

Illumio and Akamai App and API Protector are leading products in security solutions. Akamai seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set and streamlined deployment process.
Features: Illumio offers application dependency maps, providing clarity on communication flows and segmentations. It excels with micro-segmentation, improving precision in threat isolation. Additionally, its parallel coordinates feature aids in understanding application interactions. Akamai App and API Protector features DDoS protection, a wide range of customizable WAF rules, and robust traffic filtering capabilities, enhancing overall security coverage.
Room for Improvement: Illumio's tagging policies can be complicated to implement, requiring stakeholder input. Its deployment process could benefit from user-friendly improvements and enhanced customer support. Users have also noted that its pricing model, while competitive, could be more transparent. Akamai needs to address feature complexity that may overwhelm new users, reduce its relatively high costs for small-scale applications, and streamline its diverse integration options to avoid user confusion.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Akamai App and API Protector provides a streamlined deployment process with comprehensive customer support, facilitating an effective setup for users. Illumio's deployment, while detailed, is noted to be more complex and could further benefit from improved customer support and service practices to enhance user experience.
Pricing and ROI: Illumio offers competitive pricing aligned with its strengths in micro-segmentation, delivering good ROI for network security-focused organizations. Akamai's higher pricing reflects its extensive feature set and justifiable ROI for those seeking a comprehensive security approach. Despite higher costs, users acknowledge the value provided by the broader protection suite offered by Akamai.
I observe extensive return on investment with Illumio.
Illumio serves as a single endpoint technology where I can implement various features, including a zero-trust network, north-to-south and east-to-west configurations, and micro-segmentation, all coming from one platform, which ultimately saves us time and money.
Illumio definitely demonstrates its value in money-saving capabilities, enhancing our lateral environment inside the organization and providing effectiveness overall once integrated.
Whenever I raise a case with their support team, regardless of the priority level—P1, P2, P3, or P4—they generally reply within an hour
Even if we raise an issue on non-working days like Saturdays or Sundays, we receive prompt responses.
The customer support is very prominent.
Scaling it to a large level is not an issue for us.
By employing Linux scripting or other methods, I can push the policy to all devices at once, making it easy to scale.
Illumio's scalability is very good; it is quite easy to scale.
Illumio is a stable solution with no glitches or bugs reported, making it a reliable product for us.
They need to install an agent in the container world, while Akamai Guardicore does not need to install an agent, so they have native support that Illumio lacks.
There could also be more examples of how the automations can be done using Illumio.
Another improvement might be around scalability, ensuring that as organizations grow, Illumio can handle even larger, more complex environments seamlessly.
I know that Illumio is the cheapest solution in the security area.
But when you compare it to firewalls, then it may not be that expensive.
I think it's not very expensive if we compare it with Guardicore.
The area in which Akamai excels compared to other competitors with a WAF is in threat intelligence, as threats continually evolve, requiring ongoing updates to backend algorithms to effectively capture smart bots.
Illumio helps in audit purposes by saving data and showing blocked traffic, ensuring no outside traffic is allowed.
The most important feature is the traffic review analysis, where we use the draft view and the reported view that helps us understand how the application interacts with other applications in the environment, and based on that, we are able to define the policies.
Illumio is a powerful tool for micro-segmentation and zero trust security that provides strong visibility, flexible policy management, and effective threat containment, enhancing an organization's internal security posture.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Illumio | 16.1% |
| Akamai App and API Protector | 1.6% |
| Other | 82.3% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 4 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 7 |
| Large Enterprise | 18 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 4 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 1 |
| Large Enterprise | 12 |
Akamai App and API Protector provides website security by preventing DDoS attacks, acting as an application firewall, managing content delivery, and monitoring APIs. It adapts to threat profiles and is used for fast media delivery and identifying malicious activities.
Akamai App and API Protector offers strong protection, adaptable security features, and efficient traffic management. Its WAF blocks IP addresses and country-specific threats while preventing SQL injections. Companies utilize it for scalable CDN services and comprehensive traffic analysis. Known for its cost-effectiveness and user-friendly dashboard, this protector stands out for its customizable rules and technical support. Users also highlight the ease of integration and detailed attack insights available through its advanced dashboard.
What are the key features of Akamai App and API Protector?In media, Akamai App and API Protector ensures smooth streaming by handling high bandwidth demands. E-commerce companies use it to guard against fraud and data breaches. Financial sectors rely on its ability to protect sensitive transactions. Implementations in healthcare focus on safeguarding patient data while maintaining compliance with regulations.
Illumio enhances security through micro-segmentation and real-time traffic control, offering detailed network visibility and precise application communication management. It supports scalability across environments, improving security posture and reducing lateral movement.
Illumio's features include real-time traffic control, micro-segmentation, and scalable policy management, allowing organizations to establish strict security measures against threats like ransomware. Its visibility map offers granular security insights essential for creating effective policies and auditing traffic. Centralized rule distribution and comprehensive traffic mapping augment security across environments. The platform's design ensures ease of deployment and compatibility, reducing unauthorized access by focusing on threat isolation and breach containment. While Illumio excels in flexibility and visibility, it requires advancements in technical support, third-party integrations, and user-friendly policy management to better support diverse operating systems and larger environments. Improved reporting, analytics, and automation for policy creation are necessary alongside reduced dependency on agents and enhanced data security measures.
What are Illumio's most important features?Illumio is frequently deployed in industries where network segmentation is critical, such as finance and healthcare, offering detailed network visibility and control over application communication. Organizations integrate it seamlessly with existing infrastructures, facilitating the deployment of VENs and effective policy management to secure hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, ensuring compliance and defending against evolving threats.
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