Cisco IOS SSL VPN and F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager compete in the SSL VPN solutions category. F5 BIG-IP APM seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive feature set and strong security measures, even though Cisco IOS is preferred for pricing and support.
Features: Cisco IOS SSL VPN is noted for simplified user authentication, ease of use, and robust security including multi-factor authentication and role-based access. It provides stable connectivity and strong integration with Cisco's ecosystem. F5 BIG-IP APM is recognized for its sophisticated security, virtual IP creation, and customizable access policies, along with extensive protocol support and secure remote access.
Room for Improvement: Cisco IOS SSL VPN could improve by integrating newer authentication technologies and simplifying configuration for deployment. Users highlight pricing as an issue along with scalability in multi-layer environments. F5 BIG-IP APM needs better cloud integration and user interface design, with improvements in technical support and pricing strategy.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco IOS SSL VPN provides strong local support and clear documentation for on-premises use but faces delays due to intermediary reliance. F5 BIG-IP APM offers hybrid and cloud deployment with substantial support, though users desire enhancements in technical assistance and deployment processes.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco IOS SSL VPN is seen as expensive compared to alternatives but offers substantial ROI with security features. Pricing is somewhat flexible through partnerships but remains higher than many competitors. F5 BIG-IP APM is on the higher price side but valued for reliability and quality, with simplified licensing contributing to solid ROI.
When Cisco first took over, it was a bit more difficult to get support, but they now integrate it without differentiating the support for Linksys versus full-blown Cisco switches.
We contact support regularly, especially for deployments, and they are very responsive.
Most of the technical support is managed in-house due to our extensive experience with F5 products.
If there is a solution, they don't always communicate it.
F5 technical support is responsive and helpful.
It integrates well with Cisco's ecosystem, providing flexibility and options to connect to diverse environments.
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.
Linksys can be fairly stable for easy environments, but in more complex network environments, Cisco is definitely a lot more stable.
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.
There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility.
I believe Cisco could support easier configuration and having tools that allow for easier management and configuration.
The main improvement needed for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is to integrate into the cloud-delivered services from F5.
If I could copy and paste objects instead of picking and configuring them from scratch each time, it would be great.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) does not have a direction for SaaS.
For more than one hundred users, it costs about $60 per seat.
F5 products are more expensive than other solutions but are valued for their quality and reliability.
The solution is also very scalable, offering up to one hundred licenses for free, and can integrate well with Cisco's ecosystem, such as Cisco ISE and NAC.
The best feature of Linksys in my opinion is cost, as they tend to be more cost-effective compared to larger switches or Cisco switches.
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.
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is an access management proxy solution for managing global access to the enterprise networks, cloud providers, applications, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Through a single management interface, BIG-IP APM consolidates remote, mobile, network, virtual, and web access.
BIG-IP APM can also serve as a bridge between modern and classic authentication and authorization protocols and methods. For applications which are unable to support modern authentication and authorization protocols, like SAML and OAuth with OIDC, but which do support classic authentication methods, BIG-IP APM converts user credentials to the appropriate authentication standard supported by the application.
BIG-IP APM Benefits:
BIG-IP APM Features:
Reviews from Real Users
Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by BIG-IP APM users.
Mahmmoud Rabie, Senior Site Reliability Engineer, writes that BIG-IP APM is "A highly stable solution for load balancing, but the initial setup is complex."
Clyde Livingston, Senior Process Specialist at Telstra, says that BIG-IP APM is "Easy to use, useful access remotely, but lacking stability."
Chris Lam, Senior Solution Consultant at Macroview Telecom Limited, states that BIG-IP APM is "Useful for remote access VPN and VPI integration with VMware.
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