We performed a comparison between Juniper Contrail SD-WAN and Steelhead based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two WAN Edge solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."I've worked with several SD-WAN solutions over the past few years, and the product felt more like an automated provisioning tool. Unlike solutions from Palo Alto or other SD-WANs orchestrated by a SaaS solution, Juniper Contrail SD-WAN already had the files and built their SaaS to orchestrate the configuration. Initially, you didn't do much, but then it started adding some routing capabilities."
"My customers use the solution to have better control and knowledge about the applications inside ONE Access. It also helps them cut costs by reducing MPLs and using better internet access from FTTH."
"The solution is more specific about what's happening since it explains where the problem may lie and points out areas where there is a problem. So, we like that it provides more visibility."
"It gives you that level of visibility to understand what's going on between layer four and layer seven."
"The support is very good from Juniper and from the local distributors."
"It supports desktop management, network management, and SD-WAN policies."
"It is very easy to install the solution."
"Steelhead is stable, and it can even help you avoid service interruption in the event of a power outage. If your hardware fails, technical support will replace your device quickly."
"One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users."
"The compression of Riverbed is very powerful. It can also handle large quantities of traffic."
"The connectivity to speed is the valuable feature."
"I find the most valuable to be the compression and exchange replication."
"Scalable data referencing is a great feature."
"TCP optimization... caches a particular TCP connection and the next time a user uses that connection he will reach the destination easily."
"Implementing new branches or changing existing ones in Juniper Contrail SD-WAN wasn't as straightforward as with other solutions like Meraki SD-WAN, which is almost plug-and-play with its zero-touch provisioning. In Juniper Contrail SD-WAN, it was more challenging."
"The training could be better. When it comes to the demo dashboard capability, I feel like it could be much easier for our customers to use. Our last customer complained about this."
"The solution is expensive. Its support can be better."
"The solution installs similarly to competitors. It is not more difficult or easier. However, it could be easier and take less time for the installation."
"The only issue was the switch we got, which was a little problematic because it was PoC equipment, and we had a little problem with that."
"Areas for improvement in the Juniper Contrail SD-WAN solution include the on-premises deployment process."
"The product should offer more integration capabilities."
"Steelhead's handling of encrypted traffic could be improved because it requires some complex configuration to optimize encrypted traffic, especially when working with Microsoft protocols for mail servers and VPN services"
"The application response time of the solution can be improved."
"If we load a primary firewall, the secondary firewall usually handles all the active connections, but in Riverbed, this isn't the case. We lose all the active connections at the moment of failure."
"One area for improvement is related to monitoring and visibility."
"The solution needs to have alert notifications."
"Application response time and network performance could be improved."
"They should include a network switch in a future release."
Juniper Contrail SD-WAN is ranked 14th in WAN Edge with 6 reviews while Steelhead is ranked 15th in WAN Edge with 23 reviews. Juniper Contrail SD-WAN is rated 7.4, while Steelhead is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Juniper Contrail SD-WAN writes "A scalable solution that is easy to configure". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Steelhead writes "Exceptionally stable and reliable but costly". Juniper Contrail SD-WAN is most compared with Juniper Mist Edge, Cisco SD-WAN, Fortinet FortiGate, VMware SD-WAN and Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform, whereas Steelhead is most compared with Fortinet FortiGate, Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform, WAAS, Citrix SD-WAN and Noction IRP. See our Juniper Contrail SD-WAN vs. Steelhead report.
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