The Best Cisco Meraki Firewall Alternatives

Cisco Meraki provides several industry-leading cloud-managed IT solutions, right from WLAN and unified network solutions to next-gen firewalls and so much more. But each industry is different, and with that comes different needs and requirements. That is why it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

Here’s our list of the Best Cisco Meraki Firewall Alternatives:

1. FortiGate NGFW Provides high performance and the next-generation security features that provide end-to-end protection across the entire network.
2. SonicWall Combines industry-validates threat and the best-in-class prevention and performance to offer a truly integrated platform for elite malware protection as well as automatically detect breaches.
3. Sophos UTM Protects the network from the latest malware, virus, and bug threats while accelerating your essential applications and cloud application traffic.
4. WatchGuard Network Security Ideal for advanced network security platforms which are widely deployable and put IT professionals back in charge of their security and networks.
5. Check Point Next Generation Firewalls Τhe best at preventing the fifth generation of cyber-attacks with more than 60 innovative security programs and services.
6. Juniper Firewall Delivers on all advanced needs and provides next-generation firewalls which adapt as new threats, cloud-based services, and third-party feeds to block any malware and malicious activities as they enter the network.
7. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall A comprehensive set of next-generation firewall technologies that work to ensure real-time network protection and protect against scripting, denial of service attacks, trojans, worms, spyware, and many more, including other network threats and vulnerabilities.
8. Purple Usually a cloud-based hotspot platform software that provides your organization with a security overlay to your existing structure. No extra hardware is required, and setup is quick and efficient.

Meraki firewall alternatives are specially designed for brands both small and big that require expertise and skill to accomplish their business goals and solutions to inspire them to explore their options. Small offices and remote environments will have varied firewall needs as compared to large corporations and medium-sized businesses. Smaller organizations are looking for essential software protection, whereas larger companies are looking for more in-depth and advanced security to help them combat threats across a range of servers.

Smaller businesses require a digital transformation in terms of networking, security, all that it offers, and automated services, which have become crucial for them to grow. They need to ensure that their firewall devices and security services are up and running in case of a connection failure; it needs to be resolved in seconds to lower downtime over remote access. Keeping this in mind, Meraki firewall alternatives are created to include all your advanced security services. Since they are next-generation firewalls, you can ensure that they take care of everything right from geo-based firewalling to remote access connectivity and everything in between so that your company bandwidth isn’t wasted on unproductive content. Besides small brands, managing SMB networks have different needs altogether. They require more self-guided, usable tools that will work well across networks and devices like smartphones, laptops, and computers.

With the average users connecting more than 12 personal devices and applications nowadays, the threat keeps growing. Any one of these applications can expose the office network to many third-party applications and hazards. This is why companies need to look for solutions to protect their networks and devices. Unfortunately, many brands wait until the last second to look up and invest in security solutions. During this time, many hackers, malware, or even spyware can make their way into your network or company, which will not only leave you at risk but even hurt your finances in the long run.

The Best Cisco Meraki Firewall alternatives

It can be quite a challenge for most brands to spot the difference between two firewalls that look precisely the same. But keep in mind that even the most minor details matter when it comes to your organization as what you require. When it comes to firewalls, most brands go in for an application that does not work for them or suit their needs, and this is a hassle and a waste of time and money. Therefore, picking the correct application is so important. So, to break it down for you, here are some of the few key differences between each Meraki firewall alternatives, as well as their essential features to help guide you towards which device or application is the right fit for your network and organization.

1. FortiGate NGFW

In this digital and cloud transformation era, companies cannot afford to pick between performance and security. With networks being hacked every day, brands are looking out for applications that can help protect their assets, users, and company without compromising on speed or the capacity of network operations. Meraki firewall alternatives like FortiGate NGFW firewall provide your company with high performance and the next-generation security features that provide end-to-end protection across your entire network. Besides this, they even offer awareness and content within network traffic and added protection against known and unknown threats like bugs, viruses, encrypted malware, and third-party applications.

Key Features

• This Meraki firewall alternative provides high-end security and comprehensive protection against advanced threats and does not allow even a single-entry point of vulnerability in your network.
• They provide an innovative security processor for high-performance applications and threat protection, security services, and SSL inspection.
• You can avail of the industry’s fastest SSL inspection that will help to detect and protect your company against malware hiding in encrypted traffic or even SSL.
• Best price for performance, superior effectiveness, and independent third-party validation. It enables consistent security policies with solid control and visibility across the network.

Why do we recommend it?

FortiGate NGFW is recommended for its exceptional balance of high performance and advanced security features. It offers comprehensive protection and is especially adept at handling encrypted threats, making it a top choice for modern network environments.

This scalable output of flexible network interfaces, advanced security, and top performance makes this application a market-leading system combining superior price performance and high-end security. It also helps save your IT resources and reduce deployment complexities. It can also be deployed in an internal network segment to increase threat visibility and stop the network’s uncontrolled spread of malware or virus.

Who is it recommended for?

This firewall is particularly suitable for large enterprises and Managed Service Providers seeking robust, scalable security solutions capable of protecting against sophisticated threats, including encrypted malware.

Website Link: https://go.fortinet.com/emea-lp/gartner-network-firewalls

2. SonicWall

Hackers and cybercriminals have never been stealthier. To protect your organization and stop them, you need to invest in a comprehensive and integrated solution that combines encrypted traffic inspection, reputation services, and malware analysis as well as cloud app security. All this within an affordable budget is something this application can provide you with. These Meraki firewall alternatives are the following new generation firewalls and deliver industry-leading performance and other features that usually cost the Earth elsewhere. Thankfully, SonicWall combines industry-validates threat and the best-in-class prevention and performance to offer you a truly integrated platform for elite malware protection as well as automatically detect breaches. This is all backed by three decades of cybersecurity expertise and the best technologies – brought to your doorstep.

Key Features

• Simple deployment and management couples with a multi-gigabit interface in a desktop form.
• Ten high port density with expandable storage up to 256G and 5G high speed and TLS 1.3 for advanced threat protection.
• Provides support for private and public cloud and hybrid environments like Microsoft Azure, Hyper-V, and AWS.
• You can get complete end-to-end visibility with a unified policy and streamlined management, as well as an easy provision layer 3 and 7 to control your firewall(s) and provide a central location for your policy configuration.

Why do we recommend it?

SonicWall is a standout for its affordability and comprehensive integration of features like encrypted traffic inspection and malware analysis. It's highly effective in offering advanced threat protection within a budget.

Who is it recommended for?

SonicWall is ideal for organizations looking for a cost-effective yet robust firewall solution. It suits businesses needing high port density, TLS 1.3 support, and efficient cloud application security.

Website Link: https://www.sonicwall.com/

3. Sophos UTM

Have you ever heard of this Meraki firewall alternative? Sophos Firewall’s architecture protects your network from the latest malware, virus, and bug threats while accelerating your essential applications and cloud application traffic. It removes a vast bling spot with an intelligent TLS inspection that is quick and effective and uses the latest standards with extensive exceptions to make your job easier by pointing and clicking tools. It allows you to stop the latest breaches and ransomware with high-performance streaming, the enxt0gen IPS, deep packet inspection, application control, web protection, sandboxing, and deep learning. You can use this to accelerate your cloud traffic, SaaS, video, and other trusted applications automatically or even according to your company policies, putting them on the fast path to optimize performance.

Key Features

• It provides you with all the features you need to expose hidden risks like risky activities, suspicious traffic, advanced threats and gives you superior visibility to gain control of your network(s).
• Powerful next-generation protection technologies to stop unknown threats as well as deep learning and intrusion prevention to keep your organization secure.
• It allows you to isolate infected systems, instantly identify compromised networks and stop threats from spreading.

Why do we recommend it?

Sophos UTM is recommended for its intelligent TLS inspection and powerful next-gen protection technologies. It's efficient in exposing hidden risks and stopping unknown threats, making it a reliable security choice.

Who is it recommended for?

This firewall is best suited for organizations that need comprehensive network security with capabilities like deep packet inspection, application control, and advanced malware protection.

Website Link: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/choose-firewall.aspx?

4. WatchGuard Network Security

WatchGuard is comprehensive Meraki firewall alternatives, ideal for advanced network security platforms which are widely deployable and put IT professionals back in charge of their security and networks. It has threat visibility tools suited for any and every organization regardless of its complexity, size, or budget. This is a great application to give you complete visibility and allow you to make timely and effective decisions about your network security anywhere and anytime and protect users, data, and devices across your entire network from only one single platform. WatchGuard Network Security can be used by professional and advanced IT tech for your brand is a great application to take charge of security and protect your network.

Key Features

• Each of these Meraki firewall alternatives offers an SD-WAN directly out of the box for improved performance and increased network resiliency.
• They also provide SSL inspection and high-end protection for malware that hides in encrypted traffic.
• You can deploy or automate from the cloud, block threats, kill malware and update signatures, all without lifting a finger.

Why do we recommend it?

WatchGuard offers a comprehensive security platform suitable for any organization, regardless of size or complexity. It's known for its threat visibility tools and ease of deployment, making it a versatile choice.

Who is it recommended for?

WatchGuard is ideal for IT professionals seeking a robust and adaptable security solution that can protect users, data, and devices across a range of network setups.

Website Link: https://www.watchguard.com/

5. Check Point Next Generation Firewalls

This gateway firewall provides superior security, which is next-generation. Unlike any other firewall, it is specially designed for complete protection. It is the best at preventing the fifth generation of cyber-attacks with more than 60 innovative security programs and services. This new security gateway can deliver 1.5 Tbps of threat prevention, scale on-demand, and high performance based on how it is created and its architecture. This will allow you to gain access to the next generation security, which will protect any old as well as a newly formed threat on your site. This helps you combat threats across a range of locations and end-points and devices like laptops, computers, and smartphones in the long run.

Key Features

• This Meraki firewall alternative delivers uncompromising security and the highest caliber threat prevention with award-winning out-of-the-box protection.
• It provides on-demand cloud level expansion, hyper-scale threat prevention, high performance, and resiliency on-premises.
• It increases efficiency by cutting your security operations up to 80% and provides unified security management control across the cloud, networks, and IoT.
• Integrate the most advanced threat protection and prevention and consolidated management; all these gateway appliances are specially designed to prevent any cyber-attacks, lower your costs, improve performance, and reduce complexity.

Why do we recommend it?

Check Point Firewalls are renowned for their superior security and high-caliber threat prevention. They are especially effective in preventing advanced cyber-attacks and offer scalable performance.

Who is it recommended for?

This firewall is suitable for larger environments that require robust, high-performance security solutions capable of handling a variety of cyber threats across different endpoints.

Website Link: https://www.checkpoint.com/quantum/next-generation-firewall/

6. Juniper Firewall

Sophisticated malware requires a new kind of protection and a new approach to securing your network. Security must move from focusing on the network’s perimeter to a holistic strategy wherein every network device becomes a point of enforcement. The modern firewall must perform as a part of the whole detection and enforcement system that gets information from the entire network for detection and threat intelligence. These Meraki firewall alternatives like Juniper deliver on all these advanced needs and provides next-generation firewalls which adapt as new threats, cloud-based services, and third-party feeds to block any malware and malicious activities as they enter your network.

Key Features

• This firewall provides automation, AI-driven insight as well as security.
• They deliver applications and services securely and efficiently with the agility, confidence, and predictability at a cloud scale that your customers expect.
• They help you to achieve greater business agility and operational simplicity with a secure cloud automated solution so that you can ready your network for 5G, IoT, Edge, and Metro.

Why do we recommend it?

Juniper Firewall is recommended for its AI-driven insights and ability to deliver secure, efficient services at cloud scale. It's a forward-thinking solution for advanced network security needs.

This means that you get a reliable firewall that performs at speeds of up to 2 Tbps to keep your network fast, secure, and operational and provide total application visibility and control and user-based application policies to protect and control your business assets. They are available in both virtual and physical form factors, deep-pocket inspection, and role-based access policies giving you complete control. You can even work to provide essential security services that guard against bots, commands, advanced persistent threats, zero-day threats, and control servers. So do that your network and security applications are highly scalable, top-performing, and can be centrally managed solutions. They also provide an affordable solution.

Who is it recommended for?

It's ideal for larger environments that leverage cloud resources and require a holistic security approach. Juniper is particularly effective in environments where every network device is a point of enforcement.

Website Link: https://www.juniper.net/us/en/solutions/security/next-gen-firewall

7. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Modern cyber threats such as advanced malware and ransomware and targeted attacks, and zero-day threats require high-tech sophisticated defense techniques that balance accurate threat detection with quick response times. These Meraki firewall alternatives offer a comprehensive set of next-generation firewall technologies that work to ensure real-time network protection and protect against scripting, denial of service attacks, trojans, worms, spyware, and many more, including other network threats and vulnerabilities.

Key Features

• It provides comprehensive security and protection for cloud and hybrid networks and on-premise, cloud, and multi-cloud protection using a built-in firewall.
• Frictionless, multi-layered security provides advanced zero-day threat protection and blocks advanced threats and ransomware attacks.
• Get rapid protection and a quick response against the newest threats with the help of global reaction and threat intelligence network used with tons of data collection points.

Why do we recommend it?

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is known for its comprehensive security across cloud, hybrid, and on-premise networks. Its multi-layered security and advanced threat protection make it a reliable defense against modern cyber threats.

Barracuda’s firewalls can be used across multiple cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google, and numerous physical locations. This makes it so much easier for you to gain access across end-points and locations so that you can keep better track of your security across your organization.

Who is it recommended for?

This firewall is best suited for enterprise networks requiring robust protection against advanced malware, ransomware, and targeted attacks across multiple cloud platforms and physical locations.

Website Link: https://www.barracuda.com/products/cloudgenfirewall

8. Purple

Purple is usually a cloud-based hotspot platform software that provides your organization with a security overlay to your existing structure. No extra hardware is required, and setup is quick and efficient. You can also manage everything via an online portal. This will allow you to capture data, will enable you to understand your customers better, and create a highly personal experience using custom splash pages, eMarketing, and SMS. This firewall helps your company and users quickly analyze and deal with threats, follow up with unique solutions and even contact and gain access to your information with ease.

Key Features

• It provides a seamless experience right from protecting your branding, preventing threats, and even allowing visitors to log in quickly.
• You can access it from any location and gain access to a wealth of data and analytics, which help you build detailed protection profiles and understand how you can improve your brand and protect your information.
• You can create and send automated messages to drive sales, influence customer behavior, and use this data collected to trigger communication-based on demographics, encouraging users to stay and spend more.
• Boost your online presence and connect your platform with leading reviews to boost your online presence and beat your competitors.
• It also sends automatic email reminders to your users, nicely asking them to leave a review. It is a multi-functional firewall tool that protects your business and helps it grow.

Why do we recommend it?

Purple is an innovative cloud-based firewall solution that offers flexibility and ease of use. It requires no additional hardware and provides comprehensive security alongside valuable data and analytics features.

Who is it recommended for?

Purple is ideal for organizations looking for a web-based firewall solution that also supports marketing and customer engagement through data analytics and automated messaging.

Website Link: https://purple.ai/products/guest-wifi/

In Conclusion

When you choose a firewall or an IT resource, you need the application to handle your firewall, wireless, security, mobility management, and more so that you can find an application that suits your needs, budget, and requirements. When it comes to Meraki firewall alternatives, many provide adequate and robust network protection. However, you need to ensure that the installation process goes off without a hitch. You are provided with full tech support and experienced customer service anytime the need arises. Small brands, medium-sized brands, and major brands will differ when it comes to the type of application they need and the level of security.

If you’ve been considering any of the above Cisco Meraki firewall alternative applications for your network protection, then now is the best time to invest in them. Hackers are getting more persistent in trying to infiltrate networks and steal valuable data. Therefore, the sooner you protect your network, the better security you can provide and tackle any threats or vulnerabilities in your network while complying with data protection regulations.

Cisco Meraki Firewall Alternatives FAQs