Cisco FirePower 1000 and 1200

Cybersecurity

CISCO FirePower 1000 and 1200

Security solutions for SMBs

Cisco offers the Firepower 1000 and 1200 series as security solutions, but they are designed for different performance and capacity needs. Here I explain the main differences between the two series:

Performance and Capabilities:

Cisco Firepower 1000 Series:

It is aimed at small and medium-sized companies that need basic protection and adequate performance.

It offers traffic inspection performance with firewalls in lower ranges, typically up to 8 Gbps, depending on the model (e.g., Firepower 1010, 1120, 1140 and 1150).

The capacity to handle simultaneous connections and new connections per second is also lower compared to the 1200 series.

	1010	1120	1140	1150
Firewall throughput	0.9 Gbps	2.3 Gbps	3.3 Gbps	4.9 Gbps
IPSec VPN Throughput	0.4 Gbps	1.2 Gbps	1.4 Gbps	2.4 Gbps
IPS throughput	900 Mbps	2.6 Gbps	3.5 Gbps	6.1 Gbps
Maximum VPN peers	75	150	400	800

Cisco Firepower 1200 Series:

It is designed for more demanding environments with higher performance and traffic throughput requirements.

It provides superior performance, with capacities that can reach more than 20 Gbps of traffic inspection, depending on the model.

It offers higher capacity in terms of concurrent connections and new connections per second, making it suitable for larger enterprises or environments with high traffic demand.

	1210 CE	1210 CP	1220 CX
Firewall throughput	3 Gbps	3 Gbps	6 Gbps
IPSec VPN throughput	2 Gbps	2 Gbps	4 Gbps
Form factor	Desktop	Desktop	Desktop
Ethernet port	8x1000BASE-T	8x1000BASE-T (4xUPoE+)	8x1000BASE-T, 2x10G SFP+

Available Models:

Firepower 1000 Series: Includes models such as Firepower 1010, 1120, 1140 and 1150.

Firepower 1200 Series: Although less known and more specialized, it refers to a higher range of products offering better specifications than the 1000 series. It includes models such as 1210 CE, 1210 CP, 1210 CX.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/security/firewalls/secure-firewall-1200-series-ds.html

Scalability:

Firepower 1000 Series: Offers fewer scalability and expansion options compared to the more advanced series. Focuses on a more compact solution.

Firepower 1200 Series: Higher scalability is expected, allowing the device to grow with network demand.

Typical Use:

Firepower 1000 Series: Ideal for small offices, branch offices or as a perimeter firewall in environments with moderate performance requirements.

Firepower 1200 Series: Targeted for deployments in medium to large enterprises or in more traffic-intensive environments where more processing power is required.

Advanced Features:

Both series have advanced features such as threat inspection, VPN, network and cloud integration, but the 1200 offers a greater ability to handle these services simultaneously without performance degradation.

Conclusion:

The choice between the Firepower 1000 series and 1200 series will depend on the specific performance, capacity and scalability needs of your network. The 1000 series is more economical and suitable for less demanding environments, while the 1200 series (or higher series such as the 2100) is suitable for larger networks with higher security and performance demands.