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.
"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature."
"This is a product that is easy to install and integrate, and it is simple to use."
"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."
"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"The portal access was very good."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is stable and reliable."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is scalable."
"Everything is really good and it works well."
"The installation is straightforward."
"The initial setup is not that difficult. I have gone through the RDS initialization steps, which only seem easy."
"The solution performs well and is easy to use."
"The solution is really fast."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is the ability to remote into a system that is not on-premises."
"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 solution’s GUI looks very old."
"Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better"
"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 operational deployment is not great."
"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
"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."
"The initial setup was complex."
"I would say it's expensive as there similar products available for free."
"From the perspective of an IT professional, Microsoft Remote Desktop is very easy to use. However, it could be made easier to use for the end user, especially when it comes to activating it."
"The pricing could be better."
"We'd like more granular security control of the desktop services."
"We had some instability during the implementation process. This has since been resolved."
"The stability must be improved."
"We'd like to see more integration with other vendors."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having graphical acceleration."
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 12th in Remote Access with 13 reviews while Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is ranked 2nd in Remote Access with 75 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, VMware Workstation, Citrix Workspace and Parallels Access. See our F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services report.
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