Stopping data leaks in the cloud is hard.
If you’re worried about sensitive files leaking from cloud apps or struggling to control risky web access, picking the right all-in-one security can be overwhelming.
My research shows that poor data visibility results in accidental exposure—creating risk that IT and security teams can’t easily manage.
In my analysis of Skyhigh Security, I found their platform tackles this by tying together cloud app discovery, web security, zero trust access, and unified data loss prevention—all from a single console. What really stands out is the mature CASB integrations and one-policy approach to both cloud and web use.
In this review, I’ll break down how Skyhigh puts you back in control of your organization’s web, SaaS, and private app security.
You’ll see, in this Skyhigh Security review, a full breakdown of features, key differentiators, pricing, implementation tips, and how Skyhigh measures up against major alternatives.
You’ll walk away with the features you need to confidently evaluate and recommend the right cloud security.
Let’s dive into the analysis.
Quick Summary
- Skyhigh Security is a data-centric Security Service Edge platform that protects cloud, web, and private app access with mature CASB capabilities.
- Best for mid-market to large enterprises securing SaaS use and hybrid workforces with unified policy management.
- You’ll appreciate its deep cloud visibility and granular control through an integrated platform built on proven CASB technology.
- Skyhigh Security offers enterprise subscription pricing with modular options and free demos, requiring direct contact for quotes.
Skyhigh Security Overview
Based in San Jose, Skyhigh Security launched in 2022. It was born from McAfee Enterprise with a clear mission to protect your critical data anywhere it lives.
They specifically target mid-market and large enterprises that are navigating the security challenges of cloud adoption. What sets them apart is their intense focus on data-centric security for hybrid workforces, not just network-level traffic inspection.
A key development I’m watching is their strategic push to unify all components into a single SSE platform. It’s a critical point for this Skyhigh Security review.
Unlike competitors that often began with web filtering, Skyhigh’s unique advantage is its deep heritage as a CASB pioneer. You get the feeling this data-first DNA, which understands modern apps, is baked into their entire platform.
They work with a diverse range of enterprises, particularly those in regulated industries grappling with how to secure sensitive data across thousands of sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud apps.
From my perspective, their whole strategy is about delivering a truly unified, data-aware SSE platform that genuinely simplifies your security operations. This focus directly counters the vendor sprawl and integration headaches so many of you face.
Now let’s examine their capabilities.
Skyhigh Security Features
Unsanctioned cloud apps create massive security gaps.
Skyhigh Security offers robust cloud security capabilities across its Security Service Edge (SSE) portfolio. These are the five core Skyhigh Security solutions that can fortify your digital defenses against modern threats.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of digital adoption platforms helpful.
1. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
Still battling Shadow IT threats?
Unsanctioned applications and data exposure within sanctioned cloud services are constant worries, leading to significant compliance and security risks.
Skyhigh Security’s CASB discovers all cloud services, assigns risk scores, and enforces granular policies via API integrations and proxies. From my testing, its mature risk profile library for over 30,000 services is impressive. It monitors activity, protecting data at rest and in motion.
You gain complete visibility and control over cloud data, reducing critical security gaps instantly and ensuring compliance across your SaaS ecosystem.
2. Secure Web Gateway (SWG)
Web threats lurk around every corner.
Malicious websites, phishing attacks, and ransomware are constant risks for users, whether they’re in the office or working remotely, demanding robust protection.
This solution intercepts all user web traffic, inspecting it for malicious content and enforcing corporate acceptable use policies. Its Remote Browser Isolation renders risky sites in a secure container, protecting your end-user devices from threats.
Your users stay safe online from web-based threats, reducing malware infections and ensuring consistent acceptable use policy enforcement across all web browsing activities.
3. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
VPNs feel like a security headache?
Traditional VPNs grant broad network access, which can increase your attack surface and make granular control over private applications difficult to manage.
Skyhigh Security’s ZTNA operates on a “never trust, always verify” principle, granting secure, granular access to internal private apps only after verifying user identity and device posture. This solution reduces your network’s attack surface significantly.
Your team gets precise application access, eliminating over-privileged network connections, boosting security, and simplifying remote access management for private resources.
4. Unified Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Afraid of sensitive data leaks?
Accidental or malicious exfiltration of confidential data can lead to massive fines, regulatory non-compliance, and severe reputational damage for your business.
Skyhigh Security provides a single, unified DLP engine across its SWG, CASB, and ZTNA solutions. You can define a data classification policy once, and it enforces policies consistently everywhere, preventing sensitive data from leaving your control.
You protect critical information across web, cloud, and private applications, ensuring compliance and preventing costly data breaches before they can even occur.
5. Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP)
Cloud-native apps feeling vulnerable?
Misconfigurations and security flaws in public cloud infrastructure services expose your cloud-native applications to significant risks, impacting your security posture.
This solution combines Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection (CWP) to identify and fix vulnerabilities. Here’s what I found: it prioritizes risks for targeted remediation, helping your teams focus on critical issues.
You gain comprehensive security for your cloud infrastructure, minimizing attack vectors, ensuring compliance, and streamlining DevOps security efforts efficiently.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Granular policy control offers precise data access management in the cloud.
- ✅ Excellent Shadow IT discovery provides comprehensive visibility into cloud usage.
- ✅ Unified platform vision aims to simplify security across web, cloud, and private apps.
- ⚠️ Admin interface can be complex and may require a steep learning curve.
- ⚠️ Technical support responsiveness and resolution quality can be inconsistent.
- ⚠️ Integration seams between certain modules still exist for some users.
You’ll appreciate how these Skyhigh Security solutions work together as a unified SSE platform that simplifies data protection. This integrated approach ensures consistent security policies across your entire digital estate.
Skyhigh Security Pricing
Unsure about enterprise software costs?
Skyhigh Security pricing is based on a custom quote model, meaning you’ll need to contact their sales team directly. This approach ensures you get a solution tailored to your exact security and budget needs.
Cost Breakdown
- Base Platform: Custom quote; varies by chosen modules (SSE portfolio, CASB, SWG, ZTNA, DLP)
- User Licenses: Per user, per year (volume-based pricing)
- Implementation: Varies significantly by scope (professional services recommended)
- Integrations: Varies by complexity and required connectors
- Key Factors: User count, selected modules, anticipated data traffic, specific add-ons
1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors
Custom pricing offers flexibility.
Skyhigh Security’s pricing operates on a custom quote model, meaning you won’t find public tiers. What I found is your cost directly scales with your user count and the specific SSE modules (CASB, SWG, ZTNA, DLP) you choose. This modular approach lets you build a solution around your exact security needs.
From my cost analysis, this means your monthly costs stay aligned with your business size and operational complexity.
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2. Value Assessment & ROI
Premium value justifies cost.
Skyhigh Security is positioned as a premium, enterprise-grade solution, aligning its pricing with market leaders like Zscaler. What you gain is a unified SSE platform that protects data across web, cloud, and private apps, offering a comprehensive, data-centric security posture. This can significantly reduce security gaps and management overhead.
This helps your budget by consolidating multiple security tools. You gain a robust, unified platform, potentially lowering your total ownership costs.
3. Budget Planning & Implementation
Plan for the full investment.
To get your Skyhigh Security pricing, you’ll provide specifics like user count and desired modules. Factor in potential add-ons such as Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) and professional services for implementation. What I found is professional services greatly influence your first-year budget for implementation.
So for your business size, you can expect to allocate significant budget upfront to ensure smooth deployment and success.
My Take: Skyhigh Security pricing emphasizes customization for enterprise-level needs, making it ideal for large organizations seeking a comprehensive SSE platform tailored to specific security requirements.
The overall Skyhigh Security pricing reflects a premium investment in tailored enterprise security.
Skyhigh Security Reviews
Real user experiences tell the true story.
To give you an unfiltered view, I’ve analyzed numerous Skyhigh Security reviews from platforms like G2, Gartner Peer Insights, and TrustRadius. Here’s what customers actually think.
1. Overall User Satisfaction
Users are generally satisfied.
From my review analysis, Skyhigh Security garners mostly positive ratings across major platforms. What I found in user feedback is that its powerful CASB capabilities stand out, often cited as a key differentiator due to its maturity in handling complex cloud security challenges. Many reviews praise its effectiveness.
This indicates strong performance where granular data protection in SaaS environments is critical for your business operations.
2. Common Praise Points
Granular control is a winner.
Users consistently praise the platform’s robust policy engine for unparalleled granular control over data in SaaS applications. What stands out in customer feedback is its deep shadow IT discovery capabilities, offering complete visibility into all cloud services. Many reviews confirm its strength in uncovering unmanaged apps.
This means you gain precise control and visibility, effectively securing your cloud perimeter against unauthorized app usage and data exfiltration.
3. Frequent Complaints
Interface complexity frustrates some.
While highly capable, a recurring complaint in Skyhigh Security reviews concerns the complexity of its admin interface. From my analysis, users note a steep learning curve, and some find certain modules appear dated. Inconsistent support experiences and integration ‘seams’ between products are also mentioned.
You should prepare for a learning curve, potentially needing professional services for complex configurations or additional support.
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What Customers Say
- Positive: “The CASB solution is one of the best out there. The ability to connect via API to our cloud services and enforce DLP policies is the greatest strength of Skyhigh.” (Source: G2)
- Constructive: “The administration portal is not very intuitive and seems outdated. It requires a lot of clicks to perform simple tasks… Reporting could be better.” (Source: G2)
- Bottom Line: “Skyhigh offers robust cloud security capabilities, especially CASB. Be prepared for some UI complexities and potentially needing assistance with implementation.” (Source: TrustRadius/G2 consolidated)
Overall, Skyhigh Security reviews reveal a powerful, mature platform for cloud security. Its strengths outweigh typical challenges, making it a strong contender for enterprises focused on data protection.
Best Skyhigh Security Alternatives
Which Skyhigh Security alternative is truly best?
Finding the best Skyhigh Security alternatives means understanding your specific needs. From my competitive analysis, the landscape offers strong contenders, each excelling in different scenarios depending on your priorities.
1. Zscaler
Uncompromised scale and global performance is your top priority?
Zscaler is a market leader, ideal for organizations prioritizing proven, large-scale Secure Web Gateway and Zero Trust Network Access performance. From my competitive analysis, Zscaler delivers unparalleled global cloud architecture, excelling for massive, globally distributed workforces that demand peak network speed. This alternative emphasizes robust, high-throughput network security.
Choose Zscaler when your primary concern is proven, large-scale SWG and ZTNA performance for a massive, globally distributed workforce.
2. Netskope
Is deep data protection your main focus?
Netskope excels with its strong data-centric approach, offering deep Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and granular threat analysis across web and cloud. Alternative-wise, I found that Netskope provides advanced context-aware policies for modern cloud applications, uniquely decoding API and JSON traffic. This makes it a powerful choice for data-sensitive environments.
Opt for Netskope if your primary need is extremely granular data protection and sophisticated policy enforcement for cloud applications.
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3. Palo Alto Networks (Prisma Access)
Already heavily invested in Palo Alto’s ecosystem?
Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Access offers exceptionally tight integration with their industry-leading Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs). If your organization is already a heavy Palo Alto customer, this alternative provides the advantage of consistent policy management across on-premise and cloud, simplifying your security operations and leveraging existing investments effectively.
Choose Palo Alto if you seek a single vendor for both on-premise and cloud-delivered security due to existing infrastructure.
4. Cisco (Umbrella)
Looking for a solution integrated with Cisco infrastructure?
Cisco Umbrella leverages Cisco’s vast threat intelligence from Talos and its networking hardware dominance for a broad security portfolio. Alternative-wise, this solution offers a “good enough” integrated approach that works well with your existing Cisco stack, providing a comfortable fit for Cisco-centric organizations seeking unified security.
Consider Cisco if you’re a Cisco-centric organization desiring an integrated security solution that aligns with your current networking stack.
Quick Decision Guide
- Choose Skyhigh Security: Deep CASB heritage, unified data-centric SSE for hybrid work.
- Choose Zscaler: Large-scale SWG/ZTNA performance for massive, globally distributed workforces.
- Choose Netskope: Granular data protection with advanced, context-aware cloud application policies.
- Choose Palo Alto Networks: Seamless integration with your existing Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure.
- Choose Cisco: Integrated security aligning well with your existing Cisco networking stack.
Ultimately, the best Skyhigh Security alternatives depend on your specific organizational needs and existing infrastructure. Your final decision should hinge on matching the solution to your unique business context, not just a feature checklist.
Setup & Implementation
Implementing new security software can be daunting.
The Skyhigh Security review reveals deployment isn’t a plug-and-play affair. This section offers practical guidance on what to expect for successful implementation and adoption.
1. Setup Complexity & Timeline
Consider the deployment effort involved.
Implementing Skyhigh Security demands careful planning for policy migration, agent rollout, and extensive API integrations. My analysis shows it’s moderately to highly complex, so plan for a 3-6 month core deployment. Large enterprises will likely take longer.
You’ll need dedicated project management and internal IT resources. Plan for detailed scoping and professional services engagement to navigate its complexities efficiently.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of managing complex software, my guide on Applied Behavior Analysis software can help streamline care reports.
2. Technical Requirements & Integration
Prepare your IT infrastructure carefully.
Your implementation involves deploying a forward proxy agent, configuring traffic forwarding (PAC files, tunneling), and setting up API connections to cloud services. What I found about deployment is integration with your existing SaaS apps is key, especially for Microsoft 365, which needs careful API setup.
Ensure your IT team has clear requirements for hardware, network configurations, and understands all necessary API access for smooth integration efforts.
3. Training & Change Management
User adoption needs very thoughtful planning.
The administrative console has a steep learning curve; IT and security teams will need formal training. Proficiency requires dedicated time and practice for writing granular policies and interpreting analytics. Expect initial resistance to new workflows.
Invest in comprehensive training programs for your security teams. Identify internal champions and communicate workflow changes clearly to ensure smooth, successful user adoption.
4. Support & Success Factors
Effective vendor support is absolutely crucial.
During implementation and beyond, quality support is critical. What I found about deployment is that user experiences with support are mixed. For critical deployments, investing in a premium support package or engaging a dedicated partner is highly advisable.
Prioritize robust vendor support or a certified partner. This minimizes roadblocks and ensures issues are quickly resolved, accelerating implementation success.
Implementation Checklist
- Timeline: 3-6 months for core features, more for complex environments
- Team Size: Dedicated PM, IT/security team, potentially professional services
- Budget: Beyond software: professional services, premium support, staff time
- Technical: Agent deployment, traffic config, cloud API integrations (e.g., M365)
- Success Factor: Careful planning, formal IT training, robust vendor support
Overall, Skyhigh Security implementation is a significant, strategic project requiring careful planning and dedicated resources. Success hinges on strong project management and leveraging expert support. Approach it with realistic expectations.
Who’s Skyhigh Security For
Is Skyhigh Security your organization’s security answer?
This Skyhigh Security review dives deep into who this solution serves best. We’ll help you quickly assess if your business profile, team size, and use case requirements align with its core strengths for optimal security.
1. Ideal User Profile
Perfect for strategic security leaders.
Skyhigh Security excels for CISOs and security architects defining enterprise-wide data protection strategies. Your team will find this ideal if you need a best-in-class CASB for sanctioned apps and powerful Shadow IT discovery. Organizations with significant cloud footprints will particularly benefit from its data-centric SSE platform.
You’ll succeed if your priority is enforcing granular DLP across cloud services and gaining deep visibility into all cloud usage.
2. Business Size & Scale
Optimized for mid to large enterprises.
Skyhigh Security is specifically designed for mid-market to large enterprise organizations. Your business should have a substantial cloud presence and a hybrid or remote workforce. What I found about target users is that firms managing complex cloud environments derive maximum value, justifying the platform’s depth.
Assess your fit by your need for robust, integrated security across web, cloud, and private apps, with a dedicated team.
3. Use Case Scenarios
Comprehensive cloud and data protection.
This solution excels if your primary use case involves securing SaaS applications, discovering Shadow IT, or enforcing consistent DLP. From my user analysis, it handles complex policy enforcement across web, cloud, and private applications, crucial for hybrid workforces and sensitive data.
You’ll find this a strong fit if your goal is consolidating security and implementing identity-aware access for private apps.
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4. Who Should Look Elsewhere
Not for small businesses or simple needs.
If your organization is small to mid-size with limited IT staff, or you prefer extremely intuitive interfaces, Skyhigh Security might overwhelm you. From my user analysis, the platform has a notable learning curve, and some modules feel less integrated, requiring more technical savvy.
Consider alternative security solutions if you prioritize ease of use, plug-and-play setup, or immediate, consistent technical support.
Best Fit Assessment
- Perfect For: Mid-to-large enterprises managing hybrid workforces and complex cloud data
- Business Size: Mid-market to large enterprises, 50+ employees, significant cloud footprint
- Primary Use Case: Securing SaaS, Shadow IT, DLP, and ZTNA for distributed teams
- Budget Range: Requires substantial investment, suited for enterprise security budgets
- Skip If: Small business, limited IT resources, or seeking plug-and-play simplicity
This Skyhigh Security review shows that its strength lies in serving established organizations with complex cloud security needs. Aligning with Skyhigh’s strengths ensures you leverage its robust capabilities effectively for comprehensive protection.
Bottom Line
Is Skyhigh Security your ideal solution?
My Skyhigh Security review shows a robust platform, but your final decision hinges on balancing its formidable strengths against specific operational considerations. I’ll guide you through a confident assessment.
1. Overall Strengths
Unparalleled cloud data protection.
Skyhigh Security truly excels with its mature Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) capabilities and powerful Shadow IT discovery. From my comprehensive analysis, its granular policy control delivers exceptional visibility into SaaS applications and robust data governance across your cloud usage.
These strengths directly translate into stronger data protection, reduced compliance risks, and comprehensive insight into your organization’s cloud footprint.
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2. Key Limitations
Interface complexity needs attention.
While powerful, the administrative interface can be complex and requires a steep learning curve. Based on this review, technical support consistency remains an area for improvement, often requiring significant escalation to resolve complex issues.
These limitations aren’t deal-breakers but demand a commitment to training and potential reliance on professional services during your implementation.
3. Final Recommendation
My final verdict is clear.
You should choose Skyhigh Security if your priority is comprehensive, data-centric security across web, cloud, and private applications for mid-to-large enterprises. From my analysis, it excels for organizations prioritizing deep CASB visibility and advanced data loss prevention.
Your decision should factor in your team’s technical readiness and willingness to navigate its feature-rich, yet sometimes complex, interface.
Bottom Line
- Verdict: Recommended with reservations
- Best For: Mid-to-large enterprises needing robust cloud data security and CASB.
- Biggest Strength: Granular CASB capabilities with powerful shadow IT discovery.
- Main Concern: Admin interface complexity and occasional inconsistent support.
- Next Step: Request a demo to assess UI and integration with your stack.
This Skyhigh Security review provides a confident assessment for discerning buyers seeking advanced cloud and data protection within complex environments.