Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco IOS SSL VPN and F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two SSL VPN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Report (Updated: March 2020).
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It helps us access networks from anywhere.""The product is very stable.""Cisco IOS SSL VPN is reasonably priced, and its technology is flexible.""The solution is very stable.""The platform provides value and benefits to our organization through efficient and effective communication.""I have found that Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable.""Stability-wise, it is a very good solution.""Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable, and once we connect, we don't face any issues and can do our work."

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"F5 has many capabilities for load balancing and web application firewall features.""The solution has good load balancing capabilities.""We like is how they integrate nicely with the Oracle PeopleSoft application.""BIG-IP LTM is completely stable, and its performance is good.""The most valuable feature is customization.""It is a fast and available solution.""Valuable features include Link Controller and Server Load Balancer.""One of the best features of the solution is the operating system."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Pros →

Cons
"The product's RPA tools need enhancement for simplified business process automation.""The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them.""The solution's graphical user interface is not very user-friendly.""It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well.""Cisco has a history of problems with the area of web filtering, because of which my company sometimes had to change the vendor and the appliance.""Cisco IOS SSL VPN doesn't support the configuration of multiple VPNs.""The pricing needs to be better.""It can be difficult to find service and at times we cannot connect with the internet easily."

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"Certificate management needs improvement. I would like automated deployment of new certificates without manual intervention to be in the next release of this product.""Technical support could be faster. It's something I'd like to see them work on in the future.""It would possibly help to get more training, even better in local languages.""F5 has another solution to load balance servers on the cloud, which they got after the purchase of NGINX. It is deployed as Kubernetes or something like that, but the problem now is that they have two solutions for two situations. They should make F5 deployable on the cloud.""It is a hardware load balancer, and its installation procedure is more complex than a software load balancer. There are pros and cons of using hardware load balancing. You have to have specific hardware deployed in your data center to activate this load balancer. They never came up with any software-based load balancing solution. It is all hardware-based.""There is a need for a more modular version to concentrate on the current monolithic structure of both the virtual and hardware versions.""Cloud native integration should be provided.""A more hybrid approach would be beneficial for users."

More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
  • "The pricing of the solution is reasonable"
  • "There are no pricing programs for non-profit organizations and the product is otherwise expensive by comparison."
  • "FortiGate does not charge the client a licensing fee, although Cisco charges clients a couple of dollars per year for each license."
  • "The licensing fee is expensive."
  • "Cisco IOS SSL VPN comes with a cost-effective subscription."
  • "The licensing cost of the solution is on a yearly basis, and it is expensive compared to other solutions in the market."
  • "The product costs less."
  • More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Though functionality is high, its cost can be considered slightly higher than its competitors​."
  • "The licensing pricing seems relatively easy enough to get your head around. I would advise anyone to ensure that you have a conversation with an F5 consultant before purchasing, as you would with most products."
  • "Take a look at the modules that you are going to use. Look into the best bundles for them."
  • "The only area that has room for improvement would be pricing, so its competitors do not have a say."
  • "If your IT budget is good, go for it."
  • "This product is costly from a licensing perspective considering its competitors."
  • "Check other vendors like Cisco, Citrix or A10 Networks. There are plenty in the market with which you can achieve same thing."
  • "Great product for the money. But they can get really expensive, so get what meets your needs."
  • More F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The solution's environment is stable and doesn't get disconnected every now and then.
    Top Answer:Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN.
    Top Answer:The solution takes some time to log in because of some unavoidable security barriers, but it would be better if that could happen faster.
    Top Answer:The support from F5 BIG-IP LTM is good.
    Top Answer:There are a few licensing options available for F5 BIG-IP LTM. You can have a perpetual license which is a lifetime license. You then only need to renew the support, if you choose to open a ticket… more »
    Top Answer:The pricing must be more flexible. We get billed for firewalls based on the usage. It will be helpful if the solution provides such flexibility.
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 14 in SSL VPN
    Views
    936
    Comparisons
    628
    Reviews
    25
    Average Words per Review
    337
    Rating
    8.7
    Views
    10,717
    Comparisons
    8,912
    Reviews
    30
    Average Words per Review
    483
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cisco SSL VPN
    F5 BIG-IP, BIG-IP LTM, F5 ASM, Viprion, F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition , Crescendo Networks Application Delivery Controller, BIG IP
    Learn More
    Overview
    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.

    F5 BIG-IP LTM optimizes the speed and reliability of your apps via both network and application layers. Using real-time protocol and traffic management decisions based on app and server and connection management conditions, and TCP and content offloading, BIG-IP LTM dramatically improves application and infrastructure responsiveness. BIG-IP LTM's architecture includes protocol awareness to control traffic for the most important applications. BIG-IP LTM tracks the dynamic performance levels of servers and delivers SSL performance and visibility for inbound and outbound traffic, to protect the user experience by encrypting everything from the client to the server.

    BIG-IP LTM provides enterprise-class Application Delivery Controller (ADC). You get granular layer 7 control, SSL offloading and acceleration capabilities, and advanced scaling technologies that deliver performance and reliability on-demand. The highly optimized TCP/IP stack combines TCP/IP techniques and improvements in the latest RFCs with extensions to minimize the effect of congestion and packet loss and recovery. Independent testing tools and customer experiences show LTM's TCP stack delivers up to a 2x performance gain for users and a 4x increase in bandwidth efficiency.

    Sample Customers
    MST Systems
    Riken, TransUnion, Tepco Systems Administration, Daejeon University, G&T Bank, Danamon, CyberAgent Inc.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Energy/Utilities Company16%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Comms Service Provider16%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Educational Organization9%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider20%
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Media Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Government9%
    Comms Service Provider6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business49%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise54%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise50%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise68%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
    March 2020
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and other solutions. Updated: March 2020.
    765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco IOS SSL VPN is ranked 1st in SSL VPN with 47 reviews while F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is ranked 1st in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) with 116 reviews. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is rated 8.6, while F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco IOS SSL VPN writes "The solution is very stable and scalable, but it is expensive, and the configuration is complicated". On the other hand, the top reviewer of F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) writes "Helps deliver applications to users in a reliable, secure, and optimized way". Cisco IOS SSL VPN is most compared with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM), Fortinet FortiClient, Zyxel VPN Client, Ivanti Connect Secure and Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks, whereas F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) is most compared with Citrix NetScaler, Fortinet FortiADC, Microsoft Azure Application Gateway, NGINX Plus and HAProxy. See our Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) report.

    We monitor all SSL VPN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.