Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs NetFoundry Platform comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and NetFoundry are both solutions in the ZTNA as a Service category. Cisco is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.1, while NetFoundry is ranked #23. Cisco holds a 2.7% mindshare in ZaaS, compared to NetFoundry’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NetFoundry users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 22, 2026

NetFoundry Platform and Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) are leading products competing in the secure network solutions category. While Cisco Secure Client maintains a lead with its comprehensive features and robust security protocols, NetFoundry stands out for its flexibility and cloud-native integration.

Features: NetFoundry Platform offers zero trust networking, dynamic scaling, and seamless integration with cloud services, which suit flexible and agile environments. Cisco Secure Client provides multi-factor authentication, VPN capabilities, and extensive network security features, making it ideal for organizations focusing on security and reliable remote access.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetFoundry's deployment is straightforward, with its cloud-native design simplifying setup. It is supported by responsive customer service. Cisco Secure Client requires a more traditional deployment process but benefits from comprehensive documentation and well-established support channels.

Pricing and ROI: NetFoundry Platform generally offers lower initial costs and attractive ROI for businesses favoring cloud-centric solutions. Cisco Secure Client may require higher upfront investment; however, its extensive security features and long-term reliability can justify the expense.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. NetFoundry Platform Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. NetFoundry Platform

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

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the ZTNA as a Service category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.4%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is 2.7%, down from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetFoundry Platform is 2.1%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

ZTNA as a Service Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
iboss	3.4%
Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)	2.7%
NetFoundry Platform	2.1%
Other	91.8%

ZTNA as a Service

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.

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AJAY SARPAL

Manager - Projects at airtel

Offers work-from-anywhere flexibility but navigates occasional proxy confusion

The analytics I downloaded from your site as a free download did not carry the information that was actually required. I was looking at the market segmentation and market share, along with some USPs which differentiated them from each other. The free download had two issues: many things were repetitive, and it was designed to not release any relevant information. Only headers were present, so I was not able to determine whether the final report would be worthwhile. I have not worked with enterprise tools that I could share feedback on for website publication. I see benefits from using Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect). However, I would not recommend it because future adoptions will be towards Zscaler, as SSC is a better model than VPN. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this solution a 7.

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Sureshot

Cybersecurity Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Easy to set up, stable, and helpful for integrating the systems that require a fast and reliable connection

They can provide hardware for specific use cases because some of the NetFoundry solutions don't have the hardware. Currently, they're more into software, but some of the clients want a single brand instead of having multiple vendors. So, if they can offer hardware as well, it would be good. If they have a firewall capability, that would be good. Currently, because they don't have a firewall, we are required to put another layer of control on top of their solution. A built-in firewall would be quite good. Their technical support can be improved. There should be a better handover of a case from one support person to another.

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

"From a corporate perspective, I understand that it's important to keep the company data safe."

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

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device. It operates on the network side and is not device-based. This feature was one of the main reasons why we stayed with them for so long."

"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."

"We chose iboss for both zero trust and proxy (SWG) because their SWG was superior."

"iboss has significantly lowered the number of security incidents. It is crazy how much it blocks and how much it is aware of the outside danger."

"I would definitely recommend iboss for web filtering purposes to other organizations or individuals."

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent."

More iboss pros

"The solution is quite stable."

"Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is very stable."

"For our company's needs, AnyConnect is sufficient and very easy to use."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"This solution is stable. There have been no technical issues."

"I haven’t experienced any issues and the connection is always stable."

"I like that it is really easy to use, it's a simple product, and it can connect remotely with a secure network."

"The solution is easy to deploy and has good NAC integration."

More Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) pros

"The Network as a Service that they offer is most valuable."

"It is quite stable; we don't have a problem, and in terms of reliability, we haven't encountered or heard of any issues from our customers."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is in the cloud."

"The price is very reasonable compared to others and the cloud service is free."

Cons

"Its pricing could be better."

"I appreciate that iboss's single pane of glass console gives centralized visibility into web traffic, user activity, security policies, and alerts from one dashboard, allowing us to quickly investigate incidents and monitor policy violations without switching between multiple tools, improving operational efficiency; however, the dashboard customization and reporting could be more flexible."

"Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc. It is easy to gain access if, for example, hackers obtain my username and password."

"To scale up, a new iboss Node Blade Chassis must be purchased."

"I would rate iboss an eight out of ten because it provides strong cloud-based security threat protection, centralized policy management, and visibility into web traffic. I would give it a higher rating if automation, reporting, and troubleshooting capabilities could be improved further."

"For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company ExxonMobil."

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

"Sometimes, obviously, there are bugs."

More iboss cons

"It should autodetect or monitor it, when I am in the office it goes to the network in the office, or when I'm not at the office, it automatically activates my VPN connection."

"I haven't found there are any shortcomings in the product. For how I use it, it works well."

"Technical support could be better, especially when it comes to understanding the problems."

"All Cisco equipment tends to be expensive compared to newer options from other vendors."

"There are times the WiFi connectivity has disruptions and you have disconnections. It doesn't work with two connections. I have two switches back and forth sometimes. It doesn't have a failback scenario feature. However, on the gateway side, it does, but on the user device, it doesn't have that kind of option. It would be nice to have this feature."

"I think, in general, most of the applications are slow, but this is everyday stuff. I think this is more related to the link speed — the links, the lossage, etc."

"The solution could offer tighter integration with endpoint protection to make it easier to use when routing security applications from other vendors."

"The stability of the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client could improve. We have had a lot of problems with it; once I'm disconnected from the Wi-Fi, it's not reconnecting automatically, and I need to restart it many times manually."

More Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) cons

"If they have a firewall capability, that would be good. Currently, because they don't have a firewall, we are required to put another layer of control on top of their solution. A built-in firewall would be quite good."

"The solution could provide internet access control."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

"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."

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

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

"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."

"The initial cost is the ASA and other items, but after that, it is relatively inexpensive."

"We are in the North African region, and Cisco products are expensive for us. On a scale from one to ten with one being very affordable and ten being expensive, I'd rate the price at eight."

"It is not a free solution and the user needs to buy license."

"The licensing costs are reasonable."

"The solution is reasonably priced and costs $600 for a five-year license in our scenario."

"We pay for an annual subscription. Additionally to the subscription, we thought in order to connect this solution to the Active Directory we had to purchase a Cisco ACS, Access Control System. It turns out we did not actually need it."

"It costs around 80,000 Indian rupees for a hundred licenses, so approximately $1,020 USD."

"One thing I've noticed is the price in comparison to other VPNs."

More Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) pricing and cost advice

"The price is very reasonable compared to others and the cloud service is free."

"I don't have the cost, but in terms of its management viability, it is acceptable for most of our clients. It seems quite fair."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

17%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	15

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	49

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

iboss could be improved by making the dashboard more user-friendly, providing more detailed real-time alerts, and imp...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

iboss is primarily used for cloud security, helping to protect users when they access websites and cloud applications...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

The pricing and licensing for iboss were reasonable for the security features. The setup costs were manageable, thoug...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) is somewhat expensive compared to others such as Fortinet or Palo Alto, wh...

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What needs improvement with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?

There are no features that I wish Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) had that it does not currently provide. ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client?

I primarily use Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) for VPN connections and network-related activities. We hav...

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Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

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OpenVPN Access Server vs Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)

Compared 4% of the time

Tailscale vs Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)

Compared 4% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) Competitors

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs NetFoundry Platform

Compared 15% of the time

VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN vs NetFoundry Platform

Compared 14% of the time

Zscaler B2B vs NetFoundry Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Cloudflare One vs NetFoundry Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Okta Platform vs NetFoundry Platform

Compared 3% of the time

More NetFoundry Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

October 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect)

October 2026

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) report

Download Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) product report

Buyer's Guide

ZTNA as a Service

October 2026

Download NetFoundry Platform product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client

NetFoundry Edge Router

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

iboss

Demo not available

Cisco

NetFoundry

Overview

iboss is the Zero Trust SASE platform that gives organizations complete visibility and governance over their AI, data, and applications through one unified platform, one console, one policy engine, and one data lake.

Your endpoints may already stop malware. Your data and application activity can still be invisible. iboss decrypts and understands every connection, then turns that signal into answers security leaders can act on.

The platform leads with three capabilities in this order: AI Security and Visibility, Data Security and Visibility, and App Visibility and Control. Zero Trust Network Access, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN sit underneath as the access fabric that carries those three. Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

- AI Security and Visibility: conversation capture, shadow-AI discovery, AI DLP, and agent governance across Claude, Co-Work, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, and emerging services.

- Data Security and Visibility: full SSL/TLS decryption, deep content inspection, MIP label compliance, and one-click compliance reporting.

- App Visibility and Control: signatureless CASB, dual risk scoring, in-app controls, and SSPM for major SaaS.

- Containerized Zero Trust SASE: dedicated containers, isolated SSL keys, one console, one policy engine, one data lake.

- Access fabric: ZTNA, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN under the same platform.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

- Complete visibility over AI, data, and applications from one platform instead of separate point tools.

- Encrypted traffic is inspected by default so data decisions use content and context together.

- Shadow SaaS and new web tools appear as they are used, with enforceable controls in one console.

- Native data sovereignty through dedicated containers, in-region inspection, and per-customer SSL key custody.

- Scale proven in published materials: 10M+ users, 100+ countries, 150B+ transactions, 2.5B+ threats blocked.

Economic buyers are CISOs, CIOs, and VPs of Security. Champions include security architects, network and infrastructure leaders, SecOps, and GRC. Primary segments: enterprise and business, financial services, government (including FedRAMP Gov Cloud), healthcare, manufacturing, legal and professional services, retail and hospitality, and MSP/MSSP partners. Education, including K-12, is one vertical among these.

iboss

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) delivers reliable, stable connectivity and seamless integration with Active Directory, ensuring secure remote access through a one-click VPN capability. It's lightweight, user-friendly, and supports major operating systems, enhancing remote work flexibility.

Cisco Secure Client, including AnyConnect, is designed for secure remote connectivity, offering multi-factor authentication, advanced malware protection, and automatic error diagnostics. Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, it provides an intuitive setup and a clean interface. While it excels in ease of use, issues such as the outdated Linux build and the need for modern UI enhancements persist. Users also face connectivity challenges with frequent updates and high prices, alongside the need for better endpoint security and system integration. Popular for remote work, it facilitates secure access to corporate networks, allowing seamless interactions with resources like emails, documents, and applications.

What key features does Cisco Secure Client offer?

Reliable Connectivity: Provides stable, dependable VPN access with a one-click connection.
Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhances security through additional user verification steps.
Advanced Malware Protection: Safeguards against threats with proactive protection measures.
Automatic Error Diagnostics: Identifies and fixes errors promptly.
Cross-Platform Support: Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux for broad accessibility.

What benefits or ROI can users expect?

Increased Remote Work Efficiency: Facilitates secure, fast access to necessary resources.
Improved Network Security: Provides robust protection against external threats.
Ease of Use: Features simple setup and user-friendly interface for quick deployment.
Enhanced Data Protection: Keeps sensitive information secure through encryption and authentication.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers a good balance of features against pricing, though further improvements could enhance value.

Cisco Secure Client is widely implemented across industries for secure remote connectivity, especially in sectors requiring constant access to servers, data centers, and research labs. It supports remote work by enabling employees in diverse fields to access internal resources efficiently, maintaining productivity and security.

Cisco

NetFoundry is the leader in Zero Trust Workload Connectivity, trusted to securely connect enterprise’s most critical workloads, within and across any environment.

As the only identity-first fabric for every AI, API, site, container, and machine interaction, NetFoundry customers deploy their workloads with greater speed, security and scalability.

Its Identity-First Reachability™ eliminates the reachable attack surface that attackers exploit and defenders struggle to secure, by removing open inbound ports, VPNs and firewall rule changes. By design, it enables security to adapt to the environment, not force the environment to adapt to security, so teams can secure one workload at a time without the high cost of firewall management or redesigning the network.

Customers use NetFoundry to:

Govern AI agent, model and tool access to cut risks, costs, and time to deploy.
Stop lateral movement through microsegmentation
Protect difficult to patch assets and crown jewel systems with a compensating control
Securely connect any system (IT/OT/IoT) or API wherever it operates

Founded by the inventors and maintainers of OpenZiti, the world’s most widely used open source Zero Trust platform, NetFoundry secures billions of sessions for critical infrastructure on three continents and supports Fortune 10 companies across regulated industries including healthcare, financial services, and energy.

NetFoundry

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

MST, Molina Healthcare, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Arup, New South Wales Rural FireService

Ominimo, Rhapsody, TZ, LVT, CERM, Digibee

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. NetFoundry Platform

September 2026

Free Report: Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. NetFoundry Platform

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs. NetFoundry Platform and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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