In short: The Cisco Umbrella free trial lasts 14 days and needs no credit card. You request it on Cisco's trial page, point your DNS at Umbrella and build a policy, and you can ask Cisco's sales team to extend it. Because Umbrella reaches end of sale on 31 January 2027, Cisco also offers a 14-day Secure Access DNS Defense trial.
What the trial includes
Cisco's Umbrella trial request page offers a 14-day free trial of Cisco Umbrella with no credit card required. Cisco's quick start guide then walks you through registering your network, pointing DNS at Umbrella, testing that threats are blocked and adding a policy.
A few details worth knowing before you start:
- You can buy a subscription at any time during the trial, through a Cisco sales representative or partner. If you run the trial with us, we help with set-up and, if you decide to buy, the subscription.
- The trial can be extended: Cisco's help page says to contact your sales representative and ask.
- Cisco warns that if you do nothing when the trial ends, you lose Umbrella's protection. Decide in good time whether to move to a paid subscription, and have a fallback DNS plan for anything you pointed at Umbrella.
- Cisco's Umbrella website now also links to a 14-day free trial of Cisco Secure Access DNS Defense, which Cisco describes as the evolution of Umbrella DNS, with all Umbrella DNS features plus cloud malware protection and cloud DLP for cloud apps.
A trial is the quickest way to see the reports with your own traffic, which is usually more persuasive than any data sheet.
What to test in 14 days
Fourteen days is enough for a meaningful test if you plan it. We suggest this order:
- Point one network's DNS at Umbrella. Register the network's public IP address as a network identity, then set the forwarders on a router, firewall or internal DNS server to the Umbrella resolvers. The identity shows as inactive until DNS traffic arrives. See Cisco Umbrella DNS server addresses.
- Check it is working. Cisco's quick start guide uses welcome.umbrella.com to confirm traffic is going through Umbrella and a test domain to confirm threats are blocked.
- Keep internal names working. If you have Active Directory or internal domains, deploy the Umbrella virtual appliance so local lookups stay local and you see internal IP addresses in reports.
- Cover a pilot group off network. Install the Umbrella Roaming Security Module in Cisco Secure Client on a handful of laptops so protection follows them home. See the Umbrella roaming client page.
- Build a realistic policy. Turn on the security categories, add the content categories you would actually block, and set up allow and block lists. See Umbrella content filtering.
- Review the reports. Cisco notes that results can take a few days to appear, depending on traffic. Then look at security activity, top destinations and blocked requests. See Umbrella reporting.
- Test the user experience. Check the block page, how staff report a wrongly blocked site, and how quickly you can fix it.
If you are evaluating SIG features (the secure web gateway, cloud-delivered firewall or tunnels), say so at the start. They take more set-up than DNS-layer protection, so they are best tested with a clear plan and a single site or user group.
Should you trial Umbrella in late 2026?
Cisco announced the end of life of Umbrella SIG and DNS on 1 September 2026. The last day to order is 31 January 2027, the last day to renew or add to a subscription is 31 January 2028, and support ends on 31 January 2029. Cisco's own Umbrella site now says Umbrella has evolved to Cisco Secure Access, and its free trial links point to DNS Defense.
That changes the decision:
| Your situation | What we usually suggest |
|---|---|
| New to Cisco, want DNS-layer security quickly | Trial Secure Access DNS Defense, the successor to Umbrella DNS, or trial Umbrella and compare the two before you buy |
| Already have Umbrella and want to test SIG features | A trial or proof of concept still helps, but plan it as a step towards Secure Access |
| Need private app access or VPN replacement as well | Evaluate Cisco Secure Access, which adds Secure Private Access (SPA) |
| Want to compare vendors | Run Umbrella or Secure Access alongside an alternative such as Check Point Harmony SASE |
The concepts you test in an Umbrella trial (DNS-layer protection, policy by identity, the roaming module, reporting) carry over to Secure Access, so the time is not wasted. What matters is that you buy with the lifecycle dates in mind. See Cisco Umbrella end of life and Cisco Secure Access.
Common trial pitfalls
Most disappointing trials fail for the same few reasons:
- Only some DNS goes to Umbrella. Devices with hard-coded DNS, browsers using their own DNS over HTTPS, or a secondary resolver that is not Umbrella will bypass it. Use only Umbrella resolvers, as two different addresses.
- Internal names break. Pointing every device straight at Umbrella without a virtual appliance or local forwarding can stop internal domains resolving.
- Policies are too gentle or too harsh. Blocking nothing shows nothing; blocking everything creates a flood of complaints. Start with security categories and a sensible set of content categories.
- Nobody looks at the reports. Put a review in the diary at the end of the first week.
- The trial runs out mid-test. Ask for an extension early if you need one.
- The wrong product is trialled. If you will buy after January 2027, the product you end up on is Secure Access, so make sure what you test matches what you will buy.
How we run a guided trial
If you would like help, we run the trial with you:
- A short scoping conversation to agree what you want to prove and which package features matter.
- Help pointing your first network at Umbrella, deploying a virtual appliance if needed and rolling out the roaming module to a pilot group.
- A starter policy based on what organisations like yours typically block.
- A review session at the end, walking through the reports and what they show.
- An honest recommendation: Umbrella, Secure Access or something else, with a quote if you want one.
To start, contact us and choose "Cisco Umbrella trial" as your interest. We will reply by email.
How Forever Systems supplies and supports Cisco Umbrella
We supply, deploy and support Cisco Umbrella for UK organisations, and plan the move to its successor, Cisco Secure Access.
- Package selection: DNS Security or SIG, Essentials or Advantage, plus add-ons, matched to your users, sites and compliance needs
- Deployment: network DNS forwarding, virtual appliances, the roaming module in Cisco Secure Client, Chromebooks, IPsec tunnels from Cisco Meraki and other firewalls, and Active Directory, Entra ID or SAML identity integration
- Policy design: security categories, content filtering for schools and businesses, allow and block lists, and reporting
- Migration planning from Umbrella to Cisco Secure Access ahead of Cisco's end-of-sale and end-of-support dates
- Ongoing support: reporting, policy tuning, renewals and licence changes
Forever Systems Ltd is an independent IT and cyber security provider and also supplies the wider Cisco Secure portfolio.
Want a Cisco Umbrella quote, deployment or migration plan?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Does Cisco Umbrella have a free trial?
Yes. Cisco offers a 14-day free trial of Umbrella with no credit card required. Cisco also offers a 14-day free trial of Secure Access DNS Defense, the successor to Umbrella DNS.
How long is the Cisco Umbrella free trial?
Fourteen days. If you need more time, Cisco's help page says to contact your sales representative and ask for an extension. You can also buy a subscription at any point during the trial.
What happens when the Umbrella trial ends?
Cisco warns that if you do nothing, you lose Umbrella's protection when the trial ends. Before then, either move to a paid subscription or stop using Umbrella, and make sure any network or device pointed at Umbrella has a fallback DNS plan so users are not left without name resolution.
Can I trial Umbrella SIG features?
Yes, but plan for more set-up time than a DNS-only trial, because the secure web gateway, cloud-delivered firewall and tunnels need configuration. Tell us at the start and we will scope a focused test.
Is it worth trialling Umbrella with the end of sale coming?
It can be, because the approach carries over to Cisco Secure Access. But the last day to order Umbrella is 31 January 2027, so for a new purchase it often makes more sense to trial Secure Access DNS Defense, or to compare the two.