I use it for my private work network and Office 365 network for both DNS and access through Cloudflare.
Owner at Hga consulting
Convenient for managing different networks
Pros and Cons
- "Its ease of integration with Office 365 and the fact that it's a good product compared to what I had before"
- "An integrated SSO feature would be useful for Cloudflare DNS."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Its ease of integration with Office 365 and the fact that it's a good product compared to what I had before.
What needs improvement?
An integrated SSO would be nice, as well as the ability to integrate with the on-site active directory instead of just AD through Azure AD.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cloudflare DNS for two years.
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How are customer service and support?
Their documentation is awesome, so I haven't had to deal with their tech support before. I would rate my experience with customer service as excellent, maybe an eight or nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What other advice do I have?
I would say try it out, and if you like it, use it. I would rate it very good, a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Consultant, Business Owner, Lecturer at a tech consulting company with 10,001+ employees
It improved the speed of my site significantly, reducing the page loading times to appropriate levels, but there were a few times when some of their CDN nodes would fail.
What is most valuable?
- CDN
- Security
How has it helped my organization?
One of my projects, ancient-origins.net, gets 3 million views per month, so serving the page fast is an important element. Using the CDN of Cloudflare improved the speed significantly, reducing the page loading times to appropriate levels. Additionally their security features make sure to block attacks on our site.
What needs improvement?
Their CDN features, although good, still lack in speed in comparison to their competitors (e.g. Incapsula, MaxCDN, etc.).
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using it for almost one year.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues with the deployment. Their process is pretty simple and fast.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Yes, there were a few times when some of their CDN nodes would fail, creating serious speed issues with the site without any warning or notification from their side. Also, many times, even if our server is working properly, Cloudflare would report it as being down.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No scalability issues so far.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
I would give them a 9/10. They respond pretty fast to requests.
Technical Support:I would give an 8/10 to their technical support. We haven’t had many issues, but when we do, it appears that sometimes they are not willing to look deeper into them to try and find a solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used MaxCDN, but we switched to Cloudflare because MaxCDN lacks security features.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward and doesn’t require any technical knowledge, since everything is done on their site.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was done in-house, since it is a simple process.
What was our ROI?
This is difficult to calculate; however, improving the page loading speed always impacts the traffic on a site positively.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The original setup cost was zero, and the monthly cost is around $30 for three sites using the Business Cloudflare plan.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated MaxCDN and Incapsula.
What other advice do I have?
If your budget is low, then Cloudflare is the only cost effective solution, at least to begin with. The best combination of CDN and security features at a low price. At a slightly higher budget, Incapsula may be a better solution especially since they provide a faster CDN and better security features.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Analista de Infraestrutura SêniorAnalista at Unifique Telecomunicações
Good agility and security with a great load balancer
Pros and Cons
- "The web application firewall brought us good security and a view of the accesses/blocks of the entire domain and subdomain that were accessed both by region (country) and IPs."
- "Cloudflare could offer a better view or maybe dashboards of the main resources used in the client."
What is our primary use case?
The first use case was to administer the main domain of the organization where I worked.
We have the entire registration process for the main domain and its subdomains, and we create web application firewall (WAF) and load balancer rules.
We did a major MX migration from Google to Microsoft, and doing that with Cloudflare has given us immense security.
This domain also started to visualize improper accesses from other countries and monitor where the main accesses came from.
We made some blocks of administrator sites that only be accessed by a specific IP.
How has it helped my organization?
Cloudflare's solution brought us more agility, security, and confidence in managing the environment.
We have seen that there are very few failures or almost none that occur on the Cloudflare servers, and if they occur, the accesses are distributed to another region.
We like that we have a view of where the main accesses came from, such as the main countries, and also what was being blocked by the web application firewall (WAF)
Creating a rule to limit some admin access also improved the security and integrity of our environment.
What is most valuable?
The features we used the most were the web application firewall and the load balancer. These two services were essential for our structure.
The web application firewall brought us good security and a view of the accesses/blocks of the entire domain and subdomain that were accessed both by region (country) and IPs.
As for the load balancer, it did its job perfectly. Our scenario consisted of two web servers in different allocations to control access demands, and the load balancer did the job as expected, bringing security and stability to access points.
What needs improvement?
Cloudflare could offer a better view or maybe dashboards of the main resources used in the client.
For example, it could be possible to create dashboards and reports of the main accesses allowed or blocked by the web application firewall. It would also be nice to bring information on the client's screen about the status of the services according to the hosted region.
Of the services that I use, this is the part that I miss. Other services are in agreement and serving me perfectly as they should be.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cloudflare for about three or four years.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Technical Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Helps to create DNS records and connect Cloudflare to the original server
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the solution is external DNS. It is also very secure. They have their own main server and once you configure it, the product takes care of everything. There are no issues in resolving IPs and low latency is also present."
- "The tool needs to improve caching of servers. The product needs to include PFX certificate as well."
What is our primary use case?
The product helps to create DNS records and connect Cloudflare to the original server. You can also do load balancing configuration. I work with SaaS solutions.
How has it helped my organization?
In a single product and with minimal costs, you can get multiple features.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is external DNS. It is also very secure. They have their own main server and once you configure it, the product takes care of everything. There are no issues in resolving IPs and low latency is also present.
What needs improvement?
The tool needs to improve caching of servers. The product needs to include PFX certificate as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am using the product for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable and my company has around 5000 users for the tool.
How are customer service and support?
The product's support needs to be improved since they do not provide proper answers in the required time.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
To deploy the solution, you need to enable the Cloudflare dashboard and create a container. After creating the container, you can create Cloudflare DNS records. You need to have Cloudflare CDN to reach your internal servers. The product's deployment will be lengthier for less experienced resources. It takes about 24 hours to complete the deployment process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product's pricing is minimal compared to other products.
What other advice do I have?
The product requires maintenance from time to time. I would rate the product a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
Independent Consultant at Unaikui
A firewall solution with CDN and DDoS protection
Pros and Cons
- "Cloudflare offers CDN and DDoS protection. We have the front end, API, and database in how you structure applications."
- "The pricing could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Cloudflare is typically a firewall. There are several editions available, such as the free edition.
What is most valuable?
Cloudflare offers CDN and DDoS protection. We have the front end, API, and database in how you structure applications.
What needs improvement?
The pricing could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cloudflare for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability is good.
I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
We never need to contact customer service.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and takes a few hours. One person can do that.
What about the implementation team?
I did the deployment myself as a solution architect.
What other advice do I have?
You might be on the free edition, depending on your chosen edition. With the free edition, you receive the top ten protection services.
If Microsoft offered something similar to Cloudflare at the same price, it would be much better because you're already on Azure utilizing resources for CI/CD and transitioning to Cloudflare. From the most basic functionalities to the highest level, they are all awesome if you prevent unauthorized access to your website data through penetration testing.
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Sr. Cloud Solution Architect at Green Point Technology Services (I) Pvt. Ltd
A cloud DNS solution for all products hosted on Azure with simple to use DNS server
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable, and the DNS servers are simple to use."
- "Cloudflare should add more documentation and pricing to the cloud version."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for all our products hosted on Azure.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable, and the DNS servers are simple to use.
What needs improvement?
Cloudflare should add more documentation and pricing to the cloud version.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cloudflare DNS for nine years, since 2014.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We never faced any problems with scalability. We’ve 100-200 users using the solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and takes 15-20 minutes to complete if you want to start a new one.
Deployment is pretty straightforward when you take a domain. You need to set the DNS to Cloudflare. Once that is done, it hardly takes one or two minutes to take effect. We first pointed to Cloudflare as our DNS. From there, it took a pretty simple configuration for our web browser.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed the solution by ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the free tier of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
When we started, Cloudflare was the best solution for us. We were using the free service, and it was working well. We never considered switching to Azure DNS because Cloudflare met our needs. Azure DNS has improved recently, and they now offer free SSL domain registration on App Services.
Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
COO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The API gives us the ability to remote control our DNS settings. We need templates and profiles badly.
What is most valuable?
The API gives us the ability to remote control our DNS settings. With many platforms, such as PF-Sense integrating with CloudFlare, it’s an invaluable tool for things such as Dynamic DNS, Let’s Encrypt DNS-01 Challenge, or even as a rapid counter-measure when traffic diversion is needed.
The speed of everything CloudFlare is extreme. The UI is fast, responsive, and updates seem to be pretty much instant. But the biggest benefit, when mentioning speed, is that you can teach anyone in less than 20 minutes how to use it. This even includes your drunken janitor. Try that with AWS.
The Simplicity. When I mention the simplicity, it’s because of the limited information you are presented with at every screen. Although I hate the endless scrolling when searching for a function, I fully understand that less tech-savvy individuals probably have an easier time dealing with less information being thrown at them as they sift through the pile of setting CloudFlare offers. The features, functions, and terminology are also very well and clearly explained, if not almost cut out in cardboard for the reader to understand.
How has it helped my organization?
CloudFlare made it easier for us to manage our client’s DNS. With their outstanding UI, we have been able to reduce human errors and get a better overview of our DNS and security.
What needs improvement?
- We need templates and profiles badly for the whole setup and multi-user support with rights management.
- They need to fix their extensions and integrations faster.
- They need to add more sub-level API keys.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used CloudFlare for some twenty months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We did have stability issues a few times, but it’s hard to tell. They don’t always seem open about disclosing it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We never had scalability issues.
How are customer service and technical support?
I rate technical support quite badly. The support person had a hard time understanding my issue.
But to be fair, we gave up on support from major enterprises a long time ago.
Now we don’t even bother. It simply takes too long time to get escalated to Level-1 support where you can have a meaningful conversation.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had many previous solutions and that’s why we switched.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was super simple, and it still is.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We don’t have advice, since we mostly rely on their free services such as DNS hosting. In general, their pricing is fair, but the price scaling is way too steep. For example, to go from 200 to 5000 dollars does not make any sense at all.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I believe I reviewed Radware for scrubbing and GratisDNS for DNS.
What other advice do I have?
- Never put your eggs in one basket. Make sure that you have a contingency plan for DNS.
- Make sure that you can rapidly move domains off CloudFlare. This can be done with scripting from your existing registrar, or with GoDaddy/CFR/Route53, which is a good triangle for speedy moves.
- Keep an eye on GEO statistics on your important domains and make sure that you are able to provide a quick regional alternative.
- Spread out domains over multiple accounts and different CloudFlare Servers.
- Route53 is a good alternative to CloudFlare.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager- Secure Web Defense- Perimeter Security at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
A security SaaS provider that protects from application layer attacks, but its console should be made more user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "Cloudflare is a security SaaS provider that provides security and protects us from any application layer attack."
- "Cloudflare's console should be made more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cloudflare for security and delivery.
What is most valuable?
Cloudflare is a security SaaS provider that provides security and protects us from any application layer attack. Feature-wise, Cloudflare is fairly good.
What needs improvement?
Cloudflare's console should be made more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cloudflare for about two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cloudflare's stability is fair enough, and I haven't encountered any problems with the platform's stability.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Akamai is more user-friendly and easy to configure on the UI for a new person. Imperva is also a good solution that provides most of the features Akamai provides.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cloudflare's pricing is not much higher and is good for middle-level organizations.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with the cloud version of Cloudflare.
I would advise users to explore Cloudflare and Imperva parallelly because they both stand on the same ground regarding security. In Imperva, there is no version control on their console, which was concerning for me.
Overall, I rate Cloudflare a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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