Name: Steelhead
Brand: Riverbed
Rating: 4.1 (26 reviews)

it_user153501

Consultant with 1,001-5,000 employees

Sep 25, 2014

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Efficient wan optimizer

What is most valuable?

Mainly "generic features" used for data reduction and TCP window optimization. Some applicative specific optimizations used.

How has it helped my organization?

Great added value for replication flows between far away datacenters : => Data to transfer dramatically reduced, lowering WAN links costs. => TCP window scalling permitting to accelerate WAN transfers for old systems not using this feature natively and also for recent systems using less optimized TCP window scalling.

What needs improvement?

Applicative specifics optimizations shall always be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

2 years

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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Regarding system, upgrades issues occurs with old generations (XX20) but they are now fixed. Regarding hardware, disks sometimes crash on long time installed appliances when it is powercycled but it is the bad side of using magnetic disks to lower big storage space.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Not really.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Not really.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service: Customer service is really efficient. Riverbed TAC access is quick and easy.Technical Support: Sometimes, TAC responses must be challenged but the service is globally valuable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No.

What about the implementation team?

In-house implementation after a vendor team POC and an in-house lab.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Cisco WAAS

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

it_user146331

Senior Network Operations Specialist at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees

Aug 31, 2014

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Customer Service and Tech Support get a 5 out of 5. It should handle more traffic simultaneously.

What is most valuable?

The data compression through the WAN. It is like being on a LAN. It is even more effective when the technology uses an adaptive transfer scheme known as "warm transfer".