Aruba ESP vs Cisco Secure Access comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #28, while Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 1.1% mindshare in SASE, compared to Cisco’s 3.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Aruba ESP and Cisco Secure Access based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba ESP vs. Cisco Secure Access Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba ESP vs. Cisco Secure Access

June 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 900,644 peers since 2012

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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.3%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Aruba ESP is 1.1%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Access is 3.7%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Access	3.7%
iboss	3.3%
Aruba ESP	1.1%
Other	91.9%

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula

Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Cloud gateway has strengthened remote web security and now needs better Mac and ISP support

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent for the Mac agents. That is where in 2025, we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform. If your use case is for just Windows laptops,you can consider this platform as an option One issue is the data center resiliency part. In India especially, they are not tied up with the Tier 1 ISPs like Tata or Airtel; they were having Tier 2 ISPs and encountered many issues reaching few major sites that my organization depends on, and they were having problems that they could not fix quickly. They also lack a mechanism to route that traffic within their data center; rather, they ask customers to make a pac file change to route it to Singapore explicitly. It would be better if they route from their backend , i mean even if I send it to India DC, they should be able to route it internally to make that work; however, they fail to do that and ask the customer to route it in the pac file. Another suggestion is that in China, they do not have the proper setup; they used to have numerous problems with slowness and lack of premium circuits in China as well. That leads to multiple sites working slowly with latency-related issues. So the main issue is the ISP-related problems that need to be solved.

Read full review

SatishKumar13

Deputy Manager at Savex Technologies Pvt Ltd

Has improved remote connectivity with secure segmentation for traveling users

The scenario has totally changed after COVID. Earlier, people used to work from office culture, but now it has shifted to work from anywhere. Devices are not fixed either. Previously it was fixed asset, but now people are using smartphones, IoT devices, laptops, and other devices, connecting from anywhere. Segmenting network traffic is very difficult and complicated because putting a firewall across devices is very difficult and nearly impossible. EdgeConnect, which includes endpoint protection or SSE, is very agent-based. POPs are nearly reachable across the globe, so users can access services globally whenever they want to reach the data center or access the internet. It creates segregation, and after segregation, it comes with security functionality including CASB, web, anti-malware, and antivirus functionality. It protects the endpoint whenever connecting with unsecured networks. The first level post-check of security parameters matches all functionalities. Their segregation part allows us to define parameters through ZTNA functionality, Zero Trust Network Access where we can define postures, whether devices relate to corporate network or personal use, if antivirus is running, if OS is updated, and many more things. Based upon that, it helps customers protect the complete infrastructure, whether connecting with office network, unsecured network, or remote office.

Read full review

reviewer2788500

Network Operations Engineer at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Secure access has unified zero trust and web protection while AI assistance automates tasks

From a feature perspective, I have not experienced any issues, drawbacks, or shortcomings. However, the cost of Cisco's products and licensing is high. My clients usually prefer cheaper options if possible. Mid-size or smaller businesses typically cannot afford Cisco Secure Access. Additionally, there is a steep learning curve, as it is very intensive. Someone with significant knowledge can work on it, but a new professional would have to spend considerable time to get accustomed to it. It is hard to find engineers who can work on it. Overall, we get what we pay for, as it is a pretty good feature and service. The pricing of Cisco's products and licensing is higher than competitors. If they could be more reasonable, that would help. The support offered for two years also has higher costs. Overall, the client's IT budget gets affected. It was challenging to learn because, as mentioned, it has a significant learning curve and requires considerable training to become proficient.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"As I mentioned, the return on investment is significant, as it saved our office locations' bandwidth because when you are working remotely at home, your internet traffic routes directly to iboss and will not go to your office building, saving bandwidth bottlenecks and ensuring that issues with our building internet circuits will not impact your internet connectivity because you are directly going to the iboss data center."

"Because of iboss, I did not have to assign web filtering tasks to my techs on a daily basis."

"From a use-case scenario, what I like the most is the plug-in. I like the fact that we can do the filtering of these devices offsite independent of the network they are connected to, and we do not have to have traffic coming back inside our network."

"iboss is pretty scalable. They provide good support. The case managers you work with to coordinate what you need are pretty good."

"This product is solid, fairly easy to use, and reliable."

"iboss is definitely very good in terms of service."

"Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss."

More iboss pros

"It provides a single umbrella for the complete network infrastructure, which is a very key differentiator from other products."

"Aruba ESP is a single place where you manage everything, and you have integrations with a lot of other vendors together on the same platform."

"Our security posture has improved significantly with Cisco Secure Access."

"The most valuable feature is the authentication feature."

"My experience is that Cisco has been in an area where there have been many different solutions for security, and now they are converging, but they are moving into more of a 360 view, and I have more or less everything in the same platform, so Cisco is moving in the right direction."

"I find it an amazing product, and as it is an upgrade for Umbrella, it has all the good sides of Umbrella while removing some bad sides."

"Cisco Secure Access has helped my organization significantly, especially when we went through a cyber event and lost all our previous remote access, and we were able to get Cisco Secure Access up within seven days and roll it out to all our people to get everybody back online."

"I find the posture checking feature of Cisco Secure Access the most valuable."

"Since I started using Cisco Secure Access, I have noticed positive impacts on my organization."

"The best features Cisco Secure Access offers include stability, and with 4,000 people using it and not many tickets, Cisco Secure Access has positively impacted my organization by providing stable VPN access to the data center, leading to measurable outcomes with fewer tickets."

More Cisco Secure Access pros

Cons

"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."

"The dashboards for local use could be better."

"Fold that in with the risk intelligence they're getting from all of the different subscriptions they are a part of. Now, these security companies subscribe to things like emerging threats, databases, etc. You can fold all this intelligence to decide what's happening on an endpoint. I would love to see them start moving into that space. That would compete directly with Microsoft. Maybe that's why they haven't. Having that ability native within the solution would be great. The other area in which I would love to see improvement is more detailed descriptions of why they block websites."

"The endpoint-type solution is an area that needs some improvement."

"If they could implement an extra security layer preventing access to iboss from the open internet, it would be great."

"Sometimes when you call in support, you get someone who is just following a sheet. It feels like a runaround. You feel that you are running into that support wall."

"I have heard they are doing DDoS filtering, but I am not certain if they are implementing it correctly."

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability with in the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing. It is kind of there, but it's not perfect. Quite frequently, I receive links that lead me to pages with error messages."

More iboss cons

"Aruba ESP should include more integrations with third-party vendors."

"Segmenting network traffic is very difficult and complicated because putting a firewall across devices is very difficult and nearly impossible."

"This is my first time in healthcare after being in commercial space for a long time. It's always a challenge because we can't just turn stuff off as we could in the commercial space, since it may interfere with patient care. It takes longer to understand what's going on, so anything that could help give us a faster understanding of what's happening, why it's there, and if it's a risk to us would be helpful."

"TAC engineers just exit the call once their shift timing ends."

"The way that we're using Cisco Secure Access today, it doesn't scale with the growing needs of our organization, however, if we leveraged more of the cloud services, it would fit better."

"I received support from the team for Cisco Secure Access related to web services. There were occasional delays of up to two working days."

"From a licensing perspective, there could be some enhancement."

"In general, what can be improved about this solution is to not change the name of everything every year, as Cisco marketing are experts at making changes to everything, and I don't understand what this is; that was the AnyConnect VPN, and now it's Cisco Secure Access, and what's tomorrow?"

"From a licensing perspective, Cisco can improve."

"To improve Cisco Secure Access, I believe there should be better clarity from Cisco regarding where organizations should focus their investments."

More Cisco Secure Access cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"Users need to pay a yearly license for three, five, seven, or ten years based on their requirements."

"It is confusing. When you look at the prices, you have different licensing and years of licensing that you have to purchase. Additionally, it's unclear what service you get from those licenses regarding end-user support. We have a representative who has to walk me through it every time."

"For what you get, it's a fair price in comparison to other products."

"The pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Cisco Secure Access have been very competitive compared to other platforms. I believe that if Cisco continues to improve costs or offers something similar to a Cisco credit, it would attract more customers."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

No data available

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	8

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	27
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	34

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

We used iBoss mainly for Internet Access by having an Agent on Windows laptops Primarily because when we try to use i...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

I am not involved in pricing, but as per the information I have, during that time, the Blue Coat proxies we were usin...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aruba ESP?

The scenario has totally changed after COVID. Earlier, people used to work from office culture, but now it has shifte...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Aruba ESP?

I am working for the SASE portfolio as a product manager, so I cannot give any comment on other products. If there ar...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Aruba ESP?

I rate Aruba ESP a nine out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Access?

Pricing for Cisco Secure Access has been very reasonable in the context of the entire world of SASE solutions. Setup ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Access?

Our main use case for Cisco Secure Access is providing security for hybrid and mobile workforces. One of the big chal...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Cisco Secure Access?

One of the things about policy verification is with Cisco Secure Access and modern security products in general, poli...

See all answers

Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Lightspeed Filter vs iboss

Compared 3% of the time

More iboss Competitors

VMware SASE vs Aruba ESP

Compared 21% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Aruba ESP

Compared 15% of the time

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform vs Aruba ESP

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Aruba ESP

Compared 6% of the time

More Aruba ESP Competitors

Cisco Umbrella vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 16% of the time

FortiSASE vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 9% of the time

Netskope vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 9% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 6% of the time

Barracuda SecureEdge vs Cisco Secure Access

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Secure Access Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

June 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

June 2026

Download Aruba ESP product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Access

June 2026

Download Cisco Secure Access product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

Overview

Iboss offers a comprehensive cloud-based security platform valued for its scalability and autonomous features, ensuring robust security with easy deployment and management capabilities.

Renowned for its robust security architecture, Iboss integrates seamlessly within diverse networks, delivering efficient granular filtering and advanced content categorization. Its single pane of glass console provides ease of management, allowing rapid scalability suitable for rapidly deploying environments. Operates in BYOD setups due to inline filtering without device installation. Integration with cloud-based applications enhances user control, and features like SASE, SSL inspection, and ChatGPT risk protection stand as highlights. Despite its strengths, users have pointed out areas for enhancement like direct navigation in reports, SSL decryption, and better cloud integration while having room to improve data loss prevention.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

Scalability: Supports rapid deployment across diverse networks.
SASE: A consolidated approach to secure access.
SSL Inspection: Ensures safe data transmission.
Granular Filtering: Detailed control over accessible content.
Single Pane Management: Unifies control through a centralized console.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing with robust features.
Autonomous Operation: Reduces management overhead.
Responsive Support: Provides assistance when needed.
Flexible Deployment: Available for both cloud and on-premises environments.

The usage of Iboss spans educational institutions, specifically K-12, to enforce internet policies, protect data, and support remote work environments. It provides web filtering and security frameworks to ensure safe browsing. Its platform-as-a-service model offers flexibility for both cloud-based and on-premises requirements, integrating seamlessly to deliver enhanced security features suitable for various deployment needs including zero trust, CASB, and network security for work-from-home setups.

iboss

Aruba ESP, a cutting-edge platform, enhances network management by integrating AI-driven technology to deliver smart, scalable, and secure connectivity solutions.

Aruba ESP stands out due to its intelligent capabilities to predict and resolve network issues before they impact operations, offering a comprehensive approach for modern network environments. It integrates AI and machine learning to streamline network operations, providing robust security and seamless connectivity. By simplifying management and maintenance, it empowers IT teams to focus on strategic projects while ensuring optimal network performance.

What are the key features of Aruba ESP?

AI-Powered Automation: Automates network management tasks and improves operational efficiency.
Scalable Architecture: Easily expands with the network needs, accommodating growth and change.
Comprehensive Security: Includes built-in security features to protect data and users from emerging threats.
Unified Infrastructure: Offers a single platform for wired, wireless, and WAN environments.

What benefits should users anticipate?

Reduced Downtime: AI capabilities preemptively resolve issues, minimizing disruption.
Lower Operational Costs: Automation reduces the need for manual monitoring and adjustments.
Improved User Experience: Seamless connectivity and speed enhance end-user satisfaction.
Enhanced Security: Robust protection reduces the risk of breaches and data loss.

In industries such as healthcare, education, and retail, Aruba ESP is implemented to address distinct connectivity challenges. In healthcare, it secures sensitive data while maintaining uninterrupted service, whereas in education, it supports high-density environments with reliable internet access, enhancing digital learning experiences. Retailers leverage it for seamless omnichannel integrations, improving operational efficiency and customer interactions.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Secure Access is a comprehensive Security Service Edge (SSE) solution (a key component of a SASE solution) that addresses the complexities of securing a hybrid enterprise. Cloud-delivered and grounded in zero trust, it delivers a unique blend of user simplicity and IT efficiency for frictionless, secure access to all applications—SaaS (with gen AI), private apps, and the internet—regardless of user location or device. Secure Access protects users, data, and devices against relentless, sophisticated, and constantly evolving threats including AI-driven attacks and identity breaches.

Provides all core SSE components (ZTNA, SWG, CASB, and FWaaS) plus extended capabilities.

Includes VPN-as-a-Service (VPNaaS), data loss prevention (DLP), AI Assistant, visibility/control/guardrails for generative AI use, digital experience monitoring (DEM), reserved IP, remote browser isolation (RBI), DNS-layer security, flexible security enforcement (in cloud or on-premises), policy verification, and more.
Protects users as they seamlessly access resources and apps with no extra steps needed, regardless of protocol, port, or level of customization
Simplifies IT operations through a single client, single dashboard, single license, and unified policies.
Lowers risk with least privilege, granular controls backed with unmatched threat intelligence of Cisco Talos.
Eases interoperability with other products from Cisco and third-party vendors with common administrative controls, data structures, and policy management.

Robust integrations

Integrates with Cisco Identity Intelligence to protect against the startling increase in identity-based attacks.
Integrates with many SAML Identity Providers (IDPs) such as AD, Azure AD, Okta, Ping, etc.
Integrates with Cisco offerings including SD-WAN, Splunk, XDR, Thousand Eyes, third party technologies such as Menlo RBI, Chrome Enterprise Browser, and AppOmni for SSPM.

Cisco

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

Information Not Available

1. IBM 2. Microsoft 3. Amazon 4. Google 5. Apple 6. Cisco Systems 7. Oracle 8. Intel 9. HP Inc. 10. Dell Technologies 11. Verizon Communications 12. AT&T 13. Comcast 14. T-Mobile 15. Sprint 16. Vodafone 17. Orange 18. BT Group 19. Deutsche Telekom 20. Telefonica 21. Nokia 22. Ericsson 23. Samsung Electronics 24. Sony 25. Panasonic 26. LG Electronics 27. Siemens 28. General Electric 29. Ford Motor Company 30. General Motors 31. Toyota Motor Corporation 32. Volkswagen Group

Buyer's Guide

Aruba ESP vs. Cisco Secure Access

June 2026

Free Report: Aruba ESP vs. Cisco Secure Access

Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba ESP vs. Cisco Secure Access and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Aruba ESP vs. Cisco Secure Access report.

See our list of best Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) vendors.

We monitor all Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.