We compared Cisco Umbrella and Palo Alto Networks DNS across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:
Features: Cisco Umbrella is highly regarded for its seamless integration with existing infrastructure, extensive range of security features, and ability to centrally manage security. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is commended for its autofocus functionality, robust defense against emerging DNS threats, and proactive detection of cybercriminal activities.
Room for Improvement: Cisco Umbrella could enhance security by adding a transferring proxy feature and improving its Linux agent for Linux-based companies. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security has the potential to improve app detection and offer higher levels of security and scalability.
Ease of Deployment: Cisco Umbrella's setup is simple and can be completed in around 30 minutes. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security also has a straightforward setup, but it may be more complex than some solutions due to its unique security approach. The deployment time for Palo Alto Networks DNS Security varies depending on the individual requirements of each customer.
Service and Support: Customers have praised Cisco Umbrella's support, describing it as excellent and superior to the customer service of other vendors. Customers find Palo Alto Networks DNS Security's customer service team knowledgeable and helpful but note that there may be some challenges when seeking support outside regular working hours due to time zone differences.
Pricing: The cost of Cisco Umbrella differs based on the specific needs and approach of the customer, with flexible pricing and transparent charges. It is seen as both reasonable and competitive by some, but a few perceive it as costly. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is affordable for educational establishments, although one user noted that it isn't the least expensive solution.
ROI: Cisco Umbrella has proven to be a valuable investment by addressing maintenance concerns, reducing expenses associated with hardware updates, and effectively thwarting threats. It offers enhanced visibility and aids in remediation efforts. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security has enhanced visibility and protection in previously deficient areas.
Comparison Results: Users appreciate Cisco Umbrella for its easy setup, extensive security features, and ability to centrally manage security. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security stands out for its autofocus capability, proactive identification of cybercriminal threats, and versatility as an antivirus and inspection tool. Cisco Umbrella could improve its Linux agent, while Palo Alto Networks DNS Security could enhance its app detection and provide a higher level of protection. Both products are considered to be reasonably priced, but some users find Cisco Umbrella to be costly. Both products earned high marks for customer service and support.
"The initial setup is very easy and takes only a few minutes."
"One valuable feature is definitely its simplicity in terms of deployment. It is very easy to integrate it into the environment without any heavy lifting. Users didn't notice that we implemented it. You can start with a very low monitoring mode and start observing what Cisco Umbrella sees."
"It is user-friendly. It is easy to manage the solution."
"The insight into what our users are doing via Cisco Umbrella is valuable. Knowing that we're protecting our users as they leave our network is also valuable now because we've got more hybrid working."
"The most valuable features for us include tenant lock, content filtering, and DLP solutions, looking for PII and information being exfiltrated."
"The Global Block List is one of the most valuable features because it's really easy to block domain names as well as URLs. Sometimes you don't want to block the whole site, you just want to block one URL. The Global Block and Allow Lists are the best features for us."
"There is much differentiation within the licensing so if anyone wants DNS security from the DNS security log, we are there already, and if anyone wants to go to a secure internet gateway, that is also available. We can get the integrated cloud DLP license keys. That is a good benefit with Cisco Umbrella. You can get a complete solution in a single licensing."
"The primary advantage of Cisco Umbrella is its ability to safeguard our users no matter where they are working from - whether it's in the office or remotely, as per the new work model that has emerged globally. This integrated security solution has simplified our lives by combining all the necessary security measures in one product. Additionally, deploying the product is all it takes to protect all our users."
"The product is easy to install."
"The stability is excellent and the product is very mature."
"Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a stable solution."
"I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten."
"When comparing other cloud-based DNS security solutions to this one I have found the main beneficial feature in this solution to be we do not need to change our architecture."
"DNS security is required to filter out the DNS traffic, any DNS-based attacks, DNS DDoS attacks, and DNS amplification attacks."
"The most valuable features of the solution are DNSSEC and the domain generation algorithm."
"The support team has good knowledge about the solution."
"One of the issues with Umbrella is as you get into endpoint detection and response, such as EDR point solutions, some of them will not integrate well with Umbrella. Sometimes when you want to use technology, such as Always On VPN, it will not work. There are some looming issues as one type of technology starts to crossover with Umbrella. That is the challenge and Umbrella should find a way to be more compatible with some of the endpoint response solutions that are coming out on the market."
"The pricing could be improved."
"For us, as an MSP, the initial licensing changes were a roadblock, and they still could be a lot clearer. Specifically, it's an honor-based licensing system. We'd like it to be more specific to our traffic or our users so that we can make sure that the customer is paying for all their licensing."
"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."
"Cisco Umbrella should introduce an on-premises device."
"Looking at the full umbrella suite in the light of SASE, Secure Access Service Edge, they are clearly lacking in the inline CASB."
"The main issue that we have is with the final steps or the full integration and getting rid of Zscaler. The company still has to fall back to Zscaler when something in Umbrella is not working as expected, such as when we enable SSL inspection. When something is not working 100%, the company is falling back to Zscaler."
"It had the ability to do a lot of app control. So, every single app that went through that portal was registered, but there is a general issue with the whole app control. As soon as you add a mobile phone to your network, all of the apps get registered through the system, and you can approve, reject, or just let them go through. When I looked at it, it was impossible to manage app control. There was just so much data. I didn't apply that service because I just didn't have the time to manage it. It would be good if there was a way to categorize applications."
"Every vendor that sells DNS or firewalls needs to be able to protect against DNS look-up attacks and DNS naming hacks. This is true of Palo Alto as well as others."
"The solution can capture more market if made more cost-competitive than Infoblox or Cisco Umbrella."
"I'm not really sure what needs improvement. The only hiccup I've really seen is a couple of the DNS requests get flagged as the Sophos traffic instead of DNS traffic, but that's more of their app detection in the DNS Security. I haven't really seen any issues with the DNS security."
"With Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, sometimes the DNS clients don't work well, and they get disconnected, making it an area where improvements are required."
"There should be an on-premise version of this solution."
"The installation is more complex because the solution has another approach to security."
"We would like to have cloud-based management."
"The scalability can be improved."
More Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Pricing and Cost Advice →
Cisco Umbrella is ranked 1st in Domain Name System (DNS) Security with 108 reviews while Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is ranked 4th in Domain Name System (DNS) Security with 12 reviews. Cisco Umbrella is rated 8.8, while Palo Alto Networks DNS Security 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 Palo Alto Networks DNS Security writes "Enhances our internal DNS and that it blocks malicious DNS queries". Cisco Umbrella is most compared with Zscaler Internet Access, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet FortiGate SWG and Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, whereas Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is most compared with Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection, Infoblox BloxOne Threat Defense, EfficientIP DNS Firewall, DNSFilter and Akamai Secure Internet Access Enterprise. See our Cisco Umbrella vs. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security report.
See our list of best Domain Name System (DNS) Security vendors.
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