F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs Symantec VIP Access Manager comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and Symantec VIP Access Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Access Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The portal access was very good.""The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature.""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.""Our customers have never complained about the stability""The tool is reliable and easy to configure.""Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product.""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."

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"It is easy to use.""The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model.""It offers more platform support, like Apple, Android, and Microsoft.""The VPN we are using is good and working quite well.""Other than it provides us with remote access, so it's fairly easy to install, fairly easy to set up, and provides us the ability to get into our corporate environment.""In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc.""The tool has been very stable, in my experience. Also, I haven't faced any issues or problems with integration or connectivity.""The two-factor authentication is most definitely valuable and moves us closer to being able to check off those important boxes for compliance."

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Cons
"The initial setup was complex.""The solution’s GUI looks very old.""F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products.""The operational deployment is not great.""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.""Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better""The solution is quite costly.""The price of this product can be improved."

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"The User Store synchronization part needs to improve. Also, the logs, reports, and dashboard can be improved.""Maybe Symantec could consider providing a step-by-step guide for first-time users.""It is challenging to use when installing a new version.""In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access.""If they had dashboards or a report for managers or executives, then it would allow them to see the status and have it make sense to them.""The gateway server is a RADIUS server, but it lacks the functionality of returning RADIUS attributes other than those that are required for the gateway to authenticate the users.""It gets out of sync with Active Directory or whatever it might be, whatever the authentication piece is on Active Directory, and they just reset it on the backend. I never have to contact the vendor.""I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company...Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Recently, they have simplified the licensing"
  • "The product is very expensive."
  • "The tool is a little bit expensive."
  • More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Licensing and pricing seems very fair."
  • "There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate."
  • "There are additional costs for maintenance."
  • "I can say that the solution is worth the money."
  • More Symantec VIP Access Manager Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature.
    Top Answer:The tool is a little bit expensive. I rate the pricing a six out of ten.
    Top Answer:In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side. Feature-wise, sometimes when I log in to the GUI and want to see the… more »
    Top Answer:The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model.
    Top Answer:The pricing would most likely charge per user based on how many accounts have access to the IT managers.
    Top Answer:The product's connection speed needs improvement. Sometimes, I need help connecting my mobile to the main office's system due to a version upgrade. It is challenging to use when installing a new… more »
    Ranking
    9th
    out of 37 in Access Management
    Views
    1,356
    Comparisons
    1,117
    Reviews
    9
    Average Words per Review
    348
    Rating
    8.1
    12th
    out of 37 in Access Management
    Views
    1,294
    Comparisons
    1,099
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    490
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    F5 Access Policy Manager
    Symantec VIP
    Learn More
    Overview

    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is an access management proxy solution for managing global access to the enterprise networks, cloud providers, applications, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Through a single management interface, BIG-IP APM consolidates remote, mobile, network, virtual, and web access. 

    BIG-IP APM can also serve as a bridge between modern and classic authentication and authorization protocols and methods. For applications which are unable to support modern authentication and authorization protocols, like SAML and OAuth with OIDC, but which do support classic authentication methods, BIG-IP APM converts user credentials to the appropriate authentication standard supported by the application.

    BIG-IP APM Benefits:

    • Ease of use
    • Flexibility
    • Ability to integrate with other systems
    • Security features
    • Granular access control
    • Responsive and helpful support team

    BIG-IP APM Features:

    • Support for Identity Aware Proxy (IAP) enabling Zero Trust application access
    • Context-based authorization with dynamic L4/L7 ACLs
    • Integration with third-party MFA solutions
    • DTLS 2.0 mode for delivering and securing applications
    • SAML 2.0 identity federation support
    • Support for OAuth 2.0 authorization protocol
    • SSO support for classic authentication (Kerberos, header- based, etc.), credential caching, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0, and FIDO2 (U2F)
    • AAA server authentication and high-availability
    • Integration with leading IAM vendor products (Microsoft, Okta, Ping Identity)
    • BIG IP Edge Client and F5 Access integrate with VMware Horizon ONE (AirWatch), Microsoft Intune and IBM MaaS360
    • Risk-based access leveraging third-party UEBA and risk engines (HTTP Connector)

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by BIG-IP APM users.

    Mahmmoud Rabie, Senior Site Reliability Engineer, writes that BIG-IP APM is "A highly stable solution for load balancing, but the initial setup is complex."

    Clyde LivingstonSenior Process Specialist at Telstra, says that BIG-IP APM is "Easy to use, useful access remotely, but lacking stability."

    Chris LamSenior Solution Consultant at Macroview Telecom Limited, states that BIG-IP APM is "Useful for remote access VPN and VPI integration with VMware.

    Symantec VIP Access Manager is the next generation control platform that integrates Single Sign-On (SSO) with strong authentication, access control, and user management. It offers users and administrators control, convenience, and compliance for public and private cloud- based applications. Symantec VIP Access Manager solves cloud security problems using identity and/or context-based access control across multiple cloud applications. In the cloud, where a traditional enterprise perimeter doesn't exist, this solution fills the gap. Through Symantec VIP Access Manager, administrators can define policies that utilize the built-in user directory or existing identity management infrastructure to enforce security and compliance for applications without getting in the way of productivity. Symantec VIP Access Manager can also protect and consolidate access management for on-premise web applications. It also simplifies compliance auditing for cloud applications by consolidating logs across all applications it protects.

    Sample Customers
    City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office
    Maine Medical Center, Aria S.p.A
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider27%
    Media Company18%
    Computer Software Company18%
    Financial Services Firm18%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Government11%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    REVIEWERS
    Leisure / Travel Company11%
    Real Estate/Law Firm11%
    Hospitality Company11%
    Transportation Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Healthcare Company12%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business46%
    Large Enterprise54%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise69%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise63%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise69%
    Buyer's Guide
    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is ranked 9th in Access Management with 13 reviews while Symantec VIP Access Manager is ranked 12th in Access Management with 15 reviews. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is rated 8.2, while Symantec VIP Access Manager is rated 8.4. 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 Symantec VIP Access Manager writes "With its mobile application, this tool offers a convenient and user-friendly experience to its users". F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is most compared with Citrix Gateway, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine), Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and Ivanti Connect Secure, whereas Symantec VIP Access Manager is most compared with Microsoft Entra ID, Check Point Remote Access VPN, Yubico YubiKey, RSA SecurID and Q-Bot. See our F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs. Symantec VIP Access Manager report.

    See our list of best Access Management vendors.

    We monitor all Access Management 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.