I use it for dialing into the corporate network.
Director at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Immediate deployment, excellent software, and highly stable
Pros and Cons
- "I have found that Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable."
- "The company sets the policies for the default location, and destination, which the VPN connects. If there is a problem with one of those locations, which happens sometimes when I travel I need to have an option to select a different available location. Currently, I am unable to see that from a user's point of view."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I have found that it works well. I am able to connect it to the corporate network. I can also access it outside of my corporate network, so it does both.
What needs improvement?
The company sets the policies for the default location, and destination, which the VPN connects. If there is a problem with one of those locations, which happens sometimes when I travel I need to have an option to select a different available location. Currently, I am unable to see that from a user's point of view.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this virtual private network for the past six months.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco IOS SSL VPN
January 2026
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879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found that Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco IOS SSL VPN is scalable and we have more than one thousand users.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had to use technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy and straightforward. They give you a link to download the application. You download from the link and installation takes place immediately.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco IOS SSL VPN Is a good solution. They use an open SSL framework and VPN. The software is excellent. I would rate Cisco IOS SSL VPN a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A reliable solution with trustworthy service with quick setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very reliable."
- "The flexibility of configurations could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
My company installs the solution for our customers so they can remotely connect to their networks. We have a staff of 70 technicians and provide end-to-end service from procurement to deployment.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very reliable. Most brands have the same SSL for their VPNs, but Cisco as an OEM and a service provider is very trustworthy.
What needs improvement?
The flexibility of configurations could be improved. Most companies are going to GUI which is comparatively easier to configure in other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and I rate it a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We provide our customers with provisions that cater to growth over five years. I rate scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good and helps no matter the task. I rate support a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The setup is okay but not too easy. It all depends on who completes the setup and if they have familiarity with it. One technician can complete the setup for a small project in 10-25 minutes. For a complex project, it can take days to set up end-to-end.
I rate setup a six out of ten.
What was our ROI?
Our return on investment is solid. I rate it an eight out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are a partner with Cisco and get some level of discount. I rate pricing an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
It is important to understand the technology and know the product rather than focus on a specific concepts from a specific OEM. If you know the technology on a broader scope, it is easier to configure any OEM device.
I rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Cisco IOS SSL VPN
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco IOS SSL VPN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.
SAP BPC Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It's easy to connect
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco VPN is easy to connect."
- "Sometimes the connection drops, and we don't like that. I'm not sure the reason, but sometimes it will take time to connect or it will disconnect fast."
What is our primary use case?
We work in financial reporting, so the reports are confidential, and we can't have direct access. We gain access to their system from here, and we work on that.
What is most valuable?
Cisco VPN is easy to connect.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes the connection drops, and we don't like that. I'm not sure the reason, but sometimes it will take time to connect or it will disconnect fast.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cisco VPN for close to five months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco VPN must be stable. Otherwise, we wouldn't have so many people on the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have close to 70,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco support has been very helpful.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Cisco VPN is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco IOS SSL VPN eight out of 10. My advice is to be patient with anything new, and you'll get the best out of it. Once you gain complete knowledge of the solution, you'll love working on it.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Researcher at a educational organization with 10,001+ employees
Simple to use, easy to install, and useful for working from home
Pros and Cons
- "It is very simple to use, and it allows me to get into the university's network from my home, which is very useful for me."
- "When many people are using the internet at home, which is usually right after dinner, this type of service is a little bit hard to use. The internet becomes quite slow, and sometimes, I have to stop using this application. I am not sure if this issue is because of the application or my internet provider."
What is our primary use case?
I am a researcher, and I am doing my master's in administration. To do the research on the web, I need to get into the database of some sites. As a researcher, to get the most content or see all of the content of the sites, I need to access these sites through my university's network. That's why I use this VPN. If I use my internet connection at home, I would have different access to the data.
How has it helped my organization?
It allows me to use and access the entire content of the site. I can access any kind of content from home for my research. Before the pandemic, I used to use the VPN in my house just at night, but now, I am only working from home, and I use it every day for eight to ten hours a day. It has allowed me to work from home.
What is most valuable?
It is very simple to use, and it allows me to get into the university's network from my home, which is very useful for me.
What needs improvement?
When many people are using the internet at home, which is usually right after dinner, this type of service is a little bit hard to use. The internet becomes quite slow, and sometimes, I have to stop using this application. I am not sure if this issue is because of the application or my internet provider.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have an internal IT support team. I contacted them just once in two years. They were very helpful and great. They are doing a great job. They have an internal site with all the information, which was very useful in resolving the issues on my own.
How was the initial setup?
It is very easy to install. I used the information available on the university's site to get it working on my machine. It took 10 to 15 minutes.
What other advice do I have?
I am completely satisfied with the solution. I would rate Cisco IOS SSL VPN an eight out of ten. It is a good solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Inside Sales Representative at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
An easy-to-use and straightforward solution that can be used to secure communications by encrypting information
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an easy-to-use and straightforward solution."
- "Cisco IOS SSL VPN should add a sensor that can authenticate with a fingerprint instead of having to type the username and password every time."
What is our primary use case?
I use Cisco IOS SSL VPN to secure my connections, whereby the communication between my computer and my company's server is encrypted, and the information is air-gapped.
What is most valuable?
Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an easy-to-use and straightforward solution.
What needs improvement?
Cisco IOS SSL VPN should add a sensor that can authenticate with a fingerprint instead of having to type the username and password every time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco IOS SSL VPN for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes, the solution gets disconnected. I do not like that if you're not plugged in or if you lock your computer, you have to re-log in, which is not nice. If you log in and return after you lock the computer, it should still be connected to the VPN and not disconnected for you to start over. That's something that I do not like.
I rate Cisco IOS SSL VPN a nine out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Around 300 users are using the solution.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a cloud-based solution.
Overall, I rate Cisco IOS SSL VPN a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr. Solutions Architect, Consulting Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Good integration capability, performance and support team
Pros and Cons
- "The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."
- "The Secure Plus Connect product could be improved with many enhancements in any price license, especially for licensing. Cisco could simplify the licensing; it could make it easier to order and use the features."
What is our primary use case?
We're using it as part of the RingCentral solution with the Firepower 4000 firewall.
What is most valuable?
I appreciate the security, performance, and integration with the VyOS BYOD (bring your own device) solution.
What needs improvement?
The Secure Plus Connect product could be improved with many enhancements in any price license, especially for licensing. Cisco could simplify the licensing; it could make it easier to order and use the features.
The UI could be improved for the licensing part.
Additionally, Cisco could integrate global traffic balancing features into the new firmware for the firewall, which would be beneficial for administrators.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with it for the past three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the ability to expand at seven out of ten because it's mainly the pricing and licensing during large deployments. In some cases, scalability may lead to a higher cost, which can be challenging in my country.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used two other vendors during my experience and work: SFI and Forcepoint.
Cisco is better from a technical standpoint, but Forcepoint is less expensive and is currently penetrating the Egyptian market.
Forcepoint One is a cloud-hosted product that includes a DNS layer, cloud firewall, and all the features of Cisco VPN.
When I compared the two products, I found that Forcepoint is a good value for the price, considering the resources it offers.
How was the initial setup?
If I'm setting up the branch firewall and managing connections, devices, or VPN, it's quite simple. Especially for me, with 20 years of experience, it's straightforward.
My experience makes it easy for me. I'm already an expert engineer.
So, if you're familiar with the product, it's pretty simple to use.
The deployment model depends on the case. The government and public sector often prefer on-prem solutions to maintain complete control.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors.
Although the cost may be higher, the value is high with this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution for enterprise businesses. Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Senior System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Easy to use, scalable, and has great technical support
Pros and Cons
- "It is a product that is very robust and durable."
- "It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well."
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to use.
It is a product that is very robust and durable.
The solution is stable.
The product has been scalable.
Technical support is great.
What needs improvement?
Only its mobile-based application is available right now. We cannot use it, for example, on laptops. That's the only drawback. It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for the past six or seven months at this point. It hasn't quite been a year yet.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. You can expand it if you need to.
How are customer service and support?
I've found the technical support to be excellent. they are helpful and responsive. We are very satisfied with the level of attention we receive.
What other advice do I have?
I'm just a customer and an end-user.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been pretty happy with its capabilities.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Project Manager at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Facilitates remote access and working from home, but the token software will no longer be supported
Pros and Cons
- "It's a stable solution."
- "The system needs to be upgraded to replace the Token Authentication software, which will no longer be supported."
What is our primary use case?
We are solution providers. We provide remote access solutions, internet access, and Voice over IP for our customers, as well as IT operational support.
We use this solution to access their on-premises server from outside locations for situations such as working from home.
What needs improvement?
The system needs to be upgraded to replace the Token Authentication software, which will no longer be supported.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Cisco IOS SSL VPN for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe that this solution is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Some of the solutions that our customers are using are Microsoft 365, Cisco VPN Access, and Cisco AnyConnect with the physical USB Token to input the password.
The Token support will expire soon. Currently, we are researching similar solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are always researching new products to provide to our clients.
What other advice do I have?
I can't say that I would recommend this solution at this time because the support for the Token software is expiring soon and Cisco IOS SSL VPN would have to be upgraded to another solution similar to Token.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco IOS SSL VPN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2026
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