Cisco Security Cloud vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Cisco and Zscaler are both solutions in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category. Cisco is ranked #33, while Zscaler is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4. Cisco holds a 0.8% mindshare in SASE, compared to Zscaler’s 8.7% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Zscaler users are willing to recommend the solution.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform and Cisco Security Cloud are competing in the cybersecurity space with unique capabilities. Zscaler leads in streamlined security controls and management, while Cisco stands out with extensive feature effectiveness and integration.

Features: Zscaler offers network security features like URL filtering, application segmentation, and seamless user authentication. Cisco provides advanced malware protection, security analytics, and superior integration with existing infrastructure. Zscaler focuses on zero trust architecture, while Cisco delivers a comprehensive security suite.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zscaler's cloud-based deployment allows for quick setups and optimization. Cisco, with its extensive feature set, involves more complex configurations but offers robust customer support and detailed resources. Zscaler simplifies deployment, whereas Cisco offers comprehensive assistance during the process.

Pricing and ROI: Zscaler presents competitive pricing focused on cost efficiency and scalable returns, appealing to tight budgets. Cisco, despite a higher upfront cost, offers significant ROI through comprehensive security capabilities and integration benefits. Zscaler emphasizes affordability and quick returns; Cisco focuses on a long-term investment in security infrastructure.

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

Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

September 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

As of October 2026, in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Security Cloud is 0.8%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform is 8.7%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform	8.7%
iboss	3.2%
Cisco Security Cloud	0.8%
Other	87.3%

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

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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AdnanKhan

Senior System Administrator at Ovrlod

Useful for data storage and API calls

Currently, the organization is not utilizing the Cisco Security Cloud for its live web applications or real-time traffic. My clients mostly use the tool for enterprise security. If you are a new user or student interested in security cloud systems, consider approaching Cisco Cloud for a free account. I rate the product a four out of ten.

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Vibin Thomas

Technical Team Lead - Content Security at Valuepoint Systems

Zero trust access has transformed remote connectivity and now simplifies secure app usage

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, especially Zscaler Private Access, is very strong, though there are a few areas where improvements can be made. One challenge observed is around initial troubleshooting and visibility. While Zscaler Private Access provides logs, it can sometimes take time to pinpoint the exact cause of access issues, especially in complex environments with multiple policies and identity integration. Another area is the dependency on identity and connector health. Since Zscaler Private Access is heavily reliant on app connectors and identity providers, any issues with these components can impact user access, making proper monitoring critical. During the initial setup, policy configuration and application onboarding require careful planning, especially for larger environments with many applications. These challenges are manageable with proper design and monitoring. Overall, the platform delivers strong security and user experience. I would recommend a few improvements, especially around user interface, reporting, and troubleshooting experience. From a user interface perspective, while the platform is powerful, the policy configuration and navigation can feel complex, especially for new users. A more simplified and intuitive layout for policy mapping and application access would help reduce the learning curve. In terms of reporting, Zscaler Private Access provides logs, but having more built-in customizable dashboards and analytics would be very helpful. Better visibility into user access patterns, application performance, and real-time troubleshooting insights would improve operational efficiency. From a support and troubleshooting standpoint, it would be beneficial to have more granular centralized visibility, allowing for quick end-to-end tracing of a user request from authentication to application access without switching between multiple views. These improvements would make the platform even more efficient, especially for large-scale enterprise environments.

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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 is easy to use despite its complexity. Multiple engineers manage it, but it's significantly more straightforward to administer than traditional VPNs and web proxies."

"The iboss system is highly reliable. The false positive rates are small compared to some other systems we've experienced through other partner agencies who use competing solutions."

"Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss."

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

"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."

"I would definitely recommend iboss for web filtering purposes to other organizations or individuals."

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

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

More iboss pros

"The product offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy for newcomers and experienced professionals to work on the platform. Its most valuable feature is the security layer."

"The product’s most valuable features are data discovery, activity control, and zero trust exchange."

"Subsequently, after this, there is a huge reduction, as the vulnerabilities, especially the security bugs that were coming prior to Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, were about 20,000 to 22,000 and have come down more than 40 percent, which is definitely an advantage over the previous product."

"I like the web filtering capabilities, which are very good, and it offers sound internet security notifications with a stable, scalable solution and an easy-to-use user interface."

"It is easy to use."

"You can close your data protection gaps with Zscaler, quickly find all the classified, sensitive data across the cloud, and have protection using advanced features like Exact Data Match, document matching, and machine learning while benefiting from very good pricing, a stable solution, straightforward initial setup, and strong scalability."

"Zscaler SASE is probably the number one cloud-based proxy security solution."

"The most valuable feature is its seamless integration capabilities, streamlining the process by eliminating the need for extensive installations."

"Yes, it is very stable. I have never seen it go down, not once."

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform pros

Cons

"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."

"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."

"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."

"Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc. It is easy to gain access if, for example, hackers obtain my username and password."

"If they could implement an extra security layer preventing access to iboss from the open internet, it would be great."

"Its pricing could be better."

"The easiest device I have set up was the Barracuda line of products."

"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, and that is where in 2025 we had to migrate to the Palo Alto-based platform."

More iboss cons

"Cisco Security Cloud needs to improve its pricing."

"Those folks will likely have some issues."

"While Zscaler supports client-initiated connections, it does not support server-initiated connections. This is a feature that Zscaler may consider adding in the future."

"The product is not reliable."

"The tool must provide IP-blocking features."

"We faced certain migration and implementation challenges in executing the tasks, so I would suggest improvement related to the stability of the solution."

"Sometimes, support takes time since the solution has some bugs that need fixing."

"It has a limitation, if you are creating a rule or something for a web application or something, you could only add five users, not more than that. Five or four users are only included in a rule. If you want to create a rule for more than five or four users, you have to go through other methods, not particularly with the application. Working within the application with this method would be quite easy as compared to listing a URL or a normal IP address."

"What could be improved in Zscaler Private Access is its notification. For example, if there's a speed issue, there should be a pop-up that alerts the user about it. If there is a network quality issue, for example, it isn't good enough to connect to, or the network quality is bad, there should be a notification from the solution. Zscaler Private Access also needs improvement in terms of its interface and security."

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

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

"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 expensive compared to one of its competitors."

Information not available

"The pricing is expensive and on the higher end. Honestly, in my opinion, it is not worth the price."

"The price is competitive."

"There is definitely an ROI."

"In the long run, cloud services are not inherently costly."

"Zscaler Private Access can be an expensive solution, depending on the license type you will purchase."

"My company is a Zscaler Private Access partner, so the customers pay for the license fees."

"The product has reasonable pricing."

"It is an auto-renewal subscription service."

More Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform 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

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Outsourcing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	11

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	45

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

I think iboss could be improved by making reporting and dashboard customization more flexible, and simplifying troubl...

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What is your primary use case for iboss?

I use iboss as a cloud-based secure web gateway to provide secure internet access, web filtering, and protect remote ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

My experience with iboss's pricing structure, setup cost, and licensing model has been positive, straightforward, and...

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What is the better solution - Prisma Access or Zscaler Private Access?

We looked into Prisma Access before choosing Zscaler Private Access (ZPA). Palo Alto’s Prisma Access is a secure ac...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zscaler Cloud Protection?

This is an area where I have candid feedback from our organization regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Z...

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What needs improvement with Zscaler Cloud Protection?

After three years of working with Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, I do have genuine feedback on areas where I f...

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Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs iboss

Compared 10% of the time

Netskope vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiGate vs iboss

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs iboss

Compared 6% of the time

Okta Platform vs iboss

Compared 3% of the time

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Axis Security vs Cisco Security Cloud

Compared 34% of the time

Managed Security Services vs Cisco Security Cloud

Compared 9% of the time

Laburity vs Cisco Security Cloud

Compared 7% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Cisco Security Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Secure Access vs Cisco Security Cloud

Compared 3% of the time

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Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Harmony SASE (formerly Perimeter 81) vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 4% of the time

Akamai Enterprise Application Access vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 3% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 3% of the time

Cloudflare One vs Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

September 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Managed Security Services Providers (MSSP)

August 2026

Download Cisco Security Cloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform

September 2026

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform report

Download Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

No data available

Zscaler SASE, Zscaler DLP, Zscaler CASB, Zscaler CSPM, Zscaler Browser Isolation, Zscaler Posture Control

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

Cisco Security Cloud offers comprehensive security solutions suited for diverse corporate requirements. With its advanced features, it is designed to address key security concerns while enhancing data protection and compliance.

Cisco Security Cloud provides a robust suite of features that protects critical assets by leveraging cutting-edge security technologies. Its integration capabilities enable organizations to unify security processes, offering scalable solutions that grow with company demands. Many users appreciate its innovative approach to security with practical use cases, highlighting the strength in defending against threats. However, users suggest improvements in analytics and reporting functions.

What are the key features?

Threat Intelligence: Real-time detection and prevention of potential threats.
Compliance Management: Assists in adhering to industry regulations.
Scalability: Expands security measures as business needs grow.
Integrated Security Architecture: Unifies diverse security applications, ensuring cohesive operations.

What benefits can users expect?

Enhanced Protection: Improved defense against cyber threats resulting in safer environments.
Regulatory Compliance: Simplifies the process of meeting compliance standards.
Cost Efficiency: Reduction in security management costs through advanced automations.
Increased Efficiency: Streamlined processes allow IT teams to focus on critical tasks.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, Cisco Security Cloud is implemented to maximize data security and compliance. These sectors depend on the platform's scalability and integrated security features to secure sensitive information and ensure adherence to compliance norms. By incorporating Cisco Security Cloud, businesses achieve a well-rounded and responsive security infrastructure that aligns with industry-specific demands.

Cisco

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange enhances security with seamless cloud-based connectivity and VPN-less operation, offering integration with multiple identity providers and advanced security features, suitable for remote work environments.

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange provides secure, adaptive connectivity without traditional VPNs, allowing organizations to replace legacy systems and bolster remote work security. The platform offers cloud-based protection, single sign-on, dynamic URL categorization, and scalable solutions. While advanced security features like DLP and threat protection enhance data protection, users may face issues with speed, connectivity, and some customization options. Integration challenges, latency due to multi-tenant hosting, reporting delays, and licensing costs require consideration. It supports secure internet access and private application security, ensuring traffic control and data compliance.

What are the key features of Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange?

VPN-less Connectivity: Enables secure remote access without traditional VPNs.
Cloud-based Security: Offers scalable protection utilizing cloud infrastructure.
Single Sign-On: Integrates with multiple identity providers for streamlined access.
Dynamic URL Categorization: Provides real-time URL filtering to enhance security.
Advanced Threat Protection: Detects and mitigates sophisticated threats effectively.
Customizable Policies: Allows tailored security protocols to fit unique requirements.
Comprehensive DLP: Protects sensitive data through robust data loss prevention.
Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with cloud services and applications.

What are the benefits of using Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange?

Enhanced Security: Delivers consistent protection regardless of user location.
Improved Compliance: Ensures adherence to data protection regulations.
Streamlined Access: Simplifies connectivity to private and cloud applications.
Scalability: Supports expanding organizational demands with cloud scalability.
Real-time Visibility: Provides instant insights into security incidents and network traffic.

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange is deployed across industries to secure remote access and enforce zero trust principles. Organizations in finance, healthcare, and technology sectors utilize it for secure internet access and visibility into cloud applications, enhancing performance and compliance in dynamic environments.

Zscaler

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.

Information Not Available

Siemens, AutoNation, GE, NOV

Buyer's Guide

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

September 2026

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