Cisco Secure Connect vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Secure Connect
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Secure Connect is a SASE solution that converges Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) and Security Service Edge (SSE) to enable operational consistency across premises to the cloud.N/A
Zscaler Internet Access
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Zscaler 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
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Features
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure Connect
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
5.0
2 Ratings
56% below category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure Connect
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
10.0
2 Ratings
10% above category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure Connect
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.5
137 Ratings
9% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings8.4137 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings8.2134 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings8.4120 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings8.4130 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings8.8128 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings8.6127 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings8.5124 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Secure Connect
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.9
160 Ratings
2% above category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings8.6147 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings8.9142 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings8.8132 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings8.6133 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings8.2119 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.0141 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings8.9129 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

ThreatLocker
ThreatLocker
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.4 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.4 out of 10
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
(19 ratings)
8.9
(183 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.6
(4 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(15 ratings)
8.4
(167 ratings)
Availability
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
9.5
(2 ratings)
8.2
(8 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(2 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco Secure ConnectZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
Enterprise with Hybrid Workers or remote workers where most of the resources are in cloud. Branches spread around the worlds with private DCs. Enterprise with mpls or sd-wan connection, the Cisco Secure Connect technology is a further technology upgrade from SD-WAN. Central management of l3/l4 policies, DNS filtering and Web Filtering based on the identity.
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Zscaler
It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
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Pros
Cisco
  • During a project with remote teams, it enabled a quick and secure access to applications across locations
  • When we noticed suspicious login attempts, it flagged them instantly
  • It made it simple to branch office management by reducing the need for hardware at each location
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Zscaler
  • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
  • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
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Cons
Cisco
  • I would like for more deployment options in the management portal
  • Ability to be able to set up more rules for specific devices and users
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Zscaler
  • The logs feel kind of lack luster
  • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
  • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
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Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
The product is mature. The product support well all 3 main OS (Windows, Linux, MacOS). Cisco Support is great Cisco backends are powerfull appliance Cisco secure profile are a great feature and because they are controlled centraly, there is less way to bypass the VPN. Cisco SEcure connect is really easy-to-use for non computer expert.
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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.
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Usability
Cisco
The use of Cisco Secure Connect allows for Seamless use by users in normal day to day operations, working from anywhere and allowing for company policies to rule everything, helping this way to maintain the company’s security posture, improving business outcome and sense of security of the users.
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Zscaler
The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.
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Reliability and Availability
Cisco
It is better than any other vpn application
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco
Better performance compared to compititor
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Zscaler
There are often performance issues reported
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Support Rating
Cisco
never used it
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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
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Implementation Rating
Cisco
Very quick and easy, its a tidy set up, no messy cables and the sound and video quality is excellent. I use this weekly for home calls and larger team calls across the UK and Europe and have no problems. The engineers were in and out within a couple of hours
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
Cisco Secure Connect allows for secure connections to critical systems with a better performance while maintaining security for users and business processes, maintaining the company policies and security posture for improved end user experience without impact on the services. Better tool tested when considering technical requirements and security posture requirements.
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Zscaler
Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Cisco
Will go for any offers with respect to the pricing
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Cisco
It is flexible across desktop os and mobile os
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Cisco
Very professional and supportive
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • reliable and secure experiences for a future-ready workplace
  • Enables organizations to implement consistent security and access controls across all connected sites.
  • Save time
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Zscaler
  • Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
  • Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
  • Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices
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ScreenShots

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.