# Cisco: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 52 judge labels across 14 categories by 13 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/cisco

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Microsegmentation](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/microsegmentation/index.md) | 0% | 18 | 10% | 10 |
| [OT and IoT security](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/ot-and-iot-security/index.md) | 0% | 22 | 12% | 8 |
| [SD-WAN](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/sd-wan/index.md) | 0% | 13 | 0% | 8 |
| [Network access control](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/network-access-control/index.md) | 0% | 88 | 40% | 5 |
| [DDI and IP address management](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/ddi-and-ipam/index.md) | 0% | 17 | 0% | 4 |
| [Zero trust network access](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/zero-trust-network-access/index.md) | 0% | 17 | 0% | 4 |
| [Cloud-native application protection](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/cloud/cloud-native-application-protection/index.md) | 0% | 29 | 0% | 3 |
| [Insider risk management](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/insider-risk-management/index.md) | 0% | 24 | 0% | 3 |
| [AI security platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/ai-security-platforms/index.md) | 0% | 46 | 0% | 2 |
| [API security platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/api-security-platforms/index.md) | 0% | 69 | 0% | 1 |
| [Deception technology](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/deception-technology/index.md) | 0% | 101 | 100% | 1 |
| [Network monitoring and management](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/network-monitoring-and-management/index.md) | 0% | 35 | 0% | 1 |
| [Non-human identity management](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/identity/non-human-identity-management/index.md) | 0% | 84 | 0% | 1 |
| [Vulnerability management platforms](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/security/vulnerability-management-platforms/index.md) | 0% | 38 | 0% | 1 |

## What the models said for it

- "Cited by CISOs as the #1 vendor for AI-enabled security" (Muse Glimmer 30B, AI security)
- "Best if you already use Cisco switches/routers or have the budget for deep professional services. High complexity but very robust." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, SD-WAN)
- "Cisco's solution is favored for its ability to correlate multiple signals and provide comprehensive insider risk management." (Mistral Small, Insider risk)
- "Cisco Secure Workload is a microsegmentation solution to enforce zero trust security across application workloads" (Claude Haiku 4.5, Microsegmentation)

## And against it

- "Vendors in this category historically include the traditional approach taken by Cisco (ACI), VMware (NSX), and older firewall-based solutions. Problems cited include: Extremely slow and complex deployments" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, Microsegmentation)
- "Traditional VPNs (e.g., many legacy implementations from Cisco, Pulse Secure, Fortinet, Palo Alto, or older OpenVPN setups)" (Grok 4.20, NAC)
- "Cisco has retired multiple security product lines and removes documentation for security purposes after retirement." (MiniMax M2.5, NAC)
- "often simpler for mid-market but less "OT-native" than the top three" (Grok 4.20, OT/IoT security)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grok 4.20 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Mistral Small | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Kimi K2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Cisco, from 121 of the 141 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- fortinet.com: 29
- peerspot.com: 23
- g2.com: 22
- cisco.com: 19 (its own site)
- ciopages.com: 18
- paloaltonetworks.com: 17
- sourceforge.net: 16
- aimultiple.com: 15
- gane.ai/index: 15
- zeronetworks.com: 15

### Pages cited

- https://aimultiple.com/microsegmentation-tools: 13
- https://ciopages.com/buyer-guides/enterprise-dns-ddi: 8
- https://reliamag.com/topics/guides/best-industrial-cybersecurity-platforms-ot-ics-security-2026: 8
- https://elisity.com/microsegmentation/best-zero-trust-microsegmentation-solutions: 7
- https://forrester.com/blogs/announcing-the-forrester-wave-microsegmentation-solutions-q3-2024: 7
- https://paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/assets/pdf/Omdia-Market-Radar-OT-Cybersecurity-Platforms-2026.pdf: 7
- https://research.oz.spotlightar.com/reports/magic-quadrant-sd-wan-2024/leaders: 7
- https://uptycs.com/hubfs/80848LeadershipCompassCNAPP.pdf: 7

## In its own words

What Cisco's own pages state, read 2026-09-28. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Positioning: Cisco is a worldwide technology leader powering an inclusive future for all. (https://cisco.com/)
- Free plan or trial: Cisco Security free trials (https://cisco.com/)
- Customers named: United, McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 team, Carnival, Fujifilm, STC, Nestle, Fiserv, Workday

## What it publishes

Every page cisco.com exposes, read 2026-09-29: 551 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:

- blog: 25 pages, 22 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-09-01
- conference or event: 8 pages, 0 in the last 90 days, latest undated
- news or press: 1 pages, 1 in the last 90 days, latest 2026-07-08
- Recent: 2026-09-01 blog: You say no five questions can help you spot overlooked talent https://talentbridge.cisco.com/blog/recruiters/you-say-no-five-questions-can-help-you-spot-overlooked-talent
- Recent: 2026-08-30 blog: Why quality hire starts day one https://talentbridge.cisco.com/blog/recruiters/why-quality-hire-starts-day-one
- Recent: 2026-07-23 blog: Cisco talent bridge candidate user guide https://talentbridge.cisco.com/blog/candidates/cisco-talent-bridge-candidate-user-guide
- Recent: 2026-07-23 blog: Cisco talent bridge recruiter user guide https://talentbridge.cisco.com/blog/recruiters/cisco-talent-bridge-recruiter-user-guide
- Recent: 2026-07-15 blog: Cisco talent bridge candidate demo https://talentbridge.cisco.com/blog/candidates/cisco-talent-bridge-candidate-demo
- Recent: 2026-07-15 blog: Cisco talent bridge recruiter demo https://talentbridge.cisco.com/blog/recruiters/cisco-talent-bridge-recruiter-demo

## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.