We performed a comparison between Cisco IOS SSL VPN and F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) based on real PeerSpot user reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Cisco IOS SSL VPN is the preferred option over F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) according to user reviews. It is described as user-friendly, secure, and feature-rich. F5 BIG-IP APM is stable and reliable but complex and expensive, with room for improvement in reporting and management. It also requires a larger team for maintenance compared to Cisco IOS SSL VPN, which is easy to install and has excellent customer support. Overall, Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a reliable and scalable solution that provides a strong ROI.
"Stability-wise, it is a very good solution."
"The product's most valuable features are security, stability, and troubleshooting capabilities."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is integrated with domain controller, SSO and MFA."
"It is very simple to use, and it allows me to get into the university's network from my home, which is very useful for me."
"The setup and installation was easy."
"The customer service and support are the best. When it comes to support, Cisco is the best vendor ever."
"It is very effective and I am satisfied with how it works and with its performance."
"The most valuable features are that it's reliable, convenient, and easy. It always works if configured well."
"The portal access was very good."
"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."
"In my opinion, the GUI is perfect with the configuration options provided. F5 BIG-IP has given customization options and policy configuration tools in the GUI. It's good and good enough to work."
"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."
"Our customers have never complained about the stability"
"The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature."
"Sometimes the connection drops, and we don't like that. I'm not sure the reason, but sometimes it will take time to connect or it will disconnect fast."
"In terms of what needs improvement, it should have better integration. Although, it might have already been taken care of."
"The pricing needs to be better."
"The product’s dashboard is not good enough."
"The solution needs to integrate password-less technology so that you don't have to remember passwords each time that you log in, which is otherwise tedious. We should be able to log in as long as our system is connected to the internet."
"The only issue with Cisco IOS SSL VPN is on the price point. Price is an area of the solution where improvements are required."
"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."
"Enhancing the client certificate deployment process could be a valuable improvement, ensuring smoother and more reliable certificate renewal experiences in the future."
"The solution’s GUI looks very old."
"The technical support’s response time must be improved."
"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
"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."
"The operational deployment is not great."
"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."
"In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side."
"The solution is quite costly."
More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Pricing and Cost Advice →
Cisco IOS SSL VPN is ranked 1st in SSL VPN with 47 reviews while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is ranked 4th in SSL VPN with 13 reviews. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is rated 8.6, while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco IOS SSL VPN writes "The solution is very stable and scalable, but it is expensive, and the configuration is complicated". On the other hand, 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". Cisco IOS SSL VPN is most compared with Fortinet FortiClient, Zyxel VPN Client, Ivanti Connect Secure, Citrix Gateway and Appgate SDP, whereas 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 IBM Security Verify Access. See our Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report.
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We monitor all SSL VPN 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.
