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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs Symantec VIP Access Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Cisco IOS SSL VPN
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (3rd), Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (9th)
Symantec VIP Access Manager
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Authentication Systems (15th), Access Management (17th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Cisco IOS SSL VPN and Symantec VIP Access Manager aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is designed for SSL VPN and holds a mindshare of 9.5%, down 10.2% compared to last year.
Symantec VIP Access Manager, on the other hand, focuses on Authentication Systems, holds 1.8% mindshare, down 2.4% since last year.
SSL VPN
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Rupesh Kolhapurkar - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Berk Onur - PeerSpot reviewer
With its mobile application, this tool offers a convenient and user-friendly experience to its users
To improve the tool, I think that the solution should consider integrations with other cybersecurity and IT technologies, such as Privileged Access Management and Site Integration. Additionally, the implementation of second-factor authentication via Symantec VIP Access Manager, CyberArk, and Delinea, among other technologies, could be best for the product. While the existing technology is okay, improving the integration capabilities for Symantec VIP Access Manager would benefit the product. I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company. While many cybersecurity solutions can function independently, they often lack integration with our systems due to missed integration points. Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature I find most valuable, is the management portal."
"The solution's technical support is very good."
"The solution's environment is stable and doesn't get disconnected every now and then."
"The multicast feature is useful for us."
"The product is very stable."
"It's a stable solution."
"The setup and installation was easy."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable, and once we connect, we don't face any issues and can do our work."
"Other than it provides us with remote access, so it's fairly easy to install, fairly easy to set up, and provides us the ability to get into our corporate environment."
"The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model."
"In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc."
"Cloud-based service and management."
"The two-factor authentication is most definitely valuable and moves us closer to being able to check off those important boxes for compliance."
"It's a good tool. It's pretty straightforward."
"It is easy to use."
"It offers more platform support, like Apple, Android, and Microsoft."
 

Cons

"Multi-factor authentication in Cisco IOS SSL VPN has certain shortcomings that need 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."
"In addition to Cisco, we work with other solutions on behalf of our customers, such as Fortinet for FortiGate, but this latter solution can achieve the same results at a lower price."
"They could provide the cloud-based as-a-service model with monthly rental payments."
"The solution takes some time to log in because of some unavoidable security barriers, but it would be better if that could happen faster."
"The high price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"I would like for it to have support for the Dutch language. I typically use English in 99% of our communications but for some people, it matters."
"The pricing needs to be better."
"Geofencing needs improvement."
"Maybe Symantec could consider providing a step-by-step guide for first-time users."
"In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access."
"It is challenging to use when installing a new version."
"I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company...Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial."
"The User Store synchronization part needs to improve. Also, the logs, reports, and dashboard can be improved."
"The gateway server is a RADIUS server, but it lacks the functionality of returning RADIUS attributes other than those that are required for the gateway to authenticate the users."
"If they had dashboards or a report for managers or executives, then it would allow them to see the status and have it make sense to them."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of the solution is reasonable"
"The tool is expensive."
"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."
"Users have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Cisco IOS SSL VPN."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."
"It stands as the priciest solution available in the market."
"The platform is expensive."
"There are additional costs for maintenance."
"I can say that the solution is worth the money."
"Licensing and pricing seems very fair."
"There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
22%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Insurance Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
It's hard for me to say how Linksys could be improved. I can't think of any specific improvements needed. I believe Cisco could support easier configuration and having tools that allow for easier m...
What do you like most about Symantec VIP Access Manager?
The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Symantec VIP Access Manager?
The pricing would most likely charge per user based on how many accounts have access to the IT managers.
What needs improvement with Symantec VIP Access Manager?
The product's connection speed needs improvement. Sometimes, I need help connecting my mobile to the main office's system due to a version upgrade. It is challenging to use when installing a new ve...
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
Symantec VIP
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Maine Medical Center, Aria S.p.A
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Citrix, Ivanti and others in SSL VPN. Updated: July 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.