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.
One of Cisco Umbrella's primary advantages is its ability to protect users regardless of their location. The platform also simplifies security measures by integrating them into one product, making deployment easy. The dashboard is user-friendly and provides valuable insights into user behavior and potential security threats. Integration with other solutions also improves administration and troubleshooting processes, while remote browser isolation protects against harmful downloads. DNS filtering and malware protection are crucial features that prevent reputational damage, and the ability to manage policies based on user groups is important for organizations. The platform is user-friendly and provides a comprehensive view of security measures, making it easy to manage.
Cisco Umbrella's global network can still expand and improve, particularly by addressing bandwidth limitations for large offices and simplifying its offerings for easier telecom sales. Enhancements are needed in support, user-friendliness, and integration with products like Cisco Secure Firewall. Simplification of reporting, licensing standardization, and support response could enhance the user experience. The dashboard should offer more detail and customization, and the process for blocking sites and user role assignment could be streamlined. The product should adopt features common in competing applications, improve virtual appliance quality, and ensure a more intuitive design. Deployment practices, including ready-to-use templates and on-prem coordination with ISPs, require improvement, as do interface, hardware integrations, and pricing strategies.
Calculating Cisco Umbrella's ROI is challenging and varies depending on the organization. Some reviewers have seen an ROI in terms of time savings, operational issues, and threat mitigation, while others have not yet seen an ROI. The product's ability to block malicious sites and reduce risk has resulted in increased productivity and fewer operational issues, leading to a visible ROI for some organizations. The solution's ability to catch vulnerabilities and remediate threats quickly has also been beneficial. The ROI is difficult to quantify, but the product's effectiveness and value have led to license renewals and increased adoption.
Cisco Umbrella's pricing and licensing structure are generally considered to be in line with industry standards, although some users find it confusing or expensive. Some users believe that Cisco solutions in general are expensive, while others feel that the price is fair for the value provided. Partners and educational institutions often receive better pricing structures. Some users have negotiated the prices with Cisco. There are mixed opinions on whether the pricing is transparent and whether there are hidden costs. Overall, the pricing is seen as acceptable or competitive with other security solutions on the market.
Various companies and organizations use Cisco Umbrella for multiple purposes, including upgrading to a newer version, providing security outside premises, protecting against malware and phishing, providing a consistent experience for employees whether they are at home or in the office, replacing web proxies, filtering web content and DNS requests, controlling user access to applications, monitoring user activity, blocking phishing links and managing risky websites, and securing the web surfing channel. Cisco Umbrella is also used for DNS security, integrating with Active Directory, and ensuring secure internet access for both internal and roaming clients. It is praised for being a simple and effective product that works seamlessly in the background, providing insights into user browsing behaviors and allowing for easy policy configuration and integration with other Cisco products.
Customers have generally positive experiences with Cisco Umbrella's customer service and support. Many rate their technical support highly, with some giving them a 10 out of 10. Customers appreciate the quick and helpful responses from the support team, although some mention that response times could be better for non-urgent issues. Additionally, some customers report good experiences with Cisco partners, while others have had difficulty getting support without a current maintenance contract. Overall, customers rate Cisco Umbrella's customer service and support between an eight and a ten out of ten.
Cisco Umbrella's initial setup is generally easy and straightforward, with most reviewers reporting that deployment can be done in a matter of days or even minutes. Some reviewers highlight the convenience of integrating Umbrella with other Cisco products, particularly Meraki, which can significantly improve deployment speed. The cloud-based platform also makes maintenance and upgrades simple, with little to no maintenance required on the user's end. However, a few reviewers note that some technical knowledge is required for deployment, particularly in regard to DNS filtering and virtual machines. Nonetheless, the majority of reviewers found the initial setup to be hassle-free and user-friendly.
Cisco Umbrella can accommodate future growth and can handle any number of users without compromising performance. The solution is simple to deploy, and the heavy work of processing is done on Cisco's cloud platform, ensuring 100% uptime. Umbrella is highly scalable and can be deployed on different sites of a company, making it suitable for larger organizations. The scalability is good, and there are no limitations to its scalability. It scales based on policies, users, and deployment basis, making it easy to add more users when needed. The solution is highly scalable at the cloud level, and it is available in different licenses, allowing organizations to choose the one that suits their needs.
The stability of Cisco Umbrella is generally well-regarded, with many users reporting little to no issues with uptime or performance. Some users have experienced occasional minor problems or brief outages, but overall the solution is considered very stable and reliable. Several users commented on the ease of maintaining network connectivity with Umbrella, and the service's cloud-based nature is seen as a key factor in its stability.
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?
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.
Cisco Umbrella was previously known as OpenDNS.
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