Senior Network Operations Specialist at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
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".
How has it helped my organization?
Critical data such as emails and Sharepoint files being able to move faster across the WAN via Riverbed Steelhead's compress/decompress mechanism.
What needs improvement?
Need to handle more traffic simultaneously.
For how long have I used the solution?
2 years
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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No, everything is plug and play with minor configuration involved.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Not at all
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Not at all
How are customer service and support?
Customer Service: 5 out of 5Technical Support: 5 out of 5
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Cisco WAAS technology before. The Riverbed Steelhead is much easier to configure and works faster on packet delivery.
How was the initial setup?
Setup was very straightforward.
What was our ROI?
Less bandwidth usage
What other advice do I have?
Please do some diligent research before purchasing the product. It is quite expensive but it is worth it in the long run.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.


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Updated: May 2025
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