Akamai Kona
Akamai Kona
Akamai Kona provides cloud-based protection against web application threats and DDoS attacks. It leverages Akamai’s globally distributed platform to detect and mitigate malicious traffic before it reaches origin infrastructure.
Akamai Kona provides cloud-based protection against web application threats and DDoS attacks. It leverages Akamai’s globally distributed platform to detect and mitigate malicious traffic before it reaches origin infrastructure.
Cost considerations
Cost considerations
Functionality
Functionality
Compatibility
Compatibility
User experience
User experience
Customer support
Customer support
Why these ratings?
Cyberse perspective
Cyberse perspective
Solution details
Market segment
Enterprise
Target industry
Technology
Healthcare
Retail
Financial services
Integrations
Security automation
Cloud security
Deployment
Cloud-native
Cloud-hosted
Key features
API access
Platform solution
Point solution
Subcategory
Web Application Firewall
Services support
Managed services
Cloud ecosystem partners
Amazon Web Services
Microsoft Azure Cloud
Google Cloud Platform
Product features
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
We use the following criteria to evaluate this product:
We use the following criteria to evaluate this product:
Cost considerations
Peer reviews consistently label Akamai Kona one of the pricier web-security services, with bandwidth charges seen as higher than competitors such as F5 and AWS. Small and midsize firms say entry costs feel prohibitive, and bills escalate sharply as traffic grows. Core protection is bundled, but several advanced controls come as paid add-ons, so many buyers question overall value versus industry-average options.
Cost considerations
Peer reviews consistently label Akamai Kona one of the pricier web-security services, with bandwidth charges seen as higher than competitors such as F5 and AWS. Small and midsize firms say entry costs feel prohibitive, and bills escalate sharply as traffic grows. Core protection is bundled, but several advanced controls come as paid add-ons, so many buyers question overall value versus industry-average options.
Functionality
Akamai Kona focuses on web-application firewall and DDoS mitigation rather than acting as a full network firewall. The service omits core next-gen functions such as inline IPS, sandboxing, TLS decryption at scale, and zero-trust segmentation. That narrow scope leaves functionality well behind integrated NGFW products that protect the whole network layer.
Functionality
Akamai Kona focuses on web-application firewall and DDoS mitigation rather than acting as a full network firewall. The service omits core next-gen functions such as inline IPS, sandboxing, TLS decryption at scale, and zero-trust segmentation. That narrow scope leaves functionality well behind integrated NGFW products that protect the whole network layer.
Compatibility
Akamai Kona is consumed only as an Akamai edge SaaS, so security teams cannot run it as their own appliance, VM, or container. Native IPv6 handling and an open SIEM API stream events into Splunk, QRadar, and similar tools with little effort. The cloud-only design gives broad reach but less deployment choice than products that also offer on-prem or marketplace images.
Compatibility
Akamai Kona is consumed only as an Akamai edge SaaS, so security teams cannot run it as their own appliance, VM, or container. Native IPv6 handling and an open SIEM API stream events into Splunk, QRadar, and similar tools with little effort. The cloud-only design gives broad reach but less deployment choice than products that also offer on-prem or marketplace images.
User experience
Business users see a clear web console that reviewers call intuitive and easy to navigate. New administrators usually reach confidence after a two-day training course, showing only a modest learning curve. Some users note monitoring performance quirks and setup complexity for novices, so the overall experience is solid but not flawless
User experience
Business users see a clear web console that reviewers call intuitive and easy to navigate. New administrators usually reach confidence after a two-day training course, showing only a modest learning curve. Some users note monitoring performance quirks and setup complexity for novices, so the overall experience is solid but not flawless
Customer support
Customers have 24×7 access to Akamai’s security team and critical tickets are answered within 30 minutes (15 minutes on the premium tier), faster than the sub-hour standard many vendors advertise. Automated rule updates roll out several times a day and a substantial knowledge base speeds self-help, but the lack of hardware components means next-day replacements are irrelevant, keeping support just short of the top grade.
Customer support
Customers have 24×7 access to Akamai’s security team and critical tickets are answered within 30 minutes (15 minutes on the premium tier), faster than the sub-hour standard many vendors advertise. Automated rule updates roll out several times a day and a substantial knowledge base speeds self-help, but the lack of hardware components means next-day replacements are irrelevant, keeping support just short of the top grade.