We performed a comparison between F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services based on real PeerSpot user reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is the more user-friendly and cost-effective option compared to F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM), which is noted for its stability and scalability but considered complex and expensive. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services offers good centralized security features, low bandwidth usage, and good value for money. It is also easier to set up and has fewer reported issues.
"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"This is a product that is easy to install and integrate, and it is simple to use."
"The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature."
"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."
"We have seen a return on investment from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager. It provided access at a time when we didn't have it."
"The portal access was very good."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"The solution works on Microsoft servers."
"The performance meets our requirements and the stability is good."
"The initial setup is not that difficult. I have gone through the RDS initialization steps, which only seem easy."
"The solution is easy to deploy and there are many features available that you can turn on or off depending on your budget."
"It's almost an out of the box function once you have installed the other components."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services are unification, central management, and accessibility."
"The solution is now stable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution at the moment is the HTML5 web client. You get a browser experience, not just the terminal sort of client, and the integration with Azure multi-factor application."
"The technical support’s response time must be improved."
"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
"We do not have knowledgeable support teams locally."
"In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side."
"F5 BIG-IP APM disconnects when you leave it for long enough, but that is natural for IT solutions to do. That's a little bit frustrating."
"Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better"
"The solution is quite costly."
"I'd suggest improved documentation integration directly within the GUI. Right now, finding comprehensive documentation often requires going to external websites like the community portal."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by allowing the sharing of the office application. For example, the ability to replace a PC when something is wrong."
"Sometimes difficult to set up without the requirement for login credentials each time."
"Teams component can be a bit cumbersome to use. It takes some time to get it working as expected."
"The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is not the easiest. You need to have a certain understanding of how Microsoft is provisioning the solution to be able to set it up and use it."
"I would say it's expensive as there similar products available for free."
"I would like to be able to access the remote desktop using a web-based interface, rather than having to use the client."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is only available for the professional version of the Windows operating system. This restricts a lot of users. The feature should be available for all versions."
"The product is not very scalable."
More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Pricing and Cost Advice →
More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Pricing and Cost Advice →
F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is ranked 10th in Remote Access with 13 reviews while Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is ranked 2nd in Remote Access with 76 reviews. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is rated 8.2, while Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) writes " Facilitates packet inspection, modification, and offloading and offers visibility and troubleshooting capabilities, allowing for pre-production server testing". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services writes "Easy to set up and reliable, but needs an additional control panel". F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is most compared with Citrix Gateway, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine), Ivanti Connect Secure and Microsoft Entra ID, whereas Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is most compared with TeamViewer, VMware Horizon, Citrix Workspace, VMware Workstation and Parallels Access. See our F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services report.
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We monitor all Remote Access 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.