

Find out in this report how the two Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
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.
The ROI is often cited around 289% over the three years of typical enterprises.
I have found Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) to be very effective at providing operational flexibility during my organization's transition to cloud environments.
Since we have a very small team, the ROI is around 20% to 30%.
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.
The technical support for ZPA is excellent, rated ten out of ten.
We had regular calls, and the team was open and willing to assist us whenever required.
We lack specific root causes, and it's tough to relay information to users, considering multiple contributors such as phone numbers and internet service providers.
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.
Zscaler ZPA has excellent scalability.
I rate the scalability of ZPA as ten out of ten because it's a cloud service and can scale as needed.
We need to deploy it and ensure it will be available in two different Availability Zones, but it's not something that can be done with automation, such as auto-scaling.
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.
Even during peak usage or mass remote access events, performance remains consistent, which is critical for an enterprise environment handling business-critical applications.
The architecture uses a global mesh of service edges with built-in fault tolerance and redundancy, providing an always-on experience.
We implemented a resilient solution with load balance to ensure stability, which has proven effective thus far.
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.
It complicates whitelisting, as we cannot determine which IP will be used, posing a challenge when needing to integrate with third parties.
I would appreciate seeing dynamic scaling implemented because it would be beneficial if an instance goes down to automatically start another one.
While Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) wants users to utilize their infrastructure for scale benefits, regulated environments such as government and investment banks need on-premises processing for regulations and low latency requirements.
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.
It is expensive.
Although the solution is costly, its features justify the price for securing the organization from various access types.
While it is a premium investment, the short payback period of about 11 months and consolidation of multiple point products make it very cost-effective in the long run.
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.
Zscaler pre-tests websites and authorizes safe access, giving us a layer of security that we rely on.
Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) is much more secure than VPN because users are only allowed to access specific applications rather than the whole network.
Zscaler has allowed an easy, secure way for us to access our internal resources from outside.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Umbrella | 6.2% |
| Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) | 2.0% |
| Other | 91.8% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 50 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 31 |
| Large Enterprise | 52 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 2 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
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.
Zscaler Private Access enhances security by enabling access to specific applications without exposing entire networks. It is designed for scalability and flexibility, making it particularly suitable for cloud transitions and remote work environments.
Zscaler Private Access offers a comprehensive solution for modern security needs by ensuring secure remote application access. This is achieved through its advanced features such as micro-segmentation and AI capabilities. Organizations can integrate ZPA with existing security infrastructure, providing seamless operation during cloud transitions. Users benefit from policy-based access management and dashboards that enhance visibility and control. However, ZPA faces some challenges, including bugs, configuration difficulties with identity providers, and a limited rule customization capacity. Delayed support responses and annual price increases are also concerns that need addressing.
What are the key features of Zscaler Private Access?Zscaler Private Access is widely adopted across industries transitioning from traditional VPNs to more secure remote access solutions. Companies leverage it for secure network communication, accessing cloud resources like AWS and Azure, and integrating with internal systems. Local, customer, and cloud networks extensively use ZPA for secure internet access and as a modern replacement for older proxy technologies.
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