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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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Secure Firewall Manag...
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
7th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
90
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center is 1.1%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is 7.1%, down from 10.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Waleed Aboda - PeerSpot reviewer
Centralized monitoring enhances control while seeking greater flexibility and rapid response
I am still working for Lotus. We work with Palo Alto three series, Panorama, and Firewall Banu, specifically Firewall three series and five series I find this solution valuable for full monitoring, centralized control for reporting, and centralized management. These features are instrumental in…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution has a great UI and a policy deployment mechanism, and all the configuration is easily manageable for the firewalls."
"The tool helps with internet access protection."
"The platform has significantly enhanced our organization's operations by providing secure communication channels between different office locations."
"I like its system management and filtering options as a layer seven firewall."
"One of the most valuable features of Cisco Secure Firewalls is their seamless integration with other Cisco products."
"It's a fine solution in terms of scalability."
"Cisco's support and services are far superior to any other security product in Pakistan."
"Scalability is not an issue as long as you are able to buy additional licenses. Ten percent of our customers use Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, and we have large accounts with 50% of their end users behind this firewall."
"The initial setup isn't very complex, it's user-friendly."
"The solution doesn't need a proxy for the Prisma Access Firewall."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is the ability to manage our devices centrally. Additionally, we can monitor the workforce connections, receive reports, and use the backup feature."
"I found it easy to learn how to pull information from the logs."
"The product features allow the capacity to take effective, advanced security measures."
"Palo Alto Networks Panorama is stable."
"Our team has the option to make configuration changes at any given time."
"The solution is absolutely stable."
 

Cons

"The first version had a lot of bugs, but the recent versions have sorted them out."
"I would go with a rating of three out of ten for the stability issues."
"The IOS and the deploy option could be improved."
"We use the suggested standard policies that come with the equipment. We don't put much effort into customizing these policies, which we know is a risk. We're moving to a more advanced IT area that will change how we manage the firewall policies. Cisco offers many ways to manage the equipment, but our team lacks extensive knowledge. We're moving these responsibilities to a specialized security team."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center could improve by being less expensive."
"I had a challenging time trying to size the firewall on the cloud. Maybe the information is there, but I couldn't find it easily. Usually, it depends on the cloud provider itself, whether you use AWS or Azure. These guys give you the information, so this part is not as detailed."
"Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center needs to reduce its price."
"Cisco Firepower has been effective in solving various problems, but it could be improved by making it simpler and more user-friendly like Fortinet."
"As the cybersecurity threats have become more aggressive these days, Palo Alto Networks Panorama can still be improved, particularly on the security side, for example, more network management, and penetration test. Improving the security feature for internal endpoints is needed in the solution."
"The solution is extremely expensive. You can integrate it with other Palo Alto products, however, it ends up being too much."
"The ability to add scheduled jobs would be a significant improvement. Panorama has the ability to push out OS updates, but it would be nice to be able to schedule those updates so not to affect the site during normal business hours."
"I would like more dashboard management."
"The notification and alerting system could be improved."
"It is an expensive product."
"When creating remote access for users, it would be beneficial to be able to base the object on on-premises or the cloud."
"There is room for improvement in the graphical user interface (GUI), which is becoming outdated, especially the NAT section."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate Secure Firewall Management Center eight out of 10 for pricing."
"It is rather expensive."
"The product pricing is reasonable and falls in the mid-range."
"I rate the tool's pricing a four out of ten. The licensing costs are yearly."
"One of the advantages of Cisco is its range of flexible licensing options."
"The platform is costly."
"My license offers all the protection, like malware protection, VPN protection, IDS, IPS, and endpoint protection."
"The price of the solution is expensive. We do not have to pay more than the standard licensing fees."
"We have a yearly license. The cost is not that high and not that cheap either."
"Pricing is high compared to other vendors in the same space. Licensing is also fairly high for different functions to be added on."
"The solution is priced well and there is a license for this solution that we pay annually for."
"My company pays for the licensing cost of Palo Alto Networks Panorama yearly, and it's all-inclusive, so there's no need to pay extra for some features."
"Pricing for Palo Alto Networks Panorama is always high. If you're going to sell the product, you always have to talk about the technology because it should be about the solution rather than the price."
"Its licensing is yearly and multi-yearly. It is not expensive."
"The price of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive."
"The price of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is high. There is a pay-per-use model."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
21%
Computer Software Company
18%
Engineering Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 needs improvement with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center?
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...
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?
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive but provides good value for money. For the higher end, the cost is justified. However, for the lower end, a reduction in cost could improve competitiveness.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
From the reporting side, naming the reports properly so that they can be easily identified would be an improvement. Other than that, it works well. There was a bug causing us to not get the latest ...
 

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: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.