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Azure Firewall Manager vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center comparison

Microsoft and Cisco are both solutions in the Firewall Security Management category. Microsoft is ranked #10 with an average rating of 9.3, while Cisco is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.7. Microsoft holds a 3.8% mindshare in Firewall Security Management, compared to Cisco’s 3.3% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Azure Firewall Manager

Read 9 Azure Firewall Manager reviews

1,989 Views
975 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...

Read 29 Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center reviews

1,902 Views
1,826 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Azure Firewall Manager

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Azure Firewall Manager and Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center are competing products in the network security landscape. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center emerges as the superior product due to its advanced features and comprehensive management capabilities, which users find worth the investment, despite Azure Firewall Manager showing competitive pricing and support satisfaction.

Features: Azure Firewall Manager provides seamless integration with Azure services, central management capabilities, and enhanced security policies. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers strong analytics, advanced threat protection, and extensive policy control, making it suitable for complex network environments.

Room for Improvement: Azure Firewall Manager could improve with more robust analytics, enhanced threat detection, and expanded policy control features. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center can benefit from more competitive pricing, simplified deployment options, and integration flexibility with non-Cisco products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Azure Firewall Manager provides cloud-native deployment optimized for quick setup and effective management within Azure. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers an intricate on-premises or cloud-based deployment model with detailed documentation and robust customer service, beneficial for troubleshooting complex issues.

Pricing and ROI: Azure Firewall Manager is cost-effective with a flexible pricing model, offering good ROI through integration within Azure. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center involves a higher initial cost but justifies this with substantial long-term ROI due to its comprehensive features and robust security infrastructure.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

September 2026

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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

Azure Firewall Manager

Ranking in Firewall Security Management

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Microsoft Security Suite (25th)

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...

Ranking in Firewall Security Management

13th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Azure Firewall Manager is 3.8%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 3.3%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewall Security Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Azure Firewall Manager	3.8%
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center	3.3%
Other	92.9%

Firewall Security Management

Featured Reviews

Sikkander Batcha

DevOps Engineer at CloudIQ

Has managed traffic effectively but lacks visibility and advanced control features

Azure Firewall is typically behind other vendor firewalls because we don't see what kind of traffic is traveling through it. That is one drawback. The main drawback is that we need log support from Azure Firewall, which can be quite costly. There is no login feature in Azure Firewall because only the IAM feature is available in the Azure site; we manage it only through the Azure portal, not through any other portal. Other vendors, such as Palo Alto, provide GUI or CLI interfaces to manage their firewalls, whereas we only manage Azure Firewall through the Azure portal. In the future, I would like to see additional features in Azure Firewall Manager to make it more competitive, such as technologies like App-ID and User-ID that Palo Alto has. Azure Firewall currently only allows traffic based on layer four and sometimes layer seven, so they need to improve in those areas compared to other vendors.

Read full review

SurajYadav

Network Security Consultant at NTT DATA

Centralized firewall control has improved visibility and policy management but needs faster UI performance

The best features of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center are the centralized management and strong security visibility. The most useful feature for me is centralized policy management, where I can create and enforce access control policies across multiple firewalls from a single console. It saves a lot of time and ensures consistency. Another key feature is IPS visibility. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center provides detailed intrusion events and signatures, which help in quickly identifying and responding to threats. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center has had a positive impact mainly by improving centralized control and visibility across our firewall environment. Earlier, managing multiple firewalls individually was time-consuming and inconsistent. With Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, we can manage policies from a single console, which has improved efficiency and reduced configuration errors. It has also enhanced our security posture with better visibility into traffic and IPS events. We are able to detect and respond to threats more quickly, which helps in reducing risk and improving overall incident response time.

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

"I would definitely recommend the solution to my clients, especially if one is using Azure Cloud."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Firewall Manager is the testing and configuration."

"We are utilizing Azure Entra ID for group labeling, so Active Directory, or now it is Entra ID, securing our application for everyone who accesses it, and Azure Firewall Manager is definitely securing our projects and all its features are fine."

"The tool's support is good."

"From a traffic management perspective, it's a good firewall because it's automatically scalable based on the traffic availability."

"The best feature of Azure Firewall Manager is that it is easy to maintain and configure."

"The most valuable feature is the web firewall, as it is easy to install and does not require any plugins for your browser."

"The solution is very easy to set up."

More Azure Firewall Manager pros

"I like its system management and filtering options as a layer seven firewall."

"Scalability is not an issue as long as you are able to buy additional licenses. Ten percent of our customers use Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, and we have large accounts with 50% of their end users behind this firewall."

"It's a fine solution in terms of scalability."

"The applied policy inside the firewall is good."

"The most valuable aspects are the antivirus and URL filtering."

"One of the most valuable features of Cisco Secure Firewalls is their seamless integration with other Cisco products."

"So far, I am very satisfied with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, and I have not considered additional features such as the analytics part of the product."

"Cisco's support and services are far superior to any other security product in Pakistan."

More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center pros

Cons

"We could do only one-way NAT-ing, where the traffic comes from outside to internal, to Azure, which is fine. However, when we actually do NAT-ed traffic to hit the firewall, that way is not working."

"Microsoft was unable to fully solve the problem with email phishing and spamming."

"The configuration and settings require substantial time for learning, particularly for new users. Improvements in ease of configuration would benefit users significantly."

"The cost is a significant concern because we are in a region where the dollar is not our default currency, and converting to dollars makes it very expensive."

"For Azure Firewall Manager, the learning curve for new people is a bit challenging, but the integration should be more straightforward for configuring a centralized system."

"There should be a simple one-click deployment for a firewall, rather than a set of setup instructions that include steps such as the DNS configuration, et cetera."

"The tool's security features need to improve. It needs also to include a monitoring system for logs. It is also complicated to find a query on the Azure firewall."

"The solution can improve the integration with open-source tools."

More Azure Firewall Manager cons

"I expect more integration with AI."

"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center needs to reduce its price."

"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center could improve by being less expensive."

"Cisco firewalls use old ESR or a Linux system, and there are problems with encryption. When we switch on encryption, the throughput goes down."

"The tool is a little bit pricey. I was not involved much with finance, but it appeared to be really expensive."

"The product could be improved by simplifying its user interface and reducing complexity."

"I had a challenging time trying to size the firewall on the cloud. Maybe the information is there, but I couldn't find it easily. Usually, it depends on the cloud provider itself, whether you use AWS or Azure. These guys give you the information, so this part is not as detailed."

"The product's setup could be easier."

More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is certainly expensive in comparison with other cloud services."

"The price of the solution is reasonable but it is reasonable for the features."

"My license offers all the protection, like malware protection, VPN protection, IDS, IPS, and endpoint protection."

"I use the free version of the product."

"The price of the solution is expensive. We do not have to pay more than the standard licensing fees."

"The solution is expensive. We have a multi-license, and we pay extra for support."

"Technical support is an additional annual cost and is not included with the license."

"When you are using a Cisco solution you know it will be expensive. Cisco makes you pay for everything individually. We pay for the licenses that we need."

"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."

"The platform is costly."

More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

15%

Construction Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	8

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Firewall Manager?

The pricing for Azure Firewall Manager is expensive. In our project, we have used both Palo Alto Firewall and Azure Firewall. Azure charges for many aspects including scaling, automated scaling dep...

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What needs improvement with Azure Firewall Manager?

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What is your primary use case for Azure Firewall Manager?

My customers are using Azure Firewall Manager, so I'm learning from both documentation and practical knowledge. I usually recommend Azure Firewall Manager for projects such as an animal hospital pr...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?

My experience with pricing and licensing for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is that it is generally on the higher side compared to some alternatives. The initial setup cost can be signific...

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What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?

One area where Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center can be improved is the user interface. At times, it can feel complex, especially for new users, and navigation between different sections coul...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center serves as my primary tool for centralized firewall policy management and monitoring security events across multiple devices. On a daily basis, I use it to ma...

See all answers

Comparisons

Azure Firewall vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 9% of the time

AlgoSec vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 9% of the time

FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall (FortiGate CNF) vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Azure Firewall Manager

Compared 7% of the time

More Azure Firewall Manager Competitors

Palo Alto Networks Panorama vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

Compared 25% of the time

AWS Firewall Manager vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

Compared 15% of the time

Tufin Orchestration Suite vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

Compared 15% of the time

AlgoSec vs Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

Compared 13% of the time

More Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Firewall Manager

October 2026

Download Azure Firewall Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

October 2026

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center report

Download Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center product report

Overview

Azure Firewall Manager offers easy configuration, centralized management, and automatic scalability. Its integration with Azure Entra ID provides secure access, while Power BI facilitates centralized monitoring, contributing to its cloud-native benefits and reliable network management.

Azure Firewall Manager is recognized for its efficient security policy management and the ability to configure and test firewall settings across multiple locations. Its integration with Azure Kubernetes supports cloud environment security and the seamless migration of on-premise components to the cloud. With its hub-and-spoke architecture, users can detect threats and orchestrate policies more effectively, although integration with open-source tools and technical support responsiveness could be enhanced. Improvements in NAT capabilities and an AI-driven phishing prevention system would enhance its offering.

What are Azure Firewall Manager's key features?

Easy Configuration: Simplifies firewall setup without additional plugins.
Centralized Security Management: Streamlines policy management across locations.
Automatic Scalability: Adjusts resources to meet changing demands seamlessly.
Integration with Azure Entra ID: Provides secure user access control.
Hub and Spoke Architecture: Enables efficient threat detection and policy orchestration.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Cloud-Native Benefits: Offers stability and seamless integration with cloud environments.
Fair Pricing: Competitive cost structure, despite currency conversion challenges.
Simplified Monitoring: Uses Power BI for comprehensive security insights.
Enhanced Security: Protects against phishing and ransomware threats.

Azure Firewall Manager is widely implemented in industries like finance to secure applications and manage B2B interactions. This tool supports endpoint security, traffic management, and seamless orchestrations within cloud environments, ensuring robust protection against various threats.

Microsoft

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is a robust platform with features like intrusion prevention and centralized management, enhancing security with compatibility across Cisco's ecosystem.

Designed for enterprises, Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center provides advanced features like application visibility and seamless policy deployment. Its user-friendly design and extensive monitoring capabilities enable effective network management. While it excels in threat intelligence and automation, challenges remain in interface complexity, pricing, and performance. Improved API integration and enhanced user support would bolster its functionality, especially in policy management and monitoring.

What are the key features?

Intrusion Prevention: Provides strong protection against threats.
Centralized Management: Simplifies policy management across networks.
Application Visibility: Offers detailed insights into network applications.
Advanced Threat Detection: Uses Talos intelligence to detect threats.
Seamless Policy Deployment: Facilitates efficient policy application.

What benefits should users expect?

Integration Ease: Compatible with Cisco tools for effective data center protection.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Supports extensive network oversight for better management.
Efficient Threat Response: Leverages threat intelligence for proactive defense.
Effective Network Segmentation: Ensures secure traffic management between zones.

In financial and healthcare industries, Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center optimizes security operations by managing firewalls and ensuring network protection. Its deployment aids in advanced malware detection, supporting compliance with industry regulations and securing sensitive data efficiently.

Cisco

Buyer's Guide

Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

September 2026

Free Report: Azure Firewall Manager vs. Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

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