Cisco Duo Provides a Flexible, Managed MFA Authentication Solution
Updated July 28, 2023

Cisco Duo Provides a Flexible, Managed MFA Authentication Solution

Scott Quimby | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Secure Access by Duo

We needed to implement multi-function authentication (MFA) on multiple platforms (Mac, Windows, Andriod, iPhone) with multiple applications. We have a hybrid workforce and heavily leverage cloud and on-premise technology and applications.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Easy to implement
  • Easy to recover from a lost or damaged phone
  • Easy to track

Cons

  • Recovery aspects are not necessarily obvious
  • The Cisco Duo installation defaults to allowing MFA to be off if the application cannot communicate is a major flaw
  • It is not obvious that tight controls need to be in place for end-user self-service provisioning. In some circumstances a compromised user ID and password could obtain a legitimate MFA configuration if the compromised user had not yet setup their Duo configuration before the compromise.
  • Duo has allowed us to better secure web and corporate resources that are internet facing. This has allowed us to avoid the CISA "risky practices" label for internet facing resources.
  • Duo has allowed us to better leverage the hybrid work model that started under COVID-19 and continues today by easily allowing an employee to safely access whatever corporate resources they need.
It is pretty simple to operate. You have a variety of options. All work extremely well.
We have a single MFA solution for almost all local and remote access as well as cloud access. There is less to maintain. Basic credential theft attacks cannot be effective because the attacker cannot meet the MFA challenge to launch the attack.
They are always very responsive - both on the phone or on chat.
Everytime has been an excellent support experience.
Cisco Duo is superior to Google or Microsoft Authenticator. At their most basic levels all three do a fine job of providing MFA access codes and all three can work off the same QR code to set up new MFA configurations. Cisco provides a centralized management with policies and very nice recoverability vs. just a nice, basic authenticator app that the other two products offer.

Do you think Cisco Duo delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Duo's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Duo live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Duo go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Duo again?

Yes

I have found Cisco Duo well suited in all implementation scenarios we have had. However, it is still reliant on our local Duo Proxy server for cloud apps so that does create a coverage gap for hybrid O365/Google Apps. If the on premise proxy server goes down, or is unreachable, we are relying on secondary or tertiary MFA options (i.e. SMS, Backup Code, "Is this you?" mobile app prompting, etc.

Cisco Hybrid Work

  • Webex Meetings
  • Webex Webinars
  • Cisco AnyConnect
  • Cisco Secure Access by Duo
  • Working from an office or other company space
  • Working from home
We have been working in hybrid mode for well over 6 years. It works great for us. For the most part, location doesn't matter for most of our employees work whether in the office, out with customers, or working from their home office. We have both VDI and web-based solutions implemented. We are trying to de-emphasize in-office solutions vs. web solutions which are easier to access remotely.
It is harder to interact casually as you can't pop into someone's office as you are walking down the hall We have to be more intentional about unscripted interaction opportunities. We also are implementing all staff in-person meetings periodically to keep everyone connected.
It would be much more cumbersome and much riskier to operate in a hybrid environment without Duo and AnyConnect.
Sometimes we have had connectivity problems with Zoom or WebEx in our meetings which is frustrating.
We have only used VMware and Cisco for all hybrid work from the beginning.
  • Webex
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • Slack
  • GoTo
  • RingCentral
We use WebEx for all internal and many customer meetings. We use Zoom for our customer webinars. We use Teams and RingCentral internally. The rest are based upon customer or vendor requirements.

Resilience and Reliability

It is vital that the tools just work without major thought and that the tools are secure. Duo and AnyConnect just work. WebEx and Ringcentral overall work well and are secure. Spotty internet connectivity is sometimes a problem beyond the control of any of these products.
Redundant servers, better internet connections, MFA options, SSL-based certificates.
It just works and is mindless to use.
All of this is easy to set up. Duo requires a little planning, but we have the skilled resources to implement it.
It just works.
It is definitely a project which needs to be planned out, but it integrates well into our and many environmnets.
  • I think our implmentation is rather boring and traditional - safe, secure authentication whether on-site or remote.

Using Cisco Secure Access by Duo

15 - Technical, Sales, Administrative
1 - We have a lead systems engineer who supports our Duo integration.
  • MFA
  • Secure Remote Access
  • Secure Local Authentication
  • Secure Web Site Access
  • Implement MFA for all users internally on their endpoints.

Evaluating Cisco Secure Access by Duo and Competitors

  • Cloud Solutions
  • Scalability
  • Integration with Other Systems
  • Ease of Use
It works well in a variety of environments so we are leveraging one platform as much as possible.
I wouldn't change anything

Cisco Secure Access by Duo Implementation

  • Implemented in-house
Change management was minimal - You just have to make sure you follow enrollment and client implementation properly to not leave security gaps due to startup issues.
  • None

Cisco Secure Access by Duo Training

Configuring Cisco Secure Access by Duo

It is very flexible and adaptable to a variety of environments.
Make sure you install fail to closed vs. fail open. Make sure you tightly control enrollment to not allow compromised accounts to gain MFA status.
No - we have not done any customization to the interface
No - we have not done any custom code
No

Cisco Secure Access by Duo Support

ProsCons
Quick Resolution
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
No escalation required
Immediate help available
Support understands my problem
Support cares about my success
None
Yes because we can't be without MFA authentication for our remote users.

Using Cisco Secure Access by Duo

ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
None
  • MFA
  • None
Yes - It works well

Cisco Secure Access by Duo Reliability

It has worked in almost every environment we have wanted it to work in.
While I have heard of performance issues, I have never personally seen any when using the product.

Integrating Cisco Secure Access by Duo

  • VMware Horizon View
  • Windows Server and Workstation OS
  • Cisco AnyConnect
  • Most all of our web resources
It wasn't hard with any of the platforms.
  • No
So far anything we wanted to do was supported.
  • Single Signon
  • API (e.g. SOAP or REST)
No
Look at the list and find what you can implement

Relationship with Cisco

We work with Cisco all the time.
Cisco DUO support is great.
Not sure as I did not do the purchasing.

Upgrading Cisco Secure Access by Duo

Comments

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