6 reasons why Cisco Umbrella is the best choice for mobile workforce protection

The digitization of business processes transforms the IT infrastructures of companies increasingly into complex and difficult to control. In turn, the adoption of remote work and cloud services increases security and compliance risks. By using Cisco Umbrella, companies can keep threats and complexity under control, quickly getting top-notch protection at an affordable level with minimal deployment and management effort.

The traditional security model, based on perimeter protection through solutions implemented in on-premises infrastructures, is no longer effective in the case of the hybrid work system. Nor in the case of the widespread adoption and Cloud services’ usage, as it generates an expansion of the attack surface. Neither for organizations with more branches and work points that want to use direct Internet connections, without going through the organization’s headquarters.

For such cases, but not only, Cisco Umbrella is the optimal choice. The strong benefits of the solution recommended by Datanet Systems are represented by the efficiency of the protection, the short production time, the availability and scalability of the application, as well as the affordable price.

Cisco Umbrella’s effectiveness’ “secret”

 

Unlike other protection solutions that work reactively, namely after detecting compromise indicators or indications of a possible security event, Cisco Umbrella takes a proactive approach, acting at the Domain Names System (DNS) protocol level. This is a fundamental component of the Internet that quickly connects users to websites and applications. Any online user uses the DNS protocol dozens or hundreds of times a day to access web pages, use Cloud services, perform updates, etc. But DNS is made to connect, not to protect, and hackers fully exploit this “job opportunity”.

91% of today’s malware threats use the DNS protocol to redirect web traffic to compromised IPs, mine data, or connect to command and control servers. A recent report by the Global Cyber Alliance shows that 33% of the security breaches exploited by cyber-attacks and threats today could be protected by providing DNS protection.

Cisco Umbrella acts at this level and blocks threats before the malware comes into contact with the end user’s network and/or equipment. For this, the solution uses Threat Intelligence services, statistical analysis mechanisms, as well as Machine Learning algorithms, with the help of which it detects potentially risky domains, URLs, and IPs. The Cisco solution analyzes approximately 200 billion access requests daily. On average, about 60,000 new online “destinations” are included in the list of blocked addresses, adding to the more than 7 million domains already identified as being used to propagate malware.

Using all this data, Umbrella proactively and automatically blocks connections to those addresses, regardless of the port or protocol. With DNS as a mechanism used by any equipment that connects to the Internet, the Cisco solution can ensure the protection of any mobile employee who accesses the company’s network from outside it, but also when connecting to Cloud services.

 

Cisco solution’s main competitive advantages

 

1 – Ready to go within minutes

Unlike the traditional security model, where on-premises implementation takes time, investments, and effort, Umbrella is up and running within minutes. Delivered as a Cloud service, the Cisco solution does not require the purchase of any additional hardware components, setup process, or software updates, but only a few configuration operations that can be completed within 30 minutes.

 

2 – Provides protection anywhere and for any type of user and equipment

Acting at the DNS and IP level, Umbrella detects and stops a wide range of threats – malware, ransomware, phishing attempts, etc. – before the end user can connect to a potential infection vector. Cisco’s solution blocks threats on any port or protocol, whether it’s the network, end-user equipment, or IoT device, regardless of the operating system it’s running.

 

3 – Expands visibility into online activity and Cloud applications

Umbrella not only delivers protection but also centralized visibility into online activity, from location to end-user and device level. The Cisco solution collects traffic information, processes and stores it, thus providing the necessary support for IT managers to make the right decisions in the event of a security incident. In addition, Umbrella makes it easy to detect and block threats that have managed to bypass protection systems and attempt to connect to the Internet to communicate with command and control servers.

The reports delivered by the solution provide detailed information on access mode and consumption’s applications delivered as-a-Service, allowing IT to know in real-time who, how, and which Cloud services are used, but also to discover the accessed services that do not comply with security and compliance requirements.

 

4 – Integrates several security features

Umbrella provides protection at the DNS and IP level but also integrates several security functions such as Secure Web Gateway (SGW), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall-as-a-Service, Sandbox virtual test environments, Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) etc. Thus, the Cisco solution provides extended security across the entire organization quickly and flexibly, covering a wide range of threats. According to the latest AV Test rating, Cisco Umbrella achieved a threat detection and blocking efficiency of over 70%, 17% better than the next ranked.

 

5 – Provides scalability and availability

New types of IT threats, which use multiple attack vectors, exceed the capabilities of traditional security solutions, often causing drastic performance drops in business processes and even downtime. Cisco Umbrella eliminates these types of challenges from the start – it uses a scalable and flexible, high-capacity Cloud infrastructure capable of high throughput and low latency. Since the launch of the Umbrella solution in 2006, Cisco has maintained 100% uptime and currently provides daily protection to more than 500 million users in over 190 countries.

 

6 – Available as a Service, with an affordable price

Three-quarters of small and medium-sized companies do not have the necessary staff to manage IT security, and more than 80% do not have the necessary funds to deal with a cyber-attack. Cisco Umbrella as a Cloud Service eliminates many of these problems. By using a single security solution, companies benefit from extended protection that does not require additional hardware support or major management effort.

The as-a-Service model and modular structure of the solution ensure increased accessibility, cost predictability, and eliminates the need for maintenance services. In addition, with the support of partners and system integrators, Cisco Umbrella allows companies to leverage their security investments already made. The solution benefits from native integration capabilities with almost the entire Cisco security portfolio, but also from various APIs to be able to “collaborate” with solutions from other vendors.

 

A modular offer adapted to the market’s needs

 

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Cisco Umbrella secures Internet access and monitors and controls the use of Cloud services by integrating several security tools. The solution acts as a secure access platform that provides companies with effective protection against a wide range of threats, as well as the support needed to meet compliance requirements.

Cisco Umbrella is delivered as a Cloud service, from over 35 Data Centers, on 5 continents, ensuring protection for end users wherever they are. In order to respond as efficiently as possible to market requirements, Cisco has structured the offer on several levels.

Thus, Umbrella is currently available in four types of licenses:

  • DNS Security Essentials
  • DNS Security Advantage
  • SIG Essentials
  • SIG Advantage.

 

Thus, when a company’s security requirements increase, it can opt for an upgraded version. For example, SIG Essentials introduces the ability to use malware analysis functionality in cloud-hosted sandbox environments. The offer includes 500 files per day and SIG Advantage licensing is unlimited. A similar model applies to other functionalities, such as Firewall-as-a-Service, Cloud DLP, CASB, etc.

Datanet specialists can help you test Cisco Umbrella for free, choose the licensing package that suits your company’s specific needs, configure and deploy quickly, enroll users and create custom access lists, integrate with the other security apps you have, etc.

For more technical and commercial information about the Cisco Umbrella solution, as well as the services provided by Datanet, contact us at sales@datanets.ro.