plan or have it clear in their mind, then purchase all the necessary items in order for the solution to work according to their needs. This is one of the key points that the people or customers need to know before they delve into purchasing this solution.
I rate Cisco Stealthwatch an eight out of ten.
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