Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Secure Access – DNS Defense comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Palo Alto Networks and Cisco are both solutions in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category. Palo Alto Networks is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.4, while Cisco is ranked #30. Palo Alto Networks holds a 10.2% mindshare in SASE, compared to Cisco’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Palo Alto Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks and Secure Access DNS Defense are competing products in network security, with Prisma Access showing an advantage in support and Secure Access DNS Defense standing out in feature enhancement.

Features: Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks provides cloud-delivered security with threat prevention, sandboxing, and secure web gateway capabilities. Secure Access DNS Defense focuses on DNS protection, domain filtering, and preventing data exfiltration through DNS channels. Prisma Access emphasizes threat management and scalability, while Secure Access DNS Defense specializes in DNS-layer security.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Prisma Access offers a cloud-based deployment model with effective customer service for onboarding and configuration. Secure Access DNS Defense provides straightforward deployment with less complexity. Prisma Access is noted for its comprehensive support during and after deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Prisma Access involves higher setup costs with extensive features appealing to larger enterprises. Secure Access DNS Defense is more cost-effective, offering faster returns for budget-constrained organizations through its DNS protection focus.

To learn more, read our detailed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Report (Updated: October 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

October 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

iboss

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks is 10.2%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Secure Access – DNS Defense is 0.8%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks	10.2%
iboss	3.2%
Secure Access – DNS Defense	0.8%
Other	85.8%

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula

Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Cloud gateway has strengthened remote web security and now needs better Mac and ISP support

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent for the Mac agents. That is where in 2025, we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform. If your use case is for just Windows laptops,you can consider this platform as an option One issue is the data center resiliency part. In India especially, they are not tied up with the Tier 1 ISPs like Tata or Airtel; they were having Tier 2 ISPs and encountered many issues reaching few major sites that my organization depends on, and they were having problems that they could not fix quickly. They also lack a mechanism to route that traffic within their data center; rather, they ask customers to make a pac file change to route it to Singapore explicitly. It would be better if they route from their backend , i mean even if I send it to India DC, they should be able to route it internally to make that work; however, they fail to do that and ask the customer to route it in the pac file. Another suggestion is that in China, they do not have the proper setup; they used to have numerous problems with slowness and lack of premium circuits in China as well. That leads to multiple sites working slowly with latency-related issues. So the main issue is the ISP-related problems that need to be solved.

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IgorPinter

Director at PULSEC

Zero-trust access has improved remote security and now simplifies cloud-based firewall management

Regarding the integration part for Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, the integration with identity providers is pretty much good. It is basically firewall as a service, so it performs well. I completed the integration without any issues. What Palo Alto Networks can do better for Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks is probably to have the point of presence available in more locations. The point of presence from the Serbia region has the nearest POP in Frankfurt, which is an issue since it is your gateway—when you start browsing the internet, you go through a commercial connection in Germany. They definitely need to spread the service in other countries.

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reviewer2924313

Security Sales Specialist at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Modern remote access has replaced legacy VPNs and supports zero trust adoption

The best features Secure Access – DNS Defense offers include the Secure Web Gateway component, which is great. The AI access security controls are very interesting. The setup and the integration with other platforms such as ICE are easier and clearer. There is a variety of features, but I am still a bit skeptical about the DLP capabilities. Secure Access – DNS Defense has given customers visibility that they may not have had previously, as it helps them prevent users from accessing risky sites and makes their remote access less susceptible to bottlenecks. You can also have it fully enabled so that it is always on. It should improve visibility of which sites they are protected from, other configurations, and AI usage. Regarding the AI capabilities of Secure Access – DNS Defense, its governance and security are still new to us. Regarding the AI capabilities of Secure Access – DNS Defense, I have not found any issues with its outputs at the moment, not specifically. It is pretty accurate from what I can currently ascertain, but it is still new to us. From what we can see, it seems pretty accurate.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"As I mentioned, the return on investment is significant, as it saved our office locations' bandwidth because when you are working remotely at home, your internet traffic routes directly to iboss and will not go to your office building, saving bandwidth bottlenecks and ensuring that issues with our building internet circuits will not impact your internet connectivity because you are directly going to the iboss data center."

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device. It operates on the network side and is not device-based. This feature was one of the main reasons why we stayed with them for so long."

"iboss is pretty scalable. They provide good support. The case managers you work with to coordinate what you need are pretty good."

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times."

"The iboss solution gives me the ability to scan the traffic through all the ports, through all the 131,000 PCP and UDP ports, and with this ability, we have the granularity also for consults over social media and applications on mobile, and this is an advantage that the customers are looking for right now."

"I would definitely recommend iboss for web filtering purposes to other organizations or individuals."

"I would rate the technical support of iboss a solid 10 without a shadow of a doubt."

More iboss pros

"The solution also provides traffic analysis, threat prevention, URL filtering, and segmentation. That combination is important because it enhances the protection and makes the traffic more secure. It also keeps things more up-to-date, enabling us to deal with more of the current threats."

"The solution improved the consistency of our security controls and the BCP, there has been a 20 percent reduction in TCO, and Prisma Access also enabled us to deliver better applications by centralizing security management."

"I've evaluated multiple solutions on the market but to quarantine and clean a malware file is something I haven't seen anywhere else."

"Overall, the security that Prisma Access provides definitely meets our security requirements."

"Speaking as an ambassador for Palo Alto and Prisma access, it's the best solution on the market."

"Prisma's most valuable feature would be its ability to identify bad or risky configurations."

"Its hands-off security and the fact that we don't have to maintain it are the most valuable features."

"Prisma Access is very stable, and I am very much satisfied with its stability, rating it nine to ten out of ten."

More Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks pros

"Secure Access – DNS Defense has positively impacted my organization by enabling us to work with customers to modernize their remote access and put them on a path to achieve zero trust capabilities, including zero trust network access for private applications."

Cons

"One thing I would like to see differently with their Zero Trust platform is that some of the AI aspects related to high-risk activities have more false positives."

"File integrity monitoring would be very advantageous as an additional feature."

"Its pricing could be better."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"Sometimes the agent stops working in iboss, and we have to reinstall the agent."

"Sometimes when you call in support, you get someone who is just following a sheet. It feels like a runaround. You feel that you are running into that support wall."

"I appreciate that iboss's single pane of glass console gives centralized visibility into web traffic, user activity, security policies, and alerts from one dashboard, allowing us to quickly investigate incidents and monitor policy violations without switching between multiple tools, improving operational efficiency; however, the dashboard customization and reporting could be more flexible."

"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."

More iboss cons

"In general, it is good, but everything could be a little bit better. For example, they are working on including more data to catch or trying to reduce the gaps between the matches."

"Better integration with the MDM solution would be useful."

"The one point I have deducted is because it is very hard to get support sometimes."

"The licensing of this solution is a little expensive and is paid on an annual basis."

"The Cloud Management application has room for improvement. There are a lot of things on the roadmap for that application; things are going to happen soon."

"Sometimes a third-party outage could impact the whole operability."

"It's not very easy to use. Sometimes it's buggy and there are problems when doing updates. The user interface is okay, but some configuration items are difficult. I would like it to be less buggy and easier to configure, to better streamline the user experience."

"When we deploy firewall rules via Panorama, we find it's a little bit slow. We have a global environment and might have 100 gateways or VPNs in the cloud. When we deploy something, it tries to deploy it one-by-one, and that can be slow."

More Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks cons

"Customer support for Secure Access – DNS Defense is okay. It could have been a bit better, but it is sufficient."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"The solution is expensive."

"This is not an expensive product and everything is included with one license."

"The pricing can be difficult because it came to us with another agreement, but it can be negotiated. I highly recommend people to compare this product's performance and pricing against BetterCloud, because I feel BetterCloud is better than Prisma SaaS if they're starting from scratch."

"Compared to other products, the price is slightly high."

"Palo Alto is the Cadillac solution, so their products are pretty expensive. That's just the way it is. Their solution surpasses anything else. Cisco AnyConnect, Zscaler, and all of the other products don't compare. Palo Alto is the market leader with the most features. It saves you work, and you don't have to worry about it."

"It's pricey, it's not cheap. But you get what you pay for."

"There's no reason not to buy the enterprise version that gives you unlimited PoPs, but you must understand the limitations you impose on yourself if you do that. If you go crazy, that allowlist will be too big for Kubernetes clusters."

"The pricing for this solution is on the higher end."

More Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	26
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	27

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

iboss could be improved by making the dashboard more user-friendly, providing more detailed real-time alerts, and imp...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

iboss is primarily used for cloud security, helping to protect users when they access websites and cloud applications...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

The pricing and licensing for iboss were reasonable for the security features. The setup costs were manageable, thoug...

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What is the better solution - Prisma Access or Zscaler Private Access?

We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure ac...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks?

From my experience, Palo Alto is more expensive compared to solutions like Netskope and Triscale.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks?

Regarding the integration part for Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, the integration with identity providers is pr...

See all answers

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Comparisons

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

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Netskope vs Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 13% of the time

FortiSASE vs Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 5% of the time

Appgate SDP vs Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks

Compared 2% of the time

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Cisco Secure Access vs Secure Access – DNS Defense

Compared 36% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Secure Access – DNS Defense

Compared 12% of the time

Symantec SASE vs Secure Access – DNS Defense

Compared 6% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Secure Access – DNS Defense

Compared 5% of the time

VMware SASE vs Secure Access – DNS Defense

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks

October 2026

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks report

Download Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks product report

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

November 2026

Download Secure Access – DNS Defense product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access, Prisma Access, GlobalProtect, Palo Alto GlobalProtect Mobile Security Manager, Prisma SaaS by Palo Alto Networks, Prisma Access

No data available

Overview

iboss is the Zero Trust SASE platform that gives organizations complete visibility and governance over their AI, data, and applications through one unified platform, one console, one policy engine, and one data lake.

Your endpoints may already stop malware. Your data and application activity can still be invisible. iboss decrypts and understands every connection, then turns that signal into answers security leaders can act on.

The platform leads with three capabilities in this order: AI Security and Visibility, Data Security and Visibility, and App Visibility and Control. Zero Trust Network Access, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN sit underneath as the access fabric that carries those three. Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

- AI Security and Visibility: conversation capture, shadow-AI discovery, AI DLP, and agent governance across Claude, Co-Work, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, and emerging services.

- Data Security and Visibility: full SSL/TLS decryption, deep content inspection, MIP label compliance, and one-click compliance reporting.

- App Visibility and Control: signatureless CASB, dual risk scoring, in-app controls, and SSPM for major SaaS.

- Containerized Zero Trust SASE: dedicated containers, isolated SSL keys, one console, one policy engine, one data lake.

- Access fabric: ZTNA, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN under the same platform.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

- Complete visibility over AI, data, and applications from one platform instead of separate point tools.

- Encrypted traffic is inspected by default so data decisions use content and context together.

- Shadow SaaS and new web tools appear as they are used, with enforceable controls in one console.

- Native data sovereignty through dedicated containers, in-region inspection, and per-customer SSL key custody.

- Scale proven in published materials: 10M+ users, 100+ countries, 150B+ transactions, 2.5B+ threats blocked.

Economic buyers are CISOs, CIOs, and VPs of Security. Champions include security architects, network and infrastructure leaders, SecOps, and GRC. Primary segments: enterprise and business, financial services, government (including FedRAMP Gov Cloud), healthcare, manufacturing, legal and professional services, retail and hospitality, and MSP/MSSP partners. Education, including K-12, is one vertical among these.

iboss

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks delivers robust security features including secure remote access across apps and traffic monitoring. It integrates smoothly with cloud environments to provide advanced threat protection and visibility into network traffic.

Prisma Access offers a comprehensive suite of security tools designed to protect cloud environments and remote workforces. With its focus on real-time risk identification and threat prevention, Prisma Access provides encrypted tunnels and centralized management for seamless connectivity and enhanced data security. Designed to scale across platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP, it optimizes traffic and connectivity while offering extensive visibility into vulnerabilities. However, integration with third-party products, usability, and support services are areas for development, as users report interface challenges and desire improved scalability and geographic coverage, especially in regions like China and South America.

What are the key features of Prisma Access?

Real-Time Risk Identification: Detects and manages potential threats instantly.
Secure Remote Access: Ensures secure connectivity to applications from anywhere.
Traffic Monitoring: Provides comprehensive oversight of network traffic.
Seamless Integration: Works well with platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Firewall Capabilities: Blocks unauthorized access and threats.
Scalability: Adapts to various cloud environments to meet growing demands.

What benefits should users expect when evaluating Prisma Access?

Reduced Data Breach Risk: Protects sensitive information through encrypted connections.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies management and configuration tasks.
Centralized Management: Offers a single view for managing all security policies.
Advanced Threat Protection: Regular updates guard against new threats.

Prisma Access is effectively used in industries requiring secure remote access and stringent data protection, such as finance and healthcare. Organizations leverage it to enforce Zero Trust policies, optimize network performance with SD-WAN, and ensure security compliance across multiple platforms.

Palo Alto Networks

Cisco Secure Access - DNS Defense offers swift threat protection, operating at the DNS-layer to prevent malicious access before it affects endpoints. It leverages Cisco's global network of DNS resolvers.

DNS Defense provides a robust, AI-driven solution backed by advanced DNS-layer security. It efficiently blocks malware, phishing, and other threats, ensuring optimal protection for users both on and off the corporate network. With a focus on minimizing latency, DNS Defense enhances network performance while supporting sensitive data protection through features like Cloud Data Loss Prevention and cloud malware scanning. As part of Cisco Umbrella, it offers security scalability to cater to evolving needs with over 40,000 customers globally.

What are the key features of Secure Access - DNS Defense?

Rapid Deployment: Configure in just three clicks for quick setup
User Protection: Safeguards users on and off-network, including roaming devices
Threat Blocking: Prevents access to malware, phishing, and risky sites
Enhanced Performance: Lowers latency through unique recursive DNS architecture
Advanced Security: Offers DNS layer security with Cloud DLP and cloud malware scanning

What benefits should be considered in Secure Access - DNS Defense reviews?

Time Efficiency: Quick setup and deployment reduce resource usage
Comprehensive Coverage: Extensive threat blocking capability
Security Scalability: Expands as needed while maintaining effectiveness
Cost Effectiveness: Affordable while offering high levels of protection

In industries relying on cloud applications and data storage, Secure Access - DNS Defense integrates seamlessly to prevent data breaches and ensure secure cloud file usage. It is particularly valued in sectors where sensitive data protection is paramount, providing an adaptable security framework to address unique risks.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

Concord Hospital, State of Colorado, Essilor International, RheinLand Versicherungsgruppe, University of Westminster, Universidade Nove de Julho, SPAR Austria, CAME Group, ZipRealty, Greenhill & Co., IKT Agder, Aviva Stadium, Animal Logic, Management & Training Corporation, Brigham Young University Hawaii, School District of Chilliwack

Information Not Available

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October 2026

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