Steelhead Reviews

Name: Steelhead
Brand: Riverbed
Rating: 4 (23 reviews)

Vendor: Riverbed

4.1 out of 5

23 reviews
94% willing to recommend

523 followers

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What is Steelhead?

Steelhead is the leading network optimization and application performance solution chosen by over 30,000 organizations worldwide. The performance of networks and applications directly impacts business productivity. Riverbed draws from nearly two decades of experience in driving network and application performance over Wide Area Networks with its flagship offering, SteelHead. SteelHead delivers the underlying technology that helps enterprises of all sizes maximize the efficiency and performance of the networks and applications used to run modern business.

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Steelhead is the #3 ranked solution in top WAN Optimization solutions and #13 ranked solution in top WAN Edge solutions. PeerSpot users give Steelhead an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Steelhead is most commonly compared to Fortinet FortiGate: Steelhead vs Fortinet FortiGate. Steelhead is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 65% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 22% of all views.

Helped 814,649 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Chaudhary Muhammad Moez Manzar

Senior Network Engineer at Arwen Tech

I have had hands-on experience with the initial setup of Steelhead, particularly in deploying it for a banking system in Pakistan. The deployment involved two cities, Karachi and Larkana, with around sixteen to eighteen branches. To start, we needed licenses for both Steelhead devices, crucial for optimizing traffic. Understanding the volume of traffic between the nodes is essential. For instance, if there is a 1 GB traffic requirement, we need to select a license capable of optimizing that volume. While the claim is that Steelhead can optimize up to 90%, we typically set realistic expectations, aiming for 60-70% optimization. Choosing the right device, analyzing its processing capabilities, ensuring hardware compatibility with the selected license, and understanding the specific requirements are key aspects of the setup process. The initial installation of Steelhead is more about careful planning than complex configuration. The trickiest part is deciding on the right device, box, and license. Figuring out which box suits the purpose and which license can handle the expected traffic volume is crucial. Once that is sorted, the configuration itself is relatively straightforward, mostly done through a user-friendly GUI. The key for engineers is understanding how to analyze the graphs and reports. During deployment, the focus shifts to selecting the appropriate box, software version, and license. The reports become essential for ongoing optimization. The full installation of Steelhead typically takes around one day. However, I usually monitor the system for about a week after deployment to gather mature data and generate comprehensive reports. The deployment of Steelhead is a team effort, not a solo task. Typically, it involves a presales person and a technician, especially if we are setting up in a data center. The infrastructure management and operations team, including system, network, and software teams, are also part of the process. In total, around nine to ten people might be involved, depending on the specific needs.

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Djurre Woudstra

Senior Network Engineer at a legal firm with 201-500 employees

We use the solution to optimize traffic between our vastly geographically dispersed offices I find the most valuable to be the compression and exchange replication. It is very useful, user friendly, and the documentation manuals are helpful. They should include a network switch in a future…

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JOHNOKUNADE

Network Support Engineer at Nigeria LNG Limited

One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users. In terms of data optimization, the key benefit is the optimization itself, as it can result in significant improvements. With Steelhead, you can achieve up to a 25% optimization rate. For example, instead of passing one terabyte of data via one link, Steelhead can bring it down to as fast as 300. So, in terms of cost-benefit analysis, you realize many benefits. Using Steelhead provides several benefits to the company. Firstly, it makes the client application easier to use. Additionally, it helps optimize costs by reducing bandwidth requirements.

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Steelhead mindshare

Product category:

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Steelhead in the WAN Optimization category stands at 14.1%, down from 21.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

WAN Optimization

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Sep 10, 2024

Valuable Features

Scalable Data Referencing enables local file access, delivering LAN-like speeds over WAN. Compression and TCP optimization enhance data transfer by reducing traffic and simplifying connections. Data and transport streamlining improve communication efficiency. Application streamlining optimizes HTTP protocols, increasing response times. Visibility features allow monitoring network activity, enhancing reporting. Cloud migration optimization boosts workflow performance. Reducing bandwidth requirements results in cost savings. User-friendly documentation and reliable technical support enhance usability and reliability for organizations.

"One of our most valuable features is Steelhead's cloud migration optimization. Moving to the cloud helped optimize our workflow, improving performance for end-users."
"The connectivity to speed is the valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature of Steelhead is its optimization capabilities."

Room for Improvement

Steelhead requires improvements in application response time and network performance. Enhancing DDoS prevention features and including a network switch would be beneficial. Users seek better affordability and security, improved integration capabilities, dedicated high availability support, and easier configuration for encrypted traffic. Monitoring and visibility need more detailed insights. Alert notifications and better SDN integration are also desired.

"The product needs improvement in its integration with SDN."
"The solution needs to have alert notifications."
"One area for improvement is related to monitoring and visibility."

ROI

Steelhead greatly enhanced network performance and reduced data load, leading to significant savings in bandwidth costs. Users experienced a notable increase in application speeds, which improved productivity levels. Maintenance and management became more straightforward, contributing to time efficiency. A few users pointed out that initial investment costs were high, but benefits outweighed those expenses. Enhanced data transfer rates considerably cut down the time needed for various operations.

Pricing

Steelhead is characterized by high costs, with expensive devices and costly service contracts, e.g., one user reports an annual service fee of $30,000. Licensing fees are generally viewed as reasonable, though some find the support pricing unsatisfactory. Pricing varies with device scale and session capacity. While Steelhead’s prices are higher compared to competitors like SolarWinds, users appreciate the exceptional support provided, which enhances the overall value.

"The solution is expensive and the service contacts are costly too. The cost of the device makes the value proposition borderline acceptable for us. The service contract fees we pay is approximately $30,000 annually."

Popular Use Cases

They primarily use Steelhead for WAN optimization, improving data throughput and network performance between geographically dispersed offices. It optimizes traffic for Amazon customers, enhances data replication between primary and backup data centers in banking systems, and helps in scenarios with limited bandwidth. They also use it as a CDR application, ensuring critical traffic prioritization and bandwidth optimization to avoid network exhaustion.

Service and Support

Riverbed provides satisfactory support. Customer service is professional and helpful. Their technical support is responsive and offers remote troubleshooting. Contacting higher-level engineers typically gets a quick response. Some find it hard to reach the call center. As a gold partner, they handle customer issues, often resolving them quickly and accurately. The support is rated between six to eight out of 10, with an impressive accuracy rate of 80-90%. Overall satisfaction with support is positive.

Deployment

Everyone agrees that Steelhead's setup is straightforward, easy, and quick, typically taking only a few hours. Most users mention that it requires planning and involves multiple personnel, needing two appliances for optimal performance. Configurations and protocol knowledge are essential, but the GUI makes the process simpler. Some mention initial difficulties due to configurations but highlight that experience simplifies future deployments. Placement, licenses, and understanding traffic volume are also significant factors.

Scalability

Users find Steelhead scalable for both small-to-medium businesses and larger enterprises. Some report challenges with licenses when expanding capacity. Current systems may struggle with software-defined networks, but newer versions might improve. Deployment experiences include setups for thousands of users and adding new sites easily.

Stability

Steelhead is described as very stable, with industry-leading WAN optimization. Users report no bugs, glitches, or crashes, ensuring reliable performance. It maintains operation even during power outages, with technical support quickly replacing any failed hardware. The option for High Availability mode provides additional stability, ensuring continued traffic flow and productivity. Users consistently rate it highly, noting no significant downtime or interruptions.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Steelhead Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

22%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Real Estate/Law Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Media Company

University

Comms Service Provider

Legal Firm

Educational Organization

Logistics Company

Construction Company

Hospitality Company

Insurance Company

Retailer

Energy/Utilities Company

Healthcare Company

Non Profit

Outsourcing Company

Consumer Goods Company

Wellness & Fitness Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Performing Arts

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Leisure / Travel Company

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Learn more about Steelhead

SteelHead is proven to dramatically speed up the performance of applications anywhere in the organization while delivering the best end-user experience even under sub optimal network conditions. Reduce bandwidth utilization by up to 95%, deferring costly network bandwidth upgrades. Increase performance by up to 100x for on-premises applications.

Steelhead was previously known as RIverbed Steelhead.