At this point, the primary use case of Cisco Duo is to secure access to systems, applications, and data through multi-factor authentication (MFA), and we use Cisco Duo, which we also provide to other clients. We implemented it and use it ourselves. The IT and finance departments should be involved in the process.
Senior Information Security Engineer at DAAC System Integrator
Security measures and seamless updates improve organization
Pros and Cons
- "All features of the solution are effective, particularly those involved in identifying vulnerabilities and updates."
- "My overall rating for the solution is ten out of ten."
- "There was an issue related to integration with third parties."
- "There was an issue related to integration with third parties."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Simplified Access Management with a centralized admin control, security remote access even with their BYOD etc.
What is most valuable?
All features of the solution are effective, Duo supports BYOD policies by allowing users to authenticate securely from their personal devices. This flexibility allows employees to work from anywhere while ensuring that only secure devices can access corporate data. This has been very effective for our organization, and we have not encountered any issues. We use Cisco Duo and provide it to our clients as well. We implemented it and also use it internally. The IT and finance departments should be involved.
What needs improvement?
I found some issues yet do not remember them specifically. There was an project requirement related to facial recognition integration imbedded in duo.
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is okay. We have not found any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Until now, we did not find issues related to scalability as we did not implement the solution at a large scale.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service is okay. However, the response time could be faster.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup consists mostly of demos, so it is not very hard to implement.
Additionally, there is also online support available. The setup took around a week, depending on how big the infrastructure is.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup cost is reasonable, estimated at around six euros per month.
What other advice do I have?
We did not find any issues. The clients who want to acquire this product need to change something in the security infrastructure by implementing MFA security authentication, like Duo, and so on. My overall rating for the solution is ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Last updated: Jan 15, 2025
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Security Analyst at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Saves us time, establishes trust, and prevents phishing
Pros and Cons
- "The anti-phishing feature is the most valuable."
- "I would appreciate it if Duo Security could improve its integrations with Windows Hello."
What is our primary use case?
We utilize Duo Security to mitigate phishing and other similar attack vectors in general.
How has it helped my organization?
Our phishing attacks have significantly decreased. The number of compromises is almost nonexistent due to the implementation of Duo Security.
Duo Security's self-service portal has definitely helped us save a couple of hours per month.
Duo Security's ability for establishing trust is great.
What is most valuable?
The anti-phishing feature is the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
Previously, we encountered an issue with utilizing the passcode as part of the second factor; however, that has now been transformed into a feature.
I would appreciate it if Duo Security could improve its integrations with Windows Hello.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Duo Security for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Duo Security is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
After Cisco purchased Duo Security, I was uncertain about its scalability. However, it appears that Cisco has granted them the freedom to pursue their own initiatives and has provided the necessary resources for them to achieve their goals.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is excellent.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment took place five years ago, but during that time, we experienced some growing pains before reaching a satisfactory point.
What about the implementation team?
I was not involved in the implementation, but we did seek external assistance, which proved beneficial.
What was our ROI?
We have observed a return on investment with Duo Security in terms of anti-phishing and breach prevention.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Duo Security a ten out of ten.
We do not use Duo Security for end-to-end detection and remediation of threats.
Duo Security may not be the only solution available, but it is a fantastic choice.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Systems Engineer Virtualization at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Program Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
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: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Aerospace Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Enables us to pick out unsuccessful login attempts quickly and shut down those accounts proactively
Pros and Cons
- "The ability for users to authenticate via phone, from any random phone number, has been very helpful for managing a distributed workforce. Using it across a distributed network for securing access to our applications is big for us."
- "We have users who move throughout the world, and their levels of connectivity change. It can be a challenge, if someone is in Bahrain, to authenticate via Duo."
What is our primary use case?
We wanted multi-factor authentication across a variety of platforms.
How has it helped my organization?
It's improved security by enforcing strong, reliable multi-factor authentication, and it has reduced intrusions across our organization. It makes sure all the user sessions are at least a little more trustful than if we just had single-factor.
In terms of remediating threats, we are able to pick out unsuccessful login attempts pretty quickly on the Duo platform and we can shut down those accounts. It makes us more proactive. That works well.
What is most valuable?
The ability for users to authenticate via phone, from any random phone number, has been very helpful for managing a distributed workforce. Using it across a distributed network for securing access to our applications is big for us. It works very well, and we have no major complaints about the integration of any of our third-party applications.
We have a high level of confidence in the platform, especially for identifying potential logins from unexpected geolocations. The data associated with logs is very helpful for helping to make that determination.
It's very important for us that Duo Security considers all resources to be external, especially as we lead up to Zero Trust. It needs to be like that.
What needs improvement?
End-users find it more annoying than anything else. It's tough to manage user perception of the service, especially when there isn't feature parity between Mac and Windows users. There are some challenges in making that user experience the same between platforms and helping users feel the least amount of burden possible while helping to ensure the organization's security.
Network connectivity depends on where users are located. Internally, on-premises, it's not hard keeping connectivity, but we have users who move throughout the world, and their levels of connectivity change. It can be a challenge, if someone is in Bahrain, to authenticate via Duo.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Duo Security for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've had no issues with the stability of Duo. I consider it to be a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has scaled to meet our needs. I don't know how it scales if you have 10,000 or 20,000 users, but for our organization, with fewer than 5,000 users, it's been fine.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support has been adequate. They are responsive regarding support for troubleshooting tickets. We haven't had any issues that required escalation, so we've been happy with it.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did have a previous solution. The interoperability has been improved with Duo compared to that solution.
How was the initial setup?
Our physical deployment of the solution is in the continental United States, but our users are worldwide.
What other advice do I have?
I don't place too much value on any single product, since placing too much trust in one thing creates a single point of failure. This is just a single piece in a broader spectrum of security products to accomplish our actual goals.
Building resilience is nice, but there's a point of diminishing returns when it comes to doing that. Part of my job is to help our leaders understand where that diminishing return is.
The single pane of glass management is desirable, but it's like a unicorn. No single pane of glass is ever really a single pane of glass. That's something that would be nice, but it's not something I expect.
Duo is a very consistent product and flexible in how it can be deployed and has good support. It's a product we're very happy with.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
CTO at Trust-IT Solutions
Authenticates our domain and users, making the process more secure
What is our primary use case?
We're using Cisco Duo to authenticate our domain and users.
How has it helped my organization?
We use Cisco the most. It helps us with authentication, making the process more secure. Duo facilitates authentication whenever we try to log in to a machine, making the initial process quick and easy. We no longer need to type in numbers, which is very convenient.
What is most valuable?
Cisco is a very simple solution. It has integration with BroadSoft.
What needs improvement?
There is one issue. We use our SMS messaging tool, but with Cisco Duo, you must use their service. They should allow integration with other SMS providers via API.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Duo for six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. I rate it as ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability is good. 1000 users, including admins and developers, are using this solution.
I rate the solution's scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco's technical support is a bit cumbersome.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use Google Authenticator and Okta. First, integration with BroadSoft was very important to us. Second, the initial deployment of the product was very straightforward and simple. After running a POC, we realized the product would be easy to maintain.
How was the initial setup?
Deployment is pretty simple. It can sometimes be a bit cumbersome, but it works well once you get it set up. It takes a few days and one person to complete.
Overall, it’s a straightforward and effective solution. I rate it as eight out of ten, whereas ten is the easiest.
What about the implementation team?
We need to configure it. But then the initial setup is very short and simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive. I rate it as eight out of ten, whereas ten is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco Duo integrates with Microsoft Active Directory for login using an on-premise deployment. It also connects to cloud services, including CrowdStrike, making it a hybrid tool.
We're using Cisco Duo to enhance our security. Before implementing it, deploying advanced security solutions like MFA for every login was challenging. Each time I logged into Cisco, I had to enter new numbers, which was time-consuming and cumbersome. Now, with Cisco Duo, the login process has become much simpler. You click to log in. While it may not directly save us money, it saves time and contributes to our overall security posture.
I recommend the solution since everyone wants this type of solution to be very simple, just to work, easy to deploy, very simple, usable, and Cisco Duo checks all those boxes.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Lead Support Tech at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
An easy-to-use and easy-to-deploy product that enhances security and gives insight into policy violations
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use."
- "The product could be more intuitive on the app."
What is our primary use case?
We use Duo Security for 2FA during logins.
What is most valuable?
We needed 2FA for compliance. We already used Cisco across the board, so it made sense to use the product. We benefit from using the solution. We were unaware that some users were sharing logins and doing some things that went against policies. Once we had Duo Security in place, we realized that codes were not going where they needed to, and we could sort that out. The solution is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
We have some users that don't prefer to use the app. The product could be more intuitive on the app. We have users that are a little dated in their technology adoption. Telling some of our non-intuitive users to use the app was a little struggle.
For how long have I used the solution?
We implemented the solution about a year ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any issues with the solution’s stability at all. We've had no issues with it not being compatible anywhere.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We're a pretty small shop. We have less than 100 employees, so scalability is not a huge concern because there's not a lot of growth right now. However, bundling and provisioning the tool with any device is pretty easy.
How are customer service and support?
Support is good. We've had a couple of issues with the tool, and anytime we needed anything answered, we've got it resolved. Everything's been quick and reasonable. We generally expect to get answers the same day we have the problem, although it is not possible.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
To my knowledge, we didn't have any issues in the rollout. We tried to phase it out over the course of a few weeks. Once we got a few of them tested, we went to the next phase. Then, we decided to go 100% with it because we saw no problems doing a stack of implementation. It was pretty good.
What was our ROI?
My organization sees an ROI on the product. If there's any attempt at a breach, then we're confident that it will be stopped.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is deployed on the cloud. We're pretty sure it's on our end with the telephone system. We have set up automated phone calls to the desk phones, and sometimes they don't go through or are delayed. However, we've been looking through it and are pretty sure it’s on our telephone system.
I rate the product a seven out of ten in securing our infrastructure from end to end. It's pretty straightforward for people that have done 2FA before, but we have a lot of users that haven't. We have to do a little convincing to get them to do the additional step.
We have saved time by using the tool so that we can dedicate our time to other valuable projects. The tool’s Self-Service Portal helped us with uptime. The solution is good at establishing trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from.
We have policies for our machines and for our phones. The solution really opened our eyes to what people needed to do on their phones and what they were actually bringing to the building.
Duo Security absolutely helped our organization improve its cybersecurity resilience. Our employee and guest network are separated. However, people were bringing their personal devices and doing work-related things on them that we weren't aware of. The solution allowed us to see a little bit more of what was going on at the user level.
Duo Security was the first implementation in our organization. We did not use similar solutions before. Choosing the solution was a pretty quick process. Duo Security was the first one that we demoed. We didn't have any issues, so we went right with it. We chose it because of its ease of use and implementation. We were able to roll it out fairly quickly, so there was no reason to look elsewhere.
We had some partner companies and sister companies that were starting to have breaches. They told us that if we had 2FA, it wouldn't have been a problem.
Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Technician at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Helps reduce the risk of breaches
Pros and Cons
- "It's a lot easier for our end users to connect to our network. You don't have to type in a code. You get push notifications, that's probably the best thing about it. The fewer clicks they have to do to be online, the better it is. They can easily get into the network and do remote work."
- "I'd like to see it integrated into other applications. I know there are some integrations, but I haven't been able to explore that any further."
What is our primary use case?
We use Duo Security for multi-factor authentication for our VPN.
How has it helped my organization?
We didn't have any MFA previously. Adding that extra layer of security helps.
Duo Security has been pretty good for securing our infrastructure from end to end so that you can detect and remediate threats. We've seen several of our employees leave the country, and we see their connections trying to go through and so forth. We can either add them to allow them access or keep denying that access, and we get alerted to that.
It is pretty good in terms of user authentication and device verification for helping to prevent identity-based attacks. Your device is preauthorized. If somebody steals your device, they still need to know your password. That works out pretty well.
Duo Security helps reduce the risk of breaches. If I had known about it sooner, I'd have got it sooner.
The Self-Service Portal has helped free up our IT staff. Our guys spend a little time, and they can go in and look at how to do things and how to set things up. It makes things a little easier.
Duo Security establishes trust for every access request, no matter where it comes from. We really limit where we cannot be accessed from. It helps to make sure whoever we're letting in is who they're supposed to be.
Duo Security considers all resources to be external. If you treat everything as a threat, you're safer that way.
It has helped our organization improve its cybersecurity resilience.
What is most valuable?
It's a lot easier for our end users to connect to our network. You don't have to type in a code. You get push notifications, that's probably the best thing about it. The fewer clicks they have to do to be online, the better it is. They can easily get into the network and do remote work.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see it integrated into other applications. I know there are some integrations, but I haven't been able to explore that any further.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Duo Security for about the last 18 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been awesome. It's been a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't had a deal with that.
How are customer service and support?
That's pretty good, but we didn't have to use them for this product. In general, Cisco support has been excellent. I'd rate them a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't have MFA. This was our first one. We were using open-source VPN software and decided that we needed to add MFA. We didn't want to patch a bunch of different things together. Cisco AnyConnect and MFA together worked out very well. We also had a Cisco Firepower firewall, and we decided that one vendor for all of it would make it much easier. Its price was also very reasonable. It made it easy for us to make that decision.
How was the initial setup?
It was straightforward. For most things that I've dealt with from Cisco, I've had to do a lot of research to find things, but with Duo Security, everything was right there for us.
What about the implementation team?
We did it in-house. It was easy.
What was our ROI?
Less time is spent trying to figure things out with a bunch of different software. By having one vendor, there's not a lot of extra work that our guys have to do to keep maintaining that.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing was very reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
To someone researching this solution who wants to improve cybersecurity in their organization, I'd say that definitely give it a look. It's easy to set up. It was very easy for us to set up. We even had our Cisco team call us and make sure we had everything going. It was almost no effort, so it's worth a try.
I'd rate Duo Security a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: MSP

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