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Cisco Duo - Essentials Edition
Cisco Duo provides the only security-first Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution to protect organizations from identity-based threats. Duo integrates all necessary components to serve as the sole IAM platform, while operating as a unified defense layer across your existing identity infrastructure
Reviews (664)
Edmund Kainyah
Multi-factor access has strengthened our VPN security and reassured users after attacks
Reviewed on Oct 09, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
We are using Cisco Duo in our company. Our primary use cases for Cisco Duo are mainly for our VPN connectivity for multi-factor authentication, and we are looking at extending it to other areas within our infrastructure for MFA deployment as well.
Before implementing Cisco Duo, we were concerned about phishing or credential-based attacks, especially since we experienced a ransomware attack, so we needed to ensure that we put in additional authentication for our platform. We started with that for our VPN connectivity where it will no longer be just a matter of username and password, but then we needed to step up with another layer of security.
When evaluating our identity strategy, we initially were looking for a standalone MFA tool, but then we wanted to extend Cisco Duo to our other environments because, for instance, our ERP system, we want to extend that authentication aspect to that area and then also other areas within our infrastructure. It is going to be a comprehensive solution for us, but we are still in the deployment stage. The first thing that we started with was the VPN aspect, but then we are extending it to other areas as well.
What is most valuable?
Cisco Duo's visibility into identity-based risks has improved our ability to manage security very well. Over the past four or five months that we started using it, we have noticed that it is really helping us.
Cisco Duo has helped us manage the security of both human users and non-human identities across our environment very well.
Cisco Duo has improved our operational efficiency, because we had attacks and were looking at getting another layer of security in terms of our infrastructure. Earlier on, you would only need to have your username and password to be able to connect to our VPN. But with another layer of Cisco Duo, it is helping us in terms of securing our users. Our users are now more comfortable after the attack in terms of being able to use that connectivity access, which is a key thing for us. It has really been very helpful.
What needs improvement?
I do not have a straight answer for how Cisco Duo can be improved at this time.
With the implementation that we are going through right now, I was asking a question about how we can use Cisco Duo on an application that is using its own internal authentication. I think it is more or less about us making sure that that kind of application is using perhaps our AD for the authentication, and that is where we would be able to implement Cisco Duo. I was just looking to find out whether it is possible to use it on a third-party application that is using its own internal authentication.
For how long have I used the solution?
Cisco Duo has been in use for less than a year. I would estimate approximately four to five months, which is not very long.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco Duo is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco Duo is scalable enough for our needs.
Currently, the number of people using Cisco Duo in our company is about fifteen, consisting of our management team and our executive team.
How are customer service and support?
Regarding the technical support by Cisco, I would say their products are very good. We have been using Cisco products for so many years, so we do not really have any issue with using Cisco products. They have been very secure, and in terms of performance, everything is very good for us.
I would rate their technical support a nine.
For response time, there may be a little bit of improvement needed because sometimes you have to wait a little bit, not too long, but sometimes you really want a quick response, and it is not always like that. There are also times when you need to understand some of these things.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Cisco Duo, we were not using anything at all for MFA.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment process for Cisco Duo is straightforward for us and is not a difficult thing. It is not an issue.
What was our ROI?
I would not be able to talk much about cost reduction concerning Cisco Duo because since we deployed it, we have not engaged in any additional cost or anything like that, so I would not say that it has really helped us in terms of reduction of cost or an increase in expenditure. However, it is a product that is really helping us, so I think the cost-benefit of having it is something that we really appreciate.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding the pricing, what actually happened was that we got the product purchased through our HQ, so the costing aspect and all those things sit with our HQ. I do not have much information in terms of the costing when it comes to the procurement of it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Cisco Duo, all those evaluations were done from our HQ, so we were given the product to integrate into our system.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would give Cisco Duo a rating of nine out of ten.
Mike B.
Duo Makes Secure Logins Simple for Clients
Reviewed on Oct 05, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
Best thing about Duo is our clients find it easy to use. Just install the app on their smartphone and allow expected pushes and denies the others. Simple.
What do you dislike about the product?
Since the buyout with Cisco the product development seems to have stopped, while the support and documentation are great I'm not sure about the software development
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Identity management. Users can prove they are who they say they are and keeps their logins secure and logged. Having a 3rd party MFA is important to security
Rajdeep G.
Secure MFA and SSO with Duo: Push, Device Trust, and Adaptive Access
Reviewed on Sep 21, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
MFA via push, single sign on, device trust, adaptive access policies, password authentication, duo directory... and some similar features... duo mobile app
What do you dislike about the product?
Additional user step, dependence on mobile devices, internet service dependencies, deployment complexity, user enrollment can require administration, offline access limited, possible authentication description and cost
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Its application-wide integration gives us flexibility to integrate Microsoft 365, VPN, SSO applications, cloud applications, and also our own enterprise applications. Its centralized administration also helps us; it gives us good visibility and reporting needs and works with existing identity systems with a password-less option also benefits us.
Daniel L.
Easy Setup, Robust MFA Features
Reviewed on Sep 18, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I find Cisco Duo is really easy to set up, and it integrates smoothly with all of our Active Directories, whether on-prem or intracompany, acting as a second layer of authentication. I appreciate the multiple methods of authentication, including app notifications, phone calls, and messages, which add to the security. The on-prem Active Directory integration allows us to secure our systems well. I also like the direct app authentication methods that make interception much harder from a security perspective. Overall, it's set up well considering the price point.
What do you dislike about the product?
The logging in the portal could be improved. It's an on-prem application for when it's AD integrated, but figuring out why authentication is failing can be tricky. It would be better if those logs were placed in the polls, making them more accessible and understandable.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Cisco Duo to enable multifactor authentication on Windows login devices and folders, securing them more effectively. It's really easy to set up and integrates seamlessly with Active Directory, providing multiple authentication methods that enhance security against interception.
Aditya P.
Painless MFA with Clear Policy Enforcement
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
For the most part, the push notifications make MFA painless and easy. Setting up single sign-on with MS 365 and Google Workspace was pretty straightforward. I also appreciate how clean and clear the policy enforcement rules are; they let me manage conditional access by user role without having to jump through too many hoops.
What do you dislike about the product?
The main drawback for me is the pricing jump whenever I need enterprise features such as advanced policy controls. Could be relooked for smaller teams. Also, while the basic navigation is fine, finding specific security settings in the admin portal can feel a bit scattered. A few options are buried two or three sub-menus deep, which makes them harder to locate quickly
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It solves the constant worry of account compromise by adding a quick, reliable layer of security to my everyday logins. I use it to access my work email and internal tool dashboards safely. Biggest benefit for me is sheer convenience. Getting a simple push notification on my phone means I stay secure without losing time (messing around with manual SMS codes or security tokens)
Rob S.
Rapid User Responses and Flexible Notification Options
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
The software's responses to the requests from users is quite rapid. End users have options to choose whether to receive notifications via text, or via the DUO Mobile app, etc.
What do you dislike about the product?
After setting up new users, their configurations will remain active only for a certain length of time. This can sometimes be an issue, since we set up new users some time before their actual start date.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
This single sign-on system does help tremendously in preventing many types of phishing attempts, as well as hacking, and other attacks from bad actors.
Primary/Secondary Education
Strong Security Without Complicating Logins
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
We’ve had a really positive experience using Cisco Duo. What I like most is that it adds a strong layer of security without making the login process feel complicated or frustrating for our users. Once it’s set up, authentication is quick and straightforward, and the mobile app makes approving sign-ins very convenient.
What do you dislike about the product?
While I’ve had a positive experience with Cisco Duo overall, there are a few areas that could be improved. The initial setup and configuration can feel a little overwhelming, especially for teams that are new to MFA or have a more complex environment. Some of the administrative settings also take time to understand and navigate. From a user perspective, having to approve authentication requests can occasionally feel like an extra step, particularly when logging in frequently throughout the day. It would also be nice if some of the management features were more straightforward and intuitive. These are relatively minor issues, though, and overall they haven’t had a major impact on our experience with Duo.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
From an IT perspective, Duo is also easy to manage and gives us good visibility and control over user access. The setup and integration with our existing environment were relatively smooth, and it has helped us strengthen our security without creating a lot of extra work for our team.
Anonymous
Integrates Seamlessly but Needs Better Third-Party Support
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I like how Cisco Duo integrates well with the rest of the Cisco stack. It's useful for our setup since we're a Cisco shop, making the integration with firewall, network access, and so on quite convenient.
What do you dislike about the product?
I find the interactions with third-party networking equipment problematic. It would be better if Cisco Duo used more standard protocols for authentication to ease these interactions.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Cisco Duo solves multi-party authentication problems and integrates easily with our existing Cisco software stack for better network management.
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
Easy Mobile Setup for Multiple Machines, Mostly Reliable Performance
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
ease of use on mobile app, and ability to set up multiple machines and validations on one account when we use many different machines in daily work. Price point is good and performance has been mostly repeatable and reliable save for some instances of not sending a push notification
What do you dislike about the product?
The inexplicable tendency to not send a login push at times, that are generally not repeatable to solve the issue. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is resend the push if after 30 seconds or so the original one does not arrive.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
User identification and protection on work related machines and interfaces. Benefit is in ease of deployment, and user satisfaction. It also allows for seamless integration with windows or mac machines making the system choice a non-issue
Wen G.
Secure, User-Friendly but Requires Improvement
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2026
Review provided by G2
What do you like best about the product?
I like that Cisco Duo helps ensure no one logs into my account without my permission, providing a strong layer of security. I appreciate how it protects against phishing and is fast and simple to use. The initial setup was very easy and self-explanatory, which made getting started a breeze.
What do you dislike about the product?
Sometimes, Cisco Duo causes occasional friction with frequent re-authentication, which can slow down my workflows. Also, having to bring my phone during work to use it is a hassle. It would be more convenient if there was an email push option instead.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I find Cisco Duo solves security issues, ensuring no unauthorized logins to my accounts. It's fast, simple, and protects against phishing, which is reassuring for both school and work.