Cisco Umbrella vs Palo Alto Networks DNS Security comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Aug 1, 2023

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. 

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Umbrella vs. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 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
"Threats never come close to your network with security at the DNS level​.""You can manage and create policies based on a group of users. It can permit some URLs and block others.""The most valuable feature of this solution is its reliability.""Overall, it is a very good solution. It is a simple solution and very easy to set up.""The single-pane-of-glass management is very important. We have a very small team. We can't spend a lot of time going from product to product to product to either investigate or set up policy. We need to have one place that we can go to and set everything up.""I haven't needed to reboot the servers for years due to their excellent stability.""If it didn't have a single pane of glass, we would not be using it. The single pane of glass gives you a one-stop shop. It's like going to Home Depot. You find all your stuff there. You can see all your threats and your endpoints. It's a very important feature and makes things very simple.""When it comes to hybrid work it's pretty effective. We've got the agents. We can protect people inside our building and, when they're using their laptops out in the field, they're still protected. It's working well."

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"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.""So, in general, it's very stable because the process to deliver new features and new releases in not so long...I rate the scalability a nine out of ten.""The most valuable feature is DNS filtering.""Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a stable solution.""The product is easy to install.""We now have insight into our DNS requests and we can actively see how many thousands of malicious requests have gotten knocked down in the last day or week that we didn't have before. There's more insight for both security and more insight.""DNS sinkhole is a valuable feature.""The support team has good knowledge about the solution."

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Cons
"The integration with Cisco could be better.""There are a couple of interface issues. I know that they say that there are feature enhancements that are noted. For example, we've got the Cisco Meraki security appliances, and there, we geofence our company to where we're allowed to send and receive traffic. So, in our case, by default, we only allow traffic to six different countries, which allows us to effectively prevent traffic for the majority of bad players in the world, but they don't give you an easy way to do that in Cisco Umbrella. With Cisco Meraki, I can specify or pick the countries. I can say that I want to only allow traffic from these six countries, and I'm done. With Cisco Umbrella, I have to rely on the fact that they're going to prevent traffic to other countries. They're going to decide if it's good or bad.""It would be good to have more extensions to third-party products and a client for other device types.""The pricing changes too fast. We get the license and we need to relicense it because they already made changes to it. We always need to be on top of the licenses because they're always changing.""The design of the screens could be improved. Sometimes you're trying to look for information, for what you think is critical that should be on that first screen of the dashboard so that you can quickly take screenshots to have people help out, but you have to hop between screens to find little pieces of evidence.""There are cheaper solutions in the market""The firewall capabilities could be better. Cisco is starting to introduce some layer 7 capabilities now, but there's still some room to grow. They should continue with the development of Umbrella so that it is a full-blown cloud-managed firewall solution.""I would like for their support to be faster."

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"The solution can capture more market if made more cost-competitive than Infoblox or Cisco Umbrella.""We would like to have cloud-based management.""The solution’s scalability could be improved.""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.""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.""The installation is more complex because the solution has another approach to security.""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.""Pricing is one of the areas of concern in Palo Alto Networks DNS Security since it is an expensive product. I feel that the product's pricing is an area that could be improved."

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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 →

  • "There is an annual license for the solution and I am satisfied with the pricing."
  • "It is not an expensive solution."
  • "The product is expensive compared to Fortinet."
  • "Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is an expensive product. I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten points are expensive."
  • "The solution's pricing is equal to Cisco AMP or Cisco Umbrella."
  • "The product is expensive. My company makes payments on a quarterly basis towards the solution's costs."
  • More Palo Alto Networks DNS Security 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: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.
    Top Answer:I use the product for mobile devices, laptops, and computer users.
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    8.9
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    9.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    OpenDNS
    Learn More
    Palo Alto Networks
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    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.

    Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a solution that can stop attackers from abusing DNS for malicious activities like data theft, command and control, phishing, and ransomware. The solution offers organizations automated protections, prevents attackers from bypassing security measures, and eliminates the need for independent tools.

    Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Features

    Palo Alto Networks DNS Security has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Full protection: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security uses deep learning algorithms that predict and identify new and advanced threats to offer protection against sophisticated DNS-based attacks.
    • Comprehensive visibility: With the solution, you gain complete visibility into your organization’s blind spots to prevent attacks from exploiting your network and stealing your data.
    • Real-time prevention: The solution includes real-time analysis and can identify millions of malicious domains before an attack even happens.
    • Native integration with your NGFW (Next Generation Firewall): You don’t have to reroute your DNS traffic or work through lengthy change management processes to deploy the solution.
    • Category-based action: The solution allows you to create policies specific to DNS traffic types. All DNS queries are checked against Palo Alto’s scalable cloud database to determine appropriate enforcement actions.
    • SaaS Security: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security delivers integrated SaaS security that lets you see and secure new SaaS applications, protect data, and prevent zero-day threats at the lowest TCO.

    Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing Palo Alto Networks DNS Security. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Saves time and money: The solution helps you reduce costs and extend your NGFW investment by saving time in operations with a single coordinated network security stack for all alerts, policies, rule violations, IDPS, web security, malware analysis, and DNS.
    • Uninterrupted security innovations: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security seamlessly adds new detection, prevention, and analytics capabilities without requiring reconfiguration.
    • Optimized security posture: The solution’s Security Analytics dashboard ensures protection for NGFWs with significant DNS traffic.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it has remarkable anti-hacking features, excellent stability, provides valuable insights, and has good DNS filtering.

    A Senior Technical Project Manager at a university explains why he likes the solution: “They have anti-hacking features which are quite useful. They have virus protection within the firewall. The stability is excellent and the product is very mature.”

    Others express how the solution has been valuable in providing insights. A Network Engineer at an educational organization says, “We can actively see how many thousands of malicious requests have gotten knocked down in the last day or week that we didn't know about before.”

    “The solution has good DNS filtering, is scalable, and highly-integrated,” mentions a Group Network Specialist at a financial services firm.

    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
    Information Not Available
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Educational Organization6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Educational Organization16%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm14%
    University14%
    Educational Organization14%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Government8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business38%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise26%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business36%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise55%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise61%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco Umbrella vs. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Umbrella vs. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    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 11 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 "The solution is affordable, easy to configure, and blocks malicious domains". 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.

    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.