We compared Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler SASE across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:
Features: Cisco Umbrella is highly regarded for its seamless integration with existing infrastructure, extensive range of security features, and ability to centrally manage security. Zscaler SASE is commended for its proxy and content filtering abilities, secure application access, and providing an all-in-one platform for various tasks.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Umbrella could enhance security by adding a transferring proxy feature and improving its Linux agent for Linux-based companies. Zscaler SASE needs improvements in configuration and management and better visibility in the DX layer. Some users have also reported performance and latency issues with Zscaler SASE.
Ease of Deployment: Based on the feedback, Cisco Umbrella has a simple and user-friendly initial setup that can be completed quickly in around 30 minutes. Zscaler SASE has a straightforward setup, but the deployment time can vary depending on specific use cases and complexity. Zscaler provides excellent support during the process and effectively resolves any issues that may arise.
Service and Support: Customers have praised Cisco Umbrella's support, describing it as excellent and superior to the customer service of other vendors. Zscaler SASE's support received varied feedback. Some customers were satisfied, but others faced delays and expressed frustration with having to repeatedly explain problems.
Pricing: The cost of Cisco Umbrella differs based on the specific needs and approach of the customer, with flexible pricing and transparent charges. It is seen as reasonable and competitive by some, but a few perceive it as costly. Zscaler SASE is seen as expensive, with some users questioning its value. The cost of a gateway per data center is particularly high, making it a costly implementation compared to alternatives.
ROI: Cisco Umbrella has proven to be a valuable investment by addressing maintenance concerns, reducing expenses associated with hardware updates, and effectively thwarting threats. It offers enhanced visibility and aids in remediation efforts. Zscaler SASE offers enhanced team visibility and a favorable return on investment when compared to Fortinet.
Comparison Results: Users appreciate Cisco Umbrella for its easy setup, extensive security features, and ability to centrally manage security. Zscaler SASE offers an all-in-one platform with advanced proxy and content filtering abilities. However, Zscaler needs enhancements in configuration and management. Cisco Umbrella could improve its Linux agent. Cisco Umbrella is considered to be reasonably priced, but Zscaler SASE is regarded as expensive.
"The most valuable features are the antivirus as a whole, the anti-malware, and all of the protection features that scan our enterprise devices."
"The protection offered by the product is the most valuable feature. It detects vulnerabilities or traps on our users' phones and then prompts them to clean up their devices. Tools we used previously would only discover, which required us to gather information on the backend, so Lookout is a welcome upgrade."
"We are very new users of the solution and are still in the exploration stages, but we are happy with the product thus far."
"It makes it really easy to accomplish content filtering. We don't have to do a lot of customization. You just click the box for the content category and it's up to date."
"It has certainly saved us time. If we go and look at what's rejected on the requests from the hospital itself, it has saved about 5% or 6% time."
"The integration features within, for example, the Cisco VPN product and the Umbrella module are valuable."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to filter malware sites that could infect clients or allow them to download infected files."
"The Global Block List is one of the most valuable features because it's really easy to block domain names as well as URLs. Sometimes you don't want to block the whole site, you just want to block one URL. The Global Block and Allow Lists are the best features for us."
"One of the most important features is the security posture check which Umbrella offers when a user accesses any website. That is one of the most unique features that it offers."
"The reports and notifications are the most useful part of the platform. As soon as you deploy the security layers, the reporting is very comprehensive. It helps you to have, at a glance, a clear view of what's going on."
"Users get direct secure access to applications over the internet."
"The most valuable feature is its ability to establish connectivity for remote users and remote endpoints. It offers a high level of granularity compared to typical VPNs, which also encapsulate a lot of I/O."
"Sandboxing, DLP, and SSL inspection engine are the most valuable features of Zscaler SASE."
"SASE's most valuable features are proxy and content filtering."
"The solution offers a simplified network infrastructure and security functions and it enables secure remote access for the users"
"Yes, it is very stable. I have never seen it go down, not once."
"The scalability is pretty good."
"With SASE, we have a single platform that covers multiple task services with which we need to control access. All the features are equally valuable."
"We just submitted an enhancement request reflecting the main area we want to see improvement in; the APIs. Currently, we're able to build dashboards, but it's somewhat backward because we use our MDM API to create them. Lookout should provide API to customers so we can query our data and use it in our cloud, and this is the only outstanding area for improvement with the product right now."
"From the analysis that we've done, they do seem to be maybe a step behind in trying to enter the market with a new solution. But when they do pick up, they do come out with some good products."
"I'm hoping for the conversion of Cisco ZTNA's features from Duo to Umbrella."
"The rule-making process for blocking sites or for blocking characteristics can use some simplification."
"We would like them to add more features to Cisco Umbrella."
"I would like for their support to be faster."
"Although Cisco Umbrella has an excellent global network footprint, there is still room for improvement and growth in this area. Additionally, there are bandwidth limitations associated with the connectors that need to be addressed. To be a viable solution for larger offices, Cisco Umbrella must continue to expand and improve its capabilities in these areas."
"There are a couple of different pieces that have different portals. I know they're working on getting them all into one portal, but that's probably the biggest thing that needs improvement right now. It's not a single pane of glass yet."
"They can maybe simplify the configuration. For example, sometimes, the proxy part is quite difficult, and that's why we didn't deploy that."
"It would be good to have more extensions to third-party products and a client for other device types."
"We faced certain migration and implementation challenges in executing the tasks, so I would suggest improvement related to the stability of the solution."
"Conflicts arise if you do not have the same management teams on the product."
"The menu for the ZIA portal could be organized a little bit differently. The most-used modules should be at the top of the menus, not somewhere near the bottom, some of them are not organized well in my opinion."
"The granularity in blocking is not sufficient, as new domains are automatically blocked for 30 days without further information."
"The area that requires improvement is their support. The current support is lacking."
"The DX layer could be better if it had improved visibility."
"An area for improvement would be the ease of configuration."
"We often face performance and latency issues with Zscaler SASE."
Cisco Umbrella is ranked 2nd in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) with 49 reviews while Zscaler SASE is ranked 4th in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) with 8 reviews. Cisco Umbrella is rated 8.8, while Zscaler SASE is rated 8.2. 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". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Zscaler SASE writes "Allows for strict access control, granting access to specific applications at a URL level rather than at the physical IP level". Cisco Umbrella is most compared with Zscaler Internet Access, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks and TitanHQ WebTitan, whereas Zscaler SASE is most compared with Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, Cato Networks, VMware SD-WAN, Netskope and Cloudflare Access. See our Cisco Umbrella vs. Zscaler SASE report.
See our list of best Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) vendors.
We monitor all Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) 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.
