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Check Point IPS vs Cisco IOS Security comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.5
Check Point IPS offers peace of mind, cost savings, and efficient protection, providing significant ROI through enhanced security and reduced downtime.
Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco IOS Security offers high ROI through improved efficiency, reduced risks, cost savings, and a beneficial subscription model.
Efficiency has improved, as we've seen a reduction in attack investigations and also seen efficiency in systems administration, security-wise.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Check Point IPS support is generally reliable and responsive, although some users experience delays due to detailed resolution processes.
Sentiment score
7.0
Cisco IOS Security offers expert support but faces criticism for slow responses and communication challenges, remaining a strong choice.
Our technical teams have personal relationships with our account executives and direct support people.
The customer support for Check Point IPS is great.
Customer support for Check Point IPS is satisfactory.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Check Point IPS scales well across network sizes, supporting both on-premises and cloud deployments, enhancing performance and flexibility.
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco IOS Security is praised for scalability and efficiency but may require additional hardware and specific Cisco equipment.
We have moved to a hyper-scale master environment, allowing us to scale by adding additional gateways to the clusters.
Check Point IPS's scalability is good, as it can handle growth easily if our organization expands.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Check Point IPS is praised for stability and reliability, with minor hardware concerns and high user ratings.
Sentiment score
7.7
Cisco IOS Security is praised for stability and reliability, with few integration issues reported when not using Cisco equipment.
Check Point IPS provides a very stable and reliable environment.
I find Cisco IOS Security to be a very stable product.
 

Room For Improvement

Check Point IPS users need better detection, performance, support, documentation, integration, and automation, with concerns about cost and licensing.
Cisco IOS Security needs more intuitive management, better performance, advanced features, and improved integration, usability, and support.
Automated attack path correlation in SmartEvent to improve situational awareness.
I believe they can improve on the algorithms to better identify and predict attacks, and they can also add its binaries to reduce false positives.
Visual analytics and automated attack path correlation in SmartEvent to enhance situational awareness and attack identification.
 

Setup Cost

Check Point IPS pricing is costly, but offers value with bundling, simple licensing, and justifiable costs through performance benefits.
Cisco IOS Security is pricey, subscription-based, aimed at medium-to-large enterprises, with recent SMB options, often seen as expensive.
Comparisons with Fortinet show that Check Point IPS is relatively more expensive, but we found it cheaper to retain it rather than switch.
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Check Point IPS has been satisfactory.
 

Valuable Features

Check Point IPS is praised for its protection, ease of use, integration, and effective threat management with minimal false positives.
Cisco IOS Security enhances network security with robust features, user-friendly interface, and strong performance, preferred over competitors.
The solution employs behavioral heuristic analysis to block zero-day attacks using AI-powered engines.
The integration with Check Point ThreatCloud ensures the IPS engine is updated with the latest attack signatures.
Check Point IPS has positively impacted our organization by helping us secure our environment, leading to fewer complaints about security issues.
This solution, called Network Access Controller, handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for devices accessing the network.
 

Categories and Ranking

Check Point IPS
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco IOS Security
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
10th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (20th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Check Point IPS is 5.0%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 1.2%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Jeroen Devroede - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable tool that provides its users with intrusion protection functionalities
Based on what I hear from my full-time firewall administrators, the upgrade process or the maintenance of the devices for each firmware upgrade requires one to break the cluster and run a specific moment at a time, a single node concept. I hear from my admin that the firmware upgrade process is quite cumbersome. Our company has made Check Point very well aware of the cumbersome firmware upgrade process, including the other customers as well. The aforementioned details can be considered for improvement. The price of the product needs to be improved since it is an expensive solution. All the components of Check Point IPS are expensive, while licenses of the product exceed all its other expenses. If you have a data center without infrastructure, you will suffer from losses on a monthly and yearly basis due to DDoS attacks, which we know about since we have the data for ourselves. It is up to each customer to determine how long he can lose his data center, and then you count if it is possible to lose it for that amount of time, and if you don't, then pay the price for the firewall.
Binoob John - PeerSpot reviewer
Rrobust network security and device authentication with advanced access control features
This solution should be implemented for most enterprise-level customers. It ensures that users accessing the corporate network or wireless network with their own devices are authenticated and authorized. As a network administrator, I can track who is accessing the network, what devices they are…
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) solutions are best for your needs.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
26%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Check Point IPS?
The most valuable feature of the solution is called tunneling. Tunneling is one of the major security features that hackers cannot penetrate through.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Check Point IPS?
Comparisons with Fortinet show that Check Point IPS is relatively more expensive, but we found it cheaper to retain it rather than switch.
What needs improvement with Check Point IPS?
I believe Check Point IPS can be improved by making it more proactive and predictive and fine-tuning the false positives. When I say more proactive and predictive, I believe they can improve on the...
What do you like most about Cisco IOS Security?
Cisco IOS Security is a mature product with extensive capabilities, serving as the base for the defense layer. It offers good network visibility, which helps in rapid response through the Rapid Thr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS Security?
Pricing can be reduced. I rate the current price for the product a four out of ten.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
While I do not have specific recommendations for improvement, pricing can be reduced.
 

Also Known As

Check Point Intrusion Prevention System
IOS Security
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Morton Salt, Medical Advocacy and Outreach, BH Telecom, Lightbeam Health Solutions, X by Orange, Cadence, Nihondentsu, Datastream Connexion, Good Sam, Omnyway, FIASA, Pacific Life, Banco del Pacifico, Control Southern, Xero, Centrify
Arup Group, Brunel University London, City of Biel, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha, K&L Gates , New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Offshore Northern Seas, Transplace
Find out what your peers are saying about Check Point IPS vs. Cisco IOS Security and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.