If you are looking to bolster your network security by securing your DNS, you might be considering a product like Cisco Umbrella. Although Cisco Umbrella is a good tool and certainly has its place, it might not be the right one for your business.
The good news is that there are lots of Cisco Umbrella alternatives available on the market that provide an equally — if not more — powerful and high-quality product and service at a more palatable price point.
With so many alternatives, it makes sense to shop around and compare the many Cisco Umbrella competitors that are available.
In this article, we are going to discuss the main features of Cisco Umbrella DNS and compare it to WebTitan, our tool which is one of the leading Cisco Umbrella competitors available today.
Let’s take a look at how the two stack up against one another and why WebTitan is the best of all the Cisco Umbrella competitors available on the market right now.
Both Cisco Umbrella and WebTitan are DNS layer filters with best-of-breed advanced AI-driven threat protection and are built on the same core principles. Although WebTitan and Cisco Umbrella have a lot of the same features and functionalities, Cisco Umbrella customers have migrated to WebTitan due to the renowned pricing structure and industry-leading support provided to all customers.
Cisco Umbrella Overview
Cisco Umbrella is Cisco’s cloud-based Secure Internet Gateway platform that was launched in 2015. It provides protection against internet-based threats and integrates many tools, including secure web gateway, firewall, DNS-layer security, and cloud access security broker functionality to safeguard against threats.
Cisco Umbrella, and our own alternative tool WebTitan DNS Filter, identify and block access to malicious links and websites via the DNS layer. The filter steps in to do this before a user has the chance to access a malicious website and potentially open your system up to attacks.
This type of DNS filtering has become one of the main ways that businesses protect against attacks such as malware and ransomware attacks, which are estimated to cost the world $US10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
In the years since its launch, Cisco Umbrella has shaped the way organizations protect against cyber threats through DNS protection and web filtering. However, many customers have begun migrating away from Cisco Umbrella to a range of Cisco Umbrella competitors.
These competitor products — including our own, WebTitan — are built on the same core principles of Cisco Umbrella and provide the same high-quality managed services backed by AI-driven threat protection but for a better price and with better customer support.
Cisco Umbrella’s product offering is segmented into three packages:
- DNS Security Essentials
- DNS Security Advantage
- Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) Essentials
- Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) Advantage
These different packages have different features and pricing, with different price lists depending on the region and volume discounting based on user count.
Cisco Umbrella Problems and Challenges
While we cannot deny that Cisco Umbrella is a good product, customers face a range of challenges when they sign up for it.
One of the most common complaints we hear from people looking for Cisco Umbrella competitors is that there is a total lack of product support. When a customer has a problem with Cisco Umbrella, it can be nigh impossible to access help. This is not only annoying but also dangerous when you consider the potential impact on your business if its DNS security becomes compromised and cannot be immediately solved.
Another common complaint is how difficult Cisco Umbrella can be due to its user interface. Cisco assumes that customers will have a certain level of technical knowledge and it can therefore be difficult for non-technical individuals to set the product up. Given the lack of support available, this can be problematic for businesses that don’t have high-level technical resources available and need a solution that works out of the box.
These and other challenges such as the rising cost of Umbrella have led customers to seek out Cisco Umbrella competitors who are able to provide the same high level of security and protection with a tool that’s cheaper and easier to use.
Additionally, Cisco Umbrella has seen various announcements over the years, including the End-of-Life for legacy pricing and mandatory transitions to other products. The latest development is the impending End-of-Life for the Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client. For users with the Roaming Client installed, migration to Cisco Secure Client is unavoidable, meaning potential price increases and labor-intensive client replacements. In light of this, TitanHQ stands out as a superior option, offering certainty and reliability for our customers.
Over the last three years, many Cisco Umbrella customers and MSPs have jumped ship and made the switch to WebTitan DNS Filter, the leading Cisco Umbrella competitor.
Impacted by Cisco Ending OpenDNS? Check out our article here.
WebTitan, an Easy-to-Deploy Cisco Umbrella Competitor
Comparing Cisco Umbrella to WebTitan is like comparing apples to oranges. When it comes to doing this, the biggest difference lies in simplicity.
While Cisco Umbrella is difficult to use and assumes existing technical knowledge, WebTitan can be set up in a matter of minutes regardless of your technical capability. If you can use a computer at a basic level and can follow basic setup instructions, you’re good to go.
What’s more, if you are an existing Cisco Umbrella user, you can switch to WebTitan and start benefitting from AI-driven threat intelligence almost immediately, without suffering any DNS protection downtime or opening your system up to attacks.
WebTitan DNS filter is the number one Cisco Umbrella alternative in the market, specializing in protecting managed service providers and small and medium-sized businesses from advanced security threats, such as malware, phishing, viruses, ransomware, malicious sites, and malicious content at the source.
WebTitan is consistently the top-rated DNS security solution across the main review platforms including G2 Crowd, Capterra, and Expert Insights. Over the last 36 months, many Cisco Umbrella customers and MSPs have made the switch to WebTitan web filter from TitanHQ, the main Cisco Umbrella competitors. Cisco Umbrella pricing has been a big issue for customers, as have support levels.
WebTitan DNS filter is a direct technical swap out for Cisco Umbrella DNS. Both are DNS layer filters with best-of-breed advanced AI-driven threat protection and are built on the same core principles.
Why Managed Service Providers and Businesses are Moving to WebTitan
Managed Service Providers are moving from Cisco Umbrella DNS to WebTitan because of the better pricing and fantastic support from product experts both before and after the sales process. Read more about the benefits of WebTitan DNS filter for Managed Service Providers here.
Did You Know?
businesses experienced DNS attack
malware & spyware domains categorised a day
predefined categories by default
of websites tested by Google for malware were infected
WebTitan Versus Cisco Umbrella
WebTitan Web filter BEATS Cisco Umbrella in 6 Key Success Rating Factors
On the G2 Crowd independent review platform, which leverages more than 650,000 independent and authenticated user reviews read by more than 3 million buyers, WebTitan web filter is neck and neck with Cisco Umbrella and also comprehensively beats Cisco Umbrella DNS on the six main rating factors. These are independent customer reviews of both products PLUS WebTitan is considerably more affordable than Cisco Umbrella.
WebTitan and Cisco Umbrella compare as follows in the Winter 2023 G2 Grids:
- In the Mid-Market Grid® for Secure Web Gateways, WebTitan scored ~10% higher than Cisco Umbrella.
- In the Momentum Grid® Report for Secure Web Gateways, WebTitan is listed as a Momentum Leader and shows a higher projected growth rate than the Cisco alternative.
- In the Grid® for Secure Web Gateways, WebTitan scored within ~5% of Cisco Umbrella on satisfaction-ranked performance.
WebTitan’s Advanced Threat Detection
WebTitans malicious detection solution employs a crowd-sourced approach to obtaining a constant stream of URLs for analysis. The continuous stream of ActiveWeb URLs comes from our global network of over 650 million end users across a number of high traffic markets. We leverage an integrative, multi-vector approach to detect, monitor, and accurately categorize new threats as they occur. WebTitan uses AI-based services and human-supervised machine learning techniques and verification methods to achieve unmatched coverage (99.9%) and accuracy (99%+) for ActiveWeb domains, sub-domains, full-path URLs, and IP addresses. That includes 100% coverage of the Top 1 Million most visited sites and supports 200 languages, worldwide.
Key Reasons for Choosing WebTitan Over Cisco Umbrella
The key reasons that businesses and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are looking for Cisco Umbrella alternatives include the following:
1. Pricing
It’s no secret that Cisco Umbrella has become more expensive in recent years despite overall service declining. For some businesses, these cost increases can be prohibitive and may lead to vulnerabilities as use of the tool is set aside in favor of saving money. WebTitan offers flexible pricing based on the customer's preferences - we can price based on AP's, IP's or locations - the customer decides.
- We don't operate monthly minimums - we'll grow and shrink with our customers
- Cisco Umbrella offers complex pricing tiers
- You can see all of our WebTitan web filter pricing completely openly displayed on this page - our pricing is entirely transparent. For more details on Cisco Umbrella pricing, visit our Cisco Umbrella pricing page.
WebTitan offers a more affordable solution that can be deployed rapidly and scale easily in response to business needs.
Cisco Umbrella cost is an issue. With WebTitan there are No minimums. No DNS request limits. No extra support costs. No unanswered support calls. No add on costs for roaming clients. Once you are a WebTitan customer, you are a customer. There are no tiers or costly minimums just a solid product and great service. As a business, we will grow and shrink with you. Can Cisco Umbrella say the same?
2. Customer Support That Truly Cares
Support from TitanHQ is hands-on and world-class including contact with a qualified engineer through the entire process - this includes full support during the trial period, migration help and on-going free technical support when you become a customer. With TitanHQ there are no additional support costs or add on pricing- all features, upgrades, and support are included in the price quoted.
We have had several customers migrate to WebTitan because of poor post-sales support.
3 years later we continue to have the support of an experienced team of experts who go out of their way to ensure everything continues to run smoothly.
3. WebTitan is Easy to Use and Manage
Easy, simple billing. Easy to adjust user counts, etc, with no hassle. WebTitan DNS Filter makes it possible for users to set up their own DNS filtering in a matter of minutes. Once you redirect your DNS to WebTitan Cloud, you’re ready to begin. Using our intuitive UI, it’s simply a case of adding your external IP address and choosing a pre-built policy that fits your requirements or creating your own from inside WebTitan.
Unlike with Cisco Umbrella, there is no requirement for advanced technical knowledge, nor will you need to waste time fiddling around with complicated settings. In just a few clicks, you’ll be fully protected against the latest threats.
Comprehensive protection at a reasonable price. There seems to be an almost endless granularity in filtering. The reporting has gotten more comprehensive. Our recurring revenue has increased because of this.
4. Data Compliance - Where Exactly is Your Data?
WebTitan can guarantee that your data stays in your region. WebTitan Cloud is regionalized so ALL info is guaranteed to stay within the same region (US/EU/ANZ etc.) Our private clouds are located in your data centre or in AWS locally.
5. Twice as Much Custom Reporting with WebTitan than Cisco Umbrella
WebTitan offers twice as many custom reports as Cisco Umbrella. Custom reports allow for flexible reporting based on an organization's specific requirements. When Active Directory integration is in place WebTitan offers an additional 10 reports as well as the ability to add filters to the pre-canned reports. WebTitan reporting is also renowned for its speed and real-time functionality. All of this reporting is available via our extensive API.
We were unhappy with the overly-complex Umbrella user interface for a long time and were jeopardizing security because of this complexity. It didn’t take long to realize that WebTitan was the best alternative for an efficient, cost-effective, and easy to use filtering solution to replace Cisco Umbrella.
6. Google Safe Search
With WebTitan you can enable safe search for Google and Bing with just one click. When SafeSearch is on, it helps block explicit images, videos, and websites from Google Search results. This is an integral part of web filtering. Why block content in the search results if users can see the content in images and videos.
7. WebTitan Extensive API Calls
WebTitan's extensive API set facilitates simple integration for users. The Cisco Umbrella's API is not as extensive with less customization possible. WebTitan Cloud allows deep integration making 'Cloud to Cloud' integration straightforward. Our backend expertise brought through to your front end provides you a single pane of glass view.
Benefits of an API driven architecture:
- Easy - Backend functionality is split from front-end allowing easy back-end integration.
- Scalability - You can add more clients as you wish and all call the same API.
- You save time by removing the need to repeat laborious tasks and increase organizational efficiency.
8. Email Alerts
With WebTitan you have the ability to set up email alerts to be notified if a user hits a page/domain that's blocked (for security reasons). An administrative alert email is immediately sent to the admin account or another designated user in the account. Cisco Umbrella does not offer this option.
9. Post-Sales Support from Cisco Umbrella
Award-winning technical support—Our support team is rock solid and responsive. We routinely receive great feedback (98% customer satisfaction) for our post-sales support. Hands-on contact with a qualified and experienced engineer at all stages is an important factor in this high rating. Customers we've migrated from Cisco Umbrella see this as a key factor in moving to WebTitan.
MSP Customer Quote about Cisco Umbrella support:
Cisco Umbrella Feedback on G2- "The support is pessimistic when I need help and I get in touch with them they are slow to respond. They should train the support more because support sometimes has no idea how to fix the problem I request".
10. Active Directory Integration
Web Titan Cloud runs off a group ranking system. From customer feedback, our ranking system is a lot more user-friendly and easier to manage.
11. Flexible Web Filtering Cloud Versus Cisco Umbrella
TitanHQ has always been MSP focused when it comes to features and product development. This web filter was built by MSP's for MSP's. With WebTitan there are lots of customizations options, the solution can be fully white labeled.
- Allows for extensive customization.
- Allows for deep integration with your interface.
- Unlimited capacity, from small MSPs sent to the Telco deployments.
- Extensive white labeling.
Additional Notes:
- WebTltan Pricing models are scalable for MSPs.
- Flexible Pricing options, AP's, IP's, per location.
12. Freshness of Threat Intelligence is Much More Important than Size
Determining the efficacy of a malicious database does not equate to protection. The internet is made up of nearly two billion websites and many times more full-path URLs. It is also continuously changing—most times legitimate and safe content updates. Some changes are nefarious, such as compromised websites, new phishing sites, or new forms of malware, ransomware etc. Because domains and URLs on the internet are continuously changing—any premium URL database or malicious database that stores a classification must “revisit” those destinations on a regular basis in order to stay current (or “fresh”). This “freshness” is particularly important for malicious categories (i.e. phishing, malware distribution, C&C, etc.) which often “blink” on/off to fulfill a specific purpose. You can also refer to this as a “short shelf life”.
Regular Revisits of Malicious Classifications Do Two Things:
- Ensure the malicious database is an active representation of current threats on the web.
- Prevent database “bloat”. It’s easy to find lists of malicious threats or feeds and include all of them into one “master malicious database.” But unless you have the AI-based and crowd-sourced systems to revisit and re-analyze at scale (and with high accuracy) that database quickly becomes obsolete. As you can imagine, this also means that the size of a premium malicious database will fluctuate from day-to-day, week-to-week, etc. WebTitans malicious dataset can fluctuate (NOTE: ONLY domains and paths classified as malicious—NOT including objectionable or other highly dynamic categories that may support malicious threats) from 2 million to upwards of 10 million malicious threats. Using additional technologies and services, we provide increased protection by identifying other indicators, such as sources of data center and non-human traffic (NHT)—known as our IVT blocklist. Simply put—the takeaway here is that a larger database DOES NOT equate to higher levels of protection. Accuracy (including “freshness” of the database, how recently analysis and classifications were made) as well as high coverage (which we accomplish through crowd-sourcing) are the most important criteria for measuring protection and quality of a malicious database.
The entire experience with WebTitan has been terrific. From better reporting to a usable UI, we’ve gotten the visibility we need to improve our security position. A brief demo was all I needed to know that WebTitan would serve my needs much better than Umbrella.
Key WebTitan Technical Features
Two Primary Use Cases:
- A DNS security layer. Blocks Malware, Phishing, Viruses, Ransomware & Malicious Sites at source.
- Brand protection. Advanced content control.
Additional Functionalities:
- URL filtering: Filters website URLs into 53 predefined categories in 200 languages. An additional 8 customizable categories are also available.
- Security Layer: Best-in-class malicious URL detection. SSL supported. HTTP and HTTPS covered.
- Flexible Policies: Create Policies for an entire organization, from AD groups down to the user level.
- API Driven: Integrate and control Webtitan using its extensive APIs, roll your own UI, auto provision your customers from your existing systems. Integrate billing and monitoring systems.
- Reporting: Realtime reporting dashboard to the per DNS request level or high level reports with customizable filters. Schedule customizable reports in multiple formats to be delivered via email. Drill down options with 55 predefined reports to choose from.
- Deployment options: WebTitan Cloud, a cloud deployment on AWS with failover. We deploy servers globally tailored for you and your operations. The IP for DNS forwarding provided to you. Your data in your geographic locations.
- Group Policies: If you use Windows Active Directory, you have already got groups defined, pull them into WebTitan and apply policies to individual groups.
- Safe Search: One click enforcement of Google and bing SafeSearch and YouTube restricted mode (this can be customised)
- Whitelist and Blacklist functionality: Per policy white and black list functionality.
- AD Integration: Allows for user identification, user/group policy application.
- Roaming Agent Support for IOS: OTG (On-the-go) is our endpoint client that enables users to roam off-network while still applying their WebTitan filtering policy. This roaming client provides the highest degree of granularity for reporting and policy enforcement. It transmits more metadata back to the WebTitan infrastructure, allowing for per-user policy enforcement and detailed reporting.We also don’t charge extra for our agents.
- IPv6 coverage: We have full IPv6 support thus are future proofed.
- Location types Static IP, dynamic IP, Dynamic DNS, Roaming or Virtual Locations (EDNS) all supported.
- Customisable block pages: Each customer can have their own specific block page to show their messaging and branding.
- White Labelling: Our GUI can be 100% White Labelled to your branding
- SIEM Integration: We listened to MSPs and understand that SIEM integration can be costly and doesn't scale effectively with large volumes of data. That's why we developed "WebTitan Data Offload." This feature lets you download your customers' DNS request data in log file format using our Data Offload API set. The APIs let you access the most recent traffic data from an Amazon S3 bucket in Gzip format, with authentication through the WebTitan API.
- APP Blocking: Customers can easily add all major apps they want to block to a specific app policy.
What Does WebTitan From TitanHQ Give the MSP?
- Margin making capability.
- Scalable, multi-tenant clouds in the UK, in aws and are fast. Private IP with secondary back up.
- A malware and phishing link killer for your customers.
- Microsoft, Virgin, ViaSat and Datto all use WebTitan primarily for it's security capabilities.
- Save on truck roll cost and engineering + support costs. Stop unhappy, time consuming customers.
- Real time LIVE updating of malware and malicious threats.
- Active database of 650 million users driving the AI driven protection in this product.
- Ease of deployment, roll out and use. We’ll hold your hands on roll out and scale you into the product if needs be. We’re a partner who will grow and slow together.
- No punitive terms or measures, no sharp practices. - Full industry leading support from real techies who sit beside the product owners over both phone and email. Pre and post-sales support.
- API for the MSP in particular when not using an RMM. Automation capabilities for them.
- Reporting – the power of reporting with full AD integration. Ease of user identification and reporting. They can show their customers the volume of malicious attacks they have prevented.
- Easy filtering at multiple levels and the capability to recognize users in many different ways. Offers remote employee protection.
A Video on the Benefits of WebTitan Versus Cisco Umbrella:
Moving from Cisco Umbrella DNS to WebTitan - the Case Studies:
Network Needs Move from Cisco Umbrella to WebTitan to Eliminate Customer Onboarding Complexity
Key Takeaways
- Rapid deployment
- Automated updates
- Ease of scalability
- Competitive pricing
- The ability to host in your own environment or TitanHQ’s Cloud
Technical Director, Ryan Lochhead discusses his change from Cisco Umbrella to WebTitan.
Network Needs, UK based Managed Service Provider, supplying 24/7 support, made the change to WebTitan Cloud to provide a more secure multi-layered approach for their clients.
According to Technical Director, Ryan Lochhead “We had used Cisco Umbrella to offer web filtering and found them very accommodating at the start offering support and guidance with the solution but once the deal was agreed this all fell away.”
The biggest challenge facing MSP, Network Needs was finding the right solution that would allow them provide malware protection for 1200 different customers in multiple locations. Each customer has unique needs and requires a flexible malware protection solution.
Providing solutions for influential brands such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, Aston Martin & BMW, Network Needs ensures a multi-layered security approach is instilled in all clients for protection against all advanced security threats.
“Protecting against the ever-changing threat landscape is vital to protect data, clients and employee productivity.” Read the full case study here.
When we decided to trial WebTitan we were happily surprised. Straightaway we dropped Cisco Umbrella and moved to WebTitan and it is impressing us every day.
Summary
WebTitan and Cisco Umbrella are two great products which are industry accepted as the first layer of phishing and ransomware protection. Both protect organisations of various sizes from web-based threats/inappropriate content through the DNS layer.
Both vendors put a key focus on the advanced threat detection to make sure customers are protected from malicious links, ransomware, spyware, malware and more. Umbrella is powered by Cisco whereas WebTitan is an independently owned organisation that is renowned for friendly, top class technical support and a pricing differential that just can’t be ignored.
We were blown away by WebTitan's filtering capability and exceptional support. Very easy to use and very affordable, 10/10.
Try WebTitan for Free — The #1 Cisco Umbrella Competitor
We know that there’s a lot of information out there and that every Cisco Umbrella competitor likes to shout from the rooftops about how great their tool is.
That’s why we offer a completely free, no-nonsense 14-day trial that gives you full access to the complete WebTitan DNS Filter tool.
No credit card or phone number is required. Simply input your business email address to get started.
WebTitan’s DNS security layer automatically reduces your malware threat risk by over 75%. Get started with WebTitan Cloud today and see the results in <1 hour.
Geraldine Hunt
- DNS FILTERING
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the Key Differences Between WebTitan and Cisco Umbrella?
WebTitan offers more competitive pricing and renowned technical support compared to Cisco Umbrella. It also provides a free 14-day trial and flexible pricing models without monthly minimums.
Why are Customers Migrating from Cisco Umbrella to WebTitan?
Customers cite WebTitan's better pricing structure, superior support from product experts throughout the sales and implementation process, and ease of use as reasons for migration.
What Features Does WebTitan Offer that Make it a Compelling Alternative to Cisco Umbrella?
WebTitan provides advanced threat detection, including AI-driven analysis of URLs and comprehensive reporting. It supports over 1,500 5-star customer reviews and offers extensive API integration.
What Support Does WebTitan Offer Compared to Cisco Umbrella?
WebTitan provides hands-on, world-class support with no additional costs for support, upgrades, or features. Customers appreciate ongoing technical support and assistance during migrations.
What are the Technical Advantages of Using WebTitan Over Cisco Umbrella?
WebTitan offers IPv6 support, extensive API capabilities, customizable policies, and detailed reporting, including real-time dashboard updates and email alerts for blocked content.
Is WebTitan Suitable for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and Businesses of all Sizes?
Yes, WebTitan caters to MSPs and businesses with scalable solutions, flexible pricing based on locations or IPs, and robust security features that include malware, phishing, and ransomware protection.
How does WebTitan Compare to Cisco Umbrella in Terms of Threat Intelligence and Database Freshness?
WebTitan focuses on the freshness and accuracy of its threat intelligence database, leveraging AI-driven and crowd-sourced methods to continuously update and analyze malicious URLs and domains.
What Customer Feedback Supports Choosing WebTitan Over Cisco Umbrella?
Customers appreciate WebTitan's user-friendly interface, effective threat protection, and responsive support, making it a preferred choice for organizations.