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Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps vs. Zscaler Internet Access

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps

    Score6.6 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Defender for Cloud Apps (formerly Microsoft Cloud App Security) is a multimode cloud access security broker.N/A

    Zscaler Internet Access

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/AZscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA) is a secure web gateway (SWG), delivering cloud native cyberthreat protection and zero trust access to the internet and SaaS apps.N/A
    Pricing
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsZscaler Internet Access
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsZscaler Internet Access
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsZscaler Internet Access
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
    Many of the competitors who started in the CASB space have expanded into the SASE category. If organizations do not need the additional controls provided by a SASE solution, then Defender for Cloud Apps is pretty good. If an organization needs a true SASE solution, you would be …
    Incentivized
    Zscaler
    Chose Zscaler Internet Access
    Zscaler Internet Access and Netskope are fairly similar in features and both are good products. At our time of purchase, Zscaler Internet Access provided more features we required and the team provided better pricing.

    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps provides limited features …
    Incentivized
    Chose Zscaler Internet Access
    Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    90%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    99%
    Would buy again
    171 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    147 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    170 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    126 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    136 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsZscaler Internet Access
    Identity Management
    Comparison of Identity Management features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    5.0
    2 Ratings
    56% below category average
    Multi-Factor Authentication00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
    Endpoint Security
    Comparison of Endpoint Security features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    10.0
    2 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence
    Comparison of Threat Intelligence features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.5
    5 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Network Analytics00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Recognition00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Vulnerability Classification00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Automated Alerts and Reporting00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Threat Analysis00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Threat Intelligence Reporting00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Automated Threat Identification00 Ratings9.15 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Zscaler Internet Access
    Feature
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
    -
    Ratings
    Zscaler Internet Access
    9.7
    5 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Continuous Verification00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Flow Control00 Ratings9.75 Ratings
    Network Traffic Analysis00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Segmentation Leveraging00 Ratings10.04 Ratings
    Admin Access Control00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Data Encryption00 Ratings9.45 Ratings
    Network Topology Mapping00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    User Ratings
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    6.0
    (11 ratings)
    8.7
    (22 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.1
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud AppsZscaler Internet Access
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    It is well suited if your team is working with Microsoft tools and Azure services. but if you are using other cloud service providers and don't want to spend efforts in learning integration with third-party software then this is not a great fit for you. overall we are very satisfied with the product. If your corporation with Microsoft tools then I would recommend it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    It's best suited for a distributed remote workforce, securing internet access for users from anywhere. Suitable for highly regulated industries, such as banking and Healthcare. Not a good fit for an organisation where most of its legacy is in an on-premises environment. Bandwidth-intensive industries like media/entertainment firms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Microsoft
    • Detect threats based on user activity logs.
    • Set manual and automatic alert remediation.
    • Implement activity policies.
    • Detect threats based on user activity logs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Single Pane of Glass Management - Everything is very easy to access and monitor the entire environment from an internet security perspective.
    • Install Flexibility - We can and do install Zscaler Internet Access on both our client devices as well as our SD-WAN appliances and servers. This allows us to control internet security even on devices without an agent in our networks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Microsoft
    • Cloud discovery throws away found services not found in the MCAS database of SaaS apps.
    • Many panes of glass required for a fully enabled implementation to administer, configure and utilize 100% of the product.
    • Room for improvement in the reporting realm - not enough records are visible and exportable for high record count policy reports.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • The logs feel kind of lack luster
    • When issues are arising with SSL Inspection, logs show everything working despite end user experience
    • Could use some kind of global find functionality or something that would allow you to search the entire configuration for matching URLs and the like
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    While Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) delivers critical value in cloud security and RBI compliance, I rate renewal likelihood 7/10 due to evolving needs versus platform limitations. Below is my rationale:
    Key Gaps:
    1. Advanced Threat Costs:
    ZIA’s add-ons (e.g., Advanced DLP, Sandboxing) incur 35%+ cost premiums – straining budgets as transaction volumes (UPI/iMobile) grow 50% YoY.
    2. API Banking Scalability:
    ZIA’s API rate limits throttle real-time policy sync during UPI peaks (10K+ TPS), forcing workarounds for finacle integrations.
    3. RBI Future-Proofing:
    Limited native support for upcoming digital rupee (CBDC) security rules requires custom development, increasing compliance overhead.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Microsoft
    The interface is pretty simple and easy to use; however, you will need to do a lot of investigative research on your own to get comfortable with it. Originally, many of the Microsoft security tools had their own seperate consoles. Overtime, they have blended into one interface which is the ideal state. In some cases it is clear Microsoft had to pick which console a certain feature or setting was going to reside in and this leads to some confusion. For example, DLP is managed through Defender for Cloud Apps but you will also need to jump into Purview. For things like reverse proxy on your M365 tenant, you will need to go into Azure and setup conditional access rules. Not a big problem and I can understand why the settings are located where they are but for someone just starting out with Defender for Cloud Apps, it will take some time to figure out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    The application is easy to install and configure on all Windows devices. To troubleshoot any internet issue, we can easily collect all the relevant logs from Zscaler and check the exact issue. The only problem is with the uninstall, as a dedicated crew needs to provide the password.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Zscaler
    There are often performance issues reported
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    I have not utilized actual support but the Sales and Product teams have been super helpful in moving our implementation forward and showing us the best practices.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    Zscaler's ZIA support is quick and knowledgable. They respond within 1-2 hours of you submitting your ticket. They are very thorough and are typically ready to jump on a live troubleshooting session. Our ZIA platform and how we use is it unique so at times tickets can be open for weeks but we alway get quality support compared to other unrelated product support in our enterprise
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps was chosen primarily due to its ability to work perfectly within our mostly M365 environment. Given that this was an added feature of our E5 license, we chose to dive into it and use it due to it's good visibility into user actions and the ability to tie all M365 actions together into one place. We did not see similar visibility with other tools that we vetted
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    Zscaler Intenet Access outperformed the competition due to its lightning-fast policy delivery and cross-compatibility. It is easy to track employee usage and block unnecessary websites, reducing company internet usage. Zscalar installed on every system increases cloud-based software bandwidth, decreasing user turnaround time and increasing efficiency.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • Cloud App Security saves us thousands of dollars finding and rectifying apps security issues
    • Identity Security Posture helps the organization identity stay in shape, saving thousands of dollars on security consultations
    • The cost of suffering a breach cannot be quantified, CAS helps minimize the chances of the attackers succeeding, with excellent historical logging for most operations
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zscaler
    • Has allowed us to remove other products that were suboptimal
    • Saved us money overall by stacking it with other Zscaler products
    • Created a more secure work environment for our users through intelligent internet policies that are not needlessly restrictive while still maintaining security best practices
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Zscaler Internet Access Screenshots

    Screenshot of an overview of Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA), a cloud native security service edge (SSE) solution that builds on a decade of secure web gateway leadership. Offered as a scalable SaaS platform through Zscaler's security cloud, it replaces legacy network security solutions, preventing advanced attacks and data loss with a comprehensive zero trust approach. ZIA is integrated into the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ to provide superior defense-in-depth, secure connectivity, end user experience, and administrative visibility and control.