Cisco Umbrella and F5 BIG-IP APM are products that compete in the network security category, with Umbrella leading in cloud-based DNS protection and BIG-IP APM in secure remote access. Cisco Umbrella's integration strengths give it an edge in interoperability, while F5 BIG-IP APM shines in customizable authentication capacities.
Features: Cisco Umbrella provides DNS protection, traffic redirection, and integration with Cisco Talos threat intelligence, which aids in malware impact reduction. Its cloud-based management and integration features enhance productivity and network insight. F5 BIG-IP APM excels in offering secure remote access support for varied protocols, customizable authentication, and load balancing, making it a preference for enterprises prioritizing security and integration.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Umbrella users suggest enhancements in policy granularity and smoother third-party integration, alongside refining licensing and reporting. F5 BIG-IP APM could benefit from better cloud integration and a more transparent pricing model, with improvements desired in the interface and support services to enhance user experience.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Umbrella is recognized for easy cloud deployment, seamless network integration, and effective customer service, though quicker response times and broader availability are suggested. F5 BIG-IP APM serves hybrid and on-premises setups well, with commendable customer support, but users recommend better local support and clearer GUI documentation for smoother deployments.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco Umbrella offers competitive pricing despite some perceiving it as expensive, with its licensing structure seen as complex. However, many appreciate the ROI from its threat mitigation capabilities. F5 BIG-IP APM, while costly, is valued for its quality and reliability, providing significant long-term security benefits although some find the ROI challenging to measure.
Cisco is a big brand in the networking domain, but in security, they are pushing a lot and improving day by day.
From my point of view, the biggest return on investment when using the solution is that it makes it a lot easier to delegate some of the tasks that were traditionally used, such as building policies on the firewalls and doing it through Cisco Umbrella.
The biggest return on investment when using Cisco Umbrella for me is the ease of use of the fact that we've deployed this with our Cisco VPN Secure Client, so every computer has the Umbrella module in it.
I would rate customer support ten out of ten due to the excellent assistance throughout the POC process.
Cisco's support is fantastic, providing assistance when needed, especially during the initial installation process.
If I don't need to go to support all the time, that means the product is working fine, so I'm very happy with them.
Even if they respond, they don't update me with the process or what's going on.
Most of the technical support is managed in-house due to our extensive experience with F5 products.
F5 technical support is responsive and helpful.
Cisco Umbrella scales incredibly with the growing needs of my organization.
Cisco Umbrella scales really well with the growing needs of my company, bringing the ability to ensure that people are safe and connected.
Cisco Umbrella scales effectively with the growing needs of my company; it's excellent, and I have experienced no issues.
The product's flexibility and company culture contribute to resolving these challenges.
I would rate the scalability of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) between seven and eight.
I have not experienced any major stability issues with Cisco Umbrella.
Cisco Umbrella Secure Access is pretty stable in my mind, and we have not seen many glitches that would have interrupted services at customer locations.
The stability and reliability of the Cisco Umbrella platform have been great.
On a scale from one to ten for stability, I would rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) a ten.
Sometimes, the logs are not quite informational or easy to understand.
Making it more flexible and easy to deploy, particularly when integrating with other technologies like Active Directory and proxies, would be beneficial.
The product can only shield a small area, making it less effective for larger spaces or multiple users.
I have to write an email to Umbrella support to get assistance, unlike the other products where I can call the Cisco technical assistance center and get an engineer.
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5.
The ability to run the Anycast feature would be valuable, as the current solution only operates on-premises.
We've bundled that with our firewall stuff and our VPN, which brings the price down and adds the ability to grow.
The only cost associated is the license cost unless additional solutions need to be integrated with Umbrella, which would incur extra costs.
The prices need to be lower as the current pricing is exceedingly high.
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability.
The DNS layer security provided by Cisco Umbrella is very effective for our security posture, offering us vast improvements in visibility over DNS queries and potential threats.
The most valuable feature of Cisco Umbrella is its DNS security.
The best possible thing is that it is very easy to deploy, easy to configure, and very fast to get onboarded with a customer because this is a cloud-based service.
APM is quite flexible for customers to use, providing secure remote access through various host-checking conditions for both machines and users.
It provides robust security and offers integration with multi-factor authentication systems, which is crucial for an organization's security policy.
A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Umbrella | 9.5% |
| F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) | 1.4% |
| Other | 89.1% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 50 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 31 |
| Large Enterprise | 52 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 9 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 9 |
Cisco Umbrella provides fast-deploying DNS-layer security with powerful threat protection capabilities. Trusted by over 30,000 entities, it ranks highly in DNS security and effectively supports secure remote work environments.
Cisco Umbrella offers comprehensive DNS security, web filtering, and ease of use, enhancing network security through robust threat protection and malware prevention. It processes over 600 billion requests daily, making it a leader in its field. The seamless integration with existing infrastructures and cloud-based nature makes it suitable for remote and distributed work environments, ensuring consistent security throughout. Management is streamlined with a single-pane interface that simplifies administration, while in-depth reporting capabilities provide valuable insights for continuous monitoring.
What are the key features of Cisco Umbrella?Cisco Umbrella is widely adopted in industries requiring advanced DNS-level security to counteract malware, phishing, and cyber threats. Its ability to monitor and protect remote and roaming employees makes it an attractive option for sectors highly dependent on cloud services. By managing DNS queries and blocking harmful sites, Cisco Umbrella enhances cybersecurity across networks, providing an added layer of protection for businesses worldwide.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) enhances access management by offering remote application access through SSL VPN, secure access verification, and login capabilities. Its user-friendly interface and robust security ensure efficient scalability and performance.
F5 BIG-IP APM serves enterprises by integrating multiple authentication protocols and supporting remote access via SSL VPN for secure application and network connections. Known for its strong performance and reliable scalability, APM allows custom policy management, facilitating load balancing and enhanced server management through virtual IP creation. It offers a secure bridge for users to connect to private networks while managing access through portals and enforcing compliance checks. Despite its efficient and user-friendly interface, APM has areas needing improvements such as updates for MacOS access, comprehensive reporting features, and simplifying the initial setup process. Better documentation and improved cloud integration are also areas for potential enhancement, alongside more efficient management and automation capabilities. Pricing and integration with other systems could be more competitive, and improvements in support response times would benefit users significantly.
What are the key features of F5 BIG-IP APM?In sectors like finance and healthcare, F5 BIG-IP APM ensures secure access management for sensitive data networks. Retailers utilize it to manage seasonal traffic efficiently with its load balancing and scalability, while educational institutions leverage its robust security and remote access features for faculty and students accessing campus networks remotely. These industries benefit from tailored policy management and comprehensive authentication integration to meet specific security and access needs.
We monitor all Secure Web Gateways (SWG) 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.
