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Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software vs. Cisco Meraki MX

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ACisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software is the core OS for the ASA suite. It provides firewall functionality, as well as integration with context-specific Cisco security modules. It is scaled for enterprise-level traffic and connections.N/A

    Cisco Meraki MX

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ACisco Meraki MX Firewalls is a combined UTM and Software-Defined WAN solution. Meraki is managed via the cloud, and provides core firewall services, including site-to-site VPN, plus network monitoring.

    $595

    per appliance

    Pricing
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    MX64
    $595
    per appliance
    MX67
    $695
    per appliance
    MX68
    $995
    per appliance
    MX84
    $1,995
    per appliance
    MX100
    $4,995
    per appliance
    MX250
    $9,995
    per appliance
    MX450
    $19,995
    per appliance
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Integration with Cisco Ecosystem, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software integrates smoothly with other Cisco security products and networking solutions. We have already invested in Cisco networking equipment and infrastructure which is why we chose Cisco Adaptive …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    This was selected due to our organization standard and our branch office is using ASA. Integration with the same product is really a good option with ASA.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Configuration and management of Cisco's ASA are straightforward. We chose Cisco ASA for many reasons, as well as Cisco's threat response reports. We previously had issues with Sophos UTM due to its poor performance. We no longer have to be concerned about performance issues …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Above all, the robustness and quality of the components, the support and the rapid resolution of warranty issues. Cisco is a serious company and demonstrates this by making the processes with the client as easy as possible.
    Incentivized
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    We compared VeloCloud. The product seemed fine. Outside circumstances made us not use VeloCloud. We are currently evaluating FortiGate and FortiAP for specific and unique locations along with Sophos SG Firewall and AP. Although we plan to add a competitor we are not planning on …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    I have evaluated other products such as FortiGate and sophos brands but the administration is more difficult, more experience is required to make any implementation or configuration change.

    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    It’s very similar to Cisco ASA but there are differences in use, first and most important for me is the way you control and manage your network through Meraki Dashboard and online. You can do it in your home without a VPN. The second is that clients like banks and financial …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Meraki MX helped me save time in configuration and it is easier to use and manage, it's simple and fast. I love it.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    I've used traditional ASAs with and without firepower, newer firepower only Cisco firewalls, and Fortinet FortiGate firewalls. I think Meraki stacks up pretty well to them with most features. I think managing the Meraki is much easier than all of them because of the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    We also have an ASA for VPN traffic and it works great, but it takes time and consulting to set-up if you are not a Cisco engineer. You can set-up any Meraki system in minutes with a decent networking background, which is great for most users!
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    We chose the Meraki MX Firewall for its ease of use and advanced security features. The decision was not difficult when judging how easy it would be for the other IT team members to make configuration changes. After evaluating the advanced security we found it could cut back on …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Meraki was within our budget and fit the size of our organization.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Cisco's ASA, Fortinet's Fortigate, Sonicwall, Watchguard

    I prefer Cisco ASA for large enterprise deployments. Fortigate works well but I'm not a huge fan of their GUI interface (maybe personal preference). Sonicwall and Watchguard are avoided and only used when we inherit the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    Like I've mentioned before, the MX was much easier to setup, and we were willing to sacrifice advanced features offered by the ASAs to favor the quicker diagnostics the dashboard has to offer.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Meraki MX
    We've been a Cisco shop for a long time. Had we not been introduced to Meraki, we probably would have implemented more Cisco gear. And as it happened, Cisco bought Meraki just after we started deploying them. So it was a win for us.
    As for how they compare, performance-wise …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    87%
    Would buy again
    39 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    124 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    41 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    118 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    41 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    122 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    36 Answers
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    108 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    98%
    Implementation went as expected
    40 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    119 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Meraki MX
    Feature
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    7.8
    49 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Cisco Meraki MX
    7.9
    109 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Identification Technologies6.532 Ratings8.3104 Ratings
    Visualization Tools6.530 Ratings8.7102 Ratings
    Content Inspection8.032 Ratings8.1101 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls9.045 Ratings7.5100 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP7.547 Ratings7.990 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console7.547 Ratings6.4103 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging5.948 Ratings7.6107 Ratings
    VPN9.048 Ratings8.8102 Ratings
    High Availability9.047 Ratings9.1103 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection9.046 Ratings7.397 Ratings
    Proxy Server8.031 Ratings6.857 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.5 out of 10
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Meraki MX
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (87 ratings)
    9.3
    (145 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.1
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (7 ratings)
    Availability
    7.5
    (2 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.7
    (8 ratings)
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    6.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.2
    (112 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) SoftwareCisco Meraki MX
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    Cisco ASA's are great for internal network connected access between a firewall and the central management server. And, for complex networks where high security requirements with overly strict compliance are necessary. For networks with limited connectivity to the core or for poor network connectivity these are not the best solution. There are other more stand-alone firewall's that do this better. These firewall's are a little more complex to set up to start with so significant knowledge of these devices is required to set them up and ensure they are best practice installed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    The Meraki MX lineup is well suited for organizations that need centralized management of multiple locations, as it allows for both quick deployment and simple/easy remote administration all from a single pane of glass. It also works very well for providing VPN access for remote workers and helps monitor end-device uptime. It does, however, fall a bit short in its firewall's customization, compared to traditional appliances (like our WatchGuard Firebox), so perhaps less suited for organizations that need more customization, as the Meraki MX lineup is primarily designed for simplicity and straightforward cloud-based management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • ASA is our VPN concentrator. The client and server are very stable and very easy to use
    • ASA also offers Intrusion Prevention, to an extent. This is also very useful for an improved security posture for a small company
    • ASA allowed us to scale very quickly. We could onboard clients, partners, and consultants and give them a great onboarding experience as well
    • Administrative costs with ASA are low. It's very easy to administer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • The Cisco Meraki MX series is phenomenal at allowing us to remotely manage networks. So the devices usually act as the brain behind our client's networks, which makes it really, really easy for our team to take a look at what's going on in those client network environments, resolve any issues, and make sure that our client's networks are staying secure.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • The ASDM software is at times a nightmare to install because of different java versions[.]
    • [The firewall] could do with a power button, just to be able to do a hard reboot when needed[.]
    • It would be nice to manage the firewall via the web on port 443[.]
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • Layer seven firewall rules. Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    • Just making them more granular. We've been in meetings with Cisco SES where I've said feature requests many times and that's one of the big ones where it's just a little cumbersome to implement layer seven rules right now.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    To be honest there has been now great products out in the market compared to Cisco ASA. I beleieve Cisco has to do a lot of improvement in this area. The other defeiniete factors is the cost when it comes to renewals which is always a premium on Cisco products
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    The simplicity and ease of use for the Meraki Dashboard make it an easy choice for our organization to renew our Meraki Enterprise Agreement. We will likely continue using the Meraki MC67-C, MX450, and other MX models in their catalog until we shift away from Meraki completely
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Some features simply aren't there, but the ones that are there are pretty easy to use. Sometimes it is easy to get lost when trying to find the specific device you want to work on, but that's mostly due to how rarely we have to go into the interface.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    I generally have not noticed the outages, however since it's a machine it can malfunction, we need to implement the firewall infrastructure in such a way that it is highly available with device failure, region failure etc. Else any solution will be having the issues if they are not build with resiliency.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    Meraki MX devices support high availability (HA) configurations, which ensures minimal downtime if one device goes offline. This feature has helped us maintain a stable and reliable network, even in cases of hardware failures. ince Meraki is cloud-managed, we've noticed that the cloud infrastructure is generally highly reliable, with minimal service interruptions or downtime. This makes it easier to manage the network remotely without significant availability concerns. Meraki automatically pushes firmware updates and patches, which helps maintain system stability without requiring manual intervention. These updates are rolled out in a manner that ensures minimal disruption to service.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    The interface is pretty responsive. The lower end devices are easy to overwhelm if you have a lot of throughput. Be sure the model you get is rated for the amount of traffic you will have. Overbuild if possible, otherwise you won't be fully leveraging the connection from your ISP.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    The support is usually very good and gets back to you very quickly. However I had some instances of when two engineers will give me wildly different answers to what I thought was a simple question. Overall however I do rate the support highly and they are generally always very good.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    I haven't ever had a bad experience with Meraki support. On the few occasions where I wasn't understanding the UI or needed some clarification about what a setting actually would do, I contacted them and they were very quickly able to provide help. Returns are simple and fast, too. We had to return a defective device one time and they shipped the replacement before we had even un-racked the one that was faulty. Unlike many other vendors, they didn't ask use to a do long list of scripted diagnostics, they just took my word for it that the device was broken and sent out a replacement immediately
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    great when they offered it, really tested your knowledge with hands on and see what your peers from other orgs know. glad to see that we were ahead of the curve of what our peers knew
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    it was okay as it was moderated but still better than nothing and done via semi self paced webex meeting
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    It was quite a good one, how ever requires an expertise to deploy hence the SMB segment would be finding it difficult to implement this product. The one good reason is that there are lot of ASA certified engineers in compared to the other certified engineers. Hence this resembles positively on the deployment as you have quite a lot of experienced engineer on your deployment
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    Implementing Meraki MX devices in phases—starting with a pilot group or select branch offices—was invaluable. This allowed us to identify potential configuration issues, troubleshoot problems, and refine our setup before rolling it out company-wide. It also helped to get feedback from early users and adjust the deployment strategy accordingly. The SD-WAN capabilities in Meraki MX were essential for optimizing our WAN traffic and ensuring better application performance across various locations.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    We were using [pfSense] before in our environment but we regularly facing difficulties over it due to software bugs & downtime. After implementing Cisco ASA, it resolved our availability issue & provides us a reliable solution with the best security features & easy to understand GUI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    Cisco Meraki MX provides simplicity and scalability while cutting costs. With Meraki MX, you get a Security appliance, router, and Firewall in one appliance and managed with one GUI. These features enable the network engineers to maintain large-scale enterprises with a single dashboard from a remote site or anywhere with internet, all thanks to the Meraki cloud dashboard
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cisco
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    When I first started with my company we had various infrastructure and a mix of tech. Since going to Cisco Meraki MX we have noticed better network performance and our new sites are much easier to bring online. Users have noticed an improvement in VPN connection and getting into all our systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Most network engineers have worked with ASA, so there is no need for re-training when adding or turning over staff
    • Current configs from older devices plug in easily, and are operational on larger devices if an upgrade is required
    • Many support options available
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • From a positive impact? Basically it allows us to set up shop very quickly. It allowed us to add sites to our network very quickly. From a negative perspective, I think the only thing is that I can see from a negative perspective is I have a preference to working with ACLI in terms of how I engage with the youth tool At the moment, the only way to actually engage with a tool is on a gui and sometimes what I'd actually like is more detailed information in terms of actual configuration that you'll actually get out of ACLI.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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