2021-09-29T12:27:00Z

Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Microsoft Cloud App Security?

Why?

NC
Content Manager at PeerSpot (formerly IT Central Station)
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1 Answer
Real User
Top 5
2021-11-01T08:34:18Z
Nov 1, 2021

Cisco Umbrella is an integral component of the Cisco SASE architecture. It integrates security in a single, cloud-native solution, unifying multiple features like DNS-layer security, threat intelligence, and cloud access security broker solutions.


Cisco Umbrella works extremely well, and you can deploy it to all your organization’s devices, including laptops and tablets. Cisco was a better solution for us than a web filter, which can be heavy. Umbrella provides web filtering and generates malware security alerts using DNS. It is easy to install and use. I think the product works best for companies that are already fully on the cloud.


One downside of Cisco Umbrella for us is that it doesn’t support mobile devices. It would be nice to extend the mobile functionality to support iOS and Android.


Microsoft Cloud App Security (MCAS), provides data protection, data loss protection, and threat detection for SaaS applications. It inspects data at rest and in motion. One of its advantages is that it enables content inspection of SaaS file stores, automating detection and classification of the content. It also protects from data exfiltration and identity-related threats with its threat-detection features.


MCAS is useful for companies with a large stack of SaaS services in use. For organizations struggling to detect and protect thousands of SaaS services, MCAS is a comprehensive solution.


It does leave some room for improvement, though. For instance, while other platforms are trending toward having a single pane of glass for management, with MCAS, you still need many dashboards to make the most of the product. The reporting feature also could use improvement.


Conclusions


In our experience, Cisco Umbrella is a superior solution. It is more comprehensive, easy to use, and in touch with the user experience needs. And it consumes fewer resources.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Umbrella vs. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and other solutions. Updated: September 2023.
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Related Questions
EG
Security Specialist at TEUNO
Aug 20, 2023
Hello peers,  I am a Security Specialist at a small tech services company. I am currently researching DNS Security solutions. Which solution do you prefer: Cisco Umbrella or Palo Alto Networks DNS Security? What are the pros and cons of each solution? Thank you for your help.
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Anne Cubarrubia - PeerSpot reviewer
Editor at PeerSpot
Aug 20, 2023
Some users may choose Cisco Umbrella over Palo Alto Networks DNS Security because Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-based solution known for its easy deployment and management. It also protects against many threats and provides visibility into DNS traffic. As for the pros and cons of each solution, I've listed them below to help you in deciding which of the two solutions to use: Cisco Umbrella Pros: Cloud-based solution Easy to deploy and manage Protects against a wide variety of threats, such as malware, phishing, and ransomware Provides visibility into DNS traffic Cons: Can be expensive for larger organizations Not as customizable as some other solutions Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Pros: Highly customizable Deployment can be done in the cloud or on-premises Provides granular control over DNS traffic Integrates with other Palo Alto Networks security solutions Cons: More complex to deploy and manage than Cisco Umbrella Can be more expensive
CorySales - PeerSpot reviewer
User at Oklahoma State University
Feb 15, 2023
Hi peers,  I work at a large university. I am currently researching DNS security solutions. If you had to choose one or the other, would you choose Cisco Umbrella or Palo Alto Networks DNS Security as your DNS solution, and why? Thank you for your help.
See 1 answer
Alfonso Reimunde - PeerSpot reviewer
Independent Business Owner at Practical Information Systems
Feb 15, 2023
I would choose Umbrella first. Firstly, it's 100% cloud-based (private Cisco cloud) from the ground up, with no need for a new appliance, firewall, or server and they have their own DNS servers worldwide in an anycast configuration that has never ever been down. Those DNS servers do the filtering for you so the university network won't be affected by filtering. It's highly scalable and you can choose between different packages with other Cisco security products integration or more advanced information. Umbrella uses data from many different security sources, even AI so it actually filters sites even before they get publicly reported as malicious. It's a very proactive solution. It's very easy to set up initially from a central location even though you may set up different networks with their own filtering rules. You can set it up initially with basic filtering rules very fast and make it more complex later on. They offer special education institutions discounts even though the solution is already very competitive cost-wise. They invented DNS security and have been working on it longer than anyone by far. I've been using it for over 10 years, even before it was bought and enhanced by Cisco's own products (the solution was named OpenDNS Enterprise before) with no problems whatsoever. The other vendors have yet to catch up with them IMO. Their support is very good although you seldom have to use it. By the way, you may contact many universities and other educational institutions which have been using their solution for a long time for advice. Another big advantage is you can take advantage of it even in a hybrid working solution. Even if your students or faculty access or work from another location they will still be protected through the use of an agent. And you can integrate login through the active directory. To summarize, no other product compares for versatility IMO. 
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