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Barracuda Web Security Gateway vs. Symantec Intelligence Services vs. Zscaler Internet Access

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Barracuda Web Security Gateway

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ABarracuda Web Security Gateways now available in the 200 through 1000 series provide web content filtering as well as access and advanced threat protection, and are available as physical appliances, virtual appliances, or as a SaaS.N/A

    Symantec Intelligence Services

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ASymantec WebFilter / Intelligence Services (formerly Blue Coat WebFilter) is a web application protection and web content filtering solution, designed to allow users to control access to web content and block web threats with advanced threat defense and real-time global threat intelligence.N/A

    Zscaler Internet Access

    Score8.9 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
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Free Trial
    YesNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details———
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Considered Multiple Products
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    No answer on this topic
    Broadcom
    No answer on this topic
    Zscaler
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Would buy again
    284 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    245 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    284 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    207 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    227 Answers
    Features
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Identity Management
    Comparison of Identity Management features of Barracuda Web Security Gateway and Symantec Intelligence Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Barracuda Web Security Gateway
    -
    Ratings
    Symantec Intelligence Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    5.0
    2 Ratings
    55% below category average
    Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Barracuda Web Security Gateway and Symantec Intelligence Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Barracuda Web Security Gateway
    -
    Ratings
    Symantec Intelligence Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    10.0
    2 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence
    Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Barracuda Web Security Gateway and Symantec Intelligence Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Barracuda Web Security Gateway
    -
    Ratings
    Symantec Intelligence Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    8.5
    216 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Network Analytics00 Ratings00 Ratings8.7217 Ratings
    Threat Recognition00 Ratings00 Ratings8.3214 Ratings
    Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings00 Ratings8.5191 Ratings
    Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings00 Ratings8.2205 Ratings
    Threat Analysis00 Ratings00 Ratings8.8203 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings00 Ratings8.5199 Ratings
    Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings00 Ratings8.5192 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Barracuda Web Security Gateway and Symantec Intelligence Services and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Barracuda Web Security Gateway
    -
    Ratings
    Symantec Intelligence Services
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    8.9
    262 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Continuous Verification00 Ratings00 Ratings8.7245 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings00 Ratings9.0236 Ratings
    Network Flow Control00 Ratings00 Ratings8.1217 Ratings
    Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings00 Ratings8.8219 Ratings
    Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings00 Ratings8.6194 Ratings
    Admin Access Control00 Ratings00 Ratings9.1230 Ratings
    Network Data Encryption00 Ratings00 Ratings8.8207 Ratings
    Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Forcepoint SWG
    Score8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Skyhigh Secure Web Gateway
    Score8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Forescout Vistaro Platform
    Score6.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (9 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (295 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.8
    (279 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.5
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.4
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.1
    (10 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.4
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Barracuda Web Security GatewaySymantec Intelligence ServicesZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    For a larger organization, this is a must. It provides insight into what the users are doing online and most malicious sites will no longer be accessible if access is denied. This can also give access to non-work related sites, but in a limited capacity, based on user or time of day. Though a smaller company would benefit from the features, it may be cost prohibitive.
    Read full review
    Broadcom
    In a large environment, this is the perfect system. If you do not have constant changes, it easily becomes a system you drop in place and rarely have to think about. Our units have been rock solid and have never experienced any unexpected downtime, and upgrades are just a couple button clicks to deploy, or roll back. For small offices, with minimal traffic this may be using a sledgehammer to put in a push pin. It will work great, but the devices is likely over engineered for small offices (<50 people). That being said, price-wise it's still a great solution when compared to competing products and being from Symantec, you know it's going to be around and support for the long term.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    I feel the product is very good to set up basic standards and go beyond that in many aspects. However, due to being sometimes too simple, it limits the ability to do some other complex changes. Having the ability to do both would be ideal for some, if not all, of the products within Zscaler Internet Access. A simple setup to have it stand-up, and more advanced settings for those more experienced.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    • Integrates with other Barracuda products, including the Barracuda Web Application Firewall and the Barracuda Email Security Gateway.
    • Helps manage bandwidth to improve network performance.
    • Easy to use.
    • Allows you to perform SSL inspections to view content on social networks.
    • Help prevent data loss.
    • Protect our privacy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Broadcom
    • Almost real time protection from all ongoing threats with their DLA inspection
    • Great visibility into web filtering policies using the dashboards and reports
    • No patching or downloads needed, immediate protection is provided as clients are always cloud connected
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Provides a secure VPN connection point for endpoint connectivity.
    • Provides the VPN connectivity in a fast and reliable connection state.
    • Very dependable, once connected the connection stays up and there's no fuss.
    • Very good at letting you know when you are not authenticated.
    • Very easy to authenticate and regain access when your session times out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    • I don't think I have anything to mention here. The Barracuda Web Security Gateway does everything we need it to do.
    Read full review
    Broadcom
    • The admin interface would be better off not using Java
    • Setting up SSL properly can be a bit challenging
    • Could really use a better source for training, like a library of how-to videos
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • ZS CLI support to turn off ZIA and ZDX service specifically on mac.
    • Better visibility into failed posture devices, including a timeline and the reason the posture failed (This is about the Zscaler mobile portal: Enrolled devices --> Failed posture devices).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Broadcom
    No answers on this topic
    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
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    There are a lot of settings you can adjust. The web log is easy to use. If a user is having issues accessing a website, you can go in and see what's being blocked and why. After that, you can make adjustments fairly easy. The GUI is easy to navigate and updating the software is a simple click of a button.
    Incentivized
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    Broadcom
    I really like the system, it's easy to use and mostly intuitive. I would have gone 10/10, but the management interface uses Java, and that seems to always make things a bit harder to start. Once everything is loaded and running, it's great - but it does require me to maintain a compatible version of Java on the machine I use to access the system, I'd be much happier with some kind of HTML5 interface. I also deducted 1 point for the functionality of the refer filter - it works as expected, but if the site isn't coded with the correct refer header, like Microsoft's site - then some page elements get stripped and pages only render about 98% correctly. I know that's not in Symantec's list of responsibilities, but having a filter that doesn't fully understand CDNs is worth the 1 point ding.
    Incentivized
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    Zscaler
    Getting started was pretty straightforward. We can tell the product is way more robust than we are using it. It started as a replacement for previous DNS-blocking content filtering, but we're exploring how this will add value with an upcoming DLP redesign and with traffic optimization at some of our remote sites with severe bandwidth limits.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Broadcom
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    There are often performance issues reported
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    Barracuda support have also been excellent when we have had to contact them. The only time we had a hardware issue on a device (and that device was about 8 years old) it was replaced within about 24 hours of reporting it. Generally there has not been much need to contact their support, as once the device is in and set up, it just works.
    Incentivized
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    Broadcom
    I've had exactly 1 problem in 8 years, I contacted support via the customer portal, less than an hour later I found myself in a screen share with a support tech who not only fixed my configuration error, but also took the time to ask about my usage and offered some great tips on changes. It was just one support incident, but I was impressed by the speed of response to a non-critical issue as well as the depth of product knowledge the support engineer had.
    Incentivized
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    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
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    No answers on this topic
    Broadcom
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    good the engineer give excellent support and eplanation
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    SonicWall, Barracuda NG Firewall, and WatchGuard provides Content Filtering, but are primarily firewalls with Content Filtering features. The Web Filter is a dedicated appliance with more storage space and better reporting of users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Broadcom
    Symantec WebFilter / Intelligence Services solution was a simple 1U appliance that does everything we need, compared to the Forcepoint solution which required a virtual appliance, a database server, a log server, and a management server - the licensing costs alone make the Symantec WebFilter / Intelligence Services solution a clear winner. The Forcepoint solution is really good, it just requires such a big footprint without delivering much beyond what the Symantec WebFilter / Intelligence Services solution does with a single unit.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    The overall user community and scope of supportability outweighed the others on our short list. Netskope was a close second, but the risk, though small, was greater than that of bringing Zscaler aboard. We were looking for a mature, well-supported, highly functional, and fine-grained solution that met all our user and information security requirements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Barracuda Networks Inc.
    • I came into the company with Barracuda already implemented so it worked well for a number of years.
    • Their support contract was a bit pricey.
    • For what the company paid for the system, Barracuda was worth the money over the 10 years it was implemented.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Broadcom
    • Boosts business productivity with having secured systems
    • Globally available threat protection adhering to our own security policies
    • User may sometime find it difficult to deal with - so there can be a feature to make it more user friendly in terms of user experience. That is a bit of negative we have seen.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • I would say it has a very good ROI, as whenever someone can't access something, they submit a ticket to our network engineer, and within minutes, the site is safely added to ZIA with best-practice configurations. After seeing a little of the UI from the Zenith event, it seems very user-friendly to control these policies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Barracuda Web Security Gateway Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshot

    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.