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Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 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
1.8
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers mixed financial results, but benefits include cost reduction, efficiency, and ransomware protection.
Sentiment score
3.2
URL filtering and a single interface enhance efficiency, with quick benefits for large networks, despite high pricing challenges.
There are a lot of solutions which can provide the same features.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center's support is praised but has response time issues, sanctions, and overwhelming documentation.
Sentiment score
6.5
Palo Alto Networks Panorama support is responsive and knowledgeable, but some users experience delays, especially for complex issues.
I rate the technical support from Cisco as ten out of ten.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The technical support from Palo Alto is rated around nine out of ten.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The technical support by Palo Alto Networks is great because the response time is solid.
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
The tech support I've encountered has been good, prompt, and fast.
Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center excels in scalability, effectively supporting diverse user needs and network environments with flexible licensing.
Sentiment score
7.3
Palo Alto Networks Panorama offers adaptability and scalability for managing large networks, praised for flexibility despite some cost concerns.
I would rate scalability capabilities as ten out of ten.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
For the 3000 new series and the 4000, we can make a cluster.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Scalability is primarily enhanced by Strata Cloud Manager as it is much easier to scale in the cloud than in an on-premises installation.
Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS
Scalability depends on whether it's a hardware or virtual machine model.
IT Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is stable and reliable, with most users rating it 7-9/10 despite occasional update issues.
Sentiment score
7.5
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is praised for its stability, reliability under load, and performs well on cloud platforms like AWS.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is very stable.
Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center struggles with pricing, performance, support, integration, user management, and lacks SD-WAN functionality.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama needs improvements in updates, integration, user interface, pricing, analytics, security, and storage for efficiency.
I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
Now Cisco has published the 120 series and the 1100 series, which support SD-WAN features in the firewall.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
In terms of operation, it is quite important that the staff managing the Panorama should be technically sound enough, and they should know exactly what they are doing.
Sr. Staff Network Engineer at Blackhawk Network India
The AI module should be on-premises, not in the cloud.
Senior Network Engineer at UPS
I would like to improve the dashboards on Palo Alto Networks Panorama, especially because I work in an environment where my managers are not really that technical.
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is costly but offers flexible licensing and cost-effective virtual options for minimal device management.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is costly but offers robust, reliable features, with negotiable pricing and possible discounts for bulk purchases.
I find the pricing for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center to be very reasonable, as they offer the license for both virtual and hardware options.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Virtual Panorama is well-priced and is sold every time there's a solution.
Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS
Commercially, compared to Fortinet, Palo Alto is more expensive.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive but provides good value for money.
Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center enhances security with advanced features, seamless integration, and customization options for effective threat management.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama centralizes firewall management, enhancing security with user-friendly interfaces, advanced reporting, and scalable integration features.
I consider Talos feedback that Cisco provides as free threat intelligence to be the most valuable for me and for the operation of the security policy in my organization.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It provides full visibility of my devices, whether I have six or ten devices.
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
I find this solution valuable for full monitoring, centralized control for reporting, and centralized management.
Senior Network Engineer at UPS
We do not currently have a SIEM solution, so we are heavily relying on the monitoring features of Palo Alto Networks Panorama to conduct our investigations and log reviews.
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
Palo Alto Networks Panorama has positively impacted our organization by allowing a couple of network engineers to use Panorama simultaneously with different templates or device groups, which helps us save time and reduce the complexity of the network.
Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is 7.0%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Palo Alto Networks Panorama7.0%
Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center1.6%
Other91.4%
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network and Security Engineer at Symbol Technologies PLC
Great dashboard with extensive visibility and good support
I expect more integration with AI. I expect Cisco to be easier for users in India, especially for junior users. For a junior one, it may somehow be complex, especially when configuring something. I remember version 6.4 had an integration with Eddie, allowing me to define a policy according to my users, however, the latest version, lacks this integration. The logging of FMC should be improved as it does not offer real-time solutions like DazaSodo.
Richard Dombo - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
Monitoring and managing multiple firewalls has become more efficient through centralized oversight and reliable logging
I would say that while Palo Alto Networks Panorama reporting capability is functional, it is not really intuitive. The presentation is not really as advanced as what an advanced solution would have provided. I would like to improve the dashboards on Palo Alto Networks Panorama, especially because I work in an environment where my managers are not really that technical. They do a great job leading us, but they do not have a technical background. If the dashboard could be improved to suit more executive use cases when it comes to reporting, that would be excellent. It is basic as far as I am concerned, and from an executive standpoint, it is not really that good. I would rate Palo Alto Networks Panorama as a product nine or 9.5 out of ten because there is always room for improvement, especially on the dashboard. I think if they could improve the dashboard, I would give them ten out of ten because from a technical standpoint, the dashboard is good, but at an executive level, it is not really that good. I usually struggle when doing presentations to my bosses because the dashboard and reporting from Palo Alto Networks Panorama are not as polished as they could be.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
9%
Retailer
9%
Performing Arts
9%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business33
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise46
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
The platform has significantly enhanced our organization's operations by providing secure communication channels between different office locations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
I find the pricing for Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center to be very reasonable, as they offer the license for both virtual and hardware options. For the virtual option, they have minimum lice...
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
So far, I find that everything related to Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is adequate. The only thing that was missing in the portfolio was SD-WAN, which I would like to use similar to Fort...
What do you like most about Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks Panorama for me is the centralized management of multiple firewalls.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
If you go with the cloud-based deployment, it is pretty much affordable. If you go with the physical bare-metal hardware, then it is quite expensive.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
I would say that while Palo Alto Networks Panorama reporting capability is functional, it is not really intuitive. The presentation is not really as advanced as what an advanced solution would have...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vs. Palo Alto Networks Panorama and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.