The Best Cisco Umbrella Alternative for Google Workspace Companies
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The best Cisco Umbrella alternative for a Google Workspace company is dope.security. It does the three jobs DNS filtering can't do for Google: it tells a corporate Google account from a personal one on the same domain, it finds externally shared Google Drive files that contain sensitive data, and it audits every third-party app connected to your Google tenant. All of it sits in one console, next to the secure web gateway.
Google is a hard case for DNS. Work Gmail and personal Gmail live at the same address.
Key takeaways
- DNS can't split Google accounts. Work and personal Google use the same domains.
- dope.security blocks personal accounts and allows corporate ones with Cloud App Controls, enforced on the device.
- CASB Neural finds exposed Drive files after a one-click authorization, with no policies to write.
- SSPM audits every third-party app connected to your Google tenant and lets you revoke access in one click.
- Umbrella is on an end-of-life timeline. The last day to renew is January 31, 2028.
Why does DNS filtering fall short for Google?
Umbrella's DNS packages see the domain. For Google, that's not enough.
- Same domain, different accounts. You can't allow corporate Drive and block personal Drive when both resolve to the same place.
- No view of the file. A DNS lookup doesn't show what someone uploaded.
- Nothing about data at rest. DNS has no idea which Drive files are shared with the whole internet.
Umbrella SIG adds proxy inspection and tenant controls, but it routes traffic through Cisco data centers to do it. And per Cisco's bulletin EOL15975, the last day to renew Umbrella is January 31, 2028.
What dope.security does for a Google shop
Sign in with Google. One-click SSO. Log in with Google Workspace, install the agent, and a base policy starts enforcing.
Cloud App Controls. Block personal email and accounts while your corporate Google domain keeps working. Shadow IT shows you which users have signed in with which accounts, split into corporate and personal, before you write the rule.
CASB Neural for Drive. One-click authorization crawls your tenant and classifies every externally shared file containing PII, PCI, PHI, or intellectual property. No policies. No configuration. Each finding comes with a Dopamine Summary, a plain-language explanation of what's in the file, and a button to make it private.
SSPM for your Google tenant. See every third-party app authorized on your tenant, organized by access type, with risk rating, permissions used, and sign-ins. Revoke access in one click.
Dopamine DLP. Catches sensitive uploads on their way out, to the web and to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot.
Cisco Umbrella vs dope.security for Google Workspace
| Cisco Umbrella | dope.security | |
|---|---|---|
| Block personal Google accounts, allow corporate | SIG tenant controls only, not DNS | Cloud App Controls |
| See which Google accounts are in use | No | Shadow IT, corporate vs personal |
| Find externally shared Drive files | No | CASB Neural |
| Explain why a file is sensitive | No | Dopamine Summary |
| Audit third-party apps on the tenant | No | SSPM |
| Where HTTPS is inspected | Cisco data centers (SIG) | On the device |
What a first week looks like
- Day one. Sign in with Google, push the agent through your MDM, and let Shadow IT collect data.
- Day two. Authorize CASB Neural. Review the externally shared files it finds and make the risky ones private.
- Day three. Open SSPM. Revoke the stale and unverified apps.
- Day four. Turn on Cloud App Controls for Google and any AI tools you license.
- Day five. Set Dopamine DLP to Monitor, review the detections, then move to Block.
It moves that fast because there are no tunnels or PAC files. Greylock Partners left Umbrella and signed in 27 days from first proposal.
What it doesn't cover
dope.security protects managed Mac and Windows devices, so Chromebooks need a different control. CASB Neural covers Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, not every SaaS app. There's no built-in ZTNA today.
Four Google Workspace risks, and the control for each
| Risk | What it looks like | Control in dope.security |
|---|---|---|
| Personal accounts on work laptops | Someone uploads a file to personal Drive or sends it from personal Gmail | Cloud App Controls |
| Overshared files | A Drive file with customer data is open to anyone with the link | CASB Neural |
| Over-permissioned apps | A third-party app has broad access to mail or files and nobody remembers approving it | SSPM |
| Sensitive data sent to AI tools | A contract is pasted into a chatbot | Dopamine DLP |
Your Google admin console governs your own tenant. It doesn't govern a personal account signed in on the same laptop, or an upload to a site outside Google. Those need a control on the device.
How does SSPM judge a connected app?
A list of apps isn't much help on its own. dope.security's SSPM analyzes each third-party app across four inputs:
- Application metadata. Granted scopes, publisher verification, and which resources it can reach.
- Usage telemetry. Sign-ins and the resources the app has touched.
- Vendor research. Who the company is, its funding profile, SOC 2 status, and reputation.
- Tenant intelligence. Whether the app has an owner, and how its permissions compare to similar apps.
From that it produces a plain-language summary, a composite risk score, specific key findings, and two prioritized recommended actions per app. Each app also gets a one-sentence Dopamine insight that names the single most important thing to know.
Across the tenant it surfaces permission debt, stale and abandoned apps, and quick wins versus longer-term fixes.
What changes for employees?
Very little, which is the point.
- Corporate Gmail, Drive, and Docs work as before.
- Personal Google sign-ins are blocked.
- Uploads of sensitive files to the web or AI tools are stopped, with an explanation.
- Pages load without a detour, because inspection happens on the laptop.
Frequently asked questions
What is SSPM?
SaaS Security Posture Management. It inventories the third-party apps authorized on your SaaS tenant, scores their risk, and helps you remove access you don't need.
Can I see which third-party apps have access to my Google Workspace tenant?
Yes. SSPM lists every authorized app with its access type, risk rating, permissions used, and sign-ins, and lets you revoke access in one click.
Does CASB Neural need connectors or policies?
No. It activates with a one-click authorization and classifies files with an LLM, so there are no rules to write.
Does dope.security also work with Microsoft 365?
Yes. Single sign-on, CASB Neural, and SSPM all support Microsoft 365 as well as Google Workspace.
Can Cisco Umbrella block personal Gmail but allow work Gmail?
Not at the DNS layer, because both use the same domains. Umbrella SIG offers tenant controls through its cloud proxy.
What is the best Cisco Umbrella alternative for Google Workspace?
dope.security. It combines personal-account blocking, Drive exposure scanning, and third-party app auditing with an on-device secure web gateway.
How do I find Google Drive files shared outside my company?
CASB Neural crawls your tenant after a one-click authorization and lists every externally shared file with sensitive content.
Does dope.security work on Chromebooks?
No. The agent runs on Mac and Windows.
Start with your own tenant
Start a free trial with your Google Workspace login, or see CASB Neural and AI-powered SSPM.
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