Cisco Duo vs Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks comparison

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1,640 views|1,209 comparisons
94% willing to recommend
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9,310 views|6,390 comparisons
91% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Aug 1, 2023

We compared Duo Security and Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks across several parameters based on our users' reviews. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below:

  • Ease of Deployment: Users found Duo Security's initial setup to be simple and fast, thanks to the helpful documentation and user-friendly interface. In contrast, Prisma Access's setup was more diverse in terms of complexity and duration. Some users found it easy, while others needed expertise and assistance.
  • Features: Dup Security offers two-factor authentication, single-pane-of-glass management, integration capabilities, and reliable support. Prisma Access provides user accessibility, security features, integration capabilities, global presence, and millions of daily security updates.
  • Room for Improvement: Duo Security has room for improvement in terms of compatibility with other vendors, user-specific permissions, password-free login option, and technical support. On the other hand, Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks could benefit from enhancements in user interface, automation, and geographic coverage.
  • Pricing: Duo Security has a flexible and affordable setup cost, although it may be expensive for small businesses. Prisma Access, on the other hand, is generally considered to be on the higher side in terms of cost, but its quality and features justify it. The licensing model for Prisma Access is described as complicated, while Duo Security is praised for its simplicity and ease.
  • ROI: Duo Security enhances security measures, defends against cyber threats, and lowers expenses, resulting in a favorable return on investment. Prisma Access provides cost advantages, identifies vulnerabilities, and instills confidence in senior personnel.
  • Service and Support: Duo Security's customer service is highly regarded for its quick problem-solving and remote assistance. However, without a service agreement, response times may be slower. On the other hand, Prisma Access has received varied feedback, with some users recommending enhancements in technical support.

Comparison Results: Duo Security is praised for its easy setup, user-friendly interface, and detailed documentation. It excels in providing two-factor authentication and integration capabilities. However, it needs improvement in terms of compatibility, user-specific permissions, and technical support. On the other hand, Prisma Access is highly valued for its accessibility, strong security features, and global performance. It offers protection for all app traffic and integrates well with other Palo Alto platforms. However, it can be challenging to configure and has mixed reviews regarding customer support. Duo Security is considered competitively priced, while Prisma Access is seen as more expensive but worth it for its quality. 

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Duo vs. Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,857 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
"Duo Security provides a high level of certainty regarding the identity of the individual performing an action. Whether it's logging into a system, using VPN, or utilizing Autopay, establishing that trust is crucial. I can't imagine any security company, organization, or IT team that wouldn't prioritize having multifactor authentication enabled when accessing critical systems.""It was a simple way of providing two-factor authentication for remote access when we hit the COVID pandemic. It was very easy and quick to get it going.""It provides single-pane-of-glass management, which is pretty easy and straightforward. Because we manage multiple access tiers, it allows us to essentially manage everything from one viewpoint and not have many viewpoints for the same product. This is important because it is a time and resource saver. It also saves us money.""The most valuable features of Duo Security are visibility and OTP authentication. The OTP is very important because it is a self-enrollment feature, you are able to enroll users very quickly with a shorter time period.""The app has greater stability than rival solutions such as Google Authenticator, and Duo Push authentication is a valuable feature.""Multifactor authentication and secure two-factor authentication are the most valuable features. It's been around for a while, but now it's becoming an enforced behavior as opposed to something that you used to do as optional.""We were considering purchasing other products, like AMP for Endpoints, and it was not properly integrated with the firewall function. It might be better now with SecureX.""The single pane of glass management works very well. That feature is very important because we have a lot of admins who have to manage Duo, and it's much easier when it's a single pane of glass. That single pane is also great because it's easy to enroll new devices."

More Cisco Duo Pros →

"The Autonomous Digital Experience Management (ADEM) offered by Palo Alto is a good reporting tool. It gives insights into how things are going within the network. It takes all the data from the users' endpoints and does an analysis, and it suggests changes as well.""The performance is good.""The solution also provides traffic analysis, threat prevention, URL filtering, and segmentation. That combination is important because it enhances the protection and makes the traffic more secure. It also keeps things more up-to-date, enabling us to deal with more of the current threats.""The remediation process is easy compared to other platforms.""It's much faster and more secure than legacy solutions. It is also quite stable and scalable as well. We are able to see all the traffic in one place.""This solution provides a DLP on the cloud and very few people have a scanning device for data at rest.""Its hands-off security and the fact that we don't have to maintain it are the most valuable features.""It has predefined or preconfigured rules, which are getting periodically updated. They are providing continuous improvements and periodically updating all search queries that they are looking for. That is one thing that helps us to stay vigilant and focused. If we query our AWS account for any breaches or vulnerabilities with any of the cloud tests, and it alerts us based on these predefined rules. It also provides an option to configure our own rules, and based on these rules, it can query the cloud trail logs, pull the information, and trigger alerts in real-time. I haven't explored this feature much because there are multiple accounts, and we don't have enough time to explore this feature. It also provides multiple integrations. When vulnerabilities or breaches are happening, you should be aware of them immediately. It provides integration with tools such as Slack, PagerDuty so that you can get alerted as soon as the high severity stuff comes up. For example, you have a security group that has allowed public traffic on port 22. As TechOps, you should be aware of this immediately. You cannot scan each machine or look into all security groups to identify it. So, Prisma helps us and alerts us when this kind of high-priority stuff comes up. It has different statistics, analytics, and graphs for data. The description of alerts is also pretty good. They describe what are the possible causes for this and what are the solutions. From Prisma Cloud, you can directly go to the AWS account. When you click on an alert, a resource, or a resource ID, it takes you to the AWS console where you need to log in. If you are already logged in, it will take you to that instance directly, and you can fix the issue there. I have found this feature very useful."

More Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks Pros →

Cons
"They can make authentication easier. It should be done in a shorter time. Sometimes, it can take a bit more time to get the answer on your phone. You have to wait a bit longer to get the SMS code and other things. There can be some internet or connection issues. They should make it faster because sometimes, it's urgent, and you need to access something as soon as possible.""The only thing I can think of to improve for tech support is to have a dedicated engineer but then I would get an engineer that has priorities in one area or another and maybe not the scope I need.""The new smart license model doesn't always work. It's very complicated.""We already have Active Directory enabled in our routers and switches. However, if we could do two-factor authentication, then it could go a long way since no one's getting into them unless you want them to.""One area that might be improved is that setting up SMS texting is not as easy as using the app, even though it does support it.""Duo Security should have more customized use cases. For example, if a client needs to have more customization, it would be better to connect directly with Duo's R&D to try to discuss the issues together in order to add customizations.""There is a little bit of apprehension for some users thinking, well, "How do I know this app is not collecting personal information from my personal device?"""There might be a little slowness, but that could be my connection."

More Cisco Duo Cons →

"Better integration with the MDM solution would be useful.""One area for improvement is for them to stay on top of keeping their CVEs on their platform up to date.""It wasn't so satisfying to work with it. There is room for improvement in the policy management. It is difficult to cover the entire scenery through Palo Alto products.""The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required. The solution's price should be lowered.""It is a managed firewall. When you run into issues and have to troubleshoot, there is a fair amount of restriction. You run into a couple of restrictions where you don't have any visibility on what is happening on the Palo Alto managed infrastructure, and you need to get on a call to get technical assistance from Palo Alto's technical support. You have to get them to work with you to fix the problem. I would definitely like them to work on the visibility into what happens inside Palo Alto's infrastructure. It is not about getting our hands onto their infrastructure to do troubleshooting or fixing problems; it is just about getting more visibility. This will help us in guiding technical support folks to the area where they need to work.""The licensing model isn't flexible enough. It's an all-or-nothing model. Other providers in the market allow you to buy modules or add-ons separately. With Prisma Access, you have to purchase the same module for all users.""Their next release should provide solutions for the mobile environment.""Sometimes, we encountered a portal crash. When we told Palo Alto they said it might be the browser or cache, but I think they need to improve it on their side."

More Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "During testing we are allowed a certain number of licenses for free."
  • "Its price is reasonable. It is not highly expensive."
  • "Their pricing model is a little bit weird. Currently, there is no price advantage in signing up for yearly contracts. There are no additional costs to the standard licensing costs."
  • "Our licensing fee is currently on an annual basis."
  • "The licensing is very good because it does not cost a lot of money. It's affordable for all-sized customers, including enterprises. There is an additional cost for premium support."
  • "Duo Security is free."
  • "With regard to pricing, for a small business buying a one off, it's pretty expensive. If it's an enterprise that has thousands of employees, however, it's really nothing to protect your data because if your network goes down or it's breached, you're losing millions of dollars every minute. When it comes to a large enterprise, it's priced where it should be because you're talking business to business. You're not talking business to consumer."
  • "Price wise, it's not cheap, but it's not expensive at all either. It's in the middle."
  • More Cisco Duo Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The licensing cost is about 18,000 euros."
  • "Actually the solution is very expensive. I don't know the particulars since the purchasing team dealt with it."
  • "The pricing for this solution is on the higher end."
  • "Compared to other products, the price is slightly high."
  • "This is not an expensive product and everything is included with one license."
  • "Prisma Access is a little bit expensive."
  • "The licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis and for what we get, the price is good."
  • "The solution requires a license and the technical support has extra costs. The licensing model could improve."
  • More Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier Duo Security is easy to configure and… more »
    Top Answer:They are users who, as mentioned before, utilize RDPAP and MDPAP. It includes functionalities related to finance, specifically in single sign-on.
    Top Answer:I am not aware of the pricing. There are two departments, and I don't have any information about them.
    Top Answer: We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure access service edge (SASE) designed to deliver network security in a… more »
    Top Answer:The solution's most valuable features were the model's reduced complexity on the client side and its capability to provide security.
    Ranking
    3rd
    out of 34 in ZTNA as a Service
    Views
    1,640
    Comparisons
    1,209
    Reviews
    43
    Average Words per Review
    758
    Rating
    8.9
    2nd
    out of 34 in ZTNA as a Service
    Views
    9,310
    Comparisons
    6,390
    Reviews
    25
    Average Words per Review
    1,015
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Duo Security
    Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access, Prisma Access, GlobalProtect, Palo Alto GlobalProtect Mobile Security Manager, Prisma SaaS by Palo Alto Networks, Prisma Access
    Learn More
    Overview

    Cisco Duo is a cloud-based access management platform that secures access to all applications, for any user and device, from anywhere. It’s designed to be both easy to use and deploy, while providing complete endpoint visibility and control.

    Duo verifies users' identities with strong passwordless authentication and industry-leading multi-factor authentication. Paired with deep insights into your users’ devices, Duo gives you the policies and control you need to limit access based on endpoint or user risk. Users get a consistent login experience with Duo's single sign-on that delivers centralized access to both on-premises and cloud applications.

    With Duo, you can protect against compromised credentials and risky devices, as well as unwanted access to your applications and data. This combination of user and device trust builds a strong foundation for a zero trust security model.

    Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks provides consistent security for all users and applications across your remote networks. Prisma Access grants users safe access to the cloud and data center applications and the internet as well. In addition, the solution combines all of your security and networking capabilities into a single cloud-delivered platform, enabling flexible hybrid workforces.

    Prisma Access can be managed two ways:

    1. Cloud Managed
    2. Panorama Managed

    Prisma Access delivers both networking and security services, including:

    • SD-WAN
    • VPN
    • Zero Trust network access (ZTNA)
    • Quality of service (QoS)
    • Clean Pipe
    • Firewall as a service (FWaaS)
    • DNS Security
    • Threat Prevention
    • Cloud secure web gateway (SWG)
    • Data loss prevention (DLP)
    • Cloud access security broker (CASB)

    Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks Features

    Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks has many valuable key features including: App-ID, User-ID, Device-ID, SSL Decryption, Dynamic User Group (DUG) Monitoring, AI/ML-Based Detection, IoT Security, Reporting, URL Filtering, Enterprise Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM)*, Logging, Policy Automation, Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), and many more.

    Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks include:

    • Security: Prisma Access gives you consistent security to protect against cyberattacks, with enforcement of policy at every location. By implementing Prisma Access, you also gain protection that works to prevent known and unknown malware, exploits, credential theft, command and control, and many other attack vectors across all ports and protocols.

    • Global connectivity: Prisma Access provides global coverage through use of its connectivity layer.

    • Scalability: With Prisma Access, scaling is automatically managed and is scalable, flexible, and agile.

    • Instant deployment: Deployment is fast, eliminating wasted time that may otherwise be associated with setting up a solution, operating it, or shipping hardware in order to get started.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics

    users who are currently using the solution.

    PeerSpot user Partha D., Global Network Tech Lead at a computer software company, speaks about his experience using the product, saying, "It protects all app traffic so that users can gain access to all apps. Unlike other solutions that only work from ports 80 and 443, which are predominantly for web traffic, Prisma Access covers all protocols and works on all traffic patterns... The most sophisticated attacks can arise from sources that are not behind 80/443."

    Tejas J., a Sr. Cloud Security Architect at a computer software company, mentions that "it is geographically dispersed, and it sits on top of Google and AWS platforms. Therefore, you don't face the standard issues, such as latency or bandwidth issues, that you usually face in the case of on-prem data centers.

    Another PeerSpot reviewer, Max I., Associate Director at Cognizant, comments that "Security is absolutely spot-on, really top-notch. It's the result of all the components that come together, such as the HIP [Host Information Profile] and components like Forcepoint, providing end-user content inspection, and antivirus. It incorporates DLP features and that's fantastic because Prisma Access makes sure that all of the essential prerequisites are in place before a user can log in or can be tunneled into."

    Sample Customers
    Concord Hospital, State of Colorado, Essilor International, RheinLand Versicherungsgruppe, University of Westminster, Universidade Nove de Julho, SPAR Austria, CAME Group, ZipRealty, Greenhill & Co., IKT Agder, Aviva Stadium, Animal Logic, Management & Training Corporation, Brigham Young University Hawaii, School District of Chilliwack
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    Government6%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company46%
    Manufacturing Company12%
    Pharma/Biotech Company4%
    University4%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business32%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise47%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise57%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business29%
    Midsize Enterprise29%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise68%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Duo vs. Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Duo vs. Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco Duo is ranked 3rd in ZTNA as a Service with 55 reviews while Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks is ranked 2nd in ZTNA as a Service with 57 reviews. Cisco Duo is rated 8.8, while Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco Duo writes "Helps reduce the risk of a breach and is easy to deploy and onboard". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks writes "Integration with Palo Alto platforms such as Cortex Data Lake and Autofocus gives us visibility into our attack surface". Cisco Duo is most compared with Microsoft Entra ID, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, Fortinet FortiToken, Yubico YubiKey and UserLock, whereas Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks is most compared with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, Netskope , Cisco Umbrella, Zscaler Internet Access and Prisma SD-WAN. See our Cisco Duo vs. Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks report.

    See our list of best ZTNA as a Service vendors.

    We monitor all ZTNA as a Service 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.