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Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services vs. Zscaler Internet Access

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services

    Score7.3 out of 10
    N/ACisco offers a threat-focused next-generation firewall (NGFW), the ASA 5500-X Series. The ASA 5500 Series platforms can run either the Cisco ASA Firewall or Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD). The series features appliances in a variety of form factors, including standalone options for small and midsize businesses, ruggedized appliances for extreme environments, midsize appliances for security at the Internet edge, and high-performance appliances for enterprise data centers.N/A

    Zscaler Internet Access

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AZscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsCisco ASA 5500-X pricing starts at ~$400 and scales up to $20,000 for higher capacity appliances.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Zscaler
    Chose Zscaler Internet Access
    Cisco is clunky for deployment and does not give the visibility on the user that Zscaler does.
    Incentivized
    Chose Zscaler Internet Access
    Better end user experience, simplicity, and innovation.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    78%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    99%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    23 Answers
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    147 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    22 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    170 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    126 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    17 Answers
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    136 Answers
    Features
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Firewall
    Comparison of Firewall features of Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services
    9.0
    30 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Zscaler Internet Access
    -
    Ratings
    Identification Technologies8.428 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visualization Tools9.324 Ratings00 Ratings
    Content Inspection8.429 Ratings00 Ratings
    Policy-based Controls10.028 Ratings00 Ratings
    Active Directory and LDAP10.029 Ratings00 Ratings
    Firewall Management Console9.830 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reporting and Logging7.629 Ratings00 Ratings
    VPN10.030 Ratings00 Ratings
    High Availability10.028 Ratings00 Ratings
    Stateful Inspection8.14 Ratings00 Ratings
    Proxy Server7.23 Ratings00 Ratings
    Identity Management
    Comparison of Identity Management features of Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    5.0
    2 Ratings
    56% below category average
    Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    10.0
    2 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence
    Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.5
    5 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Network Analytics00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Threat Analysis00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings9.15 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.7
    5 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Continuous Verification00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Small Businesses
    SonicWall NSA Series
    Score8.5 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
    Score9.4 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (30 ratings)
    8.7
    (22 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.7
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.2
    (2 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.2
    (26 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (29 ratings)
    8.1
    (5 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    This firewall is best suited for the network edge/perimeter deployment. The next gen features works very well and the remote access VPN is also very much suitable for the organizations which have a huge user base working remotely. The Remote Access VPN is very much customizable and the authentication integration option like LDAP and RADIUS provides and addon.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • The Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services model works perfectly for network edge protection scenarios.
    • It allows for the creation and connection of sites through site-to-site VPN configuration.
    • It enables remote connection and home office with remote SSL or IPSEC VPN.
    • It has layer 7 traffic protection and visibility.
    • It has anti-malware protection from start to finish.
    • The configuration is easy to perform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
    • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • URL Filtering feature could be easier to utilize for beginners
    • I'd like to see a visual of VPN networks setup and show the functioning or malfunctioning status to assist in making troubleshooting easier
    • Recommendations on ACLs for beginners based on their account creation date
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • The logs feel kind of lack luster
    • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
    • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    Ever since we installed Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services we have never had to deal with an attack. We can see in the logs almost every day hackers attempting to break into our networks and failing. We also have the ability to blacklist every IP address that attempts to break into our firewalls
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    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
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    Cisco firepower provides automatation for an organisations security operations to detect and stop the most advanced threats fast. It also assists in preventing attacks in using intelligence and innovative solutions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    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
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cisco
    We have never had an outage caused by firewall failure. We have had a few outages caused by the internet failing or cloud applications going offline but never a firewall breaking down. When making changes we have a very strong change control, major software updates are always carried out out of working hours. At places where we have two firewalls in HA, we are able to do upgrades in working ours and the users will never know that an upgrade is taking place, that how great these firewalls are
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cisco
    The Cisco ASA 5500X with Firepower performance needs consideration before deploying. Although the solution is Pay as you grow, adding additional features to the system has a negative impact on overall throughput. I would more like now only to deploy the Cisco FPR units as they have better performance and will last the test of time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    There are often performance issues reported
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    I would recommend the purchase of the Smartnet 24x7 service in the case of a unit and the Smartnet 8x5NBD in the case of only one appliance installed on site. This service is important to always have the latest firmware updates, corrective updates and especially the hardware warranty and maintenance service in case of problems. The service is done by phone or on the official Cisco website and I can say that it is very good and efficient.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    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
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    We implemented a centralized management of all our Cisco ASA 5500-x with FirePOWER Services so that we can have a holistic view of all our sites in London and other European countries. This also helps when making changes, instead of login on to each firewall we can use Firepower Management Center (FMC) to central deploy changes across all devices
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    Previous],] I was using the [pfSense] in my organization but when i switched to [Cisco ASA 5500-X with FirePOWER Services] I realized there are lots of issue and missing security features in [pfSense]. The deployment and configuration is very easy as compare to [pfSense]. I highly recommend this product to everyone.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Working of remote workforce made easy
    • Security was enhanced on the data traffic shared with the vendors due to the use of VPNs
    • Inbound attacks were mostly blocked on the edge and saved a lot of resources (which could had been used in case of attacks getting successful on the application servers)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • 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
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

    Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.