Director of Security Solutions North America at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 20
Jun 4, 2026
Regarding Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall's AI capabilities, having an AI-empowered solution around governance and security allows us to be much more expeditious in our research and our evaluation of rule sets, policies, and the implementation and health of the platform. Previously, we had to touch every log, touch every UI, and every report, which was not only time-consuming but prone to errors, especially considering many different people may perform the same job. Having AI and agents do that for us now provides a consistent look and feel and a consistent outcome, and we do not have to be at the risk of any individual's skill set or experience with the tool. Consistency is key.Regarding Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall's AI capabilities, I think the accuracy and reliability of output will tell in time because I do not think we have had long enough to work with the tool. This is a very new and evolving area of the technology space, but I do have a great deal of confidence based on early feedback that we have gotten from the tool which indicates it will remain a highly valuable asset as part of our infrastructure. Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is deployed in my organization in a hybrid cloud setup, as hybrid cloud and on-premises are the same thing. We are a hybrid organization leveraging both cloud-powered assets as well as on-premise firewalls and sensors, and we have a truly hybrid multi-cloud architecture. The cloud providers I use as part of my hybrid multi-cloud setup include AWS and GCP. We did not purchase Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall through the AWS Marketplace; we deployed it ourselves. The specific challenges I face with hybrid and distributed enterprise networks that Cisco addresses include having the ability to deploy the solution flexibly, which addresses our needs in this area. Being able to deploy it in any public cloud or in our own private cloud in our data center and on premises gives us the flexibility not only to have better high availability and resiliency of the platform, but it also gives us the flexibility, when the time comes, to move those workloads between cloud providers should we decide to move off of AWS or Azure in the future, which gives us a lot of comfort in knowing that we are not locked into one single cloud provider. I believe Cisco optimizes the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup because the majority of Cisco's cloud and SaaS-based products are distributed in multi-cloud, and this results in a similar look and feel when we consume the solution that matches the original developer's intent. The applications I run include a composite of many different types of solutions, some of which are traditional enterprise applications that are monolithic in nature, hosted out of our own data center, such as SAP and ERP applications, while we also have highly distributed microservices applications that are distributed across cloud and on-premise. I enforce security within my environment by operating on the premise of least privilege and following Zero Trust architecture. Currently, business drivers do not dictate that we need to expand into additional security enforcements today, but in the future, we would probably consider Cisco solutions to do that. I would encourage others looking into using Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall to evaluate the solution and understand each of the elements within it, as there are many different discrete enforcement points and policy points that live within Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall solution, and I would encourage them to become familiar with all of those different touch points so that they can most effectively implement their security strategy. I rate this solution a ten out of ten.
What is currently preventing us from expanding into additional security enforcement with Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is definitely internal policy, more than anything. It is about making sure we get all the teams aligned. The organization size of who we are working with using Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is just about getting the teams agreed on this approach moving forward. The manpower piece is also critical as we are doing things with AI Defense in tandem, and that is a whole other team running that with the client. My advice for other companies considering Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall would be to carefully consider your goals. You do not have to adopt all these advanced features I have discussed right from day one. You can use it just from a traditional Nexus switch for as long as you need. You can adopt these new features, from moving from ACLs and stateless segmentation to stateful segmentation, at your own pace as your team and organization mature. The applications we run are mostly monolithic; however, there are some distributed applications, but most of it is the data lake, which is massive, servicing everything out of that in the data center. I would rate this product a ten out of ten.
Senior Domain Architect II at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 10
Jun 3, 2026
Currently, visibility, time, and resources are preventing me from expanding into additional security enforcements. We would prefer to implement more security measures, but we have significant work to complete before reaching that goal. We run multiple types of applications, both monolithic and distributed, with hundreds of applications total. Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall optimizes the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup. It has improved considerably with centralized management enhancements, making the experience much better now. The challenges I face with hybrid or distributed enterprise networks include typical obstacles such as legacy applications, visibility constraints, and the difficulty of determining how applications actually function versus how they are described to work. I rate this solution an 8 out of 10.
If I am using a public or hybrid cloud, the cloud provider I use is reliable. My experience with the deployment has been overall positive. I face specific challenges with hybrid or distributed enterprise networks that Cisco addresses. My impression of the end-to-end visibility offered by Cisco is positive. I am curious about how Cisco optimizes the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup. What stood out in the evaluation process, both positive and negative, when comparing the options was noteworthy, particularly before selecting Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall. I would rate Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall overall as high, and my advice to another organization considering it would be to assess their specific needs and how the product addresses them. I have expanded usage of Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall. I would assess the stability and reliability of the system as strong. I rate Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall overall as eight out of ten.
Manager, Network at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 10
Jun 2, 2026
The advice I would give to another organization that is considering using Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is that it is easier to convert over than you would think. Obviously, there are challenges, especially if you are not building out a greenfield. From a brownfield perspective, internal challenges including migration windows, team pace, application partnership, and change management might arise, but they are manageable. I would rate this solution an 8.5 overall.
I review the insights provided by Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall for traffic patterns and vulnerabilities every day. While the features of Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall have not specifically helped my organization, they have clearly benefited the companies we deploy it for by centralizing security and providing advanced intelligent threat detection with machine learning, which streamlines their security processes. My advice to another organization considering Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is to view security holistically, recognizing that it integrates multiple layers, allowing you to manage everything through a single dashboard without siloed information. I rate this solution an eight out of ten overall.
Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall offers comprehensive protection and advanced security features tailored for modern network infrastructures. It efficiently addresses complex security challenges by integrating multiple functionalities into a cohesive framework.This firewall architecture effectively secures hybrid environments, blending cloud and on-premise resources seamlessly. With its flexible deployment options, Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall allows businesses to adapt to evolving threats while...
Regarding Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall's AI capabilities, having an AI-empowered solution around governance and security allows us to be much more expeditious in our research and our evaluation of rule sets, policies, and the implementation and health of the platform. Previously, we had to touch every log, touch every UI, and every report, which was not only time-consuming but prone to errors, especially considering many different people may perform the same job. Having AI and agents do that for us now provides a consistent look and feel and a consistent outcome, and we do not have to be at the risk of any individual's skill set or experience with the tool. Consistency is key.Regarding Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall's AI capabilities, I think the accuracy and reliability of output will tell in time because I do not think we have had long enough to work with the tool. This is a very new and evolving area of the technology space, but I do have a great deal of confidence based on early feedback that we have gotten from the tool which indicates it will remain a highly valuable asset as part of our infrastructure. Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is deployed in my organization in a hybrid cloud setup, as hybrid cloud and on-premises are the same thing. We are a hybrid organization leveraging both cloud-powered assets as well as on-premise firewalls and sensors, and we have a truly hybrid multi-cloud architecture. The cloud providers I use as part of my hybrid multi-cloud setup include AWS and GCP. We did not purchase Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall through the AWS Marketplace; we deployed it ourselves. The specific challenges I face with hybrid and distributed enterprise networks that Cisco addresses include having the ability to deploy the solution flexibly, which addresses our needs in this area. Being able to deploy it in any public cloud or in our own private cloud in our data center and on premises gives us the flexibility not only to have better high availability and resiliency of the platform, but it also gives us the flexibility, when the time comes, to move those workloads between cloud providers should we decide to move off of AWS or Azure in the future, which gives us a lot of comfort in knowing that we are not locked into one single cloud provider. I believe Cisco optimizes the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup because the majority of Cisco's cloud and SaaS-based products are distributed in multi-cloud, and this results in a similar look and feel when we consume the solution that matches the original developer's intent. The applications I run include a composite of many different types of solutions, some of which are traditional enterprise applications that are monolithic in nature, hosted out of our own data center, such as SAP and ERP applications, while we also have highly distributed microservices applications that are distributed across cloud and on-premise. I enforce security within my environment by operating on the premise of least privilege and following Zero Trust architecture. Currently, business drivers do not dictate that we need to expand into additional security enforcements today, but in the future, we would probably consider Cisco solutions to do that. I would encourage others looking into using Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall to evaluate the solution and understand each of the elements within it, as there are many different discrete enforcement points and policy points that live within Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall solution, and I would encourage them to become familiar with all of those different touch points so that they can most effectively implement their security strategy. I rate this solution a ten out of ten.
What is currently preventing us from expanding into additional security enforcement with Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is definitely internal policy, more than anything. It is about making sure we get all the teams aligned. The organization size of who we are working with using Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is just about getting the teams agreed on this approach moving forward. The manpower piece is also critical as we are doing things with AI Defense in tandem, and that is a whole other team running that with the client. My advice for other companies considering Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall would be to carefully consider your goals. You do not have to adopt all these advanced features I have discussed right from day one. You can use it just from a traditional Nexus switch for as long as you need. You can adopt these new features, from moving from ACLs and stateless segmentation to stateful segmentation, at your own pace as your team and organization mature. The applications we run are mostly monolithic; however, there are some distributed applications, but most of it is the data lake, which is massive, servicing everything out of that in the data center. I would rate this product a ten out of ten.
Currently, visibility, time, and resources are preventing me from expanding into additional security enforcements. We would prefer to implement more security measures, but we have significant work to complete before reaching that goal. We run multiple types of applications, both monolithic and distributed, with hundreds of applications total. Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall optimizes the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup. It has improved considerably with centralized management enhancements, making the experience much better now. The challenges I face with hybrid or distributed enterprise networks include typical obstacles such as legacy applications, visibility constraints, and the difficulty of determining how applications actually function versus how they are described to work. I rate this solution an 8 out of 10.
If I am using a public or hybrid cloud, the cloud provider I use is reliable. My experience with the deployment has been overall positive. I face specific challenges with hybrid or distributed enterprise networks that Cisco addresses. My impression of the end-to-end visibility offered by Cisco is positive. I am curious about how Cisco optimizes the experience in a hybrid or distributed enterprise setup. What stood out in the evaluation process, both positive and negative, when comparing the options was noteworthy, particularly before selecting Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall. I would rate Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall overall as high, and my advice to another organization considering it would be to assess their specific needs and how the product addresses them. I have expanded usage of Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall. I would assess the stability and reliability of the system as strong. I rate Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall overall as eight out of ten.
The advice I would give to another organization that is considering using Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is that it is easier to convert over than you would think. Obviously, there are challenges, especially if you are not building out a greenfield. From a brownfield perspective, internal challenges including migration windows, team pace, application partnership, and change management might arise, but they are manageable. I would rate this solution an 8.5 overall.
I review the insights provided by Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall for traffic patterns and vulnerabilities every day. While the features of Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall have not specifically helped my organization, they have clearly benefited the companies we deploy it for by centralizing security and providing advanced intelligent threat detection with machine learning, which streamlines their security processes. My advice to another organization considering Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall is to view security holistically, recognizing that it integrates multiple layers, allowing you to manage everything through a single dashboard without siloed information. I rate this solution an eight out of ten overall.