Cisco Secure IPS vs. Zscaler Internet Access

For scenarios, I described before, like when you have centralized administration and several locations, and the majority of those locations have the same size/requirements, Firepower is well suited. Easy to maintain, relatively cheap to buy. For scenarios too small, like small sales offices like ours, I don't think Firepower could fit, basically because you'll need to invest a certain amount of money to buy, license and deploy.

Incentivized

Zscaler Internet Access has extremely powerful category selection and it is very easy to create your own destinations for inspection and policy exceptions (SSL exception specifically). It is also very affordable and just as powerful (if not more) than some of the other solutions I have used in the past to achieve internet security.

Incentivized

• You will get more visibility in your network.
• Very fast performance
• Easy to detect and prevent the suspicious activities.
• Easy to export report[s]
• Daily security updates
• Efficacy
• Very low cost
• Cisco Threat Intelligence Director
• A lot of Cisco documentation available

Incentivized

• The depth that Cloud App control policies can go into. Being able to control individual actions within an application, more than just all or nothing access.
• The UX/UI design makes it really easy to navigate the portal.
• Understanding how cloud app/url control policy gets evaluated and creating/editing existing policy is extremely straightforward.

Incentivized

• The performance is not always as good as you'd want. Some operations take the better part of a minute (drilling down in traffics analysis).
• Deploying or upgrading the FirePower software to the ASA firewalls takes a long time and deployment might fail without a clear reason.

Incentivized

• Easier interface on the menus so they don't disappear.
• Help, I'm contacting support only through the ZIA portal, but I'm unable to use the link easily.
• Mobile interface changes.
• The searching function for the logs is tricky and challenging to use, and the menu always pops down when trying to find the proper function.

Incentivized

We are in the middle of outsourcing and may not be able to keep this product.

Incentivized

While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:

Key Gaps:

1. Advanced Threat Costs:

ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.

2. API Banking Scalability:

ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.

3. RBI Future-Proofing:

Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.

Incentivized

Very easy to navigate GUI in the FMC and very effective at performing the intending duties.

Incentivized

The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.

Incentivized

There are often performance issues reported

Incentivized

We didn't have any major issues that let us need support. Only, for this reason, I think Cisco Firepower deserves the rating. Even for small issues, the partner that helped us during the project could solve it quickly. There are also tons of documents and other online resources to help maintain, administer and support the product.

Incentivized

Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise

Incentivized

We were using the Suricate IDS but it is very difficult to configure and manage so we replace it with Cisco Secure IPS. It gives us all the advanced security features and more control over our network.

Incentivized

Zscaler Internet Access is most akin to ZPA - we bought both at the same time to handle all traffic internally and externally. In terms of quality - I would make the statement that Zscaler Internet Access is a simpler product but that's also cause there are no App Connectors involved in that process.

Incentivized

• Has made it much easier to determine when incidents have occurred
• Has been effective in reducing false positives and making solution management more efficient and cost effective

Incentivized

• Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
• Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
• Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices

Incentivized