Aruba ESP vs Cisco Umbrella comparison

Why PeerSpot?

The compared Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco solutions aren't in the same category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #26 in SASE , and holds a 1.1% mindshare in the category. Cisco is ranked #1 in DS , with an average rating of 9.0, and holds a 17.0% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Cisco Umbrella and Aruba ESP are security solutions competing in the market. Cisco Umbrella seems to have the upper hand in terms of pricing and ROI benefits, while Aruba ESP is favored for its comprehensive feature set despite higher costs.

Features: Cisco Umbrella offers cloud-based DNS security, threat intelligence integration, and strong web filtering capabilities. Aruba ESP provides AI-driven security insights, unified network management, and seamless integration across their portfolio. The key difference is Umbrella's emphasis on simplified threat protection versus ESP's holistic network architecture approach.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Umbrella provides straightforward deployment with extensive support and resources. Aruba ESP offers a more intricate solution requiring deeper integration but aims for a seamless, centralized management platform. The primary distinction lies in the quick setup of Umbrella against the broad, integrated management focus of ESP.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Umbrella offers competitive pricing with scalable options, delivering a good ROI. Aruba ESP incurs higher initial costs due to its extensive feature set but is perceived to offer substantial long-term gains through its unified approach. The contrast is Umbrella's cost-effectiveness compared to the comprehensive, investment-heavy offering of ESP.

To learn more, read our detailed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Report (Updated: October 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

October 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

iboss

Mindshare comparison

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Aruba ESP	1.1%
Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks	10.2%
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform	8.6%
Other	80.1%

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Domain Name System (DNS) Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Umbrella	17.0%
Palo Alto Networks DNS Security	11.0%
Cloudflare	6.2%
Other	65.8%

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula

Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Cloud gateway has strengthened remote web security and now needs better Mac and ISP support

The problem our organization had is that iboss failed for the Mac devices. It is not able to give a successful agent for the Mac agents. That is where in 2025, we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform. If your use case is for just Windows laptops,you can consider this platform as an option One issue is the data center resiliency part. In India especially, they are not tied up with the Tier 1 ISPs like Tata or Airtel; they were having Tier 2 ISPs and encountered many issues reaching few major sites that my organization depends on, and they were having problems that they could not fix quickly. They also lack a mechanism to route that traffic within their data center; rather, they ask customers to make a pac file change to route it to Singapore explicitly. It would be better if they route from their backend , i mean even if I send it to India DC, they should be able to route it internally to make that work; however, they fail to do that and ask the customer to route it in the pac file. Another suggestion is that in China, they do not have the proper setup; they used to have numerous problems with slowness and lack of premium circuits in China as well. That leads to multiple sites working slowly with latency-related issues. So the main issue is the ISP-related problems that need to be solved.

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SatishKumar13

Deputy Manager at Savex Technologies Pvt Ltd

Has improved remote connectivity with secure segmentation for traveling users

The scenario has totally changed after COVID. Earlier, people used to work from office culture, but now it has shifted to work from anywhere. Devices are not fixed either. Previously it was fixed asset, but now people are using smartphones, IoT devices, laptops, and other devices, connecting from anywhere. Segmenting network traffic is very difficult and complicated because putting a firewall across devices is very difficult and nearly impossible. EdgeConnect, which includes endpoint protection or SSE, is very agent-based. POPs are nearly reachable across the globe, so users can access services globally whenever they want to reach the data center or access the internet. It creates segregation, and after segregation, it comes with security functionality including CASB, web, anti-malware, and antivirus functionality. It protects the endpoint whenever connecting with unsecured networks. The first level post-check of security parameters matches all functionalities. Their segregation part allows us to define parameters through ZTNA functionality, Zero Trust Network Access where we can define postures, whether devices relate to corporate network or personal use, if antivirus is running, if OS is updated, and many more things. Based upon that, it helps customers protect the complete infrastructure, whether connecting with office network, unsecured network, or remote office.

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KamranJameel

Head Of IT at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees

Secure browsing has protected users from DNS threats and improves malware defense

The major issue is that sometimes when you install the client, it shows you protected and displays that it is live with the backend servers and everything. However, in reality, it was not getting any feed from the main client and is just sending your traffic to open DNS, which sometimes causes an issue because the protection you have implemented can be breached by users. The primary thing that Cisco Umbrella lacked most of the time is their client. Previously, they had a separate Cisco client. Now they have merged everything into the Cisco Secure Endpoint client—one client for everything, for Cisco Endpoint, for Cisco AnyConnect, and for Cisco Umbrella, which they did probably in 2025.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"iboss has significantly lowered the number of security incidents. It is crazy how much it blocks and how much it is aware of the outside danger."

"iboss is among the few products providing inline filtering where no application is needed on the device. It operates on the network side and is not device-based. This feature was one of the main reasons why we stayed with them for so long."

"From a corporate perspective, I understand that it's important to keep the company data safe."

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent."

"We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times."

"The solution has massively improved our security posture, giving us full visibility into what our staff does online."

"The students were always protected, and the content filtering worked very well, seeming to work better than other products we had tried previously."

"The main advantage of iboss is its cloud-based security centralized policy management, which helps organizations protect users working from different locations, secure access to cloud applications, and reduce security risks."

More iboss pros

"It provides a single umbrella for the complete network infrastructure, which is a very key differentiator from other products."

"Aruba ESP is a single place where you manage everything, and you have integrations with a lot of other vendors together on the same platform."

"Cisco Umbrella is very flexible, and it does not show any kind of delay that someone is responding to their DNS server, outside of their network and outside of their environment."

"When we have laptops that leave the building, they could connect to public WiFi before they establish a VPN connection back into the company. For that duration or that period of time when they're not docked in the network or on a VPN, they effectively don't have that full layer of security that I provide inside the building. This tool stands in during that period of time, and we extend the security settings through their basic firewall or their cloud-based firewall at that time. So, we do content filtering and control access, but they also are looking at new domains, IP addresses, and bad requests. They're blocking them on my behalf when a laptop is not sitting behind our security appliances."

"There is much differentiation within the licensing so if anyone wants DNS security from the DNS security log, we are there already, and if anyone wants to go to a secure internet gateway, that is also available. We can get the integrated cloud DLP license keys. That is a good benefit with Cisco Umbrella. You can get a complete solution in a single licensing."

"The price is quite good, and as we are resellers we provide our customers with several solutions to do a comparison, and the reaction is that Cisco is quite good."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is its reliability."

"It provides centralized, device-agnostic management of the Internet experience."

"The solution is very good for helping workers feel safe, secured, supported, and included."

"The solution is extremely stable. It has excellent performance."

More Cisco Umbrella pros

Cons

"The endpoint-type solution is an area that needs some improvement."

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"The reporting feature needs improvement. It doesn't give you the expected results. It is quite difficult to get the specific reports needed, and it is not as intuitive as the rest of the platform."

"Their on-premise hardware's network interface is capped at one gigabit, which is sort of a problem. If you stand a filter up where all traffic flows through that, according to them, in order to go above a gigabit, you have to have multiple devices, which in today's IT seems a little bit silly. They could easily put in an SFP port into their device that could accommodate 10 gigs or at least offer a box."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"I would like to see simpler dashboards, more detailed reporting, and faster performance in iboss."

"Sometimes when you call in support, you get someone who is just following a sheet. It feels like a runaround. You feel that you are running into that support wall."

"The area I would like to see improvement in is the ability with in the reporter to navigate directly to the content the user is traversing. It is kind of there, but it's not perfect. Quite frequently, I receive links that lead me to pages with error messages."

More iboss cons

"Segmenting network traffic is very difficult and complicated because putting a firewall across devices is very difficult and nearly impossible."

"Aruba ESP should include more integrations with third-party vendors."

"It had the ability to do a lot of app control. So, every single app that went through that portal was registered, but there is a general issue with the whole app control. As soon as you add a mobile phone to your network, all of the apps get registered through the system, and you can approve, reject, or just let them go through. When I looked at it, it was impossible to manage app control. There was just so much data. I didn't apply that service because I just didn't have the time to manage it. It would be good if there was a way to categorize applications."

"Its on-prem rollout is quite challenging. It needs better coordination with the Internet Service Provider. It is a cloud-based solution, and any endpoint that connects to it has to go through all the gateway ISPs, but some of the ISPs block HTTPS-based DNS. That's where the challenge occurs with Umbrella."

"We've noticed some issues with the SWG where, when I'm connected, it thinks I'm in Miami, Florida instead of Savannah, Georgia."

"The biggest frustration I have encountered with Cisco Umbrella is that people can exit the Cisco Umbrella roaming client to bypass security, and some technically savvy individuals might know how to bypass it by modifying the hosts file to exclude Cisco Umbrella."

"I would like to have the ability to prevent certain sites/data from showing on the reports."

"The firewall capabilities could be better. Cisco is starting to introduce some layer 7 capabilities now, but there's still some room to grow. They should continue with the development of Umbrella so that it is a full-blown cloud-managed firewall solution."

"Cisco Umbrella has everything required, but I believe the dashboards and management could be simplified, and stronger integration with SIEM, identity providers, or other security products would be an added advantage."

"We would like to see the enhancements made to the EDR, as we see features that are running endpoint management."

More Cisco Umbrella cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"Users need to pay a yearly license for three, five, seven, or ten years based on their requirements."

"The price could be lower."

"There is room for improvement when it comes to the cost."

"Cisco uses subscription models for the pricing and there are three subscription plans."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"You get what you pay for if you break the solution up into tiers."

"The price of Cisco Umbrella is a little higher than similar solutions, like Gateway."

"The product is pricey compared to Cisco Firepower."

"We have a security Enterprise Agreement with Cisco, so the pricing is good."

More Cisco Umbrella pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

No data available

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	15

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	51
Midsize Enterprise	31
Large Enterprise	51

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

iboss could be improved by making the dashboard more user-friendly, providing more detailed real-time alerts, and imp...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

iboss is primarily used for cloud security, helping to protect users when they access websites and cloud applications...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

The pricing and licensing for iboss were reasonable for the security features. The setup costs were manageable, thoug...

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What needs improvement with Aruba ESP?

The scenario has totally changed after COVID. Earlier, people used to work from office culture, but now it has shifte...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Aruba ESP?

I am working for the SASE portfolio as a product manager, so I cannot give any comment on other products. If there ar...

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What advice do you have for others considering Aruba ESP?

I rate Aruba ESP a nine out of ten.

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Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Zscaler?

Cisco Umbrella and Zscaler Internet Access are two broad-spectrum Internet security solutions that I have tried. Zs...

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Which is the better security solution - Cisco Umbrella or Microsoft Cloud App Security?

Cisco Umbrella is an integral component of the Cisco SASE architecture. It integrates security in a single, cloud-nat...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Umbrella?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing reveals that the pricing is acceptable, but it is marginally a ...

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Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 7% of the time

FortiSASE vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

Zscaler Internet Access vs iboss

Compared 5% of the time

More iboss Competitors

VMware SASE vs Aruba ESP

Compared 22% of the time

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform vs Aruba ESP

Compared 17% of the time

Appgate SDP vs Aruba ESP

Compared 5% of the time

Versa Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platform vs Aruba ESP

Compared 5% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Aruba ESP

Compared 4% of the time

More Aruba ESP Competitors

Zscaler Internet Access vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 23% of the time

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure Access vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 3% of the time

Check Point Web Gateway vs Cisco Umbrella

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Umbrella Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

October 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Cisco Umbrella

October 2026

Download Cisco Umbrella product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

OpenDNS

Overview

iboss is the Zero Trust SASE platform that gives organizations complete visibility and governance over their AI, data, and applications through one unified platform, one console, one policy engine, and one data lake.

Your endpoints may already stop malware. Your data and application activity can still be invisible. iboss decrypts and understands every connection, then turns that signal into answers security leaders can act on.

The platform leads with three capabilities in this order: AI Security and Visibility, Data Security and Visibility, and App Visibility and Control. Zero Trust Network Access, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN sit underneath as the access fabric that carries those three. Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

What are the most important features of Iboss?

- AI Security and Visibility: conversation capture, shadow-AI discovery, AI DLP, and agent governance across Claude, Co-Work, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, and emerging services.

- Data Security and Visibility: full SSL/TLS decryption, deep content inspection, MIP label compliance, and one-click compliance reporting.

- App Visibility and Control: signatureless CASB, dual risk scoring, in-app controls, and SSPM for major SaaS.

- Containerized Zero Trust SASE: dedicated containers, isolated SSL keys, one console, one policy engine, one data lake.

- Access fabric: ZTNA, VPN replacement, and SD-WAN under the same platform.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

- Complete visibility over AI, data, and applications from one platform instead of separate point tools.

- Encrypted traffic is inspected by default so data decisions use content and context together.

- Shadow SaaS and new web tools appear as they are used, with enforceable controls in one console.

- Native data sovereignty through dedicated containers, in-region inspection, and per-customer SSL key custody.

- Scale proven in published materials: 10M+ users, 100+ countries, 150B+ transactions, 2.5B+ threats blocked.

Economic buyers are CISOs, CIOs, and VPs of Security. Champions include security architects, network and infrastructure leaders, SecOps, and GRC. Primary segments: enterprise and business, financial services, government (including FedRAMP Gov Cloud), healthcare, manufacturing, legal and professional services, retail and hospitality, and MSP/MSSP partners. Education, including K-12, is one vertical among these.

iboss

Aruba ESP, a cutting-edge platform, enhances network management by integrating AI-driven technology to deliver smart, scalable, and secure connectivity solutions.

Aruba ESP stands out due to its intelligent capabilities to predict and resolve network issues before they impact operations, offering a comprehensive approach for modern network environments. It integrates AI and machine learning to streamline network operations, providing robust security and seamless connectivity. By simplifying management and maintenance, it empowers IT teams to focus on strategic projects while ensuring optimal network performance.

What are the key features of Aruba ESP?

AI-Powered Automation: Automates network management tasks and improves operational efficiency.
Scalable Architecture: Easily expands with the network needs, accommodating growth and change.
Comprehensive Security: Includes built-in security features to protect data and users from emerging threats.
Unified Infrastructure: Offers a single platform for wired, wireless, and WAN environments.

What benefits should users anticipate?

Reduced Downtime: AI capabilities preemptively resolve issues, minimizing disruption.
Lower Operational Costs: Automation reduces the need for manual monitoring and adjustments.
Improved User Experience: Seamless connectivity and speed enhance end-user satisfaction.
Enhanced Security: Robust protection reduces the risk of breaches and data loss.

In industries such as healthcare, education, and retail, Aruba ESP is implemented to address distinct connectivity challenges. In healthcare, it secures sensitive data while maintaining uninterrupted service, whereas in education, it supports high-density environments with reliable internet access, enhancing digital learning experiences. Retailers leverage it for seamless omnichannel integrations, improving operational efficiency and customer interactions.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco Umbrella provides fast-deploying DNS-layer security with powerful threat protection capabilities. Trusted by over 30,000 entities, it ranks highly in DNS security and effectively supports secure remote work environments.

Cisco Umbrella offers comprehensive DNS security, web filtering, and ease of use, enhancing network security through robust threat protection and malware prevention. It processes over 600 billion requests daily, making it a leader in its field. The seamless integration with existing infrastructures and cloud-based nature makes it suitable for remote and distributed work environments, ensuring consistent security throughout. Management is streamlined with a single-pane interface that simplifies administration, while in-depth reporting capabilities provide valuable insights for continuous monitoring.

What are the key features of Cisco Umbrella?

DNS Security: Provides leading protection by managing DNS queries and blocking malicious sites.
Web Filtering: Offers granular control over web content to safeguard internet usage.
Ease of Integration: Fits well into existing infrastructures, simplifying deployment and use.
Intuitive Management: Single-pane management streamlines administration and enhances usability.
Cloud-Based Flexibility: Supports secure remote work environments.

What benefits can users expect from using Cisco Umbrella?

Superior Threat Protection: Reduces risk by effectively detecting and preventing cyber threats.
Consistent Security: Provides uniform protection across network environments.
Efficiency and Visibility: Leverages comprehensive reporting for better security insights.
Easy Deployment: Quick and straightforward setup with minimal disruption.

Cisco Umbrella is widely adopted in industries requiring advanced DNS-level security to counteract malware, phishing, and cyber threats. Its ability to monitor and protect remote and roaming employees makes it an attractive option for sectors highly dependent on cloud services. By managing DNS queries and blocking harmful sites, Cisco Umbrella enhances cybersecurity across networks, providing an added layer of protection for businesses worldwide.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

Information Not Available

Chart Industries, City of Aspen, Eastern Mountain Sports, FLEXcon, George Washington University, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, Ohio Public Library Information Network, PTC, Richland Community College, Smart Motors, Tulane University, VeriClaim

Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

October 2026

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