

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.
The biggest return on investment so far has been visibility, knowing what we have in our environment.
As a small team, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps allowed us to manage systems with just one or two people.
We have at least saved the costs we had from the Netskope solution this year.
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%.
Their customer service is pretty good, but it's frustrating to go through three or four channels before reaching the right person.
The support is excellent, and the speed of response is commendable.
There were instances where the engineers were knowledgeable and helpful, but at other times it felt like a ping pong game, with unnecessary transfers until the right person was found.
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.
For what I know about the log collector and how much data it can take in, it is super scalable and capable of handling high workloads.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is very scalable, provided you have the right subscription.
In my experience, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is good enough for small to medium businesses.
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 would rate it a ten because I have not experienced any stability issues so far with Defender for Cloud Apps.
I would assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps as stable
My impression on the stability and reliability of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is that it is very stable.
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.
For data loss prevention, it would be useful to be able to drill down into the kind of data being transferred over CloudApp.
Defender typically connects to Entra ID, but we have local users on the cloud for database access, SSH, or RDS, and there is nothing produced by Defender regarding those local IAM users.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps would benefit if Microsoft allows users to fine-tune false positives, enabling us to dismiss alerts or make adjustments so that such things don't trigger multiple times in the future.
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.
The pricing for Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is acceptable.
My organization is currently revisiting pricing, but previously, the cost was a bit expensive, yet comparable to other solutions with similar functionalities and features.
It's not the cheapest, but also not the most expensive, placing it in the mid-level range.
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.
It provides excellent suggestions and options for configuration; for example, it can track suspicious files getting uploaded to cloud resources on Azure based on their signatures, generating alerts for those files.
The product recommends things that need to be blocked and allows for dynamic configuration, which cuts down on potential issues that might arise from going through lists and understanding what needs to be blocked.
The ability to sanction unsanctioned apps using Secure Score benchmarking, included in Cloud, is also beneficial.
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 (%) |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps | 5.6% |
| Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) | 2.0% |
| Other | 92.4% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 15 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 19 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 2 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is a robust tool for shadow IT detection, cloud integration, and threat detection, enhancing security management with capabilities in auditing and data protection.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps strengthens cloud security by providing comprehensive insights into user activities, seamlessly integrating with Microsoft security products and platforms like SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive. Its investigative capabilities enhance threat detection, while real-time alerts and policy applications improve security posture. Organizations benefit from its monitoring, auditing, and privileged identity management features that contribute to enhanced security management and data protection.
What are the key features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps?Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps implementation varies across industries, crucial for sectors needing stringent data protection and compliance, like finance and healthcare. Firms use it to monitor user activity, enforce data loss prevention policies, and ensure security across multi-cloud environments while integrating with Azure services for comprehensive threat management. These implementations are particularly beneficial in improving compliance efforts and protecting sensitive data.
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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