Security Architect at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Real User
Inspects all your traffic so you don't get compromised
Pros and Cons
  • "Zscaler Internet Access protects using data loss prevention. If you have a CASB exposing your cloud out into the network, then Zscaler Internet Access will go ahead and control that unknown cloud application in the CASB, protecting it. There is also data detection with exact data match. This improves the data coming into your cloud so you are protecting it."
  • "An improvement would be if they could provide an out-of-the-box experience, like 20 to 30 features all ready to go. In comparison, LogRhythm offers out-of-the-box features. With Zscaler Internet Access, there is firewall IPS, multiple security services, filtering, DLP, and CASB browser isolation. These are things that all users are going to be using. However, when an administrator or architect would start building this, I would definitely need to engage professional services to help clients do it."

What is our primary use case?

You can have mobile employees who forward traffic into a Zscaler client, or you could use a PAC file. So, if users connect at the beach, a hotel, coffee shop or something outside their actual office, it will give them protection.

You can use it with a secured Internet using a web gateway to deliver to the cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

The benefits of Zscaler Internet Access are the speed of the solution and never having performance issues or limitations. The fact that none of my end users are experiencing any threats, zero-day, bots, or malware says a lot about the solution. 

Zscaler Internet Access enables the inspection of traffic, including SSLs. You want to make sure that nothing is coming in through your HTTPS traffic. For anything that is coming in that might be a threat, you want to ensure that you are using a good proxy for that. There is malicious traffic out there, so you want to make sure you are tracking and viewing that. There are a lot of threats that come through as well as a lot of programming languages, so you definitely need to inspect traffic.

It is worth it. It works. I don't need multiple alerts, because it is set up with the right policies. Definitely, it is a beneficial device which doesn't always need constant monitoring. It inspects the encrypted traffic and verifies what threats are coming in. It intercepts incoming traffic and decrypts it, then reviews it. So, why have antivirus scanning or web filtering if Zscaler can do it? It protects me from man-in-the-middle attacks as well. When you use a firewall, you have alerts and false positives, but Zscaler Internet Access pretty much decreases those errors and alerts.

There isn't congestion on your network when you are inspecting traffic with Zscaler Internet Access. 

What is most valuable?

  • The integration of the gateway that inspects all ports and protocols. So, there is threat prevention. 
  • The cloud sandbox
  • VNS security
  • Access control that will protect URL filtering and the cloud firewall. 
  • Data protection that will protect your gateway, like your CASB or your cloud DLP. The capabilities of this will point your traffic to Zscaler Cloud.

The proxy architecture is the way to go. Zscaler uses it to protect their applications on the cloud. So, if you are using Box, Office 365, or even have an end user using LinkedIn or YouTube, then it will give you updated threat updates. It will also inspect all your traffic so you don't get compromised.

Advanced Threat Protection on Zscaler Internet Access has a few functionalities. It has ways to find threats. So, if they are actually hiding, you could do an inspection of your SSL traffic. You also have DNS security in Zscaler Internet Access that will help you route suspicious command-and-control attacks as well as detect threats when it does a full inspection. 

Zscaler Internet Access protects using data loss prevention. If you have a CASB exposing your cloud out into the network, then Zscaler Internet Access will go ahead and control that unknown cloud application in the CASB, protecting it. There is also data detection with exact data match. This improves the data coming into your cloud so you are protecting it. 

It offers a Cloud Browser Isolation feature, which exfiltrates browser activities from the end user's device. This feature can eliminate our exposures on that.

I like its features because they help me eliminate firewalls. I don't need to have firewalls, SIEMs, or an IPS/IDS. So, if all my end users are remote and using Office 365, I am already protecting them because they are in the cloud. I just have to attach the security application, which makes sure that any user who is mobile or remote is protected, without spending money on other solutions.

What needs improvement?

I wish there were a lot less products to learn, because there are a lot. They just keep surprising me with new features, even in the SaaS arena, and they keep improving in every facet. We are Zscaler partners, so I got certified in two platforms, but there is a lot room for improvement. There is just too much training, where they focus a lot on protecting the Internet as everyone is moving to the cloud. I would love for the training to be shortened.

Buyer's Guide
Zscaler Internet Access
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Zscaler Internet Access. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
768,246 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been exposed to it for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

My clients have never really called to tell me that stability has been an issue. Feedback has always been positive. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. It is easy to scale and secure remote users. If a company hires 100 more people, I don't think it would be a problem.

The largest environment, which I reviewed, had 2000 employees.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate their professional services or technical support as five out of five based on their experience and expertise. They know how to answer all my client's problems. They are really quick to trigger and understand the client's needs as well as be very supportive. They do very well when helping their clients.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

What I have seen when I am doing PoCs is you need some perimeters to start building this platform and integrating policies from day one. 

An improvement would be if they could provide an out-of-the-box experience, like 20 to 30 features all ready to go. In comparison, LogRhythm offers out-of-the-box features. With Zscaler Internet Access, there is firewall IPS, multiple security services, filtering, DLP, and CASB browser isolation. These are things that all users are going to be using. However, when an administrator or architect would start building this, I would definitely need to engage professional services to help clients do it.

Every customer is different. On average, it could be a two-week deployment. If you are using other devices, like Fortinet SD-WAN deployment, you definitely have to make sure your configured IPsecs are correct. You might have to review policies and your SD-WAN roles. You need to do a lot of cleaning up before you start deploying.

What about the implementation team?

We have a client who wants to start deploying the Cloud Browser Isolation feature. You can embrace this cloud platform using IPAC Files, which is just a clean way of deploying it.

I have personally worked for other vendors doing professional services as part of a professional services team. Every client decided to purchase professional services because deploying Zcaler Internet Access is too complex.

What was our ROI?

I am saving money right now because I am not using old technology, like when we had everything on-premise and in the data center. Now, I just have to direct my end users to the Zscaler file and make sure that they are connected and secure. So, I am eliminating the total cost of ownership and the headaches of on-premise devices. I am also reducing their risk by making sure that they are protected in real-time.

When I talk to clients, they mention that there is a return of investment from improving the real-time protection. There is no need anymore to buy: 

  • An antivirus
  • A third-party vendor to protect your DNS, like Cloudflare. 
  • Check Point SandBlast 
  • Symantec DLP, Forcepoint, or Netskope since you already have DLP protection. 
  • LogRhythm or Splunk for logging.

Those are the benefits. I have a lot of clients explaining this to me that this is the reason to have this solution. Zscaler Internet Access is transforming all that for web traffic security.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is fair based on its competitive market.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Palo Alto's vulnerability assessment requires an on-prem solution to work with your cloud. Zscaler Internet Access has already been bundled up to provide no-hassle, free Internet network connectivity that ensures protection. When you are using Palo Alto and want to assess vulnerability in your network, you probably need to use on-prem and cloud workloads. There is no reason to do that with Zscaler Internet Access.

Zscaler Internet Access has ease of development, like minimal setups needed for connectivity. You can continue securing protection, allowing your remote users to have access to your applications. Then, it is pretty quick to set up for Zscaler Internet Access. Some companies don't have many tools, so there are no delays there. When it comes to LogRhythm, there are a lot of things that you have to deal with. You have to deal with your log server as well as setting up your authentication server, firewalls, policies, rules, and zones, then you need to get it running and customize it based on your company's needs. Because LogRhythm has 30-plus features ready to go, it can be easier and smoother to deploy. However, there will always be a couple things where you have to do some preliminary requirements before you continue.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, it is a secure platform.

I actually interviewed with Zscaler to work with them because I have been impressed with their technology overall, especially over Palo Alto Networks technology who is their competitor and has a SaaS solution as well. From the top to bottom, Zscaler Internet Access is a great security product that protects my end users and remote users in the cloud.

If you want total cost of ownership and zero-trust architecture, Zscaler is the right solution to fit the needs of any environment.

I would rate the solution as 10 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Mauzzam Shaikh - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant at Meta Infotech Pvt Ltd
Real User
Top 5
Good features and a straightforward setup but needs a better user interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable and reliable."
  • "Technical support could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for internet access, web-based policies, and application-based policies. It has a device posture profile, which is new. 

DNS security is in progress now. I have done the test cases in my lab, however, now we are deploying it for 30,000 users. I'm working on that project as well. Apart from that, I have worked in ZIA's firewall and DLP.

What is most valuable?

The product is simple yet has a lot of features.

It offers a straightforward setup process. Setting up the solution is simple.

The solution is stable and reliable.

Users can scale the product.

What needs improvement?

There are some flaws which I don't like. Mostly I was an engineer for the proxy. In that case, there are limitations. There are limited categories and limited URLs which we can create.

We'd like to see a more user-friendly interface. 

Technical support could be better. They should be more technical. Also, they need to ensure when you ask for help, they communicate better amongst themselves what the issue is so that customers aren't constantly repeating themselves. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about one year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's quite stable and offers good performance. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable and easy to expand. 

We have multiple clients that use the solution. We have between 8,000 and 50,000 clients. 

How are customer service and support?

I've contacted technical support multiple times. They are okay. However, they could be better. We sometimes need more technical responses.

Often, our support person will change, and then we have to explain over and over the issue, what went wrong, and what's been done. It may take days to resolve things even if it is a simpler case due to the repetition and the fact we are changing from support staff to support staff. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The solution is very straightforward and simple to set up.

Users just decide if they want to connect via desktop or remote VDI servers, and that's it. They decide on what ports and protocols they want to connect. Once that question is clear, then they just have to just create the connection between the cloud and between the enterprise. After that, it's all about the configuration once you are done on the portal.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't deal with the licensing aspect. I can't speak to pricing. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate hte solution seven out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Zscaler Internet Access
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Zscaler Internet Access. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
768,246 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Managed Network Services Networking Tasmania at Telstra
Real User
Highly scalable with good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "Overall, we're very happy with our product."
  • "The price of the solution could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our client is a government client with many different work groups. 

What is most valuable?

Overall, we're very happy with our product.

What needs improvement?

The price of the solution could be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for two years, since the start of COVID. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have had no concerns with the solution's stability so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, we have around 70,000 total users across various environments.

How are customer service and support?

They've been very good, though as we are still assessing the solution you would expect them to be very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We also use Cisco Umbrella and we tend to use that more. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup wasn't easy in our case, as we have thousands of users spread across different environments. Due to our extensive requirements, initial setup is never going to be easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have found the solution to be expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

We use other similar products and find them to be a bit more preferable to Zscaler. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Solution Architect at Tata Consultancy
Real User
Top 20
There is a virtual application in your private data centers that detects the applications, and you can control access.
Pros and Cons
  • "Zscaler covers all the features needed to replace a VPN or proxy solution. They are good. They've been on the market for 15 years now, so they are mature enough."
  • "Zscaler needs to add client-to-client communication. It's always client-to-server communication. The cloud and branch connectors could be improved because we're still dependent on traditional firewalls. They should eliminate this. They should also provide WAN devices should to compete with the SD-WAN solutions also."

What is our primary use case?

One of the use cases is VPN replacement. Zscaler Private Access replaces the VPN solution.

What is most valuable?

Zscaler covers all the features needed to replace a VPN or proxy solution. They are good. They've been on the market for 15 years now, so they are mature enough.

What needs improvement?

Zscaler needs to add client-to-client communication. It's always client-to-server communication. The cloud and branch connectors could be improved because we're still dependent on traditional firewalls. They should eliminate this. They should also provide WAN devices should to compete with the SD-WAN solutions also.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been building our competency and trying to sell Zscaler to customers for almost two years. We are doing this in our labs also, and we have one customer now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zscaler is scalable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Zscaler is a cloud-based solution, so it's scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

We worked with Zscaler support initially for some professional services. That service was excellent, but later we had to wait for them to make some changes, so that could be tricky. I rate Zscaler support seven out of 10. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

Deploying Zscaler is quick and straightforward. You can easily onboard end-users to Zscaler Private Access once you deploy the application. There is a virtual application in your private data centers that detects the applications, and you can control access.

We have two or three engineer to deploy the solution. Two are usually needed  because there are different roles from a backup point of view, and we have a different set of people during the design stage. We need some people who understand identity solutions. We have a combination of two or three engineers who normally do deployment for around 1,500 users. One person is usually more than sufficient for maintenance because we don't get that many inquiries unless some changes are needed.

What was our ROI?

We work on a business case, not on ROI, so if the customer sees a positive savings on their business case after the five years or six years, they normally go for Zscaler.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The license is per user, and there's a minimum license per user per year. It's costly if you compare it to the traditional solutions like Symantec or Bluecoat. It's about 20 to 30 percent costlier than the traditional solution, but it gives you the flexibility to work from anywhere, and everything becomes effortless. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Zscaler Internet Access eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Cyber Security Consultant at flydubai
Real User
Top 10
High network performance, simple user interception, and reliable and better security controls
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Zscaler Internet Access are it's on the cloud, high network performance, and the interception of users is very easy."
  • "Zscaler Internet Access can improve by adding traffic filtering based on the DNS."

What is our primary use case?

I used Zscaler Internet Access for our proxy web traffic.

How has it helped my organization?

One Stop solution for roaming users, single control center for User access, security and performance improvement for Ms sites.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Zscaler Internet Access are it's on the cloud, high network performance, and the interception of users is very easy.

What needs improvement?

Zscaler Internet Access can improve by having more option for filtering policy which is currently only ip based (location policy). The developer need to add more option like identifying DNS and Domains names as well along with ip.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zscaler Internet Access for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zscaler Internet Access is stable. Since we have been using it we have not had any problems. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Zscaler Internet Access is scalable but it depends on the licensing model you choose. It can scale very easily.

We have approximately 1,800 users using the solution in my company. Everyone in the company is using the solution, from receptionist to corporate employees.

How are customer service and support?

In our experience, Please bare some thoughts for experienced guys in the industry.

I do understand 1-2 years experience guys can do Professional service but when you are customer facing, please: Zscaler need to have strong experience guys during customer interaction.

I rate the support from Zscaler Internet Access a three out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Not disclosing

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Zscaler Internet Access is very simple. The cloud configuration is very easy. The implementation took approximately three months due to Change process, however you can finish in 3 days if you are in small size industry.

What about the implementation team?

Wee had excellent support form vendor but it was done mutually along with inhouse design guide.

What was our ROI?

Absolutely on the money, look at the security dashboard, its easily noticeable.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Zscaler Internet Access should improve, it is expensive.

but to catch small/medium size business they need to come up with some better licensing plan.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

yes, Umbrella, Forcepoint

What other advice do I have?

I rate Zscaler Internet Access a nine out of ten. Love the product.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
S Azeem - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Reduces cyberattacks and helps to focus on granular things
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has reduced cyberattacks."
  • "Zscaler Internet Access needs to integrate more ISPs. It is good to have more than three ISPs."

What is our primary use case?

Zscaler Internet Access provides customers with the internet. We can easily integrate policies. 

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has reduced cyberattacks.

What is most valuable?

We can focus on a granular level of things. 

What needs improvement?

Zscaler Internet Access needs to integrate more ISPs. It is good to have more than three ISPs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the solution for one and a half years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Zscaler Internet Access is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

Zscaler Internet Access has good tech support. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The tool is moderately priced. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the product a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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PeerSpot user
Consultant at Tata Consultancy
Real User
Top 20
Multifeatured solution that stops DDoS attacks, filters URLs, and restricts users
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features I found in Zscaler Internet Access are the restriction of users for a particular URL, the security feature related to stopping DDoS, and the VPN."
  • "What could be improved in Zscaler Internet Access is its price. It could be cheaper."

What is our primary use case?

Zscaler Internet Access is used for internet access, security related to internet access, and in some cases, connecting to online applications.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features I found in Zscaler Internet Access are the restriction of users for a particular URL, the security feature related to stopping DDoS, and the VPN.

What needs improvement?

What could be improved in Zscaler Internet Access is its price. It could be cheaper.

For how long have I used the solution?

I'm working for TCS, which is a service management company, so we manage services for our clients. From my perspective, I've been working with Zscaler Internet Access for six months, but the client could be using it longer than that period. In my case, I've been working with this particular client on Zscaler Internet Access for six months. My company TCS is a partner of Zscaler.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zscaler Internet Access is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have not had any issues with the scalability of Zscaler Internet Access. I have not encountered scalability issues, but my company has not scaled up that much to encounter problems with scalability, so I can't really comment on how scalable the solution is.

How are customer service and support?

Zscaler Internet Access has good technical support. We have not had an issue where multiple escalations were needed from the support team. The issues were normally quite straightforward and were able to be sorted out with minimum intervention. Whatever support we have requested from Zscaler, we had a very good experience.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Zscaler Internet Access is straightforward. On a scale of one to five, with one being the worst and five being the best, I'm rating my experience with its setup a four.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing for Zscaler Internet Access could be made cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for people looking into implementing Zscaler Internet Access is that it's quite stable. Its features are quite mature, so I would recommend for people to go for the implementation of the solution.

Zscaler Internet Access is deployed on the cloud, particularly on Zcaler's cloud: the ZIA. It's a SaaS solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Server Administration / Security Officer at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Delivers safe web access for our remote employees, increasing cybersecurity and saving us time
Pros and Cons
  • "We don't have to buy equipment to use it. And when our engineers set it up on our side, we just configured a few settings and we were in."
  • "I would like to see more training and video documentation."

What is our primary use case?

Because some of our employees need to work remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were looking for a solution that would keep them safe. We have a Cisco ASA firewall in our company, but when people work remotely they can't be protected by that solution. That's why we decided to go for a WAF.

How has it helped my organization?

Zscaler has helped protect our employees wherever they are working, by delivering safe web access. We are doing the same things that we were always doing at our company, and in the same way, but now we are functioning safely outside of our premises. We were already able to work remotely using the Cisco agent, but the Zscaler agent is an improvement at the cybersecurity level.

Another benefit is that we are not managing all the backend infrastructure and that saves 10 to 15 percent of our time in terms of productivity.

It has also reduced the time we spend managing security policies. That's very important because it means that our engineer can spend time focusing on other business activities. The solution is saving 15 to 20 percent of our engineer's time, per day.

What is most valuable?

Some of the most valuable features are that, as a remote solution it is 

  • lightweight
  • very easy to set up and configure
  • the protection is in the cloud. 

We are agnostic when it comes to what they are doing. We don't have to buy equipment to use it. And when our engineers set it up on our side, we just configured a few settings and we were in.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more training and video documentation.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Zscaler Internet Access for about two months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's very stable. We haven't had any issues so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is also very good. We have about 300 users. We gradually want to move all 800 people in our operation over to Zscaler and to remove the local solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support we get from them is great. The guys know what they're doing.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

With our legacy system, a VPN solution from Cisco called AnyConnect, we have to buy licenses and equipment, as well as storage in a data center. With this cloud solution, we just pay a fee and it's easy to use. Digital transformation is very important to us because it is a corporate objective. We started with Microsoft 360, and Zscaler is another brick in the wall, in that direction.

We are planning to downgrade our firewall and just keep Zscaler. We're not going to save money with Zscaler, but we are aligning with the corporate objectives by using it.

How was the initial setup?

It's easy to set up. It took my network engineer about one week to prepare the environment, and our software network engineer is the person in charge of keeping it going.

What about the implementation team?

We had a local provider, SISAP, help us. They are a business based in Guatemala, with an office here in Honduras. They worked very well.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is competitive. It's not cheap and it's not expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at Cisco Umbrella as an option. But because our organization is part of a corporation that was already using Zscaler, we're aligning ourselves with our headquarters' implementation by going with this solution.

What other advice do I have?

Zscaler is a great solution. We have a very good representative here in Honduras and it was easy to set up. It's a very strong solution with the cloud infrastructure that meets our needs and most of the needs of our users. We are very happy with the solution.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zscaler Internet Access Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zscaler Internet Access Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.