My main use case for Cisco Duo is implementing two-factor authentication on users. I use Cisco Duo for two-factor authentication by enforcing it on users. Additionally, I am enabling posture assessment and health check on the device before allowing access to my organization, which adds extra security and ensures that I have implemented zero trust and separation of duties.
Cisco Duo - Advantage Edition
Cisco Systems, Inc.External reviews
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Zero trust has strengthened access control and reduced authentication security incidents
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Cisco Duo Push is one of the magic features and it really helped to accelerate the two-factor authentication process. Duo Push makes things easier for my team and users by accelerating two-factor authentication.
Besides Duo Push, Cisco Duo as a cloud service allows for single sign-on on cloud services and supports integration with unlimited applications, which is really helpful for any organization.
Cisco Duo has positively impacted my organization by helping to implement zero trust. It also ensures that every user is protected against phishing or password theft.
I have noticed specific outcomes since using Cisco Duo, as it has reduced security incidents according to my records and reports for a year.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Duo can be improved by allowing a specific support engineer, which would be helpful for many organizations. I need better support for Cisco Duo.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Duo for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Duo is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Duo's scalability is fantastic as a cloud service; it is always up 24/7, which is a really good feature. I switched from Fortinet to Cisco Duo because of scalability, as Cisco Duo excels in this area.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco Duo's customer support needs improvement.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used a different solution for two-factor authentication from Fortinet.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment, and I can share relevant metrics with savings in money. Cisco Duo has helped my organization in reducing overall authentication-related costs, with an estimated savings of about half of authentications.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing reveals that one of the most powerful features is the licensing model and the price. According to the pricing, it is really fantastic to get this value compared with other vendors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Cisco Duo, I evaluated other options such as FortiAuthenticator.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking into using Cisco Duo is that it is really helpful for implementing zero trust and enforcing two-factor authentication for many users. Additionally, the licensing model is one of the best features; you can purchase licenses only for the number of users you have, whether it is 50 or 20.
Regardless, the web service will be available without needing to worry about upgrades or maintenance. I evaluate the integration of comprehensive identity security into Cisco Duo's IAM solution as effective in defending against modern threats. I give this product a rating of 10.
Seamless Integration and Responsive Mobile Support
Provides secure remote access with detailed user insights and seamless two-factor authentication integration
What is our primary use case?
One year ago, I deployed Cisco Duo for one of my clients at my previous company because we are a Cisco Gold Partner company. My client wanted to deploy Cisco Duo on their remote access VPN. They have a Cisco FTD firewall, and mostly users join on weekends through Cisco AnyConnect. My client requested 2FA for these users, so I deployed the solution.
A few months ago, I worked on Upwork where one of my clients approached me and asked if I could install Cisco Duo for their small cybersecurity company. This presented a good opportunity for me because I am in Pakistan, and my client is in the USA.
What is most valuable?
Cisco Duo is a simple and effective tool that gives detailed information about users who connect to your domain. You can review the logs, including the public IP that the user uses, which country the user is in, and the city where the user is located. Everything is perfect in the logs. One tab shows that a user, for example Hasnain, is connected through remote access VPN and is using a specific public IP from a particular city in a specific country.
Cisco Duo offers a great logging solution in a Cisco environment. Additionally, Cisco Duo integrates easily with single sign-on apps, and I have used it on the Cisco ISE side because you can add the Cisco Duo address to your ISE and create the same user in both Cisco Duo and Cisco ISE. This makes it easy to manage, as Cisco ISE directly sends requests to Cisco Duo to verify, and the user logs in with a push notification or SMS code.
I am using many features in Cisco Duo, including logging in to Cisco ISE, sending requests when I log in to Cisco FTD through Cisco Duo, and checking 2FA on Cisco AnyConnect. Additionally, I have installed Cisco Duo app on my Windows-based machine, which checks for 2FA notifications every time I reboot the system or press Windows + L. This sends notifications to the cloud to check the username, and it also provides features that ensure the Windows Firewall is always enabled and verify that sensitive data partitions are encrypted. Moreover, it checks that antivirus is properly installed on the system. I also integrate my app within my company and have implemented single sign-on services through Cisco Duo, which is outstanding.
What needs improvement?
Cisco Duo could improve by considering feedback on features or requests for future releases.
When I worked on Cisco Duo, I encountered a limitation that I want to discuss. When a user logs in on a Windows machine using a Microsoft account, it is easy because you install the installer on your system and generate a code to enroll in Cisco Duo app. However, when I installed the package on the system, the user who was already added on Cisco Duo mobile app faced an issue. When I restarted the system, the screen turned black, and the user got stuck because we could not enter the username and password. After reading Cisco documentation, I learned that they do not support Hotmail addresses. This caused a problem since the user was using a Hotmail account. My client was very understanding about it, but I felt I failed to deploy Cisco Duo effectively. There are limitations because Cisco Duo does not support Hotmail accounts, which many people use to log in to their systems.
The two main limitations on Cisco Duo are first, the requirement to install the installer on my server, and second, that Cisco does not support Hotmail accounts. I regret this limitation due to Cisco not supporting Microsoft accounts.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Duo in my career for one year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Duo provides scalability and smooth integration with some applications.
How are customer service and support?
I have contacted Cisco customer support, which is highly remarkable. I open cases with Cisco regularly, and they provide prompt support for any case. Although I did not open any cases on Cisco Duo specifically, I have worked with many Cisco devices in my current network. Cisco support is notably above average; few companies match Cisco's technical and customer support capabilities when you are stuck on technical or pricing issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding the pricing for Cisco Duo, I find that Cisco is always costly. In my current network, I work in a financial institute where we use 2FA for Fortinet, which is easy to deploy but not scalable. Implementing Cisco Duo is more complicated, but when you integrate the solution fully, Cisco provides a very comfortable experience. The pricing comparison shows a great margin as Cisco is costly, while Fortinet is less expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I use Fortinet, which you can ask me about as an alternative two-factor authentication solution.
What other advice do I have?
If you have any questions, you can ask me. I give this review a rating of 8.5 out of 10.
Uses secure mobile push and code-based authentication to improve user login process
What is our primary use case?
I have been using Cisco Duo for one of my customers for three years. I have integrated Cisco Duo with the on-premises Active Directory and I am using two authentication methods: one is by code and one is through push notifications on Android mobile phones or Apple iPhones. The authentication process is very smooth and secure.
When any request is made to log in for email, the request is integrated with Cisco Duo and asks the user to enter a code via their mobile phone. This is the purpose I am using it for, and it represents a very smooth and secure authentication method.
How has it helped my organization?
The method is simple and secure, only thing i want to say about pricing will be reduce for old customers
What is most valuable?
Cisco Duo has a capability for Duo Push. When it comes to authentication, you get a notification and you just need to approve or reject the request, which allows the process to go smoothly. Although Microsoft Authenticator also has this function, other authenticators do not.
What needs improvement?
Pricing is an area that needs improvement because the pricing is high. One of my customers recently received a billing statement for one year charging 3,600 US dollars for 100 users. In my case, it costs me around 300 US dollars monthly for 100 users.
Initial deployment was smooth from an MFA point of view. However, I faced a significant issue about a year back when I tried to integrate Cisco Duo with Citrix NetScaler and enable MFA for Citrix NetScaler integration. I encountered a lot of issues during the integration part and was unable to achieve that task due to a lack of documentation at that time. That project was eventually closed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am using Cisco Duo for one of my customers for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not faced any issues with Cisco Duo so far. It is a very stable product and functions well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good with Cisco Duo.
How are customer service and support?
The support process is very smooth. If I need any support, I can send an email to their support team and they reply on the same day. I normally send emails to billing support and have not needed to send support emails otherwise until now.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used AuthLogics MFA as well. I am also using Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator.
How was the initial setup?
Cisco Duo is a very simple product to understand. I searched for information on Google and integrated it using the guide provided by Cisco Duo during my first implementation. If I need any support, I can send an email to their support team and they reply on the same day. The support process is very smooth and initial deployment is smooth from an MFA point of view.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing needs improvement because it is high. One of my customers recently received a billing statement charging 3,600 US dollars for 100 users for one year. In my case, it costs me around 300 US dollars monthly for 100 users.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have used AuthLogics MFA as well. I am also using Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator.
What other advice do I have?
My clients are requesting MFA on their emails, third-party emails they are using for HTTPS, for cloud emails or cloud logins with different applications. I recommend Cisco Duo to them because the process is very smooth with Cisco Duo. I give Cisco Duo a rating of 10.
Manages global user access and security group tasks efficiently while supporting smooth authentication workflows
What is our primary use case?
I received information from Mohammed, a technician from Tech Skill or a technician site on LinkedIn, who told me he would discuss Cisco Duo connections for technician skills.
They scheduled a meeting and planned to talk with me over Cisco Duo. I was uncertain if I was in the right place.
The main purpose involves addressing questions about SLA tickets. I add persons to security groups and grant access for VPN connections and authentications to add them to the portal, synchronizing them with the Microsoft Azure AD platform and logging cell phone numbers and phone numbers. I also provide access for SSO or mobile tokens, whether hardware or software, and access for Cisco Duo software on cell phones.
I use the web portal for Cisco Duo and the software on my site for self sign-in to the portal. I primarily use the platform for authentications, adding users to groups, and other management tasks. I can block someone or remove them from security groups when an employee leaves the firm or when other security issues occur.
I particularly check where someone is logging in and from which country. I verify if they are under contract to stay in a safe place, such as Germany or Frankfurt. If a person logs in from another country or place, I investigate. From a security perspective, I work with other platforms and coordinate with employees in different departments. I do not focus on security steps themselves. I sometimes examine sign-ins, checking time differences, locations, and IPs in short timeframes. This does relate to security, but I use this method only when questions arise.
What is most valuable?
The general usability and visual interface are valuable to me. It is not significantly different from other tools, but it is usable. It is suitable for a technical person who has an understanding of these tools or software and finds it usable and understandable.
It provides the possibility to get employees directly started with their jobs or schooling for new projects. For this, what is important is the time between registration and account access and whether there is a general problem or minor questions about the main reason. However, there are no strong problems.
What needs improvement?
An AI tool or AI capability would be better. An AI support robot or bot that provides direct answers to questions without requiring the search for facts or documents to find solutions would be an improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years full-time, working for a global company across all regions.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Although I have not received direct technical support for Cisco Duo, I would rate it eight or nine. Working with this web portal and technical software capability, I have never experienced significant connection loss or other major issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company operates globally with approximately 450,000 employees. Within the projects I manage, there are 10,000 employees, and in another MET region, there are over 15,000. We are a partner with most brands that are usable globally and provide them access to the projects.
How are customer service and support?
Although I have not received direct technical support for Cisco Duo, I would rate it eight or nine. Working with this web portal and technical software capability, I have never experienced significant connection loss or other major issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Cisco Duo is my first app or web-based platform. I have never had experience with another brand and cannot compare Cisco Duo to other brands or firms that provide VPN connections or secure connections.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We have access to our portal where I work. They provide access with limited admin rights. We use only the Concentrix portal, which is the company portal.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I have no idea about the pricing. Another department handles this. I am only able to use it for accessing and other functions, but I cannot say this is a different or difficult platform for someone to use because the documents are available. When someone has a problem, they can search the documents and find solutions for simple steps.
What other advice do I have?
I can recommend Cisco Duo because it is very easy to accept and understand. In the two to two and a half years I have used it, I have never experienced a problem. We do not lose connection or encounter other issues, which is the main reason I can offer this recommendation. I would rate this solution nine out of ten.
Strengthened secure remote access through reliable multi-factor authentication
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Cisco Duo is beneficial for me in terms of security.
What needs improvement?
I don't have much detail about the integration of comprehensive identity security into the Duo IAM solution, but my complaint is that it's not as seamless as a product like Zscaler for remote access. It's not as seamless.
It's difficult for me to summarize the room for improvement as I'm on the enterprise network side, not really security. My response will be based on user experience, not detailed technical aspects of the network with respect to security. I use ZIA and Zscaler for remote access connection, and Zscaler is seamless. I don't need to do anything; it does the identification of my system. As far as my system is issued by the company, I don't need to do any multi-layer authentication. It authenticates seamlessly. With Cisco Duo, you have to do that, and customers complain about that process. At some point, you need to be technically savvy to understand how to use Cisco Duo.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco Duo for two or three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've heard customers complain about latency in network usage.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Duo is very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the technical support of the product as a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The deployment and installation process for Cisco Duo is quite straightforward, which is an advantage.
What was our ROI?
I do not track any ROI or return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I think Cisco Duo is quite affordable; it's not really so expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The major difference between Zscaler and Cisco is that for Zscaler, there's a component called ZIA that has a Zero Trust aspect. The identity comes with the system issued, so you don't need any multi-factor authenticator per se. Your identity is matched back end to know that you are the one, and you don't need to do another level of multi-factor authentication, which users complain of being cumbersome.
I use ZIA and Zscaler for remote access connection, and Zscaler is seamless.
What other advice do I have?
I am still working with Cisco products, and I still have the same portfolio. I don't work with the Cisco Secure Access product as I'm more focused on the enterprise infrastructure of routers, switches, SD-WAN, and data center. However, it's part of what I do, though not much of a call with respect to security, but it's something I'm interested in. I need to know what it does and if I can propose it to my clients.
I know Cisco Duo and have used it. It's not really a feature I handle regarding Cisco Duo's unified identity intelligence facilitating the understanding of user behavior. The security team handles that, and I don't have much visibility; it's purely transparent to me. However, I've heard them talk about it, and it really helps them to understand user behavior, mobility, and what they do on the network.
I would rate this review an overall eight out of ten.
Supports seamless authentication for users across multiple organizations and personal portals
What is our primary use case?
I am an IT system support person, and my use cases with Cisco Duo started out with helping clients at my firm and the firms my contracting agencies had by teaching them how to set up Cisco Duo and understand how to use it. Eventually, some of the systems I have access to on my own, usually the corporate systems and employee portals, were Cisco Duo-protected. It has been a split between using Cisco Duo and Microsoft Authenticator, depending on how the MFA has been set up. I started out as IT support, helping people install Cisco Duo on their Android and Apple devices, and I believe they actually had a computer client. Eventually, I had to use it in my own work to authenticate and gain access to the systems I support. Moreover, I have seen a lot of it used to access employee portals, either by end-user employees or my own employee portals.
My last access to Cisco Duo involved helping people either activate their Cisco Duo accounts on their individual Apple or Android devices, or if they were locked out, unlock their accounts or move them over to a new device.
What is most valuable?
The features I use in Cisco Duo include Duo Pushes to confirm my identity to the device, and eventually as MFA security was increased, I actually had to use exchange passcodes. Sometimes, I have to go into the site and get into Cisco Duo to retrieve the passcode, and many of them have been two-factor, where the sites send a passcode that I have to enter into Cisco Duo. It has been more of the latter.
I have not seen issues with lagging or crashing on Cisco Duo's end; it was usually on the client end, often because someone set up a bad upgrade or there were connection issues with the Cisco Duo cloud through the administrative site.
What needs improvement?
As support, I do not find it an issue with Cisco Duo product itself; it is more an issue of organization administration. Often, people do not receive expiration messages, and sometimes, for security reasons, accounts get disabled without notifying the end user, so they mistakenly think something has gone wrong when it really just needs to be re-enabled on the external system. It is primarily an issue on the administrative side of the firm I am working for.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am familiar with Cisco Duo and have probably been using it since around 2020.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Duo seems very scalable. In my experience, I started with a small-medium business, and in my last contracting position, it was a large one for a major worldwide airline that had hundreds of thousands of devices that could use Cisco Duo, and it scaled very well. The administrative site was also very easy to navigate for locating people and devices. I also have a background in computer asset management, so I have the skill set to locate device records easily.
How are customer service and support?
In terms of quality and speed of support for Cisco Duo, I find it just as fine as any other Cisco product. It is simpler at the endpoint; there is much less involved in calling technical support to resolve issues compared to other Cisco products. I have also dealt with firewalls and VPNs, and I can say that Cisco Duo administration is much less involved than other Cisco areas. I would rate support for Cisco Duo a 10, as I have never had a negative experience.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My experience with MFA is primarily Cisco Duo and Microsoft Authenticator, and I have used them both similarly, either as pushes for allow or deny or as stronger MFA requirements such as exchanging passcodes. From my experience, Cisco Duo seems a lot easier to install and operate. In helping add accounts to either my devices or to the devices of the people I am supporting, both systems work well. I can get passcodes or utilize QR codes. One thing I noticed about my current firm is their initial hesitation to consider QR code exchange secure, but eventually, it was re-enabled to reduce support times. As an administrator, I have done both, pushing activation to pre-installed devices already registered to a system or actually sending people a QR code to their email, and both methods worked fine with personal and corporate email.
How was the initial setup?
The setup of Cisco Duo is easy. Most of the time, the setup took me walking the end user through the installation over the phone, but if they understood how to get to their App Store or Play Store, it takes probably under two minutes. Most of it depends on wide area network or internet speed; activating directly on a client device versus sending an activation email makes a difference. If it is all set up and requires only sending an activation code message, it is about a minute. Cisco Duo installs very quickly on Android and Apple devices, provided the Wi-Fi connection is good.
What about the implementation team?
From what I was involved in with Cisco Duo, we actually conducted Cisco Duo pushes through the management systems, enabling that through MDMs, the Bomgar. I found it pretty easy to grab the latest version of the Cisco Duo installer to update the packages on our management systems. I do not remember having any problems; it is one of the easier applets to package or to already find packaged.
What other advice do I have?
I am currently between jobs or contracts, but I believe for the MFA administrator, it would help if they set up the filters for gathering the data. Cisco Duo seems very scalable. In my experience, I started with a small-medium business, and in my last contracting position, it was a large one for a major worldwide airline that had hundreds of thousands of devices that could use Cisco Duo, and it scaled very well. The administrative site was also very easy to navigate for locating people and devices. I also have a background in computer asset management, so I have the skill set to locate device records easily. I have given this review an overall rating of 10.
Ultimate Peace of Mind for PC Security
Enterprise-Grade Security Made Simple
Strong integration with enterprise tools and apps.
Device health checks for added security.
Centralized admin controls for policy enforcement.
Push notifications require internet access.
Can feel overkill for small teams or personal use