- Cisco Secure Firewall
Best for: Cisco networks wanting a firewall that fits in
It is on the list because it slots into Cisco networks and sends its data to Splunk, so your network and security teams keep one vendor and one log pipeline. That suits mid-market and enterprise shops with a lot of Cisco already in place. Its published detail is thin, so ask Cisco for detail on threat prevention, cloud firewalls and the management console before you compare it with the rest of the list.
From Best Next-Generation Firewall Solutions for Business, Fall 2026
- Sangfor Athena NGFW
Best for: Mid-market teams wanting built-in WAF and SOC tooling without extra licenses
The anti-ransomware correlation with Sangfor Endpoint Secure and Cyber Command is worth evaluating if you're considering the broader Sangfor ecosystem. The cross-product correlation between network and endpoint telemetry to identify ransomware processes is a real capability, not just a marketing claim. The limitation is that it works best within the Sangfor stack. If you're running a different EDR, the correlation benefit disappears. Sangfor is primarily an on-premises deployment, which suits organizations with data residency requirements or limited cloud connectivity.
From Best Next-Generation Firewall Solutions for Business, Fall 2026
