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Network Engineer at a recreational facilities/services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jun 25, 2023
Reduces the risk of breaches and is helpful for 2FA for our portal
Pros and Cons
  • "It's simple. It's reliable. I haven't had any issues with it."
  • "There might be a little slowness, but that could be my connection."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for two-factor authentication (2FA) for accessing our portal.

How has it helped my organization?

From a security standpoint, 2FA is very crucial, and having a multitude of ways for consumers in your property to utilize 2FA is helpful.

Duo Security has its place in securing our infrastructure. It's great for that, but not for securing our infrastructure end to end because there's no such thing as an end-to-end cure for all the security.

It is great for reducing the risk of breaches. Having 2FA and making it simple for users, it reduces the risk of getting phished or scammed.

Duo Security considers all resources to be external, which is a good idea because everything is done in a completely untrusted model. It's absolutely important for us.

Our cybersecurity resilience has improved in one way. We were successfully able to deploy it to a base system. It's uniform across the whole property, and everyone is using it.

What is most valuable?

It's simple. It's reliable. I haven't had any issues with it.

What needs improvement?

It's fairly simple. Our end users don't have many issues with it other than getting locked out for administrative purposes, but it's not something to do with Duo Security. There might be a little slowness, but that could be my connection.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Duo
November 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Duo. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution in our company for about two years. I have been with the company since we started using it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't had any problems. In a worst-case scenario, there might be a little slowness, but that could be my connection. They're pretty proactive when they do have issues. I get alerts right away saying that Duo Security is having problems, and they are being looked into.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is okay. They always respond. Sometimes you get really good engineers, and sometimes you don't, but at least they're there. I'd rate them a seven out of them.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We had a few other systems. It was piecemeal. We were trying Okta at one point. We were doing demos of the products trying to find the right one. I've limited experience with them, but our security team did a full evaluation. A few times, I've seen demos, which was a while ago, they all seem to be pretty close. It's pretty tough out there. We might have been roped into Duo Security with some other deal that we did with Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in its deployment. Our security team does most of the deployment factor on that. I do remember the provisioning process, and it seemed pretty painless. We have about 5,000 employees, and I'm sure getting the education to the users about what we're doing would have been an effort, but overall, it was pretty easy.

In terms of deployment, it's on the cloud. It's probably a hybrid cloud, but I'm not sure.

What was our ROI?

There's definitely a return on investment because one compromise can cost billions of dollars.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate Duo Security a nine out of ten. I haven't had any problems. It's great.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1895478 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer Virtualization at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jun 21, 2023
Improved our cybersecurity resilience with two-factor authentication.
Pros and Cons
  • "It's pretty easy for users to figure it out."
  • "From an administrative standpoint, I'd love to see it be a little better at remembering a device and location so that I don't have to continually authenticate. That's pretty much it."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for user logins for Windows workstations and Office 365. We have certain requirements for doing two-factor authentication.

How has it helped my organization?

Duo Security has improved our cybersecurity resilience with two-factor authentication.

Duo Security secures our infrastructure from end to end, especially in terms of what our end users are using. We get an alert if there's something unusual, which doesn't happen often, but it allows us to look at and remediate any issues. Fortunately, we haven't had any attacks that I know of, so it has been good. 

Duo Security does its job in terms of user authentication and device verification for helping to prevent identity-based attacks.

Duo Security reduces the risk of breaches. I haven't seen anything that I would switch to.

Duo Security seems to work for establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from. That's something that we ask of such solutions. I don't want to have to interact with it very much.

What is most valuable?

It's pretty easy for users to figure it out. We've largely non-technical people where I am. At first, there was a little bit of a speed bump trying to get everybody to understand why we were using it, but it wasn't too bad. Everybody pretty much embraced it. Its adoption happened over a course of a couple of weeks. It was fairly smooth.

We also use Cisco Secure Email and Cisco Umbrella. It integrates pretty well with them. We haven't had any issues.

What needs improvement?

From an administrative standpoint, I'd love to see it be a little better at remembering a device and location so that I don't have to continually authenticate. That's pretty much it.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using it in our company for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability is good. We haven't had any outages.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is also good. We haven't had any issues expanding it to everything. 

How are customer service and support?

When I've had to engage with them, which is occasionally, their support has been good for me. I know our network engineer has run into an issue here and there, but I don't specifically know why. Personally, I haven't had any problems. I'd rate them a ten out of ten. They have solved everything so far.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in its implementation, but I know it was smooth. I didn't hear of any issues, so it was pretty simple for us.

We have a hybrid deployment.

What about the implementation team?

I'm pretty sure we do most of the things through Zones. They are good. I'd recommend them.

What was our ROI?

We've seen an ROI. We had to have it. It meets our needs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Microsoft's two-factor authentication. Other than that, we pretty much went straight for Duo just because we were in that ecosystem already. We didn't want to embrace Microsoft stuff. This was a better fit for what we needed. We were already in the Cisco ecosystem.

The Microsoft solution was also a bit limited. We were less likely to wire other devices. It was for Microsoft products at that time, but I don't know if it's changed.

Duo Security considers all resources to be external. That was a part of the reason we adopted it. That was the main difference between the Microsoft solution and this one. We've integrated it with single sign-on. It's good.

What other advice do I have?

It's a good product. We've been pleased with it. There are no complaints.

I'd rate it a ten out of ten because I don't know what's better than this.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Duo
November 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Duo. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2026.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2212455 - PeerSpot reviewer
VP Enterprise Architect at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Jun 21, 2023
Provides a single log in place for all SaaS applications and helps in RADIUS authentication
Pros and Cons
  • "Since Duo Security provides a single place to log in for our SaaS applications, we don't have to manage user accounts and remember passwords for each specific application."
  • "Duo Security should better organize its tile feature to organize applications better."

What is our primary use case?

We use Duo Security for authentication for all of our SaaS applications. We also use it for RADIUS authentication.

How has it helped my organization?

Duo Security makes logging into all our applications easy with one stop for all our activity there. We use Cisco across the board for networking, and we love Cisco.

What is most valuable?

Since Duo Security provides a single place to log in for our SaaS applications, we don't have to manage user accounts and remember passwords for each specific application.

What needs improvement?

Duo Security should better organize its tile feature to organize applications better.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Duo Security for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Duo Security's stability is good, and we haven't had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Duo Security's scalability is good. We are a fairly large organization but haven't had any scalability issues.

How are customer service and support?

Duo Security's technical support is great. They do a better job on the Duo side than on the networking side for support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We've used Okta in the past. Okta has a really good auto-login feature. Duo Security can do the same thing, but Okta might do it a little bit better. It just automatically logs in if it's part of your profile.

We switched to Duo Security because of our relationship with our account reps.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investment using Duo Security because it saves time.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Duo Security's pricing is good, fair, and very comparable to today's market.

What other advice do I have?

Duo Security Self-Service Portal has significantly helped free up our IT staff for other projects. Instead of managing thousands of accounts across hundreds of SaaS applications, it's all in one spot now. Duo Security has probably saved us four or five hours at least.

I think Duo Security does a great job of establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from.

It is very important for our organization that the solution considers all resources to be external because it frames the activity as zero trust, and that's how we run our network to zero trust across the board. So when you treat all resources as external, we want to lock them down every time and not just have random passwords floating everywhere.

Duo Security will significantly simplify the life of someone who wants to improve cybersecurity in their organization, and they should definitely try it.

Overall, I rate Duo Security ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2212677 - PeerSpot reviewer
Program Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jun 19, 2023
Provides security and flexibility, and comes with great support and at-par licensing
Pros and Cons
  • "The flexibility is the most valuable feature. We use it for the app on the phone. When we're at different locations, the phone is usually there, so we can use that. It has just been a very flexible option."
  • "For upgrades, there should be a better notification of when they're coming out. We always have a testing phase, so we need to be ahead of it. It takes us longer before we can upgrade to the newest version."

What is our primary use case?

We use Duo Security for multi-factor authentication.

How has it helped my organization?

Duo Security helps with multi-factor authentication. It gives another level of security for authentication and logging devices. It's just more secure.

It does a very good job of securing our infrastructure. It enables us to be more secure and provides another level for our users and admins.

It definitely increases security in our work environment. I've also used it at school for logging into my system there. It's good for both scenarios. It's very user-friendly.

It's very good for user authentication and device verification for helping to prevent identity-based attacks. The only thing would be if you lose your phone or something like that, then it breaks the whole setup, so it has been very successful in that.

Now that it has been implemented, it has freed up our IT staff's time. It has mostly been set up and go. We then forget about it till we have to update it.

It's very good for establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from.

Duo Security considers all resources to be external which is an important aspect because of the way our network is set up. We've remote sites, and everyone at those sites also has the requirement to use Duo Security.

It's another level of the security level mechanism that we have. At this point, the way cybersecurity is going, adding more options that are not very heavy lifting for a user is very important.

What is most valuable?

The flexibility is the most valuable feature. We use it for the app on the phone. When we're at different locations, the phone is usually there, so we can use that. It has just been a very flexible option.

What needs improvement?

For upgrades, there should be a better notification of when they're coming out. We always have a testing phase, so we need to be ahead of it. It takes us longer before we can upgrade to the newest version.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've known Duo Security for four years.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is great. We use them a lot. It depends on what issues we're having, but we always get any service, so I'd rate them a ten out of ten. They're very responsive and very knowledgeable. They're more eager at points to get things figured out than we're ready to, which is good, but we have to step back.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We didn't use any other solution before. Its integration with the rest of our products probably made us go for it.

How was the initial setup?

Its deployment is easy, but getting users bought in and starting to use it could be a bit difficult. That comes with any big change.

What was our ROI?

Our organization has definitely got a good return on investment on it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I haven't seen it in a while, but it's at par with everything else licensing-wise.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I'd rate Duo Security a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Mike Troop - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Director at a non-profit with 201-500 employees
Real User
Jun 18, 2023
Keeps us secure, allows us to be remote, and is simple to deal with
Pros and Cons
  • "We're working remotely. It helps us keep people more safe. Its adoption has been fine. I like the fact that you can bypass it if you need to because there are situations where the internet doesn't work, etc."
  • "We use Yubikey for pushing it to the phones. Yubikeys can get expensive because people tend to lose those for some reason. Fifty dollars a device is pretty high."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for multifactor authentication for getting in with cell phones and PCs.

How has it helped my organization?

Duo Security allows us to be remote, and it keeps us secure. It has been very good for securing our infrastructure from end to end. We haven't had any issues.

It has helped free up our IT staff, but I don't have the metrics on how much time it has actually saved. We don't worry about it. It just works.

It has been good for establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from.

What is most valuable?

We're working remotely. It helps us keep people more safe. Its adoption has been fine. I like the fact that you can bypass it if you need to because there are situations where the internet doesn't work, etc.

Its ability to help reduce the risk of breaches is pretty good. I like its ability for user authentication and device verification.

What needs improvement?

We use Yubikey for pushing it to the phones. Yubikeys can get expensive because people tend to lose those for some reason. Fifty dollars a device is pretty high.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for a couple of years.

How are customer service and support?

I don't deal directly with their tech support myself. I've got some other folks that do that for me, but I don't hear any complaints, so I'd rate them really high.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did use another solution. I can't remember the name of it, but it had a lot of flaws and a lot of issues. It did not connect to the equipment that we had to use. It would break down, so we had to find something else.

We didn't consider another solution. While researching, Duo Security came out to be the best. The last one was terrible, and this one ranked a lot higher.

How was the initial setup?

We have a hybrid deployment. It was very easy to implement it. 

It integrates well with other systems. We have Cisco Umbrella and Cisco routing and switching. We had Cisco firewalls, but I wouldn't recommend them. 

What was our ROI?

We've seen an ROI in using this product. There is stability and ease of use. It isn't a problem to handle. It's simple to deal with.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It falls in line with everything else.

What other advice do I have?

To someone researching this solution who wants to improve cybersecurity in their organization, I'd say that it has been very beneficial.

Overall, I'd rate Duo Security a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
CTO at EyePea
Real User
Apr 9, 2023
Makes the attack vector smaller and improves the security of our customer's networks
Pros and Cons
  • "Multifactor authentication and secure two-factor authentication are the most valuable features. It's been around for a while, but now it's becoming an enforced behavior as opposed to something that you used to do as optional."
  • "I'm not a big fan of relicensing products every year or two years, but that's the model at the moment. I prefer to go back to licensing perpetually or permanent licensing."

What is our primary use case?

We use a number of Cisco products specifically, Cisco Umbrella and Duo.

Our primary use case is to enhance our client's security and their digital security model; Secure DNS, malware protection, MFA, and MDM services for their premium devices and their office devices.

How has it helped my organization?

Cisco has improved our organization by making the attack vector smaller and improving the security of our customer's networks and by extension, enhancing our reputation.

Using Cisco has saved us time and money. It also saves us from the threat of a loss of money by cyberattacks. It saves us months of technical effort and loss of billable hours.

It has also helped to reduce our operating expenditures.

What is most valuable?

Multifactor authentication and secure two-factor authentication are the most valuable features. It's been around for a while, but now it's becoming an enforced behavior as opposed to something that you used to do as optional. 

When it comes to securing infrastructure from end to end so that we can detect and remediate it, it's pretty good. It's a little proprietary. A lot of it is based around its own ecosystem and we've started looking at other solutions that are more open-source or a bit open to more collaboration. That's something that we're picking up with Cisco.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco solutions for two to three years. 

How are customer service and support?

Their support is very good, especially at an executive level and account director level. They'll always find you the right person if they're not the right person to help you do something.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What was our ROI?

My own company and our customers have seen ROI from using Cisco. The customer specifically does not lose time anymore in cyberattacks, malware, and devices being affected or hijacked.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not a big fan of relicensing products every year or two years, but that's the model at the moment. I prefer to go back to licensing perpetually or permanent licensing.

What other advice do I have?

We chose Cisco because it's very good, very well understood, has a good reputation, and has a strong support community around it. There is good technical expertise if you need it.

I would rate Cisco an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Tobias Koennecker - PeerSpot reviewer
IT System Administrator at Mega eG
Real User
Apr 9, 2023
Everything is clear in one dashboard but the licensing is complicated
Pros and Cons
  • "Cisco Secure solutions are great for detecting and remediating threats across our infrastructure from end to end. The integration of Talos in SecureX is great. Everything is clear in one dashboard. You have a dashboard there, your dashboard, and now you can have one look in your dashboard and see everything. It's on one pane of glass."
  • "Smart Licensing needs improvement. It's terrible. We have problems with it every year and we need to involve support to fix it."

What is our primary use case?

We use Duo, Client, and Umbrella. 

Our primary use case for this is for our clients to be secure.

How has it helped my organization?

We are at the beginning of using Umbrella. We use a traditional Cisco proxy. Now, with Umbrella, it's easy to administrate. It helps save us time.

What is most valuable?

Everything is all in one dashboard, so it makes the administration very easy.

Cisco Secure solutions are great for detecting and remediating threats across our infrastructure from end to end. The integration of Talos in SecureX is great. Everything is clear in one dashboard. You have your dashboard and can have one look in your dashboard and see everything. It's on one pane of glass. 

What needs improvement?

Smart Licensing needs improvement. It's terrible. We have problems with it every year and we need to involve support to fix it. 

Our appliances are connected to Cisco Smart Center but they don't get the license. That's our pain point. But then when they work, they work. 

I liked the traditional licensing. We get the license key, pass it, and it works.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Umbrella for one month and we just started using Duo. We have been using classic Cisco for seven years. 

How are customer service and support?

The support is fast and good.

The first level of support asks a lot of questions. We have a partner who does it for us. If we have a problem, we send it to them and they contact Cisco.

For the first level of support, they always say it's the firewall or the network and we need to prove that it isn't. It's too much back and forth. It's a lot of emails. Maybe it's faster when it's on a call. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Cisco Duo was really easy to implement. 

Umbrella was a little bit difficult because of the documentation. Not everything was documented. We got help from Cisco and the internet. 

We used a Cisco consultant for the implementation. They were great. They know nearly everything. For Cisco deployment, they need to know our network, how it works, and so it's not so easy for them, but they did great. When I have questions, I get answers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cisco isn't cheap but it's good. 

Cisco DNA Center is great, but it's too big for our environment, we don't need it in our company. Before we had classic Cisco infrastructure, now, we are switching to Meraki because it's cheaper and it's not big like DNA Center. DNA Center is great, but it's too big. You need a lot of IT to get it to work. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also evaluated Unify. Cisco is the leader and we started with Cisco. It's good, so we stay with it.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a seven out of ten. It's not like Cisco Duo. Not everything is on one application. It should be easier to get everything in one application, where you can see everything. I would like to see one pane of glass so that we can plug everything into one application in order to see the performance.

The support should also be improved.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2146866 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Security Manager at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Apr 9, 2023
The security products have good integration
Pros and Cons
    • "We were considering purchasing other products, like AMP for Endpoints, and it was not properly integrated with the firewall function. It might be better now with SecureX."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Cisco Firewalls, Cisco Umbrella, and we played a bit with Cisco Duo. The integration between has gotten better recently.

    We use them for a security solution, multifactor authentication, and DNS protection.

    How has it helped my organization?

    It helps increase the security posture of the organization.

    Cisco saves us time. We automate as many tasks as possible.

    What is most valuable?

    The integration is the most valuable feature. The products talk to each other. 

    The products help us to detect and remediate threats.

    What needs improvement?

    The integration has improved recently but it can still be better. 

    We were considering purchasing other products, like AMP for Endpoints, and it was not properly integrated with the firewall function. It might be better now with SecureX.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    My company has been using it since before the company was founded more than ten years ago.

    How are customer service and support?

    Their support can use improvement when it comes to responsiveness. It can take a few business days to convince an engineer that a device is faulty. 

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We also use other products from other companies for web applications and firewalling, besides Firepower. There are pluses and minuses for the other companies. 

    From Gartner's perspective, Cisco products are not market leaders in some areas. 

    How was the initial setup?

    With good specialists and support, it's easy to implement multiple Cisco products. 

    What other advice do I have?

    We should be protecting our network and the cost of security and the OpEx is important, but it is more important to have a protected network.

    I would rate their security products an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Julien Mousqueton - PeerSpot reviewer
    CTO at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
    Reseller
    Mar 5, 2023
    Fair price, improves security, and easily integrates with existing infrastructure
    Pros and Cons
    • "For me and my customers, the best feature is that it's very easy to integrate with the existing infrastructure. It takes a few minutes to configure it."
    • "It already integrates with lots of products, but it can integrate with more products. There should be easy integration with Cisco products because sometimes, it can be quite complicated."

    What is our primary use case?

    It's an MFA solution, and we mainly use Duo Security for secure access to some of the servers with backup data.

    How has it helped my organization?

    With Duo Security, we can better secure our servers with backup data. It's very good for our customers for cyber resilience.

    It can reduce time in case of a ransomware attack and so on. It protects the data but not directly.

    What is most valuable?

    For me and my customers, the best feature is that it's very easy to integrate with the existing infrastructure. It takes a few minutes to configure it.

    What needs improvement?

    It's already good, but there could be more integration. There could be ready-made integration. Other than that, it's a good product. It already integrates with lots of products, but it can integrate with more products. There should be easy integration with Cisco products because sometimes, it can be quite complicated.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using this solution for around two years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I don't see any problems. It's very good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It seems good.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We already have a different vendor's solution, but the way that Cisco works on global security helps us to sell more. That's because customers want one dashboard or one cockpit, and now, all the Cisco projects go through SecureX. For customers, it's an advantage because they only have to know one interface, not ten interfaces. They don't have to know the interface of each product they've got.

    I like Cisco Talos because it's a good source of security information, but it doesn't impact the customers as such.

    How was the initial setup?

    We mainly work with the public sector, so its deployment is mainly on-premises, but we also have a few customers who have a hybrid setup. We don't have customers with a full public cloud, so it's mainly hybrid, and they mainly use AWS and Azure cloud. There is also one local provider called OVH, and because it's in the country, it's easier. 

    I don't take care of its deployment. I have a presales role, so I do demonstrations. I deploy it in our lab but not at the customer. It's my colleague who does that.

    The deployment process in the lab is very easy. Duo Security is a cloud solution, so there is almost nothing to install on-prem, and there is also lots of documentation. It's very well-documented how to integrate it with an already existing solution. In one day, you can integrate it quite easily. The web interface is very easy to understand.

    What about the implementation team?

    One person is enough for its deployment. In terms of maintenance, it doesn't require any maintenance. It's a cloud solution.

    What was our ROI?

    The ROI is complicated to calculate. It improves security, and improved security is the return on investment.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Cisco's licensing is always a bit complicated to understand, but the price is fair. It could be more expensive than others, but the way they integrate everything, it has a fair price.

    What other advice do I have?

    You've got a trial version, so just try it, and you will adopt it.

    I'd rate Duo Security a nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Peter Hofer - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Manager at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Mar 1, 2023
    It helped us prevent unauthorized access after a phishing attack
    Pros and Cons
    • "Cisco is the perfect product for our current size, and I don't think we'll have problems with scalability as we grow."
    • "Most of my colleagues from other companies use the Microsoft MFA solution because it's included in Office 365. Few people are considering Cisco Duo. That's the primary problem in our area. It's a solution mostly adopted by Cisco users."

    What is our primary use case?

    Duo is part of a complete security package that Cisco provides. Initially, we only used Duo to secure Microsoft 365, but we now use it for other applications like VPN, terminal server access, etc.

    How has it helped my organization?

    A couple of months ago, our colleagues got phishing emails from real accounts because other companies got hacked. The scammers write emails from a hacked account because they see an employee on the contact list. They seem real because the images are authentic. That leads to a portal where you have to insert your credentials. 

    Like any MFA, Cisco Duo sends a message when someone tries to access your account. That's the part that helped us because a person always falls for it. Unauthorized access is a serious problem, even if it doesn't affect your files. It's a potential risk to our reputation because it doesn't look good if a hacker is using your company email address to send spam.

    I'm not sure if Duo saved us time. Any security measure inevitably makes things more complicated. If you eliminate security solutions, it's easier on your users, but you have no security. It's like wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. You don't need it until you fall. 

    Our security posture is getting better, but we still have room for improvement. We're implementing several security packages currently and hope to be where we want to be by the end of this year. 

    What needs improvement?

    Most of my colleagues from other companies use the Microsoft MFA solution because it's included in Office 365. Few people are considering Cisco Duo. That's the primary problem in our area. It's a solution mostly adopted by Cisco users.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We are new users and only started transitioning to Cisco last year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We haven't experienced any issues so far, and I hope it stays that way. Nothing is 100 percent, but it's close to that. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Our company isn't too big. Cisco is the perfect product for our current size, and I don't think we'll have problems with scalability as we grow.

    How are customer service and support?

    We rely on our partner for technical support, so we've never contacted Cisco for that. 

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We used HP networking and security products but transitioned to Cisco last year. In the food manufacturing industry, Cisco has some advantages over others. For example, Cisco switches are made for heavy industry and are designed for devices in the mills. Cisco is certified to integrate with Siemens microprocessors. 

    What is critical for me isn't the product itself, it's your partner. If you have a great partner, you can also work with HP or other competitors. Having a partner to implement everything and suggest best practices is essential. Our partner NTS works exclusively with Cisco, so we switched from the competitor to Cisco when we switched partners.

    How was the initial setup?

    The deployment was straightforward with the help of our partner. I can't do it all alone, but our partner has 450 Cisco-certified technicians. 

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Cisco has the most expensive products because market leaders tend to charge a lot.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Cisco Duo Security a nine out of ten. I would give the solution a perfect score if it were a little cheaper. Cisco is expensive.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
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    Updated: November 2026
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Cisco Duo Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.