Oct 03, 2021
hello. Capability is on par between the two vendors. Your best bet is to think about integration and how the FW will work with other tools/processes in your environment. Thanks
Cisco Secure Firewall and Palo Alto Networks VM-Series are prominent cybersecurity solutions that cater to different organizational needs. While Cisco Secure Firewall thrives on seamless integration within Cisco's ecosystem, Palo Alto Networks VM-Series stands out with its comprehensive security features, potentially offering a more robust long-term return on investment.
Features: Cisco Secure Firewall enhances network segmentation, employs advanced threat intelligence through its Talos service, and supports deep packet inspection. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series offers a full suite of next-generation firewall capabilities like application control, URL filtering, and advanced malware protection, aiding organizations in managing complex environments effectively.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Secure Firewall could benefit from cost reduction and improved automation capabilities for bulk operations. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series might improve ease of deployment and integration within multi-vendor environments, reducing initial setup complexity.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Secure Firewall integrates easily with existing Cisco-heavy networks, offering reliable customer support. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series requires more detailed initial deployment due to its feature-rich setup, but offers thorough documentation and responsive support services to aid implementation.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Secure Firewall's pricing is competitive, particularly in Cisco bundles, allowing scalable solutions that are cost-effective. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series may involve a higher initial investment, yet it often yields a strong ROI due to its extensive security offerings, making it a worthwhile purchase for organizations seeking detailed protection and efficiency over time.
The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.
It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.
When investing in cybersecurity with Fortinet FortiGate 200, which costs more than $10,000, companies that are growing directly can expect ROI within 1.5 to 3 years.
There is always a return on investment because you find you invest heavily, but your environment is secure and then you are at rest; you do not need to panic.
The biggest return on investment when using Cisco Secure Firewall is that there's no waste in any infrastructure cost and licensing costs for us.
From my point of view, the biggest return on investment when using Cisco Secure Firewall is the single pane of glass, which is a huge plus for us.
Customers can see data within a week, indicating a quick return on investment.
The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.
I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.
I have to provide many logs, yet problems remain unresolved, often requiring workarounds rather than solutions.
I have been working with them on firewalls, wireless, switching, and routing, and the support is the best.
They have expertise and provide solutions for the most difficult problems.
The support quality could be improved.
Resolving issues promptly.
They are responsive and provide high-quality assistance.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.
We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.
When something happens in the device, the failover happens very quickly without any interruption.
Cisco Secure Cloud now allows us to potentially take the management functions of Cisco Secure Firewall, move it into the cloud, and integrate it with other Cisco security products, managing everything from one single pane.
I rate the scalability as a number 10.
They are easy to upgrade, and with credit licensing, they scale effectively according to demand.
The solution is scalable and can easily handle an increase in the number of users.
It is easy to use with an excellent graphical user interface and extensive documentation, which contributes to its high scalability.
We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.
I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.
Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.
We have often encountered split-brain scenarios during failover processes and code upgrades, which have been persistent problems for us.
We work with a cluster with high availability, so if something goes wrong, we have it functioning.
Cisco Secure Firewall offers exceptional performance and stability.
Hardware is generally very stable.
I have not experienced any major problems or downtime.
Perfection is unlikely as the dynamic nature of traffic and constant changes can result in occasional bugs despite regular updates.
It would be better for customers to get immediate replacements even with a standard subscription.
It is how quickly each of these companies adapts to that and brings in more value to the customer.
The main area for improvement in Fortinet FortiGate is the firmware versions, as we face uncertainties regarding upgrades and frequent bugs that require self-fixing of problems.
My ongoing complaint for the last six years has been the lack of CLI functionality, which hinders my ability to work on the firewall, alongside concerns regarding deployment time.
The GUI is useless for me and frustrates me to a very high degree, which led me to switch to the CLI for configuration.
Firewall as a Service can scale to a very large extent because it is a cloud-based offering that can scale up to a very large number, which is not a problem.
Integration with CSIRT across all use levels would make it easier for administrators to stay updated on the blocked entities without manual intervention.
Most customers go for partner-enabled support, which involves multiple layers, leading to delays.
Having those features missing, we are not proposing Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to all customers.
It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.
It is about 20% cheaper.
The advantages of Fortinet FortiGate over its competitors include good pricing and meeting our requirements at a lower cost.
It's good to have them, however, it costs us a lot.
Basically, the license for the VPNs is for all the interfaces, and that is the thing that is really expensive compared with Palo Alto.
It's considered a premium, but people pay that price for Cisco.
Palo Alto is expensive in terms of pricing, particularly when comparing features to cost.
The cost involves purchasing through a vendor, which might mark up due to the supply chain.
Pricing for Palo Alto Networks is higher than other OEMs, but considering the robustness and features, it gains customer trust.
They put in a thing called the FortiCookbook, which is very easy to read with real-life scenarios that make networking tasks like joining networks very straightforward.
The firewall and VPN features are the most valuable in protecting our customers' networks.
The most valuable feature is the deep inspection for traffic, which is capable of identifying zero-day attacks.
What stands out positively about Cisco is their training and support, which has effectively prepared engineers to work with their products.
This is very important to my organization, as we work extensively with security because we are a bank, so we can keep the data safe.
Cisco Secure Firewall allows me to safeguard Layer 7 or Layer 3 and manage the security rules with the business needs of my organization.
We use these tools to prevent all known and unknown threats using Palo Alto Networks' Wildfire and other data filtering tools to gather information, analyze traffic, manage malicious traffic, and offer visibility, control, and attack prevention.
Palo Alto's robust threat intelligence supports new updates, and I can open cases directly with their Threat Intelligence team.
The DNS security significantly enhances security through visibility and detection, allowing control over crucial traffic like DNS, which is often exploited by ransomware.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Fortinet FortiGate | 15.1% |
| Cisco Secure Firewall | 7.5% |
| Palo Alto Networks VM-Series | 2.4% |
| Other | 75.0% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 369 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 139 |
| Large Enterprise | 195 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 192 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 130 |
| Large Enterprise | 236 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 31 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 15 |
| Large Enterprise | 24 |
Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.
Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.
What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.
Cisco Secure Firewall provides comprehensive network security with advanced features such as application visibility, URL filtering, and malware protection. It combines a user-friendly interface with robust VPN capabilities, making it a reliable choice for varying network environments and industry applications.
Cisco Secure Firewall offers exceptional protection with its integration into Cisco's broader ecosystem, ensuring enhanced threat detection and policy unification. Despite its complexity in command-line interfaces and management, Cisco Secure Firewall remains a potent tool for safeguarding data. It is widely adopted for edge security, VPN services, perimeter defense, and traffic segmentation, especially in hybrid settings. Essential sectors like banking and telecom benefit from its stable connectivity and centralized security management. Though there are challenges with costs and support for third-party APIs, the firewall's scalability and high availability provide comprehensive support for protecting network assets.
What are the key features of Cisco Secure Firewall?Cisco Secure Firewall is widely implemented across sectors like banking, education, ISPs, and telecoms. It fortifies data centers and network edge security, delivering strong protection for client access, hybrid environments, and intrusion prevention. In these industries, firewall solutions ensure secure connectivity and manage RTU traffic effectively, leveraging centralized management and integration with Cisco's security tools.
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series offers robust threat prevention and advanced security capabilities. Key features like traffic control and malware protection enhance its usability in cloud and hybrid environments.
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series specializes in delivering comprehensive network security with features such as traffic inspection, threat management, and firewall functionalities. It supports secure remote access and integrates easily with third-party solutions. With features like GlobalProtect VPN and Advanced Threat Protection, enterprises leverage the VM-Series in cloud, on-premises, or hybrid deployments to protect data and enhance cybersecurity. Despite its strengths, improvements in cloud solutions, integration, and scalability are needed.
What are the most important features of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series?In industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, Palo Alto Networks VM-Series plays a crucial role in network security. Companies implement it to secure remote access, protect sensitive data, and ensure compliance. Its compatibility with cloud environments allows versatile deployment across sectors needing stringent cybersecurity measures.
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