We leverage it for web proxy and web security.
Chief Technical Officer at Accountabilit
The web proxy feature blocks malicious sites so that end users don't inadvertently get compromised
Pros and Cons
- "All internet access flows through the Zscaler proxy, regardless of whether people are in office or remote. I have greater control site access and I minimize the number of compromises that we experience to almost none."
- "It needs better integration with other applications. It takes a fair amount of regular activity to apply the by-passes because it is very strict in its restrictions and frequently you have to go in and open things up to allow the workforce to work."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
All internet access flows through the Zscaler proxy, regardless of whether people are in office or remote. I have greater control site access and I minimize the number of compromises that we experience to almost none.
What is most valuable?
Generally, the web proxy feature blocks malicious sites so that my end users don't inadvertently get compromised.
What needs improvement?
It needs better integration with other applications. It takes a fair amount of regular activity to apply the by-passes because it is very strict in its restrictions and frequently you have to go in and open things up to allow the workforce to work.
The logs that are consumed by our security solution could be a bit more definitive, from an audit perspective. It's sometimes difficult to determine which end user a particular generated alert is associated with.
Buyer's Guide
Zscaler Internet Access
January 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Zscaler Internet Access. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is good. We have a presence around the globe, it's very localized and that minimizes any kind of latency. Even though they still complain about it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good. Right now our internal workforce is around 120. I have no plans to increase the usage for now. They do have some features we don't use currently.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is effective.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, we did use some other products. We used OpenDNS which subsequently became Umbrella. Zscaler is easier to manage than OpenDNS but now I think that product is even.
How was the initial setup?
There is a short learning curve on the setup, so it's not complex, but it's not necessarily trivial either. The entire deployment took two to three hours.
We have about 1.5 persons who manage all of our internal IT apps.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There aren't any additional costs to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
Pay attention to the Zscaler recommended best practices. Don't try to figure it out on your own. Go with what they say to do.
I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Global Information Security Architect at a engineering company with 10,001+ employees
Centralized firewall that protects the whole topography
Pros and Cons
- "The scanning feature is impressive, because they do not introduce a big latency to the traffic."
- "I would like to see the ability to choose a pool of IPs for my company, set up rules based on them, and know that those IPs are not used by other companies."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for security. We installed it on our work computers and also for other traffic from the office. We are using it for perimeter security and that is useful for us.
How has it helped my organization?
I will give you an example. Before implementing a computer scan on all PCs, our main problem was when we received a phish or something like it. It was impossible for us to tell if it was people from inside or outside our organization that clicked on it. If people that were inside our organization had different appliances for checking the traffic, you had to connect each appliance and get the receipt from that URL. It was a little bit complicated. With the scanner, for example, if somebody clicks on a bad URL you just add that to the reporting part and in a matter of minutes it generates a report, where you can see exactly who clicked on that link and who did something before you got a chance to block that malicious URL. That is the first benefit that comes to my mind and I think it was a huge improvement in our site. Having a centralized firewall that protects the whole topography is quite awesome when you also have users that are not on the plan because it actually improves visibility of those users.
What is most valuable?
I cannot say that I found only one feature that is most valuable, but I can tell you that I find value in traffic scanning and samples. That I think is quite valuable for all their software. The scanning feature is impressive, because they do not introduce a big latency to the traffic. I really like how they manage this part.
What needs improvement?
On the technical side, the only thing that I believe this scanner can improve is in the way they allocate traffic. For example, a big site doesn't have the ability to have its IPs inside the cloud, so Zscaler doesn't allocate you certain IPs for traffic. Your traffic goes to the nearest Zscaler point, and from there you get an IP. Sometimes that is problematic, because your users use the same IPs that another client is using so you don't get the ability to do some rules using some IPs. For example, you cannot use conditional access to high influence IP. You can't say if somebody goes to Zscaler I know that traffic is secure so I can let them past. In this scenario you cannot do this, because Zscaler is using a pool of IPs and they'll circle them for all the clients. I would like to see the ability to choose a pool of IPs for my company, set up rules based on them, and know that those IPs are not used by other companies.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Zscaler for 4 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is mature. I can't say it's not stable. It's been there for a while now and it proves that it can do the job according to what they say they do. I cannot say that they are not doing the best of what they think they should do. So at this point, they have a mature product and are working quite okay.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are no issues there. The number of users doesn't matter, whether you have 100 users or 2,000 users. The only impact you'll have is on financial side. For 100 users you will pay differently than 10,000 users, so I don't think you have an issue on this side.
All our users have libraries on their computers. So if they have a device from the company, they have Zscaler on it. I think we have about 3,000 users in my company.
We have one or two people on maintenance from the global networking team. You don't need to do something special, it just works. The only thing we need to do is check daily if there are any threats, as well as to verify the US dollar and stuff like that. In terms of maintaining it, doing something to make it work, you don't have to worry about that. It's a cloud provided solution. The only thing that you have to concentrate upon is the business side. You have to see how your business is affected, what type of traffic you have in there, and check security threats on your site. That's it. The product by itself is run by the Zscaler team and they do a good job. We do not have maintenance debts. The only incidence that I remember is last month they were blocking our site or something , but that was solved quickly with support from Zscaler.
How are customer service and technical support?
I did not get any experience directly, I got some instance of indirect support. I asked networking for something and they work directly with the support. My impression was that they responded quickly, relatively speaking. I don't know exactly how it works on the other side, but my impression indirectly was that they offer quick support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
no cloud solution and we had to route back to office the road warriors trafic
How was the initial setup?
From what I discussed with my colleagues from the network that we were working with, it wasn't a difficult process. I cannot tell you how long it took.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We didn't have a similar solution. We had a solution, but we didn't have something cloud-based as a security solution, so I would say we did not use any cloud security-based system.
What other advice do I have?
Check if a product like this makes sense for you. And look at the specifics: what you need in terms of security and what features you would like to have in it. Zscaler is one solution. It's a good solution, but it doesn't do everything. First of all, analyze a few solutions and make a demo. Without a demo, I do not recommend moving forward, because any security solution comes with a price. There is also the financial price, to know if that is okay for your company. Usually Zscaler works best for companies that have users that do not stay in an office. They have road warriors. I would recommend it for companies that have a lot of users moving from here to there.
I would rate Zscaler as eight out of ten. It's not an ideal solution, one of the things is that I do not have my IP fully inside it. For example, you have countries where they don't have a lot of presence and then sometimes they go to another country where they have a presence or data center. When you come back to the other country, and you have to open a fiber, it can be geographically restrictive. I find my country and am going through by neighborhood. When I come back to my country, I cannot see it because I'm geographically restricted. I'm not part of that country, so that's one reason Zscaler isn't ideal.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Zscaler Internet Access
January 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Zscaler Internet Access. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technology Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Reduces cyberattacks and helps to focus on granular things
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has reduced cyberattacks."
- "Zscaler Internet Access needs to integrate more ISPs. It is good to have more than three ISPs."
What is our primary use case?
Zscaler Internet Access provides customers with the internet. We can easily integrate policies.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has reduced cyberattacks.
What is most valuable?
We can focus on a granular level of things.
What needs improvement?
Zscaler Internet Access needs to integrate more ISPs. It is good to have more than three ISPs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the solution for one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Zscaler Internet Access is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Zscaler Internet Access has good tech support.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool is moderately priced.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the product a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Network Engineer at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Good VPN technology and scales with our requirements
Pros and Cons
- "The VPN is valuable, as the whole technology is very different from a traditional VPN."
- "There are a few features that are not compatible with the Azure cloud."
What is our primary use case?
We use Zscaler for VPN connections and for internet security.
What is most valuable?
The internet security that it provides is valuable.
The VPN is valuable, as the whole technology is very different from a traditional VPN.
What needs improvement?
There are a few features that are not compatible with the Azure cloud.
It's not fully compatible with our environment because of the way that it is divided into business units. In order to get it working properly, there are some things that we had to put in for enhancements. Otherwise, everything works well.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Zscaler Internet Access for about a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution, although once or twice, we had issues with latency and slowness. Other than on these occasions, it has been fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, everything is good. We have approximately 3,000 users and we do plan to increase usage. Ultimately, we want to include everyone, which is about 10,000 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been in contact with technical support and they are very responsive. They also have TAM support, which means that we have a dedicated engineer to look into our issues. That is nice to have.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Cisco Umbrella in the past, which is similar. However, there are definitely differences between these two solutions. Cisco Umbrella is a DNS-based web filtering solution, whereas Zscaler is a cloud-based web application firewall combined with a regular firewall, antivirus, IPS, and other security features.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and the deployment took place over a couple of days.
What about the implementation team?
We used Zscaler Professional Services for the deployment.
What other advice do I have?
In summary, this is a good product and I completely recommend it.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
It is a perfect solution for organizations that have a lot of road warriors.
Pros and Cons
- "Whether you are in a hotel somewhere, or in Africa, it does not matter. You will get the Zscaler protection presence anywhere."
- "Tech support is good."
- "The pricing is an issue. It is expensive if you have all of your users in the same location. It is expensive compared to other firewalls on the market."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is for organizations that have a lot of road warriors or very highly distributed small offices. It provides protection anywhere you are...whether you are in a hotel somewhere, or in Africa, it does not matter. You will get the Zscaler protection presence anywhere.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution helps you establish a secure connection from your laptop to the closest Zscaler point of presence. So, you have protection anywhere in the world. That's the advantage of it. You don't have to VPN all the way to your home office if you're half-the-world away. You go to the closest Zscaler connection and get your policies applied there. Its very powerful. Its great for anybody who has a lot of distributed work force, a lot of work from home people, or a lot of road warriors, that is where Zscaler shines.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the Zscaler protection from external threats. It scrubs everything, email, worms and root problems from websites. It is protection, particularly for distributors users and road warriors. Its very good. They're rated highest in secure web-data wise.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I do not have a problem with the stability of the product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. You can easily put new users and offices on it. It is cloud-based, so you do not run into a hardware limitation like you would with other products.
How is customer service and technical support?
We used tech support when we first set up the solution. It was good.
How was the initial setup?
It was very straightforward. Anyone with firewall familiarity will find it a simple process to download this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is an issue. It is expensive if you have all of your users in the same location. It is expensive compared to other firewalls on the market.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have made comparisons to Palo Alto and Cisco Miraki.
What other advice do I have?
The solution's great, but you have to put it into context because of the pricing and the way it basically protects the device from anywhere. It is really more meant from highly distributed organizations, for organizations that have a lot of work from home and those with road warrior workers. That's what it is designed for.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Global Head of Information and Cloud Security Architecture
Great user experience, issue-free, and has good web filtering
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to set up the solution."
- "In terms of user experience, it could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We are using the solution for internet security. It's mostly web-based filtering.
We are into this modern world, meaning, we are working from home in hybrid scenario. Due to the pandemic, we have seen a lot of shifts towards a hybrid model of work. That provides lots of challenges in terms of security including, how to protect the users' machines and other devices. That is one of the core use cases. Wherever you are, you need to be protected. However, the traditional approaches such as a legacy-based proxy system won't work.
If we have some kind of critical systems, we need to figure out how we can provide the access to all these users, all these remote or roaming users, access to these critical areas, and we need to eliminate those legacy-based VPNs. Zscaler is doing it best. Zscaler offers the best service since you are protected wherever you are.
What is most valuable?
The internet access is great. It offers good web filtering. It has DLP features. We can monitor our networks with ease. We can monitor the usage, bandwidth, chop, chalking, all these things we can monitor. On top of that, it is providing advanced threat protection ATP, which means any kind of malicious network or malicious payloads that are going through our network can be detected and it can be blocked. We can have a certain kind of block list. There are multiple levels of features.
We have fewer issues with Zscaler.
In terms of user experience, that is also excellent.
In terms of reporting to senior management, it gives us a clear picture of what needs to be achieved about that solution.
It is easy to set up the solution.
The solution is stable.
It is a scalable product.
What needs improvement?
In terms of user experience, it could be better. It all depends upon the configuration, though. At the moment, they are one of the best. In terms of room of improvement, it depends upon the specific use cases of the customers.
For example, it might be that some of the users are having some kind of connectivity issue. It depends upon how those users are connected. It may not be a product issue. Or maybe they are using a VPN. Local banks won't allow connectivity to their application over a VPN or over a cloud-based proxy service, for example. In some countries, the local banks restrict these kinds of communications. There needs to be some whitelisting done to get those users connected.
For how long have I used the solution?
At the moment, we are trying to onboard that solution. In my previous organization, I have used that solution. In my current organization, we are trying to onboard the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. I never faced any kind of downtime for my critical services. They have a higher availability. If one of the locations goes down, automatically, it'll scale to a preferred location.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution scales very well.
In the last three or four years, there has been a shift towards this product. We likely will increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
I've never directly dealt with technical support. My team handles any issues and would deal with them directly.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to set up. However, you need manpower and you need a team to deliver these kinds of things. It's not a plug-and-play thing. It has lots of configurations. We need to deploy the agents. We need to set up those configurations. If we have multiple offices, we need to understand the routing and what mechanisms are in place. That's why it takes a team.
The length of deployment depends on the company and environment. You're looking at the number of networks, the number of servers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I can't speak to the costs. I don't handle the licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a customer and end-user.
I'm not sure of the exact version of the solution.
Zscaler is a cloud service provider, so they are hosting their services on their own cloud. They might be using the public cloud. I'm not sure. However, it's not an on-premise solution. It's a cloud-based proxy.
You need to perform that due diligence. You need to understand your use cases, including the number of users and how many are working from home or roaming, et cetera. You need to understand hosting, and how to protect servers. There's a lot of understanding you need to have before you can begin implementing anything.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Managed Network Services Networking Tasmania at Telstra
Highly scalable with good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "Overall, we're very happy with our product."
- "The price of the solution could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Our client is a government client with many different work groups.
What is most valuable?
Overall, we're very happy with our product.
What needs improvement?
The price of the solution could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for two years, since the start of COVID.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have had no concerns with the solution's stability so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable, we have around 70,000 total users across various environments.
How are customer service and support?
They've been very good, though as we are still assessing the solution you would expect them to be very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also use Cisco Umbrella and we tend to use that more.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup wasn't easy in our case, as we have thousands of users spread across different environments. Due to our extensive requirements, initial setup is never going to be easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have found the solution to be expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We use other similar products and find them to be a bit more preferable to Zscaler. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Managing Partner at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
Complete and well-organized with good proxy capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "We enjoy all of the proxy capabilities and the capability to integrate into the SIEM/SOC solution."
- "Sometimes it's not easy to use during large deployments of workstations."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the product for proxy services. We are using that to manage services with a third party, so we are not directly exposed to Zscaler.
What is most valuable?
We enjoy all of the proxy capabilities and the capability to integrate into the SIEM/SOC solution. We also like the capability to have local agents on PCs.
We are using that in managed services, so we are happy with the managed service as it is.
It's a very complete solution and well-organized.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes it's not easy to use during large deployments of workstations. It's a bottleneck from a network point of view.
It's a technical solution, so you need to have good architects knowledgeable on Zscaler.
We don't need any other added features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the product for nearly two years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have around 1,000 users on the solution.
We do not have plans to increase usage.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have other products as well. In the current set of products, I'm not forcing any swaps or changes.
How was the initial setup?
It's a managed service. We are not exposed to the initial setup process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a managed service, so it's included in the service.
What other advice do I have?
We don't have a direct relationship with Zscaler as we use it in a managed service.
I'd advise new users to be sure that they have good architects to integrate. It's quite complicated.
Sometimes the complexity of integrating with legacy and other complex setups is a chore.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Zscaler Internet Access Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
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Learn More: Questions:
- Looking Into Implementing a Web Security Solution.
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