Many businesses have started looking for an OpenDNS alternative, as while Cisco’s DNS filtering and Internet security packages for business offer a comprehensive range of capabilities, they can be expensive for what they are and – at the top end of the scale – may offer more capabilities than a business can use.
While it is possible to reduce the OpenDNS Umbrella cost by opting for the most basic package, this will create gaps in security. This is because the entry level OpenDNS package – DNS Essentials – does not include SSL decryption and inspection.
One of the most important features in a DNS filter is the ability to filter out all malicious and unsavory content. For that to happen, it is essential the filter can decrypt, inspect, then re-encrypt all connections with Internet, including those protected by the HTTPS protocol.
Additionally, neither the DNS essentials package nor the next business package in the OpenDNS portfolio – DNS Advantage – allows business to block (or allow) websites by URL. The only option businesses have is an all or nothing block (or allow) by domain.
This limitation can create issues in businesses that (for example) want to allow the finance team access to the money pages of the Wall Street Journal but want to prevent the remainder of the workforce wasting time on the lifestyle or sports pages.
As you further scale the OpenDNS portfolio, you enter the realm of the Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) solutions. These are more advanced DNS filtering and Internet security solutions inasmuch as they include remote browser isolation, cloud data loss prevention, and a cloud-delivered firewall.
Both the SIG Essentials and SIG Advantage packages have been acknowledged as top quality Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions, but they may include capabilities that business will pay for but never use – either due to a lack of technical skills or because the capabilities exist in other security solutions already deployed by the business.
OpenDNS Umbrella Pricing
Although OpenDNS packages for personal and family use are clearly priced, OpenDNS Umbrella pricing for businesses is hard to find. There are no prices listed on the Cisco website, and there is no consistency between resellers´ prices – suggesting some are out-of-date or have discounts built into them.
Anecdotal evidence suggests OpenDNS Umbrella pricing is around $2.70 per user per month for a business subscribing for a year for between 100 and 499 users. This price is quite high considering an OpenDNS alternative such as WebTitan costs $1.58 per user per month for the same subscription and number of users.
What are the Best OpenDNS Alternatives?
If you compare the (anecdotal) cost of Cisco OpenDNS with virtually any OpenDNS alternative, you will quickly discover there are considerable cost savings to be had if you choose a different provider. That does not mean you have to have a product without some of the most important features. For most businesses and MSPs, any alternative to OpenDNS will provide protection from online threats and allow you to control the content that can be accessed by users on and off the network.
Out of all the OpenDNS alternatives, WebTitan Cloud is one of the most powerful, cost effective, and easy to use DNS filtering solutions for businesses and MSPs. Additionally, customers benefit from industry leading customer support and flexible payment options at no extra cost. Furthermore, customers who have implemented WebTitan generally rate it much higher than Cisco Umbrella packages on the independent G2 review site.
Managed Service Providers benefit from being able to host the solution with TitanHQ, in a private cloud, or onsite, whereas OpenDNS Umbrella only has a cloud option; and importantly for compliance-conscious MSPs – data is transmitted regionally, rather than randomly via the Anycast system. WebTitan Cloud can also be supplied as a white label ready to take an MSPs branding - which is not possible with OpenDNS - and MSPs have the options of monthly billing, easy integration into backend systems, and exceptional customer support from a dedicated account manager
The easiest way to evaluate WebTitan Cloud is to implement the solution and try it out for yourself in your own environment. The full WebTitan Cloud DNS filtering solution is available on a 14-day free trial, which includes full product support as if you were already a WebTitan customer. During the trial you will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution as an OpenDNS alternative, discover for yourself how easy it is to use, and if you decide it ticks all the right boxes, you simply pay for the license at the end of the trial and continue to use WebTitan without any service interruption.