Cisco Umbrella vs. Zscaler Internet Access

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Umbrella
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Cisco now offers OpenDNS Umbrella Web Filtering. Cisco acquired OpenDNS in August 2015, and rebranded the product as Cisco Umbrella.N/A
Zscaler Internet Access
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Zscaler Internet Access is delivered as a security stack as a service from the cloud, and is designed to eliminate the cost and complexity of traditional secure web gateway approaches, and provide easily scaled protection to all offices or users, regardless of location, and minimize network and appliance infrastructure.N/A
Pricing
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Considered Both Products
Cisco Umbrella
Chose Cisco Umbrella
Auto SIG Tunnels is a feature that helps in provisioning tunnels automatically using Cisco Umbrella APIs and so this is one win for choosing Cisco Umbrella over others. With Cisco SD-WAN viptela, the Cisco Umbrella stacks up well because its the same vendor so less …
Zscaler Internet Access
Chose Zscaler Internet Access
Initially when we researched Cisco Umbrella we felt that Zscaler came out ahead. Umbrella has made huge improvements since then that we are planning to evaluate again.
Chose Zscaler Internet Access
Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) gives us better and full visibility to websites, URL, requests etc that we didn't get with Cisco Umbrella. We could block things by domain name, but seeing subdirectories and subdomains for that, we didn't have that ability. It's probably there, …
Chose Zscaler Internet Access
We evaluated Zscaler Internet Access as more attractive on financial side than competitors we evaluated and easier to setup and to use. The interaction with vendor and its partners was also top-notch.
Top Pros
Top Cons
TrustRadius Insights
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Highlights

TrustRadius
Research Team Insight
Published

Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are broad-spectrum internet security solutions. Zscaler Internet Access unifies multiple security functions, such as web filters, firewalls, and file sandboxing into a single cloud-based product. Cisco Umbrella used to be limited to DNS-level inspection but has recently expanded its feature set to be similar to Zscaler. 

On TrustRadius, both products are used heavily by enterprise-level organizations, likely due to the attractiveness of single-product security solutions for large businesses with complex security needs. 

Features

Although both Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access provide similar levels of protection, they each have a few standout benefits.

Administrators using Zscaler Internet Access appreciate that the platform is relatively simple to implement and keep updated. Its cloud-based abstraction also allows users to do away with complicated local security configurations. End-users generally report minimal delays to web access. The product’s SSO capability helps keep users safe without having to log in to the service repeatedly.

Cisco Umbrella’s users appreciate that the service is lightweight, easy to implement, and comes with useful policy configurations out-of-the-box. It provides detailed statistics to help administrators understand user behavior and threat patterns, and adjust their policy appropriately. Cisco Umbrella’s DNS-level filtering is fast and responsive; users report it acts almost invisibly. It also integrates well with other web security products, especially those offered by Cisco.

Limitations

Both solutions provide web security and filtering for their customers, but each also has limitations to consider before purchasing.

Many users find Cisco Umbrella’s statistics and reporting feature to be dense and difficult to parse. Some users wish for quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to create policy rules (e.g. blacklisting a website) directly from reports. Although the service can integrate with MS Active Directory, many administrators found the integration process difficult, a problem that was compounded by a lack of sufficient training and FAQ material.

On the other hand, reviewers on TrustRadius report that Zscaler Internet Access can be frustrating to work with in general. Administrators often comment on the poor user design when trying to use the management dashboard. The web blocking options may be too inflexible for some companies. This requires administrators to abandon the platform’s category and behavior-based blacklist capability and resort purely to whitelisting approved websites. Although Zscaler Internet Access provides detailed logging, the tools to filter those logs can be troublesome to use. The report generation options also don’t provide enough customization options for some users.

Pricing

Both Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access use a tiered, subscription-based pricing structure and do not disclose pricing information on their website. Quotes are available from the vendor upon request. 

Cisco Umbrella’s feature set changes significantly between its three tiers. The DNS Security Essentials tier offers primarily DNS-based filtering and security. The DNS Security Advantage tier adds features like SSL decryption and threat intelligence tools. The Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) Essentials tier adds the complete set of security features, including file sandboxing, cloud access security broker (CASB), and firewall capabilities. Complete pricing information is available via a quote from Cisco. 

Zscaler Internet Access also offers three tiered plans. The Professional Edition offers security features such as web filtering, malware protection, and file sandboxing. The Business Edition adds features like SSL inspection, bandwidth control, and cloud data loss prevention. The Transformation Edition adds extra sandboxing features, more firewall options, and CASB functionality. Complete pricing information is available via a quote from Zscaler.

Features
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Umbrella
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.0
1 Ratings
15% below category average
Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Endpoint Security
Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Umbrella
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.0
1 Ratings
7% below category average
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Threat Intelligence
Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Umbrella
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.4
1 Ratings
1% above category average
Network Analytics00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Threat Analysis00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Zero Trust Security
Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Product A and Product B
Cisco Umbrella
-
Ratings
Zscaler Internet Access
8.6
1 Ratings
3% below category average
Continuous Verification00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
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Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
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User Ratings
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(90 ratings)
8.6
(16 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.5
(11 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(7 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(62 ratings)
8.1
(5 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.3
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco UmbrellaZscaler Internet Access
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
So the well-suited product, it's actually in two areas. One I already touched base on earlier which is the ability to have a federal model where we have the flexibility to set high-level policies from a group perspective while giving the independence of the business unit to operate and model the system to meet their needs. The second one, which is very powerful, especially in the last few years, is the remote workers. I'm able to protect and extend that edge of my security to their endpoint regardless if they are a Cisco Live or if they are at a bar or on a train basically anywhere. So as a chemical company, we have a lot of OT or ICS industrial control systems, which are highly regulated and highly scrutinized and usually require a physical presence while Cisco umbrella is mostly a cloud native type of product. So it doesn't fit well in that environment, which is detached from the internet doing well.
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Zscaler
Zscaler Internet Access is an internet tunnel that pairs with the network adapter to secure traffic between servers and workstations. It can refresh policies automatically and log intrusions but does not broadcast intrusions. Cloud-based Zscaler Internet Access is easy to deploy and scale, with no hardware or software needed. In a hybrid model, Zscaler Internet Access performs some security functions on-premises and others in the cloud, allowing organizations to keep infrastructure. There is a slight learning curve from VPN and appliance architecture to this paradigm.
Read full review
Pros
Cisco
  • Effective prevention of ransomware and malware by blocking CNC traffic. rendering the malware useless.
  • Good reports, which are readable by non technical users
  • Using Talos for its threat database means that it rarely misses anything
  • Very good knowledgebase available which means that it is easy to learn how to use and implement the product
Read full review
Zscaler
  • Zscaler completely moved away from the traditional firewall setup to a hosted firewall solution. We don't have to worry about the hardware failing or maintaining it as part of our service plan compared to our on-premise firewall. Zscaler has a lot of data centres across the world where they are maintaining their solutions so mobile consultants will always be close to one of their data centres.
  • Rolling out Zscaler solutions to our end customers' computers is actually pretty easy and hassle-free. As part of onboarding of new employees we can set up the Zscaler solution and push it to our end users' machines and get them connected to the cloud solutions.
  • Zscaler does proper market research on the latest emerging threats and they keep their firewall patched and updated to the latest versions so the security team does not have to worry about keeping the firewall updated.
Read full review
Cons
Cisco
  • Umbrella Virtual Appliances have been buggy in resolving local domain hosts.
  • Integration between other Cisco and Meraki products is complicated.
  • Reporting is not always accurate; for example, if you configure a Meraki access point to use an Umbrella Virtual Appliance, you lose device reporting. All reporting shows up under the AP's IP.
Read full review
Zscaler
  • Chat or email support is not available. Only option is to either call them or raise a ticket by logging into their website.
  • Pricing is not transparent and quote based.
  • Access to websites is a little too slow with Zscaler monitoring on.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
First off I never give anything a "10" unless it's perfect. LOL - I grade on the curve. I think OpenDNS/Umbrella is a very good product. I think that fact that Cisco absorbed them is one of the proofs of that. I have used the product back when it was free for companies our size. I have not always appreciated the cost - but in the post pandemic cyber chaos, I believe the cost benefit ratio is still very high. I have honestly not looked at other products because Umbrella continues to work to my satisfaction. I consider Umbrella to be one of the key layers in my cyber security strategy.
Read full review
Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Usability
Cisco
Better features and easy to manage system with great customer support and overall usability is great as it works for hybrid environment with ease as it is having features for on prem users as wells as cloud users with great customer support and great team of trained engineers to support our opeartions.
Read full review
Zscaler
Zscaler is a mandatory solution required by almost every large organization with a workforce working remotely or using cloud-based apps. Its deployment is relatively easy and it keeps on working in the background without actively bothering the user. Apart from a few weird messages which a user is unable to comprehend, Zscaler is able to provide fast and safe access to the internet and other external applications.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Cisco
Cisco Umbrella's availability was great, they got back to me in less than an hour to get my problem solved.
We needed to get our Meraki AP's hooked up to Cisco Umbrella to monitor that specific traffic and they got back to me promptly, they guided me and explained every question I had.
Read full review
Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Performance
Cisco
our experience with cisco products has always been awesome and same is the case with cisco umbrella .Under umbrella cisco provides flexible and scalable software solution to use across different dept and sites . These softwares are very user friendly ,pages load quickly as these applications are designed for minimum latency and reports are also provided quickely
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Cisco
We have not had a chance to use Cisco support frequently, but when we needed to troubleshoot some issues that we were having with the agent installation, the support was very responsive and the solution that they offered worked. The only reason I give it one less point is that the turnaround time for non-critical issues is very long.
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Zscaler
I cannot give a fair rating for this as I have not had to contact Zscaler support. There was one time we had to contact them because we needed to check if they were having issues on their end. Our ISP was actually the problem but support seemed very friendly.
Read full review
Online Training
Cisco
Quite easy to understand training modules prepared by knowledgeable trainers. Training modules have included all the desired features of these softwares and the content delivery is very good from the respective module trainers and it explains in details the features and apart from that further training material support is also provided if needed.
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Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Cisco
At the time we were forced to move from Cloud Web Security to Cisco Umbrella, Cisco Umbrella was far from being a direct replacement. It was frustrating and difficult to migrate due to the lack of functionality. This has since been addressed, however we now have legacy rulesets that were built as bandaids that cannot be removed. Hopefully the migration to Secure Access will address this.
Read full review
Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
Auto SIG Tunnels is a feature that helps in provisioning tunnels automatically using Cisco Umbrella APIs and so this is one win for choosing Cisco Umbrella over others. With Cisco SD-WAN viptela, the Cisco Umbrella stacks up well because its the same vendor so less complexities and interoperability issues.
Read full review
Zscaler
Zscaler Intenet Access proved to be superior and the difference for us was the speed of policy delivery since your policy is applied in a web console and is effective in a matter of seconds. Another point to congratulate the solution is its compatibility with different platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS).
Read full review
Scalability
Cisco
Cisco umbrella provides fleaxible and scalable software solutions which are easy deploy across multiple departments and sites wherever needed and this softwares are very easy to use and provides the best interface along with cisco support for other devices apart from cisco infrastructure but still there is scope for improvement on the inclusion of latest features
Read full review
Zscaler
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • Cisco Umbrella has been an excellent investment for us. The extra protection it provides in a very simple way has been well worth the costs.
  • Cisco Umbrella is very easy to setup and manage and can do most of the things we need with little daily interaction so we are free to work on other systems that need more attention.
  • Utilizing the Cisco Umbrella reporting features, we can determine what systems might need additional attention. If we see systems attempting certain types of access, we quickly know there is likely something on the device that probably needs removed.
  • Specific Cisco Umbrella reports can help us determine if we need to do user education and develop cyber habits.
Read full review
Zscaler
  • ROI is there and it is safeguarding the data and user access to net.
  • Being a cloud based can be scaled up when required.
  • Third parties can be allowed based on the company IT policies (Clients or Vendors etc.) for business perspective.
Read full review
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