Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cisco Umbrella VS Active@ KillDisk

Compare Cisco Umbrella VS Active@ KillDisk and see what are their differences

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Cisco Umbrella logo Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud security platform that provides the first line of defense against threats on the internet.

Active@ KillDisk logo Active@ KillDisk

Active@ KillDisk allows you to destroy all data on hard and floppy drives completely, excluding any possibility of future recovery of deleted files and folders.
  • Cisco Umbrella Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-07-23
  • Active@ KillDisk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-04

Cisco Umbrella features and specs

  • Comprehensive Security
    Cisco Umbrella offers a wide range of security features including DNS-layer security, secure web gateway, firewall, and cloud-delivered threat intelligence which collectively provides multi-layered protection against cyber threats.
  • Ease of Deployment
    Cisco Umbrella can be deployed quickly and easily across different types of networks, including on-premises, remote offices, and mobile users, without requiring significant changes to existing infrastructure.
  • High Availability
    Built on a globally distributed network, Cisco Umbrella ensures high availability and redundancy, making it a reliable option for companies that cannot afford downtime.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The centralized and intuitive dashboard makes it easy for administrators to monitor network activities, manage policies, and generate reports, reducing the complexity of security management.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Cisco Umbrella integrates well with other security tools and Cisco products, allowing organizations to build a more cohesive and comprehensive security strategy.

Possible disadvantages of Cisco Umbrella

  • Cost
    Cisco Umbrella can be expensive, especially for smaller organizations with limited budgets, which might find the cost prohibitive relative to their needs.
  • Complexity of Advanced Features
    While the basic features are easy to use, some of the more advanced features require specialized knowledge and training to fully leverage, which can be a barrier for some organizations.
  • Dependence on Internet Connectivity
    Being a cloud-based solution, Cisco Umbrella requires continuous internet connectivity to function effectively. Any disruption in internet service can impact its performance and reduce its effectiveness.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Because it involves routing all DNS queries through its servers, there could be potential privacy concerns for organizations worried about data sovereignty and confidentiality.
  • Limited Offline Protection
    Cisco Umbrella primarily provides online protection. For devices that need security while offline, additional measures need to be implemented, which could complicate the security strategy.

Active@ KillDisk features and specs

  • Data Erasure Standards Compliance
    Active@ KillDisk adheres to numerous international data sanitization standards, such as DoD 5220.22-M and NIST 800-88, ensuring that data is erased securely and meets regulatory requirements.
  • Versatility
    The tool supports both HDD and SSD drives and can be used to erase data from various devices including servers, desktops, and laptops. This versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases.
  • Bootable Disk Creation
    Active@ KillDisk allows users to create bootable USB drives, CDs, and DVDs for data erasure, making it easy to wipe data from systems that cannot boot into an operating system.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The software features a straightforward, easy-to-navigate interface, reducing the learning curve for new users and streamlining the data erasure process.
  • Custom Erasure Options
    Users can select from various erasure methods, such as writing zeros, ones, or random data, providing flexibility based on specific security needs.

Possible disadvantages of Active@ KillDisk

  • Cost
    While there is a free version available, some advanced features and higher levels of support require purchasing a professional license, which could be expensive for individual users or small businesses.
  • Time-Consuming Process
    Comprehensive data erasure, especially with multiple overwrite passes, can be time-consuming, particularly for larger drives or lower-performance systems.
  • Irrecoverable Data
    Once data has been erased using Active@ KillDisk, it cannot be recovered, which means users must be absolutely certain before they proceed with the operation.
  • Limited OS Support for Bootable Version
    While the bootable version is highly useful, the creation process is limited to certain operating systems, potentially posing challenges for users on platforms not supported for boot disk creation.
  • Potential Compatibility Issues
    There may be occasional compatibility issues with some hardware, requiring users to check for updates or troubleshoot to ensure successful data erasure.

Analysis of Cisco Umbrella

Overall verdict

  • Cisco Umbrella is generally regarded as a strong and effective security solution for protecting users and networks from online threats. Its robust features and reliable performance make it a preferred option for businesses seeking to enhance their cybersecurity posture.

Why this product is good

  • Cisco Umbrella is often considered a good choice for internet security due to its comprehensive protection against threats such as malware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. It offers DNS-layer security, providing a first line of defense against potential threats by blocking dangerous domains before a connection is established. Additionally, Cisco Umbrella is cloud-delivered, meaning it can be rapidly deployed and easily scaled to meet the needs of different organizations.

Recommended for

    Cisco Umbrella is recommended for businesses of all sizes looking to improve their network security. This includes organizations in sectors that handle sensitive data, such as finance, healthcare, and education. It's also suitable for remote and distributed workforces owing to its cloud-based architecture, which provides protection regardless of a user's location.

Analysis of Active@ KillDisk

Overall verdict

  • Active@ KillDisk is a reputable and effective tool for data erasure. It provides a high level of security and peace of mind for anyone needing to permanently delete data. While it may have a cost associated, the features and reliability it offers justify the expense, especially for those who handle sensitive data regularly.

Why this product is good

  • Active@ KillDisk is known for its effectiveness in securely erasing data from hard drives and other storage devices. It complies with various international data sanitation standards, which makes it a reliable tool for permanently deleting sensitive information beyond recovery. It is particularly appreciated for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features that cater to both professionals and individual users.

Recommended for

    Active@ KillDisk is recommended for IT professionals, businesses, and individuals who need to ensure that their sensitive data is irretrievably erased. It is particularly useful for companies that are decommissioning old hardware, transferring devices to different departments, or reselling them, as well as for individual users who want to securely wipe personal data.

Cisco Umbrella videos

How IT Works: Security at the DNS Layer with Cisco Umbrella

More videos:

  • Review - Cisco Umbrella Product Packages
  • Review - Cisco Umbrella Customer Review: Cisco IT
  • Review - What is Cisco Umbrella?
  • Review - Unleash the Power of Cisco Umbrella: A Comprehensive Review

Active@ KillDisk videos

How to use Active@ KillDisk 11 (Windows and Linux platforms)?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cisco Umbrella and Active@ KillDisk)
Cyber Security
100 100%
0% 0
Monitoring Tools
67 67%
33% 33
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
File Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cisco Umbrella seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cisco Umbrella mentions (3)

  • Amazon Outage
    Cisco Umbrella | Leader in Cloud Cybersecurity and SASE Solutions. Source: over 3 years ago
  • How are Vpns blocked?
    A combination of subscription ip blocklists like that sold by MaxMind combined with DNS and application filtering services like Umbrella would catch most services. For good measure I'd toss in local .exe application whitelisting running on each of the schools machines to only allow the applications the school wants using something like applocker which is included in windows so it probably fits into their budget. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Blocking sites
    We've been very happy with Cisco's Umbrella product. A few years back I "test drove" the free version, but thats a very poor substitute for the paid product. It's not cheap, but it has worked very well for us. Over 70% of our users are remote since the start of COVID, so we opted for the "roaming client" installation on every endpoint. We have a "basic" network profile for our office locations that slightly... Source: almost 4 years ago

Active@ KillDisk mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Active@ KillDisk yet. Tracking of Active@ KillDisk recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cisco Umbrella and Active@ KillDisk, you can also consider the following products

Kaspersky Security for Internet Gateways - Kaspersky Security for Internet Gateways offers secure internet access for the employees.

iShredder - PROTECTSTAR is a leader in providing Secure Deletion (Erasure) software products: PROTECTSTAR has served more than 2,000,000 customers worldwide and earned a reputation as a leader in providing innovative security solutions.

McAfee SmartFilter - McAfee Web Protection is a web security solution that includes an on-premises secure web gateway and SaaS-based web security delivered from the cloud.

Blancco Secure Data Eraser - Blancco Secure Data Eraser is a user-friendly software that is designed to top leading organizations of all sizes to safely resell, respond or dispose of drives when they have reached end-of-life for security, compliance, and CSR purposes.

WebTitan - WebTitan is an advanced DNS based web content filter and web security layer that blocks malware, ransomware and phishing attempts as well as providing web content control. Cloud and gateway versions available.

Jihosoft Mobile Privacy Eraser - Jihosoft Mobile Privacy Eraser is one of the smart data disposing of tools that allows the safe and easy way to erase contacts, call log, messages, videos, photos, applications from the smart devices, leaving no chance to recover your data so that iโ€ฆ