Cisco Duo vs Symantec VIP Access Manager comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.9, while Broadcom is ranked #16. Cisco holds a 3.7% mindshare in AS, compared to Broadcom’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Cisco Duo

Read 160 Cisco Duo reviews

15,169 Views
7,585 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Symantec VIP Access Manager

Read 15 Symantec VIP Access Manager reviews

3,951 Views
2,094 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Cisco Duo

Symantec VIP Access Manager

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Cisco Duo and Symantec VIP Access Manager are both leading solutions in the two-factor authentication space. Cisco Duo generally receives better feedback concerning ease of use and customer service, while Symantec VIP Access Manager is often praised for its robust security features.

What features are offered by Cisco Duo in comparison to Symantec VIP Access Manager?

Cisco Duo is noted for its straightforward integration, extensive compatibility with various apps, and simplicity in implementation. Symantec VIP Access Manager is recognized for its advanced security protocols, comprehensive user management functionalities, and superior security features.

What areas of improvement can be found in Cisco Duo in comparison to Symantec VIP Access Manager?

Cisco Duo users often desire more advanced customization options, detailed reporting capabilities, and broader interoperability with other platforms. Symantec VIP Access Manager users wish for a more intuitive setup process, better compatibility with third-party apps, and streamlined deployment procedures.

How is the ease of deployment and customer service of Cisco Duo in comparison to Symantec VIP Access Manager?

Cisco Duo is known for quick deployment processes and responsive customer support. Symantec VIP Access Manager has a more complex deployment requiring specialized support, which is beneficial for its advanced features.

What setup costs and ROI can be seen with Cisco Duo in comparison to Symantec VIP Access Manager?

Cisco Duo generally provides a cost-effective solution with quick ROI due to efficient implementation and low setup costs. Symantec VIP Access Manager has higher initial costs justified by its superior security measures and long-term performance.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Duo vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager

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

Cisco Duo

Ranking in Authentication Systems

2nd

Ranking in Access Management

5th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

160

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (5th), ZTNA as a Service (2nd), Cisco Security Portfolio (1st), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (1st), AI Data Analysis (3rd)

Symantec VIP Access Manager

Ranking in Authentication Systems

16th

Ranking in Access Management

31st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Cisco Duo is 3.7%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec VIP Access Manager is 2.0%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Authentication Systems Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Duo	3.7%
Symantec VIP Access Manager	2.0%
Other	94.3%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

Charles Slaustas

Information Technology Contractor at Insight global

Supports seamless authentication for users across multiple organizations and personal portals

The features I use in Cisco Duo include Duo Pushes to confirm my identity to the device, and eventually as MFA security was increased, I actually had to use exchange passcodes. Sometimes, I have to go into the site and get into Cisco Duo to retrieve the passcode, and many of them have been two-factor, where the sites send a passcode that I have to enter into Cisco Duo. It has been more of the latter. I have not seen issues with lagging or crashing on Cisco Duo's end; it was usually on the client end, often because someone set up a bad upgrade or there were connection issues with the Cisco Duo cloud through the administrative site.

Read full review

Berk Onur

Presales Consultant at Cyberwise

With its mobile application, this tool offers a convenient and user-friendly experience to its users

To improve the tool, I think that the solution should consider integrations with other cybersecurity and IT technologies, such as Privileged Access Management and Site Integration. Additionally, the implementation of second-factor authentication via Symantec VIP Access Manager, CyberArk, and Delinea, among other technologies, could be best for the product. While the existing technology is okay, improving the integration capabilities for Symantec VIP Access Manager would benefit the product. I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company. While many cybersecurity solutions can function independently, they often lack integration with our systems due to missed integration points. Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial.

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

"Cisco Duo has provided substantial value, primarily in saved time, but also in low cost because administrators do not have a significant workload with Cisco Duo."

"We like the different ways that it allows you to push notifications to people. It can do text, a phone call, and email. We liked the versatility for all of our different end-users, regardless of their level of understanding of the technology."

"The technical support is of a very high level, and if you have a problem they will be able to support you, logging in remotely as an engineer to give assistance, and with the upgraded license the support is even better and they will do everything for you if you have a problem, so the support is extremely good."

"Once you break that curve, it gives end users a sense of security where they know that if they're trying to sign on to Office 365 or some other application, they need to authenticate with Duo to make sure that they have the multi-factor authentication."

"I would say Cisco Duo improved our authentication with that extra layer of security and the usability for our end users."

"Duo offers dual-factor authentication for our logins; I put in my credentials and hit go, then I get an alert on my Apple Watch and approve it, and that part is just phenomenal."

"My advice for other companies that are considering getting Cisco Duo is to try it, and you will be amazed at how easy and how productive this tool is."

"Cisco Duo has strengthened the ability to defend against both phishing and identity-based attacks."

More Cisco Duo pros

"If you're looking for a fairly lightweight client that works very well for remote access purposes, I think Symantec is definitely a good product."

"Cloud-based service and management."

"I like the whole solution, and I would recommend it."

"The VPN we are using is good and working quite well."

"The tool has been very stable, in my experience. Also, I haven't faced any issues or problems with integration or connectivity."

"In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc."

"The two-factor authentication is most definitely valuable and moves us closer to being able to check off those important boxes for compliance."

"The main benefit of Symantec VIP is that it provides strong authentication while keeping it as a very user friendly experience."

More Symantec VIP Access Manager pros

Cons

"Cisco Duo can be improved because people have their own personal mobile devices."

"For the next release, Cisco Duo could be improved by adding touchless authentication and biometric features."

"I think Cisco Duo could be improved by including email authentication, as there is currently only SMS, SMS push, and code generation, but having email authentication could be beneficial when you don't have a phone."

"We were considering purchasing other products, like AMP for Endpoints, and it was not properly integrated with the firewall function. It might be better now with SecureX."

"Cisco Duo could be improved with more interesting rules or correlation rules between all the data sources such as Windows and Azure."

"At the moment, I believe that more integration between Cisco Duo Identity Intelligence and the classic Cisco Duo console can be improved, since it is still a separate platform, and when I click on Identity Intelligence, I have to open a new window and log in again."

"I would like to see Duo Security increase the time that the users have to log into the devices. The maximum time interval is 50 minutes at the moment, and I would like it to be 60 minutes. When you try to log into a device and have to authenticate yourself, sometimes it's not very pleasant. It's not the best thing particularly if you have to do this every 50 minutes, which is the maximum time that Duo gives. This makes it difficult to use and does not save time."

"For the back-end, there could be a few more security features applied."

More Cisco Duo cons

"There are some shortcomings on the reporting side, such as how many connections you can get per month."

"Maybe Symantec could consider providing a step-by-step guide for first-time users."

"In my opinion, for this solution, the technical support is not so expert when we talk about integration using the API."

"I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company...Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial."

"The gateway server is a RADIUS server, but it lacks the functionality of returning RADIUS attributes other than those that are required for the gateway to authenticate the users."

"The VIP Manager can be accessed from the outside which is a security vulnerability."

"The reporting on the VIP Manager is not correct."

"In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access."

More Symantec VIP Access Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Duo Security is free."

"From a reseller perspective, it's still challenging to explain the whole license strategy to a client, so we really have to be ahead of that for all the true forward conversations."

"The cost was reasonable. Licensing was pretty straightforward for a change."

"I haven't seen it in a while, but it's at par with everything else licensing-wise."

"It's very simple. Its price is fair. We use the hardware tokens as well. You get what you pay for. In terms of licensing, Cisco has very complicated products, but Duo Security was surprisingly easy."

"You pay per user when using this solution and the pricing is fair."

"My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing has been good, with no issues. I am pleased that the prices remained stable after Cisco acquired the solution."

"The pricing is pretty competitive. It's pretty cheap. Anybody can adopt it."

More Cisco Duo pricing and cost advice

"Licensing and pricing seems very fair."

"There are additional costs for maintenance."

"There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate."

"I can say that the solution is worth the money."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Outsourcing Company

13%

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	64
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	79

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?

We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Duo Security?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Cisco Duo indicates that the main setup cost for us has been the time and effort required to integrate Duo with existing applications, auth...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Duo Security?

Cisco Duo is generally easy to use, but there are a few areas where it could be improved. The initial setup and configuration can require some technical knowledge, especially when integrating Duo w...

See all answers

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Comparisons

Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Duo

Compared 6% of the time

Okta Platform vs Cisco Duo

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Duo

Compared 3% of the time

Auth0 Platform vs Cisco Duo

Compared 3% of the time

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Identity Manager by One Identity vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 7% of the time

Okta Platform vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 6% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 5% of the time

Symantec Siteminder vs Symantec VIP Access Manager

Compared 4% of the time

More Symantec VIP Access Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo

October 2026

Download Cisco Duo product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec VIP Access Manager

September 2026

Download Symantec VIP Access Manager product report

Also Known As

Duo Security

Symantec VIP

Overview

Cisco Duo is a cloud-based identity security platform safeguarding critical resources for any user and device worldwide. Known for its ease of use, Duo offers seamless protection across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.

Cisco Duo is designed to secure access with identity-first protection and provides extensive visibility throughout an organization's identity ecosystem. Offering multi-factor authentication, Duo facilitates easy integration and management, allowing teams to protect data effectively on VPNs, applications, and networks. Its single-pane management improves security processes while enhancing trust, making it suitable for diverse IT infrastructures.

What are the key features of Cisco Duo?

Multi-factor Authentication: Strengthens user verification with multiple methods.
Push Notifications: Simplifies authentication with quick approvals.
Single Sign-On: Enhances convenience by allowing one set of credentials.
VPN Access: Secures remote connections with reliable authentication.
User Activity Visibility: Offers comprehensive insights into access patterns.

Which benefits and ROI should users consider?

Quick Deployment: Facilitates rapid integration within existing systems.
Effective Management: Streamlines IT operations with centralized control.
Regulatory Compliance: Aids in meeting industry standards for data protection.
Enhanced Trust: Strengthens security posture across networks.
User-friendly Approach: Simplifies authentication for non-technical users.

In industries like education and finance, Cisco Duo is widely employed to secure multi-factor authentication across platforms such as email, databases, and servers. Its integration capabilities with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and VPNs like AnyConnect are instrumental in verifying user identities using mobile apps or OTPs, catering effectively to both remote and on-premise environments.

Cisco

Symantec VIP Access Manager offers seamless integration with applications, providing robust user authentication and enhanced security for remote work. Its cloud-based design ensures consistent connectivity and is convenient for users.

Designed for strengthening access security, Symantec VIP Access Manager features strong user authentication and easy application integration. Its fast interface and reliable VPN access support risk-based authentication. Users can securely work remotely, leveraging a mobile app for generating digital codes, crucial for multifactor authentication. The cloud-based solution ensures access even when company VPNs are down, reducing hardware costs with Mobile Credential and offering enhanced dashboards in version 9.1.

What are the standout features of Symantec VIP Access Manager?

Strong Authentication: Provides robust multifactor authentication enhancing security.
Application Integration: Seamlessly integrates with existing applications.
Mobile Utility: Allows secure work through mobile devices for remote access.
Cloud Connectivity: Ensures access even if company VPNs experience issues.
Enhanced Dashboards: Version 9.1 introduces advanced dashboard features.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Reduced Hardware Costs: Mobile Credential lowers expenses by lessening hardware dependencies.
Secure Remote Work: Facilitates safe access to networks and emails while working remotely.
Reliability: Provides consistent access through cloud services.
Enhanced Security: Risk-based authentication strengthens data protection.

Symantec VIP Access Manager is commonly used in industries requiring secure remote connectivity. Organizations implement it to generate login codes for multifactor authentication, critical for employees accessing networks via VPN tools like Palo Alto GlobalProtect and Fortinet VPN. It supports secure remote workflows, vital in sectors prioritizing data protection and remote access.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Maine Medical Center, Aria S.p.A

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager

September 2026

Free Report: Cisco Duo vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Duo vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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