Cisco IOS Security vs. Qualys TruRisk Platform

Cisco IOS Security is great when there isn't enough budget to acquire advanced security solutions like ISE. We can use the Cisco IOS security features to secure our network as much as we can, we can do authentication using Radius, Port Security, and access lists to secure our traffic while eliminating the attacker from accessing our network.

Incentivized

It is well suited for environments that are looking for a solution that is top notch for vulnerability scanning, and is the most accurate at doing so. It would also fit environments that have a lot of endpoints to scan or like to have scanning done on an automatic basis. It is less appropriate in environments that want to use a platform right away, without getting training in how to use it, or reading documentation on the product.

Incentivized

• QoS. Cisco Quality of Service is top notch and handles prioritization of voice and video without issue.
• Ease of implementation and configuration. Once you have a device configured, it is easy to use that configuration as a template for the rest. Export your config, update, the IP Address and Name at a minimum, then deploy to the next device.
• Longevity! Sometimes it can be difficult to upsell a current Cisco client due to aging hardware. I have gone into a network that has 12 year old switches still running strong. I have only seen this with the Cisco brand. At that point, the upsell is the newer features and not the age of the device.

Incentivized

• Attestation is so easy with Qualys. I find this one feature makes the investment worth the cost
• Ease of use. Within an hour of first installing, a person can be running compliance tests without a hitch.
• Great training materials and support. I have never had to take more than twenty minutes to solve a problem either through support or the forums.

Incentivized

• Needs many lines to configure a detailed access list.
• No seamless integration between Cisco IOS and LDAP for authentication and need something in middle like Radius.

Incentivized

• Notices some findings which were not clear why they appear(suspected false positive).
• Working with Qualys support(for example due to the previous point) wasn't the best experience. the response was very slow.
• Qualys limit the daily API requests. In case you need more, it will cost.

Incentivized

Again, the usability of Qualys has been a pinpoint for this entire review. It was easily the worst thing about the product and because of this, I would not recommend Qualys to anybody in my field. This should be something that Qualys strives to improve if they wish to stay in business.

Incentivized

Cisco has the biggest and most trustful partner network in the world. Besides that, you can buy a service contract with the hardware and use the Cisco TAC to help to solve problems. That’s a key differential for Cisco comparing to other vendors.

Incentivized

They had a support page within the WAS to report any concerns or seek help. But the UI of that is not smooth. Regardless support staff were pretty responsive and helpful. They scheduled calls to understand and address our problems. Email support is good as well.

Incentivized

IOS Security is a bonus feature when you purchase Cisco devices. It is great to have a vendor provide equipment to go above and beyond the minimal needs for business operation. Having security at the downstream edge of our organization provides a sense of ease from potential attacks.

Incentivized

We find that Nessus is a great product, on par if not slightly better compared to Qualys in terms of their pricing model. However, Qualys Cloud Platform has better quality reporting, and offers great tips and suggestions on quickly closing a gap and eliminating the risk. In our organization, both products are great and meet our expectations, but due to pricing, we favor Nessus slightly more.

Incentivized

• Cisco iOS security helped our business deploy a relatively safe solution for a small amount of money.
• If you don’t have enough budget to invest in a robust and expensive firewall solution, you can safely use Cisco iOS security to protect your branch or remote office without compromise your network.
• Because Cisco iOS security uses a simple command-line based interface, you can deploy standardized scripts and keep the operational costs low.

Incentivized

• The most important thing that happens with this program is to automate one hundred percent the security of my system since this program is in charge of supervising each of the applications and websites in detail.
• One of the purposes for which we trust Qualys Cloud Platform is to keep our system clean and secure; the ability of this software to manage our vulnerability makes us more cautious about working with it.

Incentivized