Cisco Web Security Appliance vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category. Cisco is ranked #22, while Broadcom is ranked #27. Cisco holds a 2.3% mindshare in WSG, compared to Broadcom’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 57% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

Symantec Secure Web Gateway and Cisco Web Security Appliance compete in the internet security and data protection category. Symantec stands out for its pricing and customer support, whereas Cisco excels in its comprehensive feature set, making it a favored choice for those requiring robust security capabilities.

Features: Symantec Secure Web Gateway offers comprehensive threat protection, advanced policy controls, and cloud-based deployment. Cisco Web Security Appliance provides scalable deployment capabilities, deep integration with multiple security solutions, real-time malware defense, URL filtering, and encryption support.

Room for Improvement: Symantec may benefit from enhancing its integration capabilities with other security solutions, refining its user interface for more intuitive navigation, and simplifying licensing management. Cisco could improve the initial deployment experience, offer more flexible pricing options, and enhance real-time data analytics for better insights.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Symantec Secure Web Gateway is known for its straightforward cloud-based deployment and responsive customer support. Cisco Web Security Appliance demands a more intensive initial setup due to its appliance-based model but integrates well into existing infrastructures and provides detailed technical assistance during deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Symantec Secure Web Gateway is recognized for its competitive pricing, delivering significant ROI with a lower initial investment, attracting cost-conscious buyers. Cisco Web Security Appliance, despite higher up-front costs, offers considerable long-term ROI with its extensive security features, appealing to businesses prioritizing security over initial expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway Report (Updated: November 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway

November 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 Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.2%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Web Security Appliance is 2.3%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Secure Web Gateway is 1.6%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
iboss	3.2%
Cisco Web Security Appliance	2.3%
Symantec Secure Web Gateway	1.6%
Other	92.9%

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

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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Vusa Ndlovu

Security Solution Architect at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

Advanced protection features offer robust security while integration process presents challenges

With the WebAssign integration, it is not easy when I am integrating policies within the company, especially with NAND and wireless policies. The challenge arises when traffic is blocked from either wireless or wired connections. Although implementing it as a standalone is quicker, integrating BYOD with Cisco I and FTB can be tiring. Once it is done correctly, the functionality and reports become valuable, although the implementation part can still be challenging.

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Kedar-Kulkarni

Principal Consultant at CSaaS

Monitors traffic effectively but struggles with integration challenges

I find that the technical support is mediocre, at least for the Middle East. I frequently face challenges when contacting OpenStack through the distribution channel. It should be more straightforward. I notice that customers work with partners, not directly with Symantec, relying on local company integrators for support. Symantec becomes the level two or level three support, which requires navigating through a supply chain that is quite extensive.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"The iboss solution gives me the ability to scan the traffic through all the ports, through all the 131,000 PCP and UDP ports, and with this ability, we have the granularity also for consults over social media and applications on mobile, and this is an advantage that the customers are looking for right now."

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"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."

"Because of iboss, I did not have to assign web filtering tasks to my techs on a daily basis."

More iboss pros

"The product is stable."

"Integration-wise, browser-security-wise (for users browsing the internet), it's one of the greatest tools."

"It's a scalable product."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"Cisco Web Security Appliance can integrate with Active Directory, enabling us to manage all the end-users within AD. It's helpful for setting rules based on individual users and groups. For example, you can configure policies for inbound and outbound traffic."

"The technical support is good, it is reactive, and the documentation is very specific and very useful."

"Through my years working with Cisco, I would always recommend Cisco, any product that they provide, thanks to my years of experience."

"The solution is very easy to implement; it's not overly complex or too difficult."

More Cisco Web Security Appliance pros

"As a proxy, there are many features available that benefit the customers, including caching, the security appliance, the cloud of service, and many other features."

"In terms of stability, it's fine, as we have never had downtime because availability is AWS' responsibility since it is hosted on their servers, so availability is not an issue."

"It is a stable solution."

"In terms of most valuable features, I like the ICAP capability and URL filtering the most."

"It offers an easy initial setup."

"Overall, this product is okay and it does the job that it is supposed to do."

"We've tried other endpoint security solutions but this tool seems to be the best when specifically comparing the endpoint security features."

"Typically, Symantec is more or less like any other platform that performs proxy functions."

More Symantec Secure Web Gateway pros

Cons

"Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern."

"The solution could be stronger on the integration side and offer more cloud applications like G Suite or Oracle."

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability with in the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing. It is kind of there, but it's not perfect. Quite frequently, I receive links that lead me to pages with error messages."

"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, and that is where in 2025 we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"iboss can be improved because the integration could be better; you need to import all the sites that you access today, and there are a few problems whenever you import thousands of websites, making the integration process messy for the users."

"I have heard they are doing DDoS filtering, but I am not certain if they are implementing it correctly."

More iboss cons

"The GUI is not user-friendly, so it needs to improve or be simplified."

"The transparent proxy is quite difficult to enforce on smartphones and tablets because it is on a sticker implementation rather than a line mode."

"Technical support needs to be improved because they take a very long time and there is no communication or notification."

"As Cisco Web Security Appliance is eight years old, though it's simple to access its UI, the UI needs a little bit of updating. If it could be more interactive similar to the latest gen solutions, that would improve the product. Adding a few more integrations would also make Cisco Web Security Appliance better."

"The solution is priced high."

"The tool needs to provide logs. They need to improve firewall threat defense."

"If you're a customer with a lot of sites, then an on-prem solution like WSA is not a good option."

"Setting up Cisco Web Security Appliance is highly complex and it takes about a week. We have to connect it to the Active Directory and configure all the policies for end users. It takes a long time to configure rules for our company data like port forwarding and separating the public and local components."

More Cisco Web Security Appliance cons

"The major challenge is their support; the support from Broadcom is quite poor, it takes forever for them to get back to you, and when they get back to you, they ask you for so much information, which makes it more difficult."

"I think the worst thing that we're experiencing is very poor and inadequate technical support."

"The interface could be made more user-friendly."

"The platform’s data center is not capable of managing most of the traffic."

"One of the problems with using Symantec is that it's widely known and the people who are making malware have designed to circumvent it."

"There's a need for increased firewall functionality and capabilities. I'm not seeing a competitive Symantec cloud product. Specifically, functionalities with security as filtering from the cloud. I am aware that there is a product, a proxy in the cloud but I have compared it with other vendors and I don't find it that powerful. I think the worst thing that we're experiencing is very poor and inadequate technical support. It seems to me that tech support engineers aren't qualified to fulfill their job duties."

"The cost has risen and it is more expensive than it used to be."

"But that it causes catastrophic issues is unacceptable."

More Symantec Secure Web Gateway cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

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

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

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

"Regarding Cisco price-wise, it is always on a bit on the higher side."

"I know from the manager that the price is too high and that other solutions offer the same features for less."

"I rate Cisco WSA a seven out of ten since it is costly."

"I rate the product price a ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"The solution's cost depends on how many users you purchase. It was maybe $3 or $5 per user, which is a bit expensive."

"The pricing is too high."

"When you compare the price of this solution to the price of FortiGate, it's high."

"This is an expensive solution."

More Cisco Web Security Appliance pricing and cost advice

"Pricing and licensing is stunted and licensing is expensive. We have many customers who are now thinking about other solutions due to the cost."

"There is an additional charge for advanced security features."

"Symantec Secure Web Gateway is less expensive than one of its competitors."

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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

23%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

Construction Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing 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	11
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

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 Web Security Appliance?

Comparing with other products, Cisco has more functionality, but pricing is a challenge. Cisco is not a product for s...

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What needs improvement with Cisco Web Security Appliance?

With the WebAssign integration, it is not easy when I am integrating policies within the company, especially with NAN...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cisco Web Security Appliance?

The user interface that I usually provide for the web app includes malware protection, URL filtering, data loss preve...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec Secure Web Gateway?

I believe that pricing is on par with peers. Symantec and other vendors offer discounts when cutting a deal with a cu...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Symantec Secure Web Gateway?

AI-driven security could be helpful, yet how effective it will be remains unclear. I plan to evaluate whatever new fe...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Symantec Secure Web Gateway?

I find the product to be very straightforward. I just install it and forget it as it continuously monitors traffic. I...

See all answers

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

More iboss Competitors

Symantec Proxy vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 14% of the time

Fortinet FortiProxy vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 12% of the time

Skyhigh Security vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 12% of the time

TitanHQ WebTitan vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 2% of the time

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Zscaler Internet Access vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 20% of the time

Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 14% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 12% of the time

Fortra's Clearswift Secure Web Gateway vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 8% of the time

Blue Coat Secure Web Gateway Virtual Appliance vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 2% of the time

More Symantec Secure Web Gateway Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

October 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Web Security Appliance

October 2026

Download Cisco Web Security Appliance product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Secure Web Gateway

October 2026

Download Symantec Secure Web Gateway product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

Cisco WSA, Cisco Web Security

Symantec Complete Website Security

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 Web Security Appliance delivers robust web security, combining efficient proxy functions with strong malware protection and seamless Cisco integration. It enhances security management and is favored by enterprises for its scalability and stability.

Cisco Web Security Appliance is a comprehensive tool used for safeguarding network traffic through powerful proxy capabilities, effective URL filtering, malware protection, and identity checks. Enterprises rely on it for controlling internet browsing, compliance, and securing remote work activities. With advanced features like SSL decryption, content filtering, and real-time policy enforcement, it offers centralized management with intuitive controls. While praised for its reliability, users seek a more affordable price, better support, a simplified interface, and enhanced integration abilities. Supporting Active Directory, it provides granular security measures for efficient web access management.

What are the key features of Cisco Web Security Appliance?

Proxy Functions: Ensures efficient traffic management and control.
SSL Decryption: Enhances inspection of encrypted traffic.
Bandwidth Control: Manages network resources effectively.
Comprehensive Malware Protection: Provides advanced security measures.
User-Friendly Management: Simplifies policy configuration and monitoring.

What benefits should users look for?

Scalability: Supports growing enterprise needs.
Integration: Seamlessly connects with Cisco and other technologies.
Stability: Ensures consistent and reliable performance.
Support: Backed by expert Cisco technical assistance.

Cisco Web Security Appliance is widely implemented across industries like finance, healthcare, education, and government. It protects sensitive data and meets regulatory compliance by controlling web access and ensuring secure remote connectivity for a diverse workforce.

Cisco

Symantec Secure Web Gateway provides robust endpoint security, offering seamless management, website blocking, and advanced threat protection, with cloud hosting and SSL interception.

Symantec Secure Web Gateway is designed to enhance web security through its endpoint security integration, effective website blocking, and SSL interception capabilities. Supporting numerous platforms, it allows swift deployment and comprehensive reporting, making it a preferred choice for companies seeking reliable antivirus protection and controlled internet access. Despite facing challenges with technical assistance and firewall functionalities, it stands out with its efficient threat-handling processes and user-friendly management features. Administrators benefit from straightforward URL filtering and a consistently active web-based cloud proxy, ideal for reducing infrastructure management issues.

What are the key features of Symantec Secure Web Gateway?

User-friendly interfaces and easy management allow for intuitive operation and administration.
Strong endpoint security integrates seamlessly with antivirus features and content filtering.
Website blocking offers controlled access to ensure safe browsing environments.
SSL interception ensures data protection and secure communication channels.
ICAP capability supports enhanced integration with other security appliances.
URL filtering applies customizable policies for secure, role-based internet access.

What benefits or ROI can be expected from Symantec Secure Web Gateway?

Streamlined deployment and management reduce time and resource investments.
Cloud hosting decreases infrastructure costs and maintenance requirements.
Caching boosts performance with faster load times and reduced bandwidth usage.
Easy initial setup minimizes configuration efforts and operational disruptions.

In industries where web security integration is vital, Symantec Secure Web Gateway manages client traffic, ensures seamless access control, and filters URLs with ease. Its capabilities, similar to Blue Coat's proxy services, offer less infrastructure management, making it ideal for sectors needing constant data protection.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Caixa Seguradora

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway

November 2026

Free Report: Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.

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