Azure DNS vs Cisco Umbrella comparison

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9,219 views|7,786 comparisons
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20,628 views|14,167 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Dec 11, 2022

We performed a comparison between Azure DNS and Cisco Umbrella based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Users of Azure DNS share mixed reviews on deployment. In contrast, users of Cisco Umbrella agree that deployment is easy and simple.
  • Features: Users of both products are happy with their stability and scalability.

    Azure DNS users like the solution’s ease of use, automation features, and the fact that it integrates quickly with other products. Users say that the process of creating a virtual mission could be improved, and that the solution has some latency issues.

    Cisco Umbrella users like its single pane of glass because it helps save a lot of time. Reviewers mention that the solution has some interface issues, and that more flexibility in policy creation would be useful.
  • Pricing: Azure DNS users say the pricing of the solution is competitive. Cisco Umbrella has a free version and a paid version. Regarding the paid version, users shared mixed opinions on the pricing.
  • Service and Support: Users of Azure DNS share mixed reviews on the level of support they receive. However, Cisco Umbrella users are satisfied with the support.
  • ROI: Users of both solutions report a positive ROI.

Comparison Results: In this comparison, Cisco Umbrella takes the lead. It is easy to deploy, has a free version and a paid version of the product, as well as good support. In contrast, Azure DNS users share mixed opinions on deployment and support.

To learn more, read our detailed Managed DNS Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the simplicity of putting DBs.""The solution is easy to use and flexible.""It is a very stable solution.""The solution allows you to host DNS service without using Azure's servers.""The setup is relatively straightforward.""The DNS resolution is the most valuable feature.""It is a scalable solution.""The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is a stable product."

More Azure DNS Pros →

"Reports provide insight into internet usage and information helpful in creating QoS rules.""We are very new users of the solution and are still in the exploration stages, but we are happy with the product thus far.""When it comes to hybrid work it's pretty effective. We've got the agents. We can protect people inside our building and, when they're using their laptops out in the field, they're still protected. It's working well.""For me, it's important that I get a connection to my corporate network in a secure and fast way. This product just runs in the background and doesn't need any attention. For me, as a user, it's perfect.""The feature that we find most valuable is to be able to filter out those web requests that you don't want.""The solution is very easy to manage. We found the initial setup, for example, to be quite simple.""It provides centralized, device-agnostic management of the Internet experience.""The integration features within, for example, the Cisco VPN product and the Umbrella module are valuable."

More Cisco Umbrella Pros →

Cons
"Azure DNS' documentation needs to improve.""The technical support can be more knowledgeable.""The product must provide information on which DNS or application is consuming the most budget.""What needs improvement in Azure DNS is visibility in terms of troubleshooting. It's similar to the area for improvement in Azure Network Watcher, where I can see how the source is going out if I'm troubleshooting a source destination. I can also see the destination. As for seeing how the packet travels, that's what should be improved. It's still lacking in visibility. Suppose I'm looking into backend machines, and if I'm hitting another NPM machine or any machine on the other side, there should be visibility. The tool should tell you that a specific machine is passing through a VPN gateway or route table, routing to a third-party firewall, and then dropping. Azure DNS should show an accurate answer to help the customers, which is its area for improvement.""The process of creating a virtual mission could be improved.""The initial setup of this solution could be less complex and require less manual configurations.""I would like to see more integration with other platforms, improved stability, enhanced security, and better pricing because there is always room for improvement.""The DNSSEC feature is not yet available on the DNS server so it needs to be added."

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"Data reporting could be improved.""It would be useful if they had a malware protection engine running inside their own VM.""I would like for them to continue building on IPS and IDS functionalities.""The solution's technical support is not very good.""I'd like to see improvement in its overall integration with all the other platforms. There's some integration between Umbrella and Meraki, but an overall Cisco problem is that there are so many different tools, and finding easy, seamless ways of connecting everything together is always a challenge.""Network connectivity was a bit of a challenge at the beginning, but we were able to get the right help from Cisco.""The locks and management could be better. The product is fairly new, and it may take some time to get all the features up and running.""If we're trying to deploy it to a Mac through Meraki, it's impossible. The method of deployment for a Mac, and the features available in Meraki, are not compatible at all."

More Cisco Umbrella Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The solution payment model is based on how many users use it. This is not an expensive solution, but it can depend on how long we use it. However, if the price was decreased it would be helpful."
  • "We have an enterprise license agreement with Microsoft. Their pricing is competitive. I would rate it a three and a half out of five."
  • "The solution itself is free but you need to pay for the Microsoft Azure infrastructure and host your domains in Azure to use it."
  • "The solution's price is reasonable."
  • "The price is low and it's a reasonable price for that product."
  • "Azure DNS is a cheap solution, and I rate it a two out of ten for pricing."
  • "We use the tool's free version."
  • "To use Azure DNS, I need to buy the license meant for Windows Server."
  • More Azure DNS Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "​The pricing is fair."
  • "You can request an evaluation license​."
  • "It needs a better price point."
  • "The product is pricey compared to Cisco Firepower."
  • "The price could be lower."
  • "There is a one-time cost of approximately $800 USD per user, and then a yearly support fee of about $50 per user."
  • "Our costs were negotiated, and they are okay."
  • "Our licensing fees are on a yearly basis."
  • More Cisco Umbrella Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Azure DNS is a hosting service of DNS domains. It has excellent operating time and performance, resulting in fast resolution. We like the ability to view everything in the Azure portal - this makes… more »
    Top Answer:Azure DNS is a user-friendly and very easy-to-manage solution.
    Top Answer:The solution’s pricing could be improved.
    Top Answer: Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are two broad-spectrum Internet security solutions that I have tried. Zscaler Internet Access is a good option for carrying out multiple security… more »
    Top Answer:Cisco Umbrella is an integral component of the Cisco SASE architecture. It integrates security in a single, cloud-native solution, unifying multiple features like DNS-layer security, threat… more »
    Top Answer:Cisco Umbrella is easy to monitor, manage, and deploy.
    Ranking
    2nd
    out of 24 in Managed DNS
    Views
    9,219
    Comparisons
    7,786
    Reviews
    24
    Average Words per Review
    323
    Rating
    8.4
    Views
    20,628
    Comparisons
    14,167
    Reviews
    49
    Average Words per Review
    907
    Rating
    8.9
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    OpenDNS
    Learn More
    Overview

    Azure DNS is a hosting service for DNS domains, providing name resolution using Microsoft Azure infrastructure. By hosting your domains in Azure, you can manage your DNS records using the same credentials, APIs, tools, and billing as your other Azure services.

    Cisco Umbrella offers flexible, cloud-delivered security according to users’ requirements Cisco Umbrella includes secure web gateway, firewall, and cloud access security broker (CASB) functionality all delivered from a single cloud security service. Cisco Umbrella’s protection is extended to devices, remote users, and distributed locations anywhere. As company employees work from many locations and devices, Cisco Umbrella is the easiest way to effectively protect users everywhere in minutes.

    Cisco Umbrella uses machine learning to search for, identify, and even predict malicious domains. By learning from internet activity patterns, this DNS-layer security solution can automatically identify attacker infrastructure being staged for the next threat. These domains are then proactively blocked, protecting networks from potential compromise. Cisco Umbrella analyzes terabytes of data in real time across all markets, geographies, and protocols.

    Cisco Umbrella works with leading IT companies to integrate its security enforcement and intelligence. Built with a bidirectional API, Cisco Umbrella makes it easy to extend protection from on-premises security appliances to cloud controlled devices and sites.

    Cisco Umbrella is suitable for small businesses without dedicated security professionals, as well as for multinational enterprises with complex environments.

    Why use Cisco Umbrella?

    • Simplify security management: Cisco Umbrella is the fastest and easiest way to protect all users within minutes and reduces the number of infections and alerts sent from other security products by stopping threats at the earliest point. With no hardware to install and no software to manually update, ongoing management is simple

    • Reliable reporting: Cisco Umbrella reports show activity for each device or network in the system. Users gain a more complete picture of the security risks facing their organization and can take action to remedy them.

    • Manage and control cloud apps: Umbrella provides visibility into sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services in use across the enterprise. Users can uncover new services being used, see who is using them, identify potential risk, and block specific applications easily.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Cisco Umbrella stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Some of the major ones are its DNS-based protection, ability to protect users no matter where they are located, stability, and high performance.

    Daniel B., a network specialist at Syswind Kft, writes, “We primarily use the solution as cloud security for our branches. It protects us from direct internet outbreaks. It makes for good flexibility. The solution is very easy to manage. We found the initial setup, for example, to be quite simple. Efficient protection on the DNS level and even higher. The sandboxing feature analyses and handles the complicated security risks.”

    Victor M., SOC & Security Services Director at BEST, notes, “It provides security for the remote workers and it helps to improve enterprise security in a very easy way. We mainly enjoy web software protection capabilities. It prevents the end-users from getting into bad sites or sites that potentially could have malware or could be phishing. It helps end-users avoid the wrong sites. The solution works very smoothly. The user interface is good.”

    OpenDNS is a part of Cisco providing a suite of consumer products aimed at making the internet faster, safer, and more reliable.

    Sample Customers
    M-Files
    Chart Industries, City of Aspen, Eastern Mountain Sports, FLEXcon, George Washington University, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Ohio Public Library Information Network, PTC, Richland Community College, Smart Motors, Tulane University, VeriClaim
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm21%
    Manufacturing Company14%
    Retailer14%
    Pharma/Biotech Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Educational Organization6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Educational Organization16%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business29%
    Midsize Enterprise7%
    Large Enterprise64%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise26%
    Large Enterprise55%
    Buyer's Guide
    Managed DNS
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cloudflare, Microsoft, Quad9 DNS and others in Managed DNS. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Azure DNS is ranked 2nd in Managed DNS with 26 reviews while Cisco Umbrella is ranked 1st in Secure Web Gateways (SWG) with 55 reviews. Azure DNS is rated 8.4, while Cisco Umbrella is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of Azure DNS writes "Beneficial integration and security, and highly stable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco Umbrella writes "We can see all of our locations in one place and only have to make changes once for all our locations". Azure DNS is most compared with Amazon Route 53, Cloudflare DNS, Infoblox DDI, Google Cloud DNS and Quad9, whereas Cisco Umbrella is most compared with Zscaler Internet Access, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security and Forcepoint Secure Web Gateway.

    We monitor all Managed DNS reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.