


F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager and Check Point Harmony Browse are two products competing in the domain of network security and remote access solutions. F5 BIG-IP APM appears to have an edge in scalability and robustness for large enterprises, while Check Point Harmony Browse is favored for its innovative security features and ease of use.
Features: F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager is suitable for large enterprises due to its stability and features like SSL VPN and virtual IP creation, enhancing remote access and load balancing. It boasts extensive configuration options and integrates with various authentication vendors. The customization capabilities enable tailored solutions within the GUI. Check Point Harmony Browse stands out with its zero-day phishing protection and lightweight Nano Agent. Its centralized management via Check Point Infinity simplifies deployment and management. The solution emphasizes secure browsing and threat detection, enhancing privacy and data protection.
Room for Improvement: F5 BIG-IP APM could benefit from enhancements in cloud services and simplified reporting. There's feedback for improved integration with other products and a better management interface. Initial setup complexity and cost are also noted. Check Point Harmony Browse could improve URL filtering and documentation clarity. Users have suggested faster support and better customization, alert systems, and pricing visibility to cater to various markets and technologies.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: F5 BIG-IP APM is often deployed on-premises, offering satisfactory support though response times may need improvement. Deployment complexity is offset by strong configuration options. Check Point Harmony Browse provides flexible hybrid and cloud deployment options, praised for ease of implementation and robust support. Its simplicity in deployment and centralized management through its platform is well-received by users.
Pricing and ROI: F5 BIG-IP APM is perceived as expensive, with pricing complexity deterring some despite recognized ROI. Customers find value in its features, but pricing challenges are noted, especially against alternatives like Citrix NetScaler. Check Point Harmony Browse is commended for affordability and simplified licensing. It provides cost-effective solutions with trial versions, offering comprehensive features. Users appreciate its reasonable pricing and the ROI benefits received.
With iboss, whenever you turn on your laptop, the iboss agent automatically connects to the iboss cloud, enforcing all security policies. So with respect to the security side, it strengthens measures.
I have seen some cost effectiveness from iboss; it has reduced certain support requirements, making it a more hands-off solution.
Our company successfully blocked a targeted phishing attack that could have compromised employee credentials and led to a costly data breach.
We have seen a return on investment with Check Point Harmony Browse, reporting a strong return where users have highlighted that the solution's security features, such as blocking phishing attacks and preventing malware downloads, have significantly reduced the number of security incidents, leading to a decrease in IT support costs and less downtime.
They are very fast, responsive, and knowledgeable.
The quality of the support is fantastic.
We had promising discussions about resolving these issues, but no real action followed.
The phone and email support provide efficient results with direct reachability to support engineers.
Typically, I do not need to reach out to Check Point support because the solutions work well after installation.
The responses were timely, professional, and knowledgeable.
Even if they respond, they don't update me with the process or what's going on.
Most of the technical support is managed in-house due to our extensive experience with F5 products.
F5 technical support is responsive and helpful.
They are also able to meet on-demand requirements based on your contract with them, and can easily provide adequate resources and scalability.
I would rate it a nine out of ten for scalability.
If I start seeing sluggishness or anything like that, I just reach out to my rep, and they connect with their dev team, typically resolving it the same day.
Supporting thousands of endpoints without compromising performance.
It is scalable as we monitor and manage endpoints and overall users across the system.
Check Point Harmony Browse is virtually infinite in terms of scalability, and I've seen install bases of up to 5,000 users.
The product's flexibility and company culture contribute to resolving these challenges.
I would rate the scalability of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) between seven and eight.
It's been pretty solid; I've never had an outage with them, and if I ever had, it's only been once out of the seven years.
We've experienced zero downtime.
Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device despite our ClearPass sending information to the iboss box.
In terms of stability, our experience with Check Point Harmony Browse has been positive with no major downtime so far, and the browser runs smoothly with regular updates.
Check Point Harmony Browse is very stable with no communication or other issues encountered on my end.
On a scale from one to ten for stability, I would rate F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) a ten.
Sometimes, the logs are not quite informational or easy to understand.
It is not as intuitive as the rest of the platform.
We also had a problem with a transition when we upgraded from one appliance of theirs to another, but their engineer lost a good deal of our data.
Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc.
The user interface can be better, and selecting the action for monitored or watch-listed IOCs can be more refined.
Another area of improvement is extension compatibility since it currently works best with Chrome and Edge, but having wider browser support for Firefox and Safari would be beneficial for mixed environments.
Integrating with Fortinet, Palo Alto, or third-party SIEM products such as Splunk would be a seamless advantage.
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5.
The ability to run the Anycast feature would be valuable, as the current solution only operates on-premises.
It offers the same features you would get from a vendor that charges 250,000 British pounds for a fraction of the price.
The following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs.
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern.
Smaller projects tend to be more expensive due to fewer licenses, while larger projects of 500 to 2,000 users benefit from better pricing and discounts.
There were no significant upfront hardware or infrastructure costs since it's delivered as a native cloud service.
It is not too high compared to what we expected, but it is not too cheap either, which is why I rate it five.
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability.
The solution's mental health function can detect if someone needs help.
It's given us a lot more visibility into our computer assets that may be infected with viruses and also shows us people who have unusually large uploads or might be engaging in high-risk activities, such as searches or going to sites not categorized by their web crawler.
iboss was the best solution for us because, no matter what domain you were in, everything is under a single pane of glass, which is exactly what we wanted.
Everything is handled directly within the browser using a lightweight extension, delivering real-time threat prevention, including protection against zero-day phishing and malicious downloads without impacting user productivity.
The isolated environment in Check Point Harmony Browse is the best feature we provide, giving a separate, isolated environment for the production applications and company applications, which is really valuable.
The real-time Threat Intelligence feature powered by Check Point's ThreatCloud is impressive because ThreatCloud integrates and correlates all malicious data from Check Point installations globally, collecting and analyzing this data with AI and machine learning to help prevent zero-day attacks effectively.
APM is quite flexible for customers to use, providing secure remote access through various host-checking conditions for both machines and users.
It provides robust security and offers integration with multi-factor authentication systems, which is crucial for an organization's security policy.
A lot of features are useful to me, including mostly the authentication, SAML, or SSO, with no sign-on.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| iboss | 3.5% |
| Check Point Harmony Browse | 0.9% |
| F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) | 1.5% |
| Other | 94.1% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 7 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 7 |
| Large Enterprise | 9 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 20 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 15 |
| Large Enterprise | 6 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 9 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 9 |
Iboss offers a comprehensive cloud-based security platform valued for its scalability and autonomous features, ensuring robust security with easy deployment and management capabilities.
Renowned for its robust security architecture, Iboss integrates seamlessly within diverse networks, delivering efficient granular filtering and advanced content categorization. Its single pane of glass console provides ease of management, allowing rapid scalability suitable for rapidly deploying environments. Operates in BYOD setups due to inline filtering without device installation. Integration with cloud-based applications enhances user control, and features like SASE, SSL inspection, and ChatGPT risk protection stand as highlights. Despite its strengths, users have pointed out areas for enhancement like direct navigation in reports, SSL decryption, and better cloud integration while having room to improve data loss prevention.
What are the most important features of Iboss?The usage of Iboss spans educational institutions, specifically K-12, to enforce internet policies, protect data, and support remote work environments. It provides web filtering and security frameworks to ensure safe browsing. Its platform-as-a-service model offers flexibility for both cloud-based and on-premises requirements, integrating seamlessly to deliver enhanced security features suitable for various deployment needs including zero trust, CASB, and network security for work-from-home setups.
Check Point Harmony Browse enhances web browsing security by offering zero-day malware protection, phishing defense, and data loss prevention. It secures user credentials and blocks risky content in real-time through lightweight deployment.
Designed to protect against web-based threats like malware and ransomware, Check Point Harmony Browse filters web content, providing real-time threat analysis and browser isolation. It allows for secure browsing for remote employees without complex setups or the need for VPNs. While it effectively maintains data integrity and reduces downtime, it can enhance its offerings with detailed alerts, quicker updates, and improved integrations with iOS, Android, and third-party applications. Enhancing performance, reporting, language support, and pricing transparency can further benefit user experience.
What features define Check Point Harmony Browse?In industries handling sensitive data or utilizing remote workforce models, Check Point Harmony Browse deployment strengthens online security strategies. Healthcare professionals ensure confidentiality while accessing patient data. Financial institutions prevent unauthorized access to client information. Educational entities use it to safeguard proprietary research and personal data of students and staff. These implementations tailor browser security to meet the intensive requirements of their fields, minimizing threats while optimizing performance.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) enhances access management by offering remote application access through SSL VPN, secure access verification, and login capabilities. Its user-friendly interface and robust security ensure efficient scalability and performance.
F5 BIG-IP APM serves enterprises by integrating multiple authentication protocols and supporting remote access via SSL VPN for secure application and network connections. Known for its strong performance and reliable scalability, APM allows custom policy management, facilitating load balancing and enhanced server management through virtual IP creation. It offers a secure bridge for users to connect to private networks while managing access through portals and enforcing compliance checks. Despite its efficient and user-friendly interface, APM has areas needing improvements such as updates for MacOS access, comprehensive reporting features, and simplifying the initial setup process. Better documentation and improved cloud integration are also areas for potential enhancement, alongside more efficient management and automation capabilities. Pricing and integration with other systems could be more competitive, and improvements in support response times would benefit users significantly.
What are the key features of F5 BIG-IP APM?In sectors like finance and healthcare, F5 BIG-IP APM ensures secure access management for sensitive data networks. Retailers utilize it to manage seasonal traffic efficiently with its load balancing and scalability, while educational institutions leverage its robust security and remote access features for faculty and students accessing campus networks remotely. These industries benefit from tailored policy management and comprehensive authentication integration to meet specific security and access needs.
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