SIDE BY SIDE · CLOUDFLARE VS. SECURITY-ONLY VENDORS
Same view on top. Very different underneath.
CLOUDFLARE
Cloudflare
Security-only vendors
One dashboard
One dashboard
One set of rules
Change once, enforced everywhere
One codebase
Every service joined by built-in bindings
One network, 335+ cities
Every service on every server
Disjointed rules in some products
Changed product by product, then kept in sync
Disparate codebases in some products
Joined later, with hand-offs and gaps
Purpose-built or rented servers
Not every city has every product
Build apps and AI agents here
No place to build apps or AI agents
=
Looks the same
≠
Built
differently
Build, secure and scale AI on one architecture.
CLOUDFLARE · INTEGRATED BY ARCHITECTURE, NOT BY INVOICE
CLOUDFLARE
By invoice
one contract
By interface
one dashboard
▲ What you see
▼ What holds it up
By architecture
same infrastructure,
all the way down
Unified all
the way down
A single pane of glass does not
equal a unified platform
What makes it one
sits below the surface.
One dashboard
Every service, one place
One contract
ANY SOURCE
ANY DESTINATION
People
Offices
Apps & APIs
AI agents
Other clouds
Internet & SaaS
Your apps
AI models
Your data
Other clouds
ONE CONTROL PLANE + POLICY LAYER
Every way in, from people to AI agents to other clouds, is handled the same way.
Any source can reach any destination, under one set of rules.
Change a rule once → enforced everywhere
ONE CODEBASE, WITH NATIVE ZERO TRUST BINDINGS
Every service is written into the same code, so connecting them is already built in.
Full-stack dev platform
AI compute & sandboxes
AI memory & state
AI gateway & models
MCP servers
Data storage & protection
Secure access service edge
Web & API protection
= bindings: built-in authenticated links between services, each with its own permission
AN AI AGENT,
BUILT HERE
• uses AI models
• keeps memory
• reads your data
• only if allowed
ONE GLOBAL NETWORK, 335+ CITIES
Every service on every server
General-purpose servers, not built for one job. Each runs the whole codebase.
London
Tokyo
Lagos
Lima
Mumbai
Sydney
Dallas
Dubai
+ more
Cloudflare's own
servers, not
rented cloud
SECURITY-ONLY VENDORS, SUCH AS ZSCALER AND PALO ALTO NETWORKS
Single-pane-of-glass ≠ one unified platform
CLOUDFLARE
By invoice
one contract
By interface
one dashboard
▲ What you see
▼ What holds it up
By architecture
separate systems
underneath
Joined only
at the surface
In a demo, it may
look unified.
Below the surface,
it is separate pieces.
One dashboard
Laid over separate products
One contract
WAYS IN
DESTINATIONS
People
A
Offices
C
Apps & APIs
B
AI agents
A
Other clouds
C
Internet & SaaS
Your apps
AI models
Your data
Other clouds
DISJOINTED RULES IN SOME PRODUCTS
Some ways in land in a different product, with its own rules.
A rule change is made product by product, then kept in sync.
A
Web gateway
Own rules
B
Private access
Own rules
C
Firewall
Own rules
D
Data security
Own rules
DISPARATE CODEBASES IN SOME PRODUCTS
Built or bought separately, then joined. Every hand-off adds a hop, and a gap.
Own code
Own code
Own code
Own code
No place to build apps or AI agents
AI agents get
built elsewhere:
• cloud provider
• AI provider
joined by keys, over
the public Internet
PURPOSE-BUILT SERVERS
Not every city has every product
Some servers can only run one product. Some products run on rented public cloud.
Own servers
Rented cloud
?
Fewer cities
Rented cloud
Some products
run on rented
public cloud