The main benefit of Cisco Umbrella is early threat blocking. Because it works at the DNS layer, it can stop a device from reaching a malicious domain before any web connection or file download begins. It also catches threats that use any port or protocol, not only web browsers.
Other commonly cited benefits include:
- Fast deployment. Pointing network DNS at Umbrella’s resolvers can protect an office in minutes, with no hardware to buy.
- Low latency. Anycast routing sends requests to the nearest of Cisco’s 50+ data centres.
- Threat intelligence. Policies draw on Cisco Talos research and Umbrella’s view of a huge volume of daily DNS requests.
- Off-network protection. The Umbrella module in Cisco Secure Client keeps laptops covered on public and home networks.
- Visibility. Activity Search and reports show which domains each network, user or device is requesting.
Higher tiers add a secure web gateway, cloud firewall, CASB and data loss prevention, so some organisations use Umbrella as a first step toward a broader security service edge (SSE) setup.
Reviewers on G2, Gartner Peer Insights and PeerSpot rate it around 4.4 out of 5, praising ease of use and protection. The usual criticisms are cost, features locked to higher tiers and complex policy management. With Umbrella now moving into Cisco Secure Access, buyers should weigh these benefits against the migration ahead.