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Cisco IOS Security vs Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) 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
7.4
Cisco IOS Security delivered significant ROI through improved routing, security, stability, and cost-efficiency, despite competitive vendor pressures.
Sentiment score
6.4
Cisco Secure IPS delivers effective threat detection and aligns with security needs, but setup costs concern some users' ROI evaluations.
The return on investment is satisfactory with Cisco products as they have long lifespans, and our customers are satisfied with them.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco IOS Security support is generally praised for speed and skill, though some report delays and complexity in access.
Sentiment score
7.1
Cisco Secure IPS support is generally well-regarded for responsiveness and skill, despite some regional inconsistencies and initial contact issues.
My impression is that the support quality has deteriorated over time.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
Fortinet, on the other hand, offers quicker response times and same-day RMAs, which gives them an edge in customer service.
Head Of Technical Operations at ITE
Compared to SonicWall security services, Cisco's technical support has no competition.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The response was fast, and they provided experts to solve our issues quickly.
IT Infrastructure Manager at TMLI
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco IOS Security offers scalable, enterprise-level solutions but may increase costs and limit universality due to required hardware.
Sentiment score
7.0
Cisco Secure IPS is praised for scalability and centralized management but criticized for hardware limitations and high scaling costs.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Cisco IOS Security is generally reliable with occasional issues, frequently updated for stability, scoring 7-10 in satisfaction.
Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Secure IPS is mostly stable but experiences software glitches, upgrade issues, and faces preferences for alternative solutions.
We find Cisco products stable and thoroughly tested before new software or firmware versions are released.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
I find Cisco IOS Security to be a very stable product.
Partner/Owner and Director of Human Resources at Up arrow Systems
The software situation with Cisco is problematic.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I recommend it to other users, but I am concerned about stability, as the stability is not adequate.
Senior Network Security Expert & Instructor at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco IOS Security struggles with integration, usability, cost, lacking features, complex licensing, performance, and requires enhancement and support.
Cisco Secure IPS requires better SIEM integration, enhanced user-friendliness, centralized management, intuitive UI, and improved support and documentation.
Cisco changes their licensing policy quite frequently, which is becoming confusing and complicated.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
CLI is very important in professional working, and it was an unwise decision by Cisco to remove it.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Incorporating AI capabilities would enhance its functionality.
IT Infrastructure Manager at TMLI
I am aware that we are not measuring some metrics or tracking access through Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS).
Senior Network Security Expert & Instructor at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Cisco IOS Security is costly, favoring medium to large enterprises with longer-term savings over SMB challenges.
Cisco Secure IPS is seen as expensive, justified by robust features, but less cost-effective for smaller businesses.
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
It's cheaper to integrate with existing IT security solutions compared to other expensive brands with subscription costs.
IT Infrastructure Manager at TMLI
I would rate the price for Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) as high.
Senior Network Security Expert & Instructor at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Cisco IOS Security offers scalable, stable solutions with VPN, AAA, firewall integration, and user-friendly management for high-demand environments.
Cisco Secure IPS provides advanced threat detection, scalability, integration capabilities, and centralized management, enhanced by Talos and Cisco Firepower.
There are higher-level systems such as intrusion prevention systems which detect intrusions within the system.
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
This solution, called Network Access Controller, handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for devices accessing the network.
Partner/Owner and Director of Human Resources at Up arrow Systems
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) helps me with the visibility component, providing visibility across more than 3,000 applications using Firepower IPS.
Senior Network Security Expert & Instructor at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
They can discover new versions of malware, which is very beneficial.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is quite powerful for threat detection and includes botnet detection.
IT Infrastructure Manager at TMLI
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS Security
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (39th)
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS)
Ranking in Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
6th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS Security is 2.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is 3.3%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS)3.3%
Cisco IOS Security2.3%
Other94.4%
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Software (IDPS)
 

Featured Reviews

Danijel Cerovecki - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Cyber Defense Department and Network Technologies Department at Verso Altima
Have faced challenges in keeping licensing clear and consistent while ensuring reliable network protection
We are a Gold Partner with Cisco. Our customers come from various industries, including service providers, and we target service providers and enterprise customers.We do not extensively use Zone-Based Firewalls in Cisco IOS Security, instead typically deploying standalone firewalls such as Cisco FTDs or Cisco ASA devices. For threat analytics and vulnerability scanning, we utilize third-party vendors with dedicated devices and software. We use products such as Tenable from Nessus for this type of analysis. We have implemented Secure Access Control Server in Cisco IOS Security, which combines multiple security mechanisms including AAA, 802.1X for network access control with Cisco ICE, TrustSec for identity-based segmentation, and Cisco DNA Center. Cisco IOS Security's VPN support is comprehensive and increasingly important in daily communication, from basic site-to-site tunnels to remote access VPNs and SD-WAN secure VPNs. Protecting and encrypting communication is essential in modern networks. The challenges with Cisco IOS Security are more operational than product-related. There is an understaffing issue, making automation and orchestration capabilities particularly valuable. For the products themselves, we only encounter routine operational matters such as addressing new vulnerabilities and patching. For those considering Cisco IOS Security, it is important to understand that Cisco offers a complete ecosystem. When embracing the Cisco ecosystem fully, customers receive excellent products and comprehensive solutions. On a scale of 1-10, I rate Cisco IOS Security a 9.
reviewer373227 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Marketing strengths shine but regaining user trust needs significant effort
There are numerous things that could be improved about Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) to get it back on track. Sollution for small branches: when we have to connect a lot very small branches (or sometimes only an ATM) we need something small, with LTE and with reasonable price. Cisco response is SDWAN but it is not always the case. Recently Cisco released some small firewalls but I have not tried them yet. Central management with FMC is a very good idea, but sometimes local management or monitoring is helpfull. With Cisco You have to decide: central or local. You cannot have both. Regarding usability, when you commit configuration on Cisco, it sometimes takes very long. Commits also take some time for the competition, but Cisco is definitely lagging behind the rest in this respect. Last but not least, for me as a professional is lack of CLI. With CLI, I can configure every firewall on the market except Cisco. CLI is very important in professional working, and IMHO it was an unwise decision by Cisco to remove it. Graphical interfaces are very nice, but when you've got thousands of objects in a big installation and have to configure many things, CLI is a much faster way to do it.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Construction Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise27
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS Security?
The cost of Cisco IOS Security for customers is on the higher end of pricing compared to the competition, depending on the targeted customers.This can be a major issue as enterprise customers are o...
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS Security?
Regarding improvements in Cisco IOS Security, what consistently confuses me is the inability of Cisco to maintain a clear licensing policy.This is an issue that I have observed for years now. Cisco...
What is your primary use case for Cisco IOS Security?
The main use cases for Cisco IOS Security include elementary device hardening, access control, control-plane policing, AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting), network security, Layer 2...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco NGIPS?
I would rate the price for Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) as high.
What needs improvement with Cisco NGIPS?
I am aware that we are not measuring some metrics or tracking access through Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS). In my opinion, Cisco could improve the Web GUI for Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS).
What is your primary use case for Cisco NGIPS?
Our main use case for Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) is in-line traffic control, and we are using IPS in an in-line mode.
 

Also Known As

IOS Security
Sourcefire NGIPS, Firepower NGIPS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
American Electric Power, Huntington Bank, Keycorp, Nationwide, Transunion, Marriott, Inova Health, Ford, Thomson Reuters, Dow Chemical, Equifax, Chevron, Walmart, Coca Cola
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS Security vs. Cisco Secure IPS (NGIPS) and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
892,943 professionals have used our research since 2012.