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

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. 

Internet security has been a challenge since the dawn of the digital age. There have been many solutions to these problems, but sometimes the solutions may be harder than the original problem! Managed Security Services is one such solution that thankfully makes life much easier for those trying to keep their data safe.  Managed Security provides various tools and services that help organizations keep their data secure. Managed Security focuses on preventive measures to prevent the most common cyber-attacks, such as malware and phishing attacks. It also provides advanced-level security protocols like encryption and authentication, which provide an extra layer of protection against malicious attackers.

These attacks are inevitable and organizations need to plan for fast and secure recovery.  It's no longer necessary to take days or weeks to reimage hundreds or endpoints. Solutions are available that can restore systems to pre-attack condition in minutes.

The recent Ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline serves as a stark reminder of the potential disruption cybercrime can cause to our critical infrastructure. While no one could have predicted this specific incident, organizations should take steps now to help prevent similar catastrophes in the future. By increasing cybersecurity awareness and adopting robust security measures, organizations of all sizes can help prevent the next cybercrime disruption of critical infrastructure. Let's all work together to protect ourselves and our networks from the havoc that could be caused by malicious actors! It's time to get serious about cybersecurity. With the right measures in place, we can all do our part to prevent the next cybercrime disruption from wreaking havoc on our critical infrastructure and society as a whole. Let's make sure that no one else has to experience the same disruption Colonial Pipeline faced!