Cisco IronPort vs Cisco Umbrella: What are the differences?

Introduction

Cisco IronPort and Cisco Umbrella are both security solutions offered by Cisco Systems. While they both aim to protect networks and users from various security threats, they have distinct features and functionalities that set them apart.

1. Deployment Method: Cisco IronPort is primarily an on-premises appliance that needs to be physically installed within the network infrastructure. It offers a hardware-based approach to security, providing robust protection against email and web-based threats. On the other hand, Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-based solution that operates at the DNS level, allowing protection to be extended to all devices, regardless of their location or network connection method.

2. Focus of Protection: Cisco IronPort focuses primarily on securing email and web communications. It provides advanced email security features such as spam and malware filtering, encryption, and data loss prevention. Additionally, IronPort offers web security features like URL filtering and web reputation analysis. Cisco Umbrella, on the other hand, focuses on protecting users from threats across multiple channels, including email, web, cloud applications, and other internet-bound traffic, by utilizing DNS and IP layer intelligence.

3. Threat Intelligence: Cisco IronPort relies on traditional signature-based threat detection methods to identify known threats. While effective against known threats, this approach may struggle with zero-day attacks or unknown malware. Conversely, Cisco Umbrella utilizes a combination of threat intelligence sources, machine learning algorithms, and statistical models to identify and block both known and unknown threats. This approach provides better protection against emerging threats.

4. Ease of Deployment and Management: Cisco IronPort typically requires dedicated IT personnel for deployment and management. The on-premises nature of the solution necessitates regular updates and maintenance. Cisco Umbrella, being a cloud-based service, simplifies deployment and management, as updates and configuration changes can be easily implemented across the entire network from a centralized management console.

5. Visibility and Reporting: Cisco IronPort offers extensive reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to monitor and analyze email and web traffic. It provides detailed logs and reports on email delivery, user activity, and security events. Cisco Umbrella, on the other hand, offers broader visibility into network traffic by capturing DNS requests and providing granular reporting on internet traffic across all devices and networks, regardless of their location.

6. Scalability: Cisco IronPort's scalability is limited by the capacity of the physical appliance. As the network grows, additional IronPort appliances may be required to handle the increased traffic. In contrast, Cisco Umbrella is highly scalable and can effortlessly handle network growth. Its cloud-based architecture allows it to handle large volumes of traffic without requiring any additional physical hardware.

In summary, Cisco IronPort and Cisco Umbrella differ in their deployment methods, focus of protection, threat intelligence capabilities, ease of deployment and management, visibility and reporting options, as well as scalability. While IronPort provides robust email and web security for on-premises environments, Umbrella offers comprehensive cloud-based protection that covers multiple channels and locations.