Cisco Web Security Appliance vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway comparison

Cisco and Broadcom are both solutions in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category. Cisco is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.0, while Broadcom is ranked #28. Cisco holds a 1.8% mindshare in WSG, compared to Broadcom’s 1.4% 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: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway

April 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 May 2026, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.3%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Web Security Appliance is 1.8%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Symantec Secure Web Gateway is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
iboss	3.3%
Cisco Web Security Appliance	1.8%
Symantec Secure Web Gateway	1.4%
Other	93.5%

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

"Technical support is pretty sharp and very responsive."

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

"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."

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

"iboss is easy to use despite its complexity. Multiple engineers manage it, but it's significantly more straightforward to administer than traditional VPNs and web proxies."

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

"Iboss is a solution that prevents advanced persistent threats, and has a zero tolerance for attacks."

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

More iboss pros

"The best feature of Cisco Web Security Appliance is its policy framing. It also has a good UI and it can handle traffic well. Cisco Web Security Appliance is a good product."

"The solution is one of the best enterprise-based products in the market and is not expensive compared to others."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"This solution offers categorization for YouTube and other specific applications from Facebook to WhatsApp, which can be controlled whether it's on mobile or PC."

"Cisco Web Security Appliance is user-friendly and easy to manage. It protects your environment while accessing the internet."

"It also has high availability."

"The tool has good Umbrella DNS security."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

More Cisco Web Security Appliance pros

"It is easy to manage. The graphical user interface is quite easy to navigate, and we don't have any difficulty in using it. It is a good solution."

"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."

"It has a faster implementation process compared to other products."

"It is a stable solution."

"The most valuable features are the website blocking capability and SSL interception."

"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."

More Symantec Secure Web Gateway pros

Cons

"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."

"Fold that in with the risk intelligence they're getting from all of the different subscriptions they are a part of. Now, these security companies subscribe to things like emerging threats, databases, etc. You can fold all this intelligence to decide what's happening on an endpoint. I would love to see them start moving into that space. That would compete directly with Microsoft. Maybe that's why they haven't. Having that ability native within the solution would be great. The other area in which I would love to see improvement is more detailed descriptions of why they block websites."

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

"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."

"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."

"The dashboards for local use could be better."

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

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability within the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing."

More iboss cons

"With the WebAssign integration, it is not easy when I am integrating policies within the company, especially with NAND and wireless policies."

"This solution could be more secure. Purpose-wise, I don't necessarily see the point of this solution."

"If a user wants to use it for other devices like mobile or smartphones, this product isn't so reliable."

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

"The solution is priced high."

"The product is great, however, incorporating features offered by competitors would be beneficial."

"We would like to see a security service head, where we can combine all the security into one solution."

"It should have a user-based quota, per-user quota, that can be defined on the appliance."

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. That's the only problem I have with Broadcom. This is one of the reasons why we are switching to another solution. Another reason for switching is that we have a plan to adopt solutions in the cloud so that we can offload the administration efforts to the vendor. In future releases, they can improve its reporting and the process for rules creation. They can also improve Broadcom on things such as security information and event management so that from my same platform, I can carry out functions and probably block websites. Such a feature would be nice. Currently, Broadcom is integrated with McAfee to block access to certain sites automatically. It would be nice if they can expand their integration to IBM Resilient Security Orchestration and Automation Response."

"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."

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

"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 interface could be made more user-friendly."

"It's not user-friendly, and we end up making too many phone calls to get things fixed."

"It needs to be easier to set up rules for what sites it should allow or not allow us in certain areas of our computer for programs. It would also be nice really nice to have it give you better information about what it's finding. A lot of the alerts we get are very difficult to understand what it's actually telling you. It's too generic."

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

More Symantec Secure Web Gateway cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

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

"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."

"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 solution has a standard license."

"The licensing options begin with 100 users and this is a high threshold for smaller networks."

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

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

"There is a subscription-based license needed to use this solution."

"The pricing is too high."

"The tool's licensing is yearly."

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

More Cisco Web Security Appliance pricing and cost advice

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

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

"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

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

26%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	8

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	11

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

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

We used iBoss mainly for Internet Access by having an Agent on Windows laptops Primarily because when we try to use i...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

I am not involved in pricing, but as per the information I have, during that time, the Blue Coat proxies we were usin...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 9% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

More iboss Competitors

Symantec Proxy vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 11% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 10% of the time

Advanced URL Filtering by Palo Alto vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Cisco Web Security Appliance

Compared 9% of the time

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Zscaler Internet Access vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 16% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 15% of the time

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

Compared 10% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Symantec Secure Web Gateway

Compared 8% of the time

More Symantec Secure Web Gateway Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

May 2026

Download iboss product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Web Security Appliance

May 2026

Download Cisco Web Security Appliance product report

Buyer's Guide

Symantec Secure Web Gateway

April 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 offers a comprehensive cloud-based security platform valued for its scalability and autonomous features, ensuring robust security with easy deployment and management capabilities.

Renowned for its robust security architecture, Iboss integrates seamlessly within diverse networks, delivering efficient granular filtering and advanced content categorization. Its single pane of glass console provides ease of management, allowing rapid scalability suitable for rapidly deploying environments. Operates in BYOD setups due to inline filtering without device installation. Integration with cloud-based applications enhances user control, and features like SASE, SSL inspection, and ChatGPT risk protection stand as highlights. Despite its strengths, users have pointed out areas for enhancement like direct navigation in reports, SSL decryption, and better cloud integration while having room to improve data loss prevention.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

Scalability: Supports rapid deployment across diverse networks.
SASE: A consolidated approach to secure access.
SSL Inspection: Ensures safe data transmission.
Granular Filtering: Detailed control over accessible content.
Single Pane Management: Unifies control through a centralized console.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing with robust features.
Autonomous Operation: Reduces management overhead.
Responsive Support: Provides assistance when needed.
Flexible Deployment: Available for both cloud and on-premises environments.

The usage of Iboss spans educational institutions, specifically K-12, to enforce internet policies, protect data, and support remote work environments. It provides web filtering and security frameworks to ensure safe browsing. Its platform-as-a-service model offers flexibility for both cloud-based and on-premises requirements, integrating seamlessly to deliver enhanced security features suitable for various deployment needs including zero trust, CASB, and network security for work-from-home setups.

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

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Caixa Seguradora

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Web Security Appliance vs. Symantec Secure Web Gateway

April 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: April 2026.

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