Digital Guardian vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform comparison

Fortra and Zscaler are both solutions in the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) category. Fortra is ranked #17 with an average rating of 4.5, while Zscaler is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.4. Fortra holds a 2.7% mindshare in DLP, compared to Zscaler’s 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of Fortra users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Zscaler users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Digital Guardian and Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform are major players in the cybersecurity market. While Digital Guardian is valued for its data protection strengths, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform outshines with its extensive security features and network visibility, influencing many to opt for it despite any cost and support concerns.

Features: Digital Guardian is known for data loss prevention, endpoint protection, and built-in endpoint detection and response. Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform excels with its zero trust architecture, robust malware scanning, and web filtering capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Digital Guardian can enhance its ease of deployment and user interface intuitiveness. It could also benefit from more advanced threat detection features. Zscaler could improve by offering more straightforward integration with legacy systems, enhanced client support for initial setup, and reduced solution complexity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Digital Guardian offers a straightforward on-premises deployment with knowledgeable support. Zscaler, with its cloud-based model, simplifies deployment and management, making it scalable and accessible, coupled with efficient customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Digital Guardian's setup costs are higher due to its data protection features but offers strong ROI in data-secure environments. Zscaler might be more expensive initially, yet it often justifies its cost through enhanced network security ROI, especially in broader security frameworks.

To learn more, read our detailed Digital Guardian vs. Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Digital Guardian vs. Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

June 2026

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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

Cloudflare One

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) category, the mindshare of Cloudflare One is 2.0%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Digital Guardian is 2.7%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform is 4.0%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform	4.0%
Digital Guardian	2.7%
Cloudflare One	2.0%
Other	91.3%

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Featured Reviews

Cobe Van Coller

Network Architect at IP Dimension

Cloud security has improved remote access and has reduced costs for smaller client sites

I have used Cloudflare One's Identity-Aware Proxy, and it is quite straightforward from what I have seen so far. The app registration on the Azure side integrates fully into Cloudflare, and I am very satisfied with that part because it is easy to set up. The integration of Cloudflare One's Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access works without any issues. That part is pretty automatic, and if you complete the rest of the setup, it comes together by itself with no issues from my side. What makes it nice is that we can actually start replacing on-site firewalls at this stage for the smaller clients because it does not matter if they go to a coffee shop or work from home; they are still secured by the same connection. The hops get shorter and you get better latency. We have done testing to see if it is better. One thing that we did notice with our proof of concept with our current client is that they have people connecting from the UK. When they used their previous VPN solution, uploading CAD drawings and other files to the server took a long time. They mentioned that it is much quicker on Cloudflare One's solution. I definitely believe that is part of the improved performance, and I am satisfied with that as well. What is nice about Cloudflare One is that it makes the setup easier and also easier to train technicians to maintain it. Compared to legacy systems, we do not need to get fancy firewalls in place that are costly. That is definitely also a cost-saver with Cloudflare One.

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Syed Mubeen

Cyber Security Researcher at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Enterprise data protection has supported regulatory compliance and integrates with classification tools

In terms of functionality, many features are valuable in Digital Guardian, as the first thing for most customers is that they are using solutions such as Boldon James and Titus, which fall under the classification side, and Digital Guardian can easily integrate with this data classification solution and has a very granular level of configuration and policy tuning. Digital Guardian's data protection policies are indeed useful for my clients. Regarding Digital Guardian, I find it to be a very good solution, and in fact, it is an enterprise-level solution that has very tight integration with most of the products, with Fortra but also with others.

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Vibin Thomas

Technical Team Lead - Content Security at Valuepoint Systems

Zero trust access has transformed remote connectivity and now simplifies secure app usage

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, especially Zscaler Private Access, is very strong, though there are a few areas where improvements can be made. One challenge observed is around initial troubleshooting and visibility. While Zscaler Private Access provides logs, it can sometimes take time to pinpoint the exact cause of access issues, especially in complex environments with multiple policies and identity integration. Another area is the dependency on identity and connector health. Since Zscaler Private Access is heavily reliant on app connectors and identity providers, any issues with these components can impact user access, making proper monitoring critical. During the initial setup, policy configuration and application onboarding require careful planning, especially for larger environments with many applications. These challenges are manageable with proper design and monitoring. Overall, the platform delivers strong security and user experience. I would recommend a few improvements, especially around user interface, reporting, and troubleshooting experience. From a user interface perspective, while the platform is powerful, the policy configuration and navigation can feel complex, especially for new users. A more simplified and intuitive layout for policy mapping and application access would help reduce the learning curve. In terms of reporting, Zscaler Private Access provides logs, but having more built-in customizable dashboards and analytics would be very helpful. Better visibility into user access patterns, application performance, and real-time troubleshooting insights would improve operational efficiency. From a support and troubleshooting standpoint, it would be beneficial to have more granular centralized visibility, allowing for quick end-to-end tracing of a user request from authentication to application access without switching between multiple views. These improvements would make the platform even more efficient, especially for large-scale enterprise environments.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cloudflare One has assisted in securing my remote workforce through a SASE solution with Cloudflare One and the Workers part, although I am not currently using the Workers component."

"The best feature is rate limiting. If I'm expecting 500 visits per hour, Cloudflare will limit the requests if I suddenly get 50,000."

"We mostly use Cloudflare WAF, and gets basic Cloudflaire DDoS, caching as extra bonus . We like the factor these features are all integrated into 1 console, simple to manage."

"The simplicity of the solution is its valuable features as almost no effort was needed to learn the configurations. It is also one of the cheapest firewalls available in this category."

"Cloudflare Access is a stable solution."

"Clover is the best product globally."

"Cloudflare, in my opinion, was easy to implement."

"It's the endpoint exposition. We don't need to expose our VPN server to the internet and need a zero-test solution. I can apply some conditional access to the endpoint that's connecting to our network to check their security policies or the security condition of their workstation. Once the workstation is trying to connect to my internal network, then I would like to check the discrete condition of these endpoints that are trying to access my internal network. We created some conditional access. We have CrowdStrike, to check if the CrowdStrike is installed, to check if it's updated, and to check for Windows updates. We created some conditional policies to check it."

More Cloudflare One pros

"Data security is now one of the most important aspects for any organization."

"Some of the features that are highly appreciated are its robust data loss prevention capabilities, flexible deployment options, and the ability to monitor data transfer across multiple vectors."

"The most valuable feature of Digital Guardian is its reputation. They have scored high on the Gartner Magic Quadrant."

"There is a built-in endpoint detection response that helps save money."

"It has the added advantage of offering forensic analysis."

"I like the solution's adaptive inspection and container inspection."

"It has been scalable."

"The technical support is really terrific."

More Digital Guardian pros

"With SASE, we have a single platform that covers multiple task services with which we need to control access. All the features are equally valuable."

"What I find most valuable in Zscaler Private Access is that it's a VPN, and its connectivity as a VPN is its most valuable feature."

"Overall, the solution does a pretty good job at web filtering."

"The product’s most valuable features are data discovery, activity control, and zero trust exchange."

"The most valuable features of Zscaler Private Access are its ability to integrate with multiple IDPs and application segmentation."

"It is straightforward to set up."

"Overall, Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, especially Zscaler Private Access, has been a strong and reliable solution for enabling secure access without any need for traditional VPNs."

"On DLP terms, Zscaler Cloud DLP ensures that data doesn't go outside of the organization. So on the network level, Zscaler does a pretty good job."

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform pros

Cons

"Feedback could be enhanced. While I work efficiently with Clover as a partner in Mexico City, sometimes the information and requests are easier to manage with more concrete solutions."

"Cloudflare DDoS has poor technical support."

"The software has automated alerts, but the automated alerts are not available in the mobile app."

"There are premium tier live service and lower tier live service, so we opted for the lower tier. But there is no medium tier where we pay a little extra and get a bit more service. So if that can be improved."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform needs to improve its documentation. It took time to do the implementation."

"When there are any dynamic changes in complex applications, the tool takes a lot of time, making its analytics-related area a major matter of concern where improvements are needed."

"The initial onboarding was causing us some confusion."

"Our customers no longer use Cloudflare because its service is subpar."

More Cloudflare One cons

"Technical support could be better."

"Some features on Mac and Linux are not complete currently."

"If the client uses Windows 10 or 11 and Microsoft updates the operating system's version, Digital Guardian must update their product to match compatibility."

"My biggest lesson learned from dealing with this product is that they commit to something but they don't deliver it."

"Digital Guardian is an excellent solution but our experience with the partner has been the most horrible experience we have ever had with any partner."

"Some features on Mac and Linux are not complete currently. For example, some device control features haven't been transferred over to the other systems. If they could have their Windows features also available on Mac and Linux, that would be perfect. Some of our customers have a Mac environment for their RD environment. Having the solution fully capable of handling everything in a Mac environment is crucial."

"Digital Guardian is, compared to other tools, more complex to implement."

"When considering potential areas for improvement, it may be beneficial for Digital Guardian to optimize its processes and reduce the computational demands on the system, particularly with regard to high CPU usage. Although Digital Guardian offers numerous benefits, it can consume a substantial amount of RAM and CPU power."

More Digital Guardian cons

"From a user interface perspective, while the platform is powerful, the policy configuration and navigation can feel complex, especially for new users."

"An area for improvement would be the ease of configuration."

"We often face performance and latency issues with Zscaler SASE."

"Those folks will likely have some issues."

"There is some issue while accessing the portal. It takes too long."

"Sometimes applications crash on some machines, and we’d like Zscaler to give us some information as to why that may have happened. We’d like more detailed reports."

"It has massive room for improvement. The Zscaler product itself is okay, but it doesn't give enough granularity for us as an organization to stipulate rules or processes, especially for data-driven services. For instance, we can stick on SSL inspection, but it's just a click box. It doesn't allow us to go any further into the detail of the SSL inspection. We also can't pull it out without having an additional logging server. It just doesn't give us enough granularity. They should give us more control over the interfaces because it is all backend. They weren't very open to discussing their backend architecture with us in terms of their own data centers. They can maybe a little bit more open about what components are there and how the backend infrastructure works alongside Zscaler. Its licensing can be better. Some of the additional licensing costs are quite high, and they should have certain features ready and available as a baseline rather than having to purchase additional licenses for it. Their support should also be improved. I initially had a consultant from Zscaler for its deployment, but the support that I had throughout the deployment of the project wasn't the best."

"We would like to extend the SASE applications for Zscaler."

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My company has to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no hidden charges apart from the licensing costs of the solution."

"The solution is not that expensive."

"Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform's pricing is good."

"The price tag is no longer $200,000, but rather $300,000 to $400,000. It's twice."

"The pricing of the solution is cheap. The licensing cost is also very low. I rate the cost and pricing a three out of ten."

"The solution's pricing lacks transparency."

"The pricing is somewhere in the middle. I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten."

"The prices are slightly expensive."

"The price of Digital Guardian is expensive."

"Digital Guardian has both, subscription and perpetual licenses, but I think when everything (all technologies) will go to the cloud they will only offer subscriptions."

"The price of Digital Guardian is on the higher end compared to other vendors."

"The cost was around $300,000."

"If I compare Digital Guardian with Symantec, the license cost is lower, but McAfee can be cheaper than Digital Guardian. It depends on how many licenses you plan to buy and how big the project is. The cost is not so high as Symantec, but not as cheap as McAfee. They can easily sell the solution for price."

"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten because Digital Guardian is expensive."

"There is definitely an ROI."

"It's an affordable solution"

"The pricing is quite high, especially when it comes to the gateway."

"In terms of market positioning, I would describe Zscaler Private Access as offering optimal pricing. Based on our experience, Cato Networks tends to be slightly more expensive."

"Zscaler Private Access can be an expensive solution, depending on the license type you will purchase."

"Zscaler SASE software is quite expensive compared to other solutions"

"The solution is expensive."

"The price is competitive."

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	46

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

Pricing is competitive. Akamai is more expensive, in my view.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

In my opinion, Cloudflare One can be improved mainly through compatibility, as the integration should be much simpler...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform?

Cloudflare One's primary use case for my organization is to protect servers and to provide remote access with the VPN...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Digital Guardian?

In my experience, the area closest for improvement is the occurrence of strong false positives. Digital Guardian can ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Digital Guardian?

My main use case for Digital Guardian is to prevent or stop sensitive data from being copied to USB, email, or cloud,...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Digital Guardian?

Digital Guardian has significantly improved incident response time by providing real-time detection, instant alerts, ...

See all answers

What is the better solution - Prisma Access or Zscaler Private Access?

We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure ac...

See all answers

How to minimize false positives for PII and PCI around different data systems across the globe?

Personal information always should be under high protection from manipulations which is why it is the responsibility ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Cloud Protection?

This is an area where I have candid feedback from our organization regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Z...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Cloudflare One

Compared 4% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Twingate vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

FortiSASE vs Cloudflare One

Compared 3% of the time

More Cloudflare One Competitors

Mimecast Insider Risk Management and Data Protection vs Digital Guardian

Compared 7% of the time

Dtex Systems vs Digital Guardian

Compared 5% of the time

Forcepoint Data Loss Prevention vs Digital Guardian

Compared 5% of the time

SecureTrust Data Loss Prevention vs Digital Guardian

Compared 5% of the time

Symantec Data Loss Prevention vs Digital Guardian

Compared 4% of the time

More Digital Guardian Competitors

Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 4% of the time

FortiSASE vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 4% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 4% of the time

Akamai Enterprise Application Access vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 3% of the time

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloudflare One

July 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Digital Guardian

July 2026

Download Digital Guardian product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

June 2026

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform report

Download Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform product report

Also Known As

Cloudflare Area 1 Email Security, Cloudflare Bot Management, Cloudflare Gateway, Cloudflare Zero Trust Platform, Cloudflare DDoS, Cloudflare SASE & SSE Platform

No data available

Zscaler SASE, Zscaler DLP, Zscaler CASB, Zscaler CSPM, Zscaler Browser Isolation, Zscaler Posture Control

Overview

Cloudflare One is a comprehensive platform for security, performance, and connectivity. It provides features like rate limiting, DDoS protection, and application access, tailored to enhance user experience while securing internet access and accelerating communications.

Designed to integrate security measures with ease of use and scalability, Cloudflare One offers a secure web gateway and zero trust network access. These features ensure seamless setup and operation, making connectivity reliable and protected. Users appreciate its integrated console, intuitive interface, and the ability to manage risk effectively. It offers straightforward deployment, improves latency, and boasts cost-effectiveness. While its onboarding process and documentation need enhancement, its value in content delivery and application shielding is notable. Despite challenges in integrating Cloudflare Access with existing VPNs and the need for better automation and support, it remains vital for DNS and infrastructure protection.

What features make Cloudflare One stand out?

Rate Limiting: Controls the traffic rate to prevent abuse.
DDoS Protection: Shields applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks.
Secure Web Gateway: Provides secure internet access with seamless operation.
Zero Trust Network Access: Ensures secure, application-based connectivity without relying on traditional VPNs.
Access for Connectivity: Facilitates access to internal applications securely.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Security: Robust measures for DNS and browsing protection.
Performance: Enhanced site accessibility and communication speed.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing for its features.
Ease of Deployment: Straightforward and efficient setup process.

In industries like finance, retail, and technology, Cloudflare One is crucial for enabling secure remote access and protecting web applications against dynamic threats. It supports compliance access policies and enhances content delivery, playing a key role in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

Cloudflare

Digital Guardian is renowned for its advanced capabilities in data loss prevention and protection of confidential information. Key features enhance data security through proactive monitoring and adaptive policies, catering to businesses across multiple environments.

Digital Guardian provides comprehensive data security by offering features like data classification, endpoint DLP monitoring, and user activity tracking. It integrates seamlessly with tools such as Boldon James and Titus, allowing detailed policy configuration. With security-enhancing cloud correlation servers, it reduces insider threats and enables monitoring across diverse vectors. However, challenges include the need for improved integration between endpoint and network features, enhanced Mac and Linux functionality, and more efficient policy management. Stability and performance issues are also noted, with users seeking improved web email monitoring and better compatibility across different operating systems. Despite these, it remains a solid choice for data protection, particularly in sectors like finance, insurance, and manufacturing.

What are the key features of Digital Guardian?

Data Loss Prevention: Guards against unauthorized data transfers and leaks.
Forensic Analysis: Offers deep insights for improved threat response.
Adaptive Inspection: Tailors security measures to dynamic threats.
Data Classification: Segments data for targeted policy application.
User Activity Tracking: Monitors user interactions for anomalies.

What benefits should users expect?

Enhanced Security Visibility: Better monitoring across multiple vectors reduces risks.
Improved Threat Response: Advanced analytics ensure timely responses to threats.
Regulatory Compliance: Helps meet sector-specific requirements like those in finance.
Scalable Deployment: Supports cloud and on-premise environments for flexibility.

In industries such as finance, insurance, and manufacturing, Digital Guardian is crucial for preventing data breaches and protecting intellectual property. Its focus on compliance and ability to monitor data transfers across endpoints, networks, and emails provide essential safeguards against insider threats and unauthorized information dissemination.

Fortra

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange enhances security with seamless cloud-based connectivity and VPN-less operation, offering integration with multiple identity providers and advanced security features, suitable for remote work environments.

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange provides secure, adaptive connectivity without traditional VPNs, allowing organizations to replace legacy systems and bolster remote work security. The platform offers cloud-based protection, single sign-on, dynamic URL categorization, and scalable solutions. While advanced security features like DLP and threat protection enhance data protection, users may face issues with speed, connectivity, and some customization options. Integration challenges, latency due to multi-tenant hosting, reporting delays, and licensing costs require consideration. It supports secure internet access and private application security, ensuring traffic control and data compliance.

What are the key features of Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange?

VPN-less Connectivity: Enables secure remote access without traditional VPNs.
Cloud-based Security: Offers scalable protection utilizing cloud infrastructure.
Single Sign-On: Integrates with multiple identity providers for streamlined access.
Dynamic URL Categorization: Provides real-time URL filtering to enhance security.
Advanced Threat Protection: Detects and mitigates sophisticated threats effectively.
Customizable Policies: Allows tailored security protocols to fit unique requirements.
Comprehensive DLP: Protects sensitive data through robust data loss prevention.
Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with cloud services and applications.

What are the benefits of using Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange?

Enhanced Security: Delivers consistent protection regardless of user location.
Improved Compliance: Ensures adherence to data protection regulations.
Streamlined Access: Simplifies connectivity to private and cloud applications.
Scalability: Supports expanding organizational demands with cloud scalability.
Real-time Visibility: Provides instant insights into security incidents and network traffic.

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange is deployed across industries to secure remote access and enforce zero trust principles. Organizations in finance, healthcare, and technology sectors utilize it for secure internet access and visibility into cloud applications, enhancing performance and compliance in dynamic environments.

Zscaler

Sample Customers

23andMe

The Fifth Avenue Theatre, Jabil Circuit

Siemens, AutoNation, GE, NOV

Buyer's Guide

Digital Guardian vs. Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

June 2026

Free Report: Digital Guardian vs. Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Find out what your peers are saying about Digital Guardian vs. Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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