Akamai Edge DNS vs Cisco Umbrella comparison

Akamai and Cisco are both solutions in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category. Akamai is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. Akamai holds a 1.8% mindshare in DS, compared to Cisco’s 22.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Akamai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Akamai Edge DNS

Read 2 Akamai Edge DNS reviews

194 Views
161 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Umbrella

Read 111 Cisco Umbrella reviews

6,009 Views
3,772 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Akamai Edge DNS

Cisco Umbrella

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 24, 2024

Cisco Umbrella and Akamai Edge DNS are key players in DNS security solutions. While both offer unique benefits, Cisco Umbrella is often favored for its robust support and cost-efficiency, delivering significant value. Akamai Edge DNS gains attention with its advanced features, appealing to those who prioritize functionality and believe it justifies the cost.

Features: Cisco Umbrella delivers intelligent threat detection, comprehensive security capabilities, and versatile internet access controls, making it ideal for organizations focused on protection. Akamai Edge DNS offers powerful scalability, robust performance, and high availability, suitable for businesses requiring fast response times and reliable DNS services.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Umbrella provides a seamless deployment integrated with existing infrastructure and supported by responsive customer service, making it appealing for quick implementation. Akamai Edge DNS offers straightforward deployment with extensive customer resources, although it may require more initial configuration. Both provide effective assistance, but Cisco’s streamlined approach is attractive to those seeking swift deployment.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Umbrella presents a cost-effective solution with a favorable ROI, benefiting budget-conscious organizations aiming to enhance security. Akamai Edge DNS may have higher costs, yet it provides substantial returns through performance benefits, suited for businesses prioritizing speed and efficiency. Cisco Umbrella often results in quicker financial returns, while Akamai emphasizes long-term performance value.

To learn more, read our detailed Akamai Edge DNS vs. Cisco Umbrella Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Edge DNS vs. Cisco Umbrella

January 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 832,162 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Akamai Edge DNS

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed DNS (9th)

Cisco Umbrella

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

111

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (1st), Internet Security (1st), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) (2nd), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (3rd), Cisco Security Portfolio (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of Akamai Edge DNS is 1.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Umbrella is 22.3%, down from 29.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

reviewer2248722

Ecommerce Architect Manager at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees

Protects against troublesome bots, hackers, and different kinds of attacks

Integrating the tool into our existing network's architecture is a matter of redirecting from the Akamai instance over to a different cloud solution. Our security team is happy with the solution's infrastructure. Some security policies we have with Akamai control the overall configuration there. I've always been impressed with Akamai's overall approach and their suite of offerings. It's definitely a key player in the industry. Akamai is generally pretty innovative in terms of technologies, security level, web application firewall, and bot management. I can't really compare Akamai Edge DNS with other vendors, but I know Akamai does a good job. Akamai Edge DNS is a useful component in our infrastructure, hosting, and application side. I think it's just one of those must-have things. I think Akamai has some of its AI technologies plugged into the overall ecosystem. I haven't read up on it lately, but I'm sure it has some kind of offering for adapting to some of the attacks and keeping track of all the approaches. Akamai is a good vendor that comes up with a lot of innovations to protect against troublesome actors such as bots, hackers, and different kinds of attacks. They generally provide performance hosting and the Edge service to make the user experience for a site perform well and be efficient. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Read full review

Alessandro Braga

Chief Digital Officer at Talent Garden

Has comprehensive reporting and scales easily

The reports and notifications are the most useful part of the platform. As soon as you deploy the security layers, the reporting is very comprehensive. It helps you to have, at a glance, a clear view of what's going on. The integration between Cisco Secure solutions is pretty good. We have been able to deliver the solution in a few days. The integration of Umbrella and Meraki is literally one click away from the customer. One of the reasons why we chose Umbrella was its capability to perform end-to-end detection of malware and web traffic. In the last two years, we have been covered, detection has been faster, and we have been able to contain some potential threats along the way. We use the Umbrella stack from DNS protection to web and content protection. Our workforce is made up of 150 Macs; thus, we use Mac as a client. We have some PCs and integration with the network in our co-working spaces. Utilizing Cisco Secure has helped us save time. Being a nimble organization, we don't have IT staff who are fully dedicated to security. The maintenance is also not very time-consuming. In terms of the amount of time saved, it would be half an FTE a year, given the fact that we are informed and notified when threats arise. In terms of operating expenditures, we have been able to negotiate a better cyber insurance rate with our insurance company due to the fact that we are covered by Umbrella. Another benefit of using Cisco Umbrella is application scanning. We have been able to understand how many other applications we were consuming in the cloud, address them, and save money. Without Cisco Umbrella, we would not have realized that we had so many cloud applications in the company. We have been able to close at least four or five applications that were duplicates of others that we were already using in the company. We have realized approximately 10,000 to 12,000 euros a year of immediate savings in an organization of 150 people, which is quite significant.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It is a very stable solution since it has a security feature that allows you to recover zone files if you accidentally delete them."

"We can maintain control of the configuration, and it seems to be covering the use case that we need."

"It has certainly saved us time. If we go and look at what's rejected on the requests from the hospital itself, it has saved about 5% or 6% time."

"The most valuable features of this solution are the Web Filtering and the APT."

"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."

"I think recently with many people working from home, Cisco Umbrella has been very useful. For example, we can manage the device and the network when the employee is not working on the local host. Cisco Umbrella is very valuable for this kind of infrastructure."

"The implementation is pretty easy."

"The agent that gets installed on the endpoints or on people's laptops and devices is a Cisco AnyConnect Umbrella module. It's one of the most impressive things because you are able to protect your users anywhere they are."

"It is user-friendly. It is easy to manage the solution."

"Using this solution has meant that we've needed to make fewer firewall changes."

More Cisco Umbrella pros

Cons

"The solution has a fairly complex setup with our cloud vendors, including Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle."

"CNAME flattening is a feature that Akamai does not support."

"Overall, I'm quite happy with Cisco products, but there could be one place where you can check what's going on. There could be one place where you get all the information about these products so that you don't need to look around. You get the status, information about what lately happened, and if there was anything on the machine in one single place."

"We faced an issue regarding virtual appliances (VAs) during deployment. They could improve the quality and management of the virtual appliances offered right now. You can't see much because it is a Linux machine, and they have customized it. You don't have any route access to the machine, only seeing limited things in it. When we opened a ticket, they didn't know much about VAs themselves. So, that is where it is lacking right now. I know this will improve in the long run."

"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."

"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."

"Their support should be improved. It is necessary that the support is efficient. It is not really easy to get a resolution for an issue from Cisco support. They should be faster and more efficient."

"There should be a way to monitor traffic at the user level."

"Support for multiple domains is important to us."

"The integration with Cisco could be better."

More Cisco Umbrella cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since Akamai is the industry leader, I imagine the solution would be a little more expensive than some other vendors."

"Cisco has a set price for a single license up to 100, but whenever we get over 100, we have to ask for a quote."

"We did a good negotiation, and at the moment, its price is fine."

"Cisco has a model called ELA. With ELA, if you buy the solution you will have the complete security portfolio and you can pay it yearly or after three years, it depends on the contract."

"I think Cisco Umbrella is priced well. We have a mix of customers with different verticals such as education. We have clients in the commercial space as well. Umbrella is at a good price point for all of our customers."

"Cisco should make the solution cheaper."

"Pricing depends on the automation requirements of the organization."

"When talking about Cisco solutions in general there pricing model is horrible. For example, you can sell a Meraki-based solution, but if the customer starts shopping around, someone is going to have access to the pricing at a level that you cannot compete because they do not have uniform pricing. Not everybody gets fair pricing. Unless you are one of the real major corporations selling the solution your ability to compete is impossible. Cisco will acknowledge the situation and assure you next time it will be in your favor but it never becomes favorable for you. Cisco is not very good in this regard. However, Umbrella is good."

"Pricing and licensing of Cisco Umbrella is a bit confusing because you have to separate the DNS solution and the full-feature solution. Cisco in Portugal helped us understand which one was the right one for us."

More Cisco Umbrella pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Domain Name System (DNS) Security solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

832,162 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

25%

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Akamai Edge DNS?

It is a very stable solution since it has a security feature that allows you to recover zone files if you accidentally delete them.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Akamai Edge DNS?

The solution has a fairly complex setup with our cloud vendors, including Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Akamai Edge DNS?

Some of the use cases we looked at are site forwarding for the root domain to another record so we can maintain control of its overall management.

See all answers

Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Zscaler?

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 functi...

See all answers

Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Microsoft Cloud App Security?

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 intelli...

See all answers

What do you like most about Cisco Umbrella?

Cisco Umbrella is easy to monitor, manage, and deploy.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cloudflare vs Akamai Edge DNS

Compared 30% of the time

IBM NS1 Connect vs Akamai Edge DNS

Compared 17% of the time

Amazon Route 53 vs Akamai Edge DNS

Compared 14% of the time

Infoblox DDI vs Akamai Edge DNS

Compared 9% of the time

Quad9 vs Akamai Edge DNS

Compared 6% of the time

More Akamai Edge DNS Competitors

Zscaler Internet Access vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 19% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 10% of the time

Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 6% of the time

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Umbrella Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Managed DNS

January 2025

Download Akamai Edge DNS product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Umbrella

February 2025

Download Cisco Umbrella product report

Also Known As

Akamai Fast DNS

OpenDNS

Overview

Discover Akamai DNS and its benefits of high availability and performance, and resilience against DDoS attacks backed by a fully guaranteed uptime SLA.

Akamai

Cisco Umbrella delivers rapid DNS security with over 30,000 customers, providing outstanding threat protection and handling more than 600 billion requests daily. It's recognized for high threat efficacy in the SSE domain and integrates elements like SWG, ZTNA, CASB, and more.

Cisco Umbrella is renowned for its effective DNS-layer security against ransomware and phishing. It offers flexible content filtering and integrates seamlessly with existing networks while providing single-pane-of-glass management for centralized monitoring. Its robust threat intelligence and customizable policies are central to its appeal. Users highlight room for improvement in areas like WHOIS data inclusion, malware enhancement, and reporting analytics. Integration with other threat feeds and better client support are requested for more comprehensive coverage.

What are the key features of Cisco Umbrella?

DNS-Layer Security: Blocks malicious domains, preventing ransomware attacks.
Web Content Filtering: Allows users to manage lists for strict content control.
Seamless Integration: Blends with systems like Active Directory and Meraki.
Remote Protection: Keeps remote users safe across different locations.
Single-Pane Management: Facilitates effective monitoring and reporting.

What should users expect in reviews about Cisco Umbrella?

Threat Intelligence: Provides comprehensive malware and attack data.
Customizable Policies: Enables tailored security measures for users.
Integration Options: Works with diverse systems for holistic security.
Ease of Use: Offers a straightforward experience for administrators.
Remote Worker Security: Ensures protection outside traditional networks.

Industries implement Cisco Umbrella primarily for DNS-level security, web filtering, and protecting remote employees. It strengthens cybersecurity frameworks by blocking malware and avoiding access to harmful sites. The tool is widely integrated with Active Directory and Cisco Meraki, providing consistent internet security for employees.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Otto Group

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

Buyer's Guide

Akamai Edge DNS vs. Cisco Umbrella

January 2025

Free Report: Akamai Edge DNS vs. Cisco Umbrella

Find out what your peers are saying about Akamai Edge DNS vs. Cisco Umbrella and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

832,162 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Akamai Edge DNS vs. Cisco Umbrella 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.