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Cisco Umbrella vs Forcepoint ONE comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.2
iboss improves ROI with enhanced remote security, saving time and reducing support needs, offering 70-80% efficiency gains.
Sentiment score
7.1
Cisco Umbrella improves security, reduces costs, and boosts productivity with easy deployment and effective cloud-based threat prevention.
Sentiment score
6.2
Forcepoint ONE reduces HIPAA risks, enhances cybersecurity, and boosts efficiency, reducing costs and improving productivity with centralized management.
With iboss, whenever you turn on your laptop, the iboss agent automatically connects to the iboss cloud, enforcing all security policies. So with respect to the security side, it strengthens measures.
Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Deploying iboss leads to good return on investment, estimated around 70% to 80%.
Manager at Cyvogenix
I have seen some cost effectiveness from iboss; it has reduced certain support requirements, making it a more hands-off solution.
Managing Director
I have seen a return on investment, specifically in terms of time saved and needing fewer employees.
SVP IT at AS IT Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
Cisco is a big brand in the networking domain, but in security, they are pushing a lot and improving day by day.
Chief Technology Officer at Binary Global Limited
From my point of view, the biggest return on investment when using the solution is that it makes it a lot easier to delegate some of the tasks that were traditionally used, such as building policies on the firewalls and doing it through Cisco Umbrella.
Network Engineer at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
I have fewer employees because Forcepoint ONE does the work that I used to rely on a team of engineers to previously detect.
Presales engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Since I'm on the technical side, I don't handle ROI or financial metrics directly, but based on client feedback, many have seen improvements in operational efficiency mainly through centralized policy management and reduced manual investigation time, resulting in time savings and better visibility across their environments.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
It is very difficult to measure the return on investment, but the control for the data is very important for companies because without an application similar to Forcepoint ONE, there is no control.
Security Pre Sales at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Iboss customer service is fast and knowledgeable, though some desire better transparency and 24/7 availability. Scores range high.
Sentiment score
7.9
Cisco Umbrella's customer service is praised for expertise and professionalism, though some experience delays, particularly with email support.
Sentiment score
6.9
Forcepoint ONE's customer service is praised for its responsiveness, professionalism, and commitment to resolving complex issues swiftly.
They are very fast, responsive, and knowledgeable.
Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water
The quality of the support is fantastic.
Educational Technology Coordinator at a performing arts with 201-500 employees
We had promising discussions about resolving these issues, but no real action followed.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
I would rate customer support ten out of ten due to the excellent assistance throughout the POC process.
Manager Cyber Security Department at Mana
Cisco's support is fantastic, providing assistance when needed, especially during the initial installation process.
Director at Infosonik Systems Ltd
If I don't need to go to support all the time, that means the product is working fine, so I'm very happy with them.
Network Engineer at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
Having a local principal support available also helps speed up communication and coordination, especially for urgent or region-specific cases.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
An engineer comes to resolve the issue.
Security Engineer at itsipl
They are responsive and assist me with creating cases for any complex issues.
Deputy Manager of Networks and Communications at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Iboss scales efficiently, handling heavy traffic and large deployments, with swift resource adjustments and reliable performance for expanding organizations.
Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Umbrella adapts seamlessly to user growth, offering scalable, cloud-based security with efficient centralized management and flexible licensing options.
Sentiment score
7.2
Forcepoint ONE provides efficient scalability and seamless expansion with cloud-native architecture, integrating security and supporting large enterprises.
They are also able to meet on-demand requirements based on your contract with them, and can easily provide adequate resources and scalability.
Senior Consultant Proxy Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.
If I start seeing sluggishness or anything like that, I just reach out to my rep, and they connect with their dev team, typically resolving it the same day.
Educational Technology Coordinator at a performing arts with 201-500 employees
Cisco Umbrella scales incredibly with the growing needs of my organization.
Network Engineer at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Cisco Umbrella scales really well with the growing needs of my company, bringing the ability to ensure that people are safe and connected.
Senior Network Engineer at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
Cisco Umbrella scales effectively with the growing needs of my company; it's excellent, and I have experienced no issues.
Senior Network Engineer at Boys Town
It can easily scale to support thousands of users and devices without requiring major infrastructure changes.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Forcepoint ONE runs smoothly, and scaling is easy.
Security Engineer at itsipl
Forcepoint ONE is very scalable because it is located in the cloud, and I don't have to manage the machines or anything with the infrastructure.
Security Pre Sales at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Iboss is highly stable, with minimal downtime, though occasional issues occur with cloud migration and system performance.
Sentiment score
8.3
Cisco Umbrella is renowned for its exceptional stability, delivering near-100% uptime and reliable performance with minimal connectivity issues.
Sentiment score
7.9
Forcepoint ONE offers 99.99% uptime, minimal latency, high stability, easy scalability, and operates seamlessly with few performance concerns.
It's been pretty solid; I've never had an outage with them, and if I ever had, it's only been once out of the seven years.
Educational Technology Coordinator at a performing arts with 201-500 employees
We've experienced zero downtime.
Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water
Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device despite our ClearPass sending information to the iboss box.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
I have not experienced any major stability issues with Cisco Umbrella.
Director at Infosonik Systems Ltd
Cisco Umbrella Secure Access is pretty stable in my mind, and we have not seen many glitches that would have interrupted services at customer locations.
Chief Technology Officer at Binary Global Limited
The stability and reliability of the Cisco Umbrella platform have been great.
Senior Network Engineer at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
Forcepoint ONE is very stable.
Security Engineer at itsipl
There have been some specific outcomes since switching to Forcepoint ONE.
Senior Network Security Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
I think Forcepoint ONE is pretty stable, as the connection and agent synchronization are reliable, but it can still be improved.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Room For Improvement

iboss needs better integration, scalability, security, and support, with upgrades in performance, automation, dashboards, and access control.
Cisco Umbrella faces criticism for high pricing, complex integration, support delays, and usability issues, needing streamlined features and documentation.
Forcepoint ONE needs better integration, scalability, intuitive design, documentation, policy management, threat detection, and responsive enterprise support.
It is not as intuitive as the rest of the platform.
Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water
iboss's single pane of glass console gives centralized visibility into web traffic, user activity, security policies, and alerts from one dashboard.
Manager at Cyvogenix
We also had a problem with a transition when we upgraded from one appliance of theirs to another, but their engineer lost a good deal of our data.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
Making it more flexible and easy to deploy, particularly when integrating with other technologies like Active Directory and proxies, would be beneficial.
Manager Cyber Security Department at Mana
The product can only shield a small area, making it less effective for larger spaces or multiple users.
Director at Infosonik Systems Ltd
I have to write an email to Umbrella support to get assistance, unlike the other products where I can call the Cisco technical assistance center and get an engineer.
CTO at Next Technologies Ltd
I need to control specific functionalities within certain applications, like preventing the transfer of certain file types.
Deputy Manager of Networks and Communications at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Having more flexible reporting and alert customization to tailor insights for different clients and compliance needs would be beneficial.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
There is room for improvement in making the reporting closer to real-time, ideally around five or ten minutes instead of half an hour.
Head of IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Iboss offers competitive, transparent pricing with comprehensive features, fitting security budgets better than pricier competitors like Broadcom and ZScaler.
Cisco Umbrella is deemed costly but valued for security, though license complexity and cost competitiveness could improve.
Enterprise buyers appreciate Forcepoint ONE's competitive pricing and flexible licensing, with potential additional costs for maintenance and training.
It offers the same features you would get from a vendor that charges 250,000 British pounds for a fraction of the price.
Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water
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.
Network Administrator at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern.
Managing Director
We've bundled that with our firewall stuff and our VPN, which brings the price down and adds the ability to grow.
Senior Network Engineer at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
The only cost associated is the license cost unless additional solutions need to be integrated with Umbrella, which would incur extra costs.
Director at Infosonik Systems Ltd
The prices need to be lower as the current pricing is exceedingly high.
Network Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
The pricing is very good and cheaper than other solutions like Netskope and Forcepoint.
Deputy Manager of Networks and Communications at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
the pricing is better than all
Security Pre Sales at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
The licensing and pricing were fine with no issues.
Head of IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

Iboss enhances security with Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access, improving efficiency and supporting remote users.
Cisco Umbrella enhances network security with DNS protection, easy management, remote integration, and proactive threat detection for organizations.
Forcepoint ONE offers comprehensive security with data protection, compliance, and integration, enhancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness in cloud environments.
The solution's mental health function can detect if someone needs help.
Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water
It's given us a lot more visibility into our computer assets that may be infected with viruses and also shows us people who have unusually large uploads or might be engaging in high-risk activities, such as searches or going to sites not categorized by their web crawler.
Educational Technology Coordinator at a performing arts with 201-500 employees
iboss was the best solution for us because, no matter what domain you were in, everything is under a single pane of glass, which is exactly what we wanted.
Managing Director
The DNS layer security provided by Cisco Umbrella is very effective for our security posture, offering us vast improvements in visibility over DNS queries and potential threats.
Manager Cyber Security Department at Mana
The most valuable feature of Cisco Umbrella is its DNS security.
Network Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
The best possible thing is that it is very easy to deploy, easy to configure, and very fast to get onboarded with a customer because this is a cloud-based service.
Chief Technology Officer at Binary Global Limited
The most valuable feature was the website blocking capability, which allowed me to quickly block any dodgy websites.
Head of IT at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
It shortens response time for our clients, allowing their security team to view incidents in real-time, classify them easily, and focus on genuine risks instead of sorting through false positives, and it simplifies reporting and audit preparation since all the relevant data is consolidated in one place.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Forcepoint ONE made a difference, particularly regarding cost reduction because all the features that Forcepoint ONE bundles are in one package.
Presales engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

iboss
Sponsored
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
6th
Ranking in Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Internet Security (3rd), Web Content Filtering (1st), ZTNA as a Service (6th), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (7th)
Cisco Umbrella
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
1st
Ranking in Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
125
Ranking in other categories
Internet Security (1st), Domain Name System (DNS) Security (1st), Cisco Security Portfolio (2nd)
Forcepoint ONE
Ranking in Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
11th
Ranking in Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB)
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) (14th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Secure Web Gateways (SWG) category, the mindshare of iboss is 3.2%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Umbrella is 9.5%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Forcepoint ONE is 1.7%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Secure Web Gateways (SWG) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Umbrella9.5%
iboss3.2%
Forcepoint ONE1.7%
Other85.6%
Secure Web Gateways (SWG)
 

Featured Reviews

Ashok Ananthula - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
KamranJameel - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Manish Kumar Twinkle - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at itsipl
Secure browsing and cloud use have protected data and improved visibility into user activity
The best features that Forcepoint ONE offers are RBI and CDR in SWG. RBI helps me specifically by removing all the malicious JavaScript codes from websites that users might visit, allowing them to access the URL without encountering the actual malicious codes. Regarding CDR, when a user downloads malicious executable files or something injected with malicious codes, CDR assists by creating the same package with other files, effectively removing the original malicious content. I love the features of SWG and RBI because they secure our users by removing JavaScript and malicious file codes, particularly since many attackers employ codeless or fileless patterns or signatureless attacks. Additionally, if any user is uncertain about any data or its origin, CrowdStrike anti-malware sensors scan it for us. CDR is crucial as it protects our end users from unknown third-party files, ensuring the authenticity of shared files. Forcepoint ONE has positively impacted our organization by providing visibility through CASB, caching user activities, and preventing threats by guiding users to the correct cloud services like Office 365 instead of blocking access to more vulnerable services.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Secure Web Gateways (SWG) solutions are best for your needs.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Healthcare Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise15
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business51
Midsize Enterprise31
Large Enterprise51
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise12
 

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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Forcepoint ONE?
The aspects of pricing, setup cost, and licensing are managed by our sales team, as I handle the technical side.
What needs improvement with Forcepoint ONE?
Forcepoint ONE could be improved in terms of scalability to better support hybrid environments, as many organizations...
What advice do you have for others considering Forcepoint ONE?
I advise others looking into using Forcepoint ONE to study its features, as it covers many of the use cases usually a...
 

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform
OpenDNS
Bitglass
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Trusted by global enterprises and government agencies.
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
UNC-Charlotte
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Umbrella vs. Forcepoint ONE and other solutions. Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.