Cisco Umbrella vs F5 BIG-IP DNS comparison

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7,738 views|5,096 comparisons
97% willing to recommend
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1,622 views|1,143 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Umbrella and F5 BIG-IP DNS based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Domain Name System (DNS) Security solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Umbrella vs. F5 BIG-IP DNS Report (Updated: March 2024).
770,292 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It analyzes the domain security helps us implement the securest policy.""When we have laptops that leave the building, they could connect to public WiFi before they establish a VPN connection back into the company. For that duration or that period of time when they're not docked in the network or on a VPN, they effectively don't have that full layer of security that I provide inside the building. This tool stands in during that period of time, and we extend the security settings through their basic firewall or their cloud-based firewall at that time. So, we do content filtering and control access, but they also are looking at new domains, IP addresses, and bad requests. They're blocking them on my behalf when a laptop is not sitting behind our security appliances.""I like the original functionality, which allows for providing secure DNS services.""Cisco Umbrella's integration with other solutions has been a great feature in terms of ease of administration. Administration and troubleshooting are faster. The single pane of glass is great as well. Another great feature of Cisco Umbrella is remote browser isolation. With this feature, you open a virtual browser, and it's seamless to the user. If the user ends up going to a bad website that's passed a policy and something bad tries to download, it will not download into the machine because it is a virtual window somewhere in the cloud. You are protected by this feature.""It provides centralized, device-agnostic management of the Internet experience.""The most valuable feature of this solution is its reliability.""Meraki features and cloud-based functionality are advanced and easy to manage centrally.""The initial setup is very easy and takes only a few minutes."

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"The most valuable feature of the solution is security.""It is easy to administer.""F5 BIG-IP DNS is a stable solution.""The solution is easy to configure and deploy. It is scalable and works without any downtime. F5 BIG-IP DNS is a flexible solution.""The configuration process is straightforward, making it easy to set up wide IPs and distribute traffic across local US sites and data centers via VPN.""For one of our clients, F5 improved global server load balancing with an active-active site configuration for Disaster Recovery.""The GTM feature is very good, It's very useful, especially if we have multiple data centers. If we want to load balance traffic from multiple data centers, the GTM feature is very useful.""BIG-IP DNS's best features are DNS monitoring and global service load balancing."

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Cons
"It would be better if there was a little bit of flexibility for organizations that don't have SD One in their environment. Because of the complexity of the environment, it's not easy to actually turn on the feature of the secure internet gateway for our users. We have not been able to explore that option yet.""There are cheaper solutions in the market""The integration with other solutions is a little complex. If you want to integrate with something like ArcSight or LogRhythm or Splunk, you need to do a lot of configuration. There are no easy ways to implement it.""The reporting could be improved by way of the information that's displayed. For example, when you pull a report, it shows an internal employee going to many websites, but you can spin that right down by saying a lot of it is being cached.""Although Cisco Umbrella has an excellent global network footprint, there is still room for improvement and growth in this area. Additionally, there are bandwidth limitations associated with the connectors that need to be addressed. To be a viable solution for larger offices, Cisco Umbrella must continue to expand and improve its capabilities in these areas.""I would like to see more integrability with other products.""Having ready-to-go templates with best practices is definitely something that would be an improvement. Deployment, from day one, is something that definitely needs to be improved for Cisco customers.""They need to improve analytics so they report on more of the specifics of user activity."

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"The tool needs to improve its UI.""In the product, one of the shortcomings is related to its configuration part...Though you can find some manuals or F5 documents, in real life, it's very hard to understand this product.""I sometimes encounter issues with the porting of F5 BIG-IP DNS.""The monitoring capabilities of F5 BIG-IP DNS could be improved.""It would be great to see a F5 BIG-IP DNS cloud version. What we within the Australian government are looking at doing is utilizing a secured DNS service much the same as the English GCHQ version of their protected DNS service.""Scalability is a concern, it could be improved.""I would like to see the login facilities improved, as well as more troubleshooting.""I would like to see deeper integration with VMware in the sense that F5 compliments VMware, in the context of application availability."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "​The pricing is fair."
  • "You can request an evaluation license​."
  • "It needs a better price point."
  • "The product is pricey compared to Cisco Firepower."
  • "The price could be lower."
  • "There is a one-time cost of approximately $800 USD per user, and then a yearly support fee of about $50 per user."
  • "Our costs were negotiated, and they are okay."
  • "Our licensing fees are on a yearly basis."
  • More Cisco Umbrella Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "This product is quite pricey but if you compare the feature set and its compatibility with similar products on the market, you would understand why it's that price."
  • "Cost is a factor. It is really costly."
  • "In some cases, it is expensive."
  • "BIG-IP DNS is more expensive than its competitors like Citrix, but it gives good value for money."
  • "The on-prem version is only available on a yearly license, but the cloud version can be paid for on a day-by-day basis."
  • "They are competitively priced."
  • "I would rate the pricing a three out of ten, with ten being a low price."
  • "You cannot do much around DDoS protection without an additional license from F5."
  • More F5 BIG-IP DNS Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are two broad-spectrum Internet security solutions that I have tried. Zscaler Internet Access is a good option for carrying out multiple security… more »
    Top Answer: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… more »
    Top Answer:Cisco Umbrella is easy to monitor, manage, and deploy.
    Top Answer:For one of our clients, F5 improved global server load balancing with an active-active site configuration for Disaster Recovery.
    Top Answer:You cannot do much around DDoS protection without an additional license from F5 for full DDoS protection. Since it is WAF, you can implement some solutions, but for a comprehensive DDoS solution… more »
    Top Answer:The IP intelligent services are good for mitigating threats, but there are also false positives. So, it's not a standalone solution that can cover everything. F5 can consider enhancing the security… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    7,738
    Comparisons
    5,096
    Reviews
    48
    Average Words per Review
    922
    Rating
    8.9
    Views
    1,622
    Comparisons
    1,143
    Reviews
    14
    Average Words per Review
    475
    Rating
    8.7
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    OpenDNS
    F5 BIG-IP DNS, F5 DNS Delivery
    Learn More
    Overview

    Cisco Umbrella offers flexible, cloud-delivered security according to users’ requirements Cisco Umbrella includes secure web gateway, firewall, and cloud access security broker (CASB) functionality all delivered from a single cloud security service. Cisco Umbrella’s protection is extended to devices, remote users, and distributed locations anywhere. As company employees work from many locations and devices, Cisco Umbrella is the easiest way to effectively protect users everywhere in minutes.

    Cisco Umbrella uses machine learning to search for, identify, and even predict malicious domains. By learning from internet activity patterns, this DNS-layer security solution can automatically identify attacker infrastructure being staged for the next threat. These domains are then proactively blocked, protecting networks from potential compromise. Cisco Umbrella analyzes terabytes of data in real time across all markets, geographies, and protocols.

    Cisco Umbrella works with leading IT companies to integrate its security enforcement and intelligence. Built with a bidirectional API, Cisco Umbrella makes it easy to extend protection from on-premises security appliances to cloud controlled devices and sites.

    Cisco Umbrella is suitable for small businesses without dedicated security professionals, as well as for multinational enterprises with complex environments.

    Why use Cisco Umbrella?

    • Simplify security management: Cisco Umbrella is the fastest and easiest way to protect all users within minutes and reduces the number of infections and alerts sent from other security products by stopping threats at the earliest point. With no hardware to install and no software to manually update, ongoing management is simple

    • Reliable reporting: Cisco Umbrella reports show activity for each device or network in the system. Users gain a more complete picture of the security risks facing their organization and can take action to remedy them.

    • Manage and control cloud apps: Umbrella provides visibility into sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services in use across the enterprise. Users can uncover new services being used, see who is using them, identify potential risk, and block specific applications easily.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Cisco Umbrella stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Some of the major ones are its DNS-based protection, ability to protect users no matter where they are located, stability, and high performance.

    Daniel B., a network specialist at Syswind Kft, writes, “We primarily use the solution as cloud security for our branches. It protects us from direct internet outbreaks. It makes for good flexibility. The solution is very easy to manage. We found the initial setup, for example, to be quite simple. Efficient protection on the DNS level and even higher. The sandboxing feature analyses and handles the complicated security risks.”

    Victor M., SOC & Security Services Director at BEST, notes, “It provides security for the remote workers and it helps to improve enterprise security in a very easy way. We mainly enjoy web software protection capabilities. It prevents the end-users from getting into bad sites or sites that potentially could have malware or could be phishing. It helps end-users avoid the wrong sites. The solution works very smoothly. The user interface is good.”

    OpenDNS is a part of Cisco providing a suite of consumer products aimed at making the internet faster, safer, and more reliable.

    F5® BIG-IP® DNS distributes DNS and user application requests based on business policies, data center and cloud service conditions, user location, and application performance. BIG-IP DNS is commonly configured as a full proxy to provide global server load balancing (GSLB) for applications and DNS across architectures, and across the globe.

    The BIG-IP platform delivers DNS services with visibility, reporting, and analysis; scales and secures DNS responses geographically to survive increased traffic or threats; delivers a real-time DNSSEC solution; designed to provide availability of global applications in all cloud environments.

    Sample Customers
    Chart Industries, City of Aspen, Eastern Mountain Sports, FLEXcon, George Washington University, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Ohio Public Library Information Network, PTC, Richland Community College, Smart Motors, Tulane University, VeriClaim
    Ricacorp Properties, Bangladesh Post Office, Shawbrook Bank, Shinsegae Internet Duty Free
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Educational Organization6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Educational Organization17%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Comms Service Provider25%
    Financial Services Firm25%
    Retailer8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm16%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Government10%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise27%
    Large Enterprise54%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise44%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise69%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Umbrella vs. F5 BIG-IP DNS
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Umbrella vs. F5 BIG-IP DNS and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    770,292 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Umbrella is ranked 1st in Domain Name System (DNS) Security with 108 reviews while F5 BIG-IP DNS is ranked 3rd in Domain Name System (DNS) Security with 18 reviews. Cisco Umbrella is rated 8.8, while F5 BIG-IP DNS is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Cisco Umbrella writes "Protects endpoints wherever they are, always pushing people to the right locations to avoid malicious intent". On the other hand, the top reviewer of F5 BIG-IP DNS writes "Reliable with good security and management". Cisco Umbrella is most compared with Zscaler Internet Access, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security and Fortinet FortiGate SWG, whereas F5 BIG-IP DNS is most compared with Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, EfficientIP DNS Guardian and BlueCat Edge. See our Cisco Umbrella vs. F5 BIG-IP DNS report.

    See our list of best Domain Name System (DNS) Security vendors.

    We monitor all Domain Name System (DNS) Security reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.