Aruba VPN vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Cisco are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #30 with an average rating of 5.5, while Cisco is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

Cisco IOS SSL VPN and Aruba VPN compete in the VPN market. Aruba VPN has an upper hand due to its advanced configuration options and higher ROI over time.

Features: Cisco IOS SSL VPN features robust security protocols, seamless integration with existing Cisco infrastructure, and a straightforward deployment for experienced users. Aruba VPN features high performance, quick connectivity and comprehensive administrative tools.

Room for Improvement: Cisco IOS SSL VPN needs easier configuration processes, better technical support, and improved performance stability. Aruba VPN could benefit from more detailed documentation, an improved troubleshooting process, and richer native support options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco IOS SSL VPN receives praise for its deployment ease for Cisco-experienced users, but has a steep learning curve and mixed customer service reviews. Aruba VPN offers smooth deployment, even for less experienced users, with generally positive customer service interactions.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco IOS SSL VPN offers competitive pricing, but users perceive lower ROI due to hidden additional support costs. Aruba VPN has higher initial setup costs but delivers better ROI over time, with users willing to invest more for enhanced performance and reliability.

To learn more, read our detailed Aruba VPN vs. Cisco IOS SSL VPN Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aruba VPN vs. Cisco IOS SSL VPN

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Netgate TNSR

Featured Reviews

reviewer1642500

Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Good performance, stable, but price could be reduced

I am using Netgate TNSR for personal network security The solution has good performance. I have been using Netgate TNSR for approximately two years. The solution is stable. The scalability could improve. I have not needed to use technical support. The installation is very simple, all you…

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Zoltán Nagy

Information Technology Infrastructure Manager at Provident Pénzügyi Zrt.

The appliance would crash because of the large number of connections, but its stability was fine

We purchased a relatively small Aruba VPN appliance. Unfortunately, it was not a well-designed VPN appliance product. I think the vendor did not provide us with the best solution. At that time, the world and our company faced the first COVID lockdown, and everybody had to work from home. During this time, the small VPN appliance was overwhelmed by the number of connections, and we experienced many issues. Firstly, it turned out that the firmware was buggy. When around 100 to 300 users tried to connect at the beginning of the day, the appliance would crash, and the users would not be able to connect. We had to escalate the issue to the manufacturer, and they had to release new firmware to resolve the problem, which took around one week. As you can imagine, during the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone had to work from home, and we were struggling to connect to the VPN because of the firmware bug. It took Aruba at least one week to resolve the issue. Another major pain point we faced was with the VPN client. At the time, we were using the Windows 7 operating system on the client machines. Unfortunately, we could not identify the precise circumstances in which the Aruba VPN client could not establish a connection. This was very, very disappointing for us and caused a lot of problems for our department. We had around 500 to 600 users who wanted to connect, and at least 50 to 60 users, or about 10% of the users, were unable to connect each day due to this anomaly. We were not able to identify the root cause of the problem. We collected and provided all the logs that the local support partner requested. Unfortunately, neither the Hungarian local support partner nor the Aruba headquarters could identify the root cause of how and why the Aruba VPN client could not establish a connection. So, it felt like a bad spot. Each day, users were praying to connect over the VPN and to be able to work that day. Aruba VPN sometimes worked, and sometimes it didn't. We were very disappointed and had to switch to a different supplier as soon as possible. We switched to a Cisco product and were very satisfied with the Cisco VPN.

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Rupesh Kolhapurkar

Manager at Reliance Industries Ltd

Offers easy setup phase but needs to improve connectivity

For our company's remote workforce connectivity, the tool was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In general, the VPN functionality offered by the product was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In terms of the product's ability to secure third-party access, the tool works very well. The most valuable feature of the product in terms of network security stems from the fact that the tool provides access to the whole network, and even if users give access to some special applications, it is still really helpful. The clientless access feature is not available for clients. My company installed the product for its clients. If the product offers a clientless access feature, then it is okay and can be very helpful for our company. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a reliable product. The product is very helpful for a work-from-home setup as the tool can be used to access our company's internal network, which Falls outside the network of our organization. I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Computer Software Company

23%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Aruba VPN?

The initial setup was straightforward.

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What needs improvement with Aruba VPN?

They could release product updates more frequently. The lack of updates is one reason we plan to switch to another so...

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What advice do you have for others considering Aruba VPN?

Aruba VPN can be valuable for supporting network work within the company, particularly for ensuring connectivity in v...

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What do you like most about Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

The solution is pretty fast.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

The pricing for Cisco IOS SSL VPN is based on per user. For more than one hundred users, it costs about $60 per seat.

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What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause p...

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Comparisons

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MikroTik Routers and Switches vs Netgate TNSR

Compared 22% of the time

VyOS Universal Router vs Netgate TNSR

Compared 21% of the time

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Aruba Remote Access Points vs Aruba VPN

Compared 100% of the time

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Ivanti Connect Secure vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 36% of the time

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 20% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 15% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 11% of the time

Zyxel VPN Client vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

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Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

April 2025

Download Aruba VPN product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

April 2025

Download Cisco IOS SSL VPN product report

Also Known As

TNSR

No data available

Cisco SSL VPN

Overview

TNSR is an advanced open source-based secure networking software platform with highly-scalable packet processing, manageability, and service expansion capabilities. This video provides a high-level introduction. that address a number of commonly asked new product questions - in just a couple of minutes.

Netgate

Aruba VPN provides secure remote access for employees working from home or remote locations. Users appreciate its ease of deployment, strong security features, and reliable connectivity, adaptable to different devices and operating systems with high performance and minimal downtime.

Aruba VPN is known for its strong security protocols and user-friendly interface, reliable performance, and seamless remote access capabilities. It integrates easily with existing systems and offers scalability and efficient technical support. Notably, it supports a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. Issues were noted during the COVID lockdown with firmware causing connection problems and compatibility problems with Windows 7, which remain under focus for improvement.

What are the most important features?

Strong Security Protocols: Ensures data integrity and protection.
User-friendly Interface: Simplifies deployment and usage for all employees.
Reliable Performance: Provides consistent connectivity with minimal downtime.
Easy Integration: Seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructure.
High Scalability: Supports a large number of concurrent connections.
Efficient Technical Support: Resolves issues promptly and effectively.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in reviews?

Secure Remote Access: Allows employees to work securely from any location.
High Performance: Ensures a smooth and reliable user experience.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces the need for additional hardware or extensive IT resources.
Scalability: Adjusts to the growing needs without compromising performance.
Device Compatibility: Works across different devices and operating systems.

Aruba VPN is utilized across industries such as corporate sectors where secure remote access is critical, education institutions needing to provide students and faculty with reliable connections, and healthcare organizations requiring secure data transmission. Its adaptability and strong security make it a favored choice for dynamic and security-sensitive environments.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Cisco SSL VPN solutions help you easily and securely extend the network to users who have access to the Internet and a web browser. You can customize access and extend the reach of your corporate network to individuals based on their roles, including teleworker contractors and business partners.

Cisco

Sample Customers

US Army, TrustCo Bank, Arkansas State University

Information Not Available

MST Systems

Buyer's Guide

Aruba VPN vs. Cisco IOS SSL VPN

April 2025

Free Report: Aruba VPN vs. Cisco IOS SSL VPN

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