Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cisco Umbrella VS Smart HTTPS

Compare Cisco Umbrella VS Smart HTTPS and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Cisco Umbrella logo Cisco Umbrella

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

Smart HTTPS logo Smart HTTPS

Automatically changes HTTP addresses to the secure HTTPS, and if loading encounters error, reverts...
  • Cisco Umbrella Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-07-23
  • Smart HTTPS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-27

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.

Smart HTTPS features and specs

  • Automatic Redirection to HTTPS
    Smart HTTPS automatically changes HTTP protocol to HTTPS, which enhances the security of your browsing by ensuring that the connection is encrypted.
  • Fallback to HTTP
    In cases where an HTTPS version of the site is not available, it can automatically revert back to HTTP, ensuring you can still access the website instead of facing a disruption.
  • Whitelist Feature
    Allows users to maintain a whitelist of websites that should always be accessed using HTTP, providing flexibility and control over the browsing experience.
  • Improved Privacy
    By automatically using HTTPS, it helps in protecting user data from eavesdroppers and enhances privacy while browsing the web.

Possible disadvantages of Smart HTTPS

  • Compatibility Issues
    Some websites may not function correctly over HTTPS, leading to potential misbehavior or broken features when accessed using Smart HTTPS.
  • Potential for Increased Loading Times
    Sometimes, redirecting to HTTPS can result in slightly longer loading times, especially if the server's configuration is not optimal for HTTPS.
  • Resource Intensive
    The addon might consume additional resources to check for HTTPS versions of every site, which could impact browser performance, especially on older systems.
  • Limited Control Over Redirection
    Users might have limited ability to control which sites are redirected to HTTPS if they haven't preemptively whitelisted specific HTTP sites.

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.

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

Smart HTTPS videos

No Smart HTTPS videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cisco Umbrella and Smart HTTPS)
Cyber Security
100 100%
0% 0
Chrome Extensions
0 0%
100% 100
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Tool
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cisco Umbrella should be more popular than Smart HTTPS. 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

Smart HTTPS mentions (2)

  • โ€œWe donโ€™t track you โ€ฆ except for when we get paid for it.โ€
    Smart HTTPS, site This tries to send you to https sites instead of http sites. Using http sites makes you venerable to man in the middle attacks. (dont use http on public wifis if possible). Source: about 4 years ago
  • question about non secure websites
    I'd recommend using Smart HTTPS which automatically makes your site's HTTPS if it can offer it so it will reduce these situations. Here's the site where you can choose whichever browser you use. https://mybrowseraddon.com/smart-https.html. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cisco Umbrella and Smart HTTPS, you can also consider the following products

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

HTTPS Everywhere - Chrome extension that encrypts and secures your browser

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.

HTTPZ - HTTPZ is meant to be unobtrusive and lightweight.

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.

SSL Enforcer - SSL Enforcer - Force SSL/TLS encryption for any browser or app. Block all unsecure connections.