My company installs the solution for our customers so they can remotely connect to their networks. We have a staff of 70 technicians and provide end-to-end service from procurement to deployment.
Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A reliable solution with trustworthy service with quick setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very reliable."
- "The flexibility of configurations could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is very reliable. Most brands have the same SSL for their VPNs, but Cisco as an OEM and a service provider is very trustworthy.
What needs improvement?
The flexibility of configurations could be improved. Most companies are going to GUI which is comparatively easier to configure in other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for seven years.
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Cisco IOS SSL VPN
November 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and I rate it a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We provide our customers with provisions that cater to growth over five years. I rate scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good and helps no matter the task. I rate support a ten out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The setup is okay but not too easy. It all depends on who completes the setup and if they have familiarity with it. One technician can complete the setup for a small project in 10-25 minutes. For a complex project, it can take days to set up end-to-end.
I rate setup a six out of ten.
What was our ROI?
Our return on investment is solid. I rate it an eight out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are a partner with Cisco and get some level of discount. I rate pricing an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
It is important to understand the technology and know the product rather than focus on a specific concepts from a specific OEM. If you know the technology on a broader scope, it is easier to configure any OEM device.
I rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
SAP BPC Consultant at Tech Mahindra
It's easy to connect
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco VPN is easy to connect."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
We work in financial reporting, so the reports are confidential, and we can't have direct access. We gain access to their system from here, and we work on that.
What is most valuable?
Cisco VPN is easy to connect.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cisco VPN for close to five months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco VPN must be stable. Otherwise, we wouldn't have so many people on the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have close to 70,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco support has been very helpful.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Cisco VPN is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Cisco IOS SSL VPN eight out of 10. My advice is to be patient with anything new, and you'll get the best out of it. Once you gain complete knowledge of the solution, you'll love working on it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco IOS SSL VPN
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Cisco IOS SSL VPN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Architect at Devoteam Belgium
The management portal is good but the graphical interface needs to improve
Pros and Cons
- "The feature I find most valuable, is the management portal."
- "The graphical interface is old and needs to improve."
What is most valuable?
The feature I find most valuable is the management portal. The one we're currently using is much more simple and with the IOS version 9, there is quite an improvement on the stability and the configuration of the solution itself.
What needs improvement?
I think the management of the design of the console or portal needs to improve because when you compare it to other vendors, you find that the graphical interface is old. I do, however, believe that the newer version has an improved graphical interface.
An improvement in the scalability of the solution will also be great.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working on Cisco SSL VPN for more than ten years on cloud and on premises.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The newer version is much more stable than the versions we used a few years ago.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think the scalability could be improved in the next version but it's fine for now.
How are customer service and technical support?
The documentation that comes with the program is pretty clear and everything is explained well. So we haven't used the customer service yet.
How was the initial setup?
The difficulty of the initial setup depends on the security or policy configuration one needs to implement. But for us, it was quite straightforward and not difficult at all. We did the installation and deployment ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others would be that, if they are going in the cloud, they can use other products from the cloud too. In the next version, I would like to see central management, because sometimes you have more than two or three devices. If we can have a solution that can manage all these devices, that will be great. For example, if you need to update one device, you can just do it from one place without having to update all of them separately. On a scale from one to ten, I rate this solution a seven.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior System Administrator at AB Mauri India Private Limited
Easy to use, scalable, and has great technical support
Pros and Cons
- "It is a product that is very robust and durable."
- "It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well."
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to use.
It is a product that is very robust and durable.
The solution is stable.
The product has been scalable.
Technical support is great.
What needs improvement?
Only its mobile-based application is available right now. We cannot use it, for example, on laptops. That's the only drawback. It would be nice if we could use this not just on mobile, but on laptops and desktops as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for the past six or seven months at this point. It hasn't quite been a year yet.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. You can expand it if you need to.
How are customer service and support?
I've found the technical support to be excellent. they are helpful and responsive. We are very satisfied with the level of attention we receive.
What other advice do I have?
I'm just a customer and an end-user.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been pretty happy with its capabilities.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Network Engineer at Brunnel
An easy to use solution with good configuration capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very easy to work with. This is its most valuable feature. They also did a good job surrounding how you configure the devices."
- "Cisco device management is quite difficult. They should work to simplify this."
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use the solution for remote access for my clients.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very easy to work with. This is its most valuable feature. They also did a good job surrounding how you configure the devices.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to solve the issues they have with Java.
Cisco device management is quite difficult. They should work to simplify this.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for almost four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, I think it would be nice if Cisco could manage their Java problem. Sometimes it works and sometimes it requires troubleshooting or you need to take the time to update in order to fix the Java issue.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have contacted technical support in the past, but nowadays our company is not allowed to contact Cisco directly because we don't have a contract with them. Intermediary companies can, however. In the past, I have been satisfied with the level of service I've received.
How was the initial setup?
If the person setting up the solution understands the underlying technology, they won't have trouble with the initial setup of the product. It's a bit complex. Besides following the steps of the setup, you have to understand what you are doing, otherwise, you can get lost in the process.
What about the implementation team?
I'm a Cisco engineer, so I was able to implement the solution myself.
What other advice do I have?
I use the on-premises deployment model. I've worked with Cisco products for 15-16 years.
I would rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Founder and CEO at Aerium Proyectos y ConsultorÃa
The security is effective but the administration needs to improve
Pros and Cons
- "It is very effective and I am satisfied with how it works and with its performance."
- "The administration should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case of this solution is security. It is very effective and I am satisfied with how it works and with its performance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature about this solution is that the client can connect from his house to the office. It does, however, take some time to configure.
What needs improvement?
The administration should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Cisco for many years now, on cloud and on premise, so I am an experienced user.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The last deployment we did, was for a customer about three months ago. The customer has three branches and we deployed Cisco SSL VPN and I think it is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco has good products and the products have good scalability. Some of my clients have more than 60 users!
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support department is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy, but the complicated part is to configure out what the customer wants. Clients need assistance from integrators or consultants for the deployments, so the customer usually calls my company or calls me to deploy the Cisco solution for them.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to 10, where 1 is the worst and 10 is the best, I would you rate Cisco SSL VPN a seven.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
System Administrator at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A stable solution allows users to remotely access restricted networks, using a secure and authenticated pathway
Pros and Cons
- "It helps us access networks from anywhere."
- "The configuration is critical and complex."
What is our primary use case?
It is used as a VPN. Suppose you are working for any company and need to access something, but are unable to access it from outside, this solution is able to help. This solution helped a lot during the pandemic.
What is most valuable?
It helps us access networks from anywhere.
What needs improvement?
The configuration is critical and complex. Also, the code should be updated from time to time. The speed should also be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco IOS SSL VPN for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Presently, forty-fifty users are using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support team is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Fortinet before using Cisco IOS SSL VPN.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex. However, Cisco provides a lot of documentation that is easy to understand. This makes the setup not feel complex. You can also receive guidance online.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution. I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
ITC Administrator at a non-profit with 11-50 employees
Stable solution that provides secure access to your network and applications
Pros and Cons
- "A reliable and stable solution for remote network access."
- "The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."
What is our primary use case?
We use Cisco SSL VPN mostly as a secure way to access our business applications remotely.
How has it helped my organization?
It provides a solution for our secure remote access.
What is most valuable?
Usability is the most important feature for me. The stability is really good and it is very important to usability. I think this product is number one for stability. At the end of the day, the speed depends on stability. Once the solution is stable that means the speed is also okay. But really it matters the base connection.
What needs improvement?
I am mostly satisfied with the product. The biggest issue and the reason we do not make more use of it is the pricing. If Cisco can provide us discounts like Microsoft we could make better use of the product. There are other organizations providing discounts to non-profits. They realize the need, and they are creating programs. Microsoft has discount programs for non-profits. With Amazon, we have joined a special program where they are providing us services at a discount for non-profit. Cisco is quite expensive in comparison. So we decide to use what makes the most sense for our model. We see that there are these offers and we decide to use Amazon for some purposes.
So if Cisco did have a similar program — a non-profit program — it would be great for the utilization of other products as well. We don't have a big budget like enterprise businesses and we budget more like a small business does. But at the moment, for Cisco, we pay the same price that everybody else pays. If they had programs for non-profits, more non-profits would join the program and make use of their services.
We would like to expand to use many other products from Cisco as well. We need them. But we're not able to choose them because of the pricing. We want to use the Cisco products because they service the enterprise level and we would like to have Cisco firewalls, switches, and everything. Unfortunately, the pricing is making us get out from incorporating Cisco products.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the product a little over four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As for stability, it is one of the best features of the product. A stable connection is the reason we use the product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have roughly fifty users who are using it at the moment. Initially, we started with only a small number of users. So the usage of the product has been pretty scalable. At the moment we are not planning to scale our usage of Cisco products more, but that need depends on the business growth and the number of staff who need access. Things may change.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not really used Cisco's technical support because local support is good enough for us. After it is set up and stable then it doesn't really need much maintenance or attention.
For us, in using the local support the wait is sometimes quite a long time. But it's okay for us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Fortinet as well and that product is stable as well. It is another solid, stable solution. They provide similar stability, features, and functionality. There are some other products we still use for other things because of Cisco's lack of discount programs for non-profit organizations.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for the VPN straightforward. It is user-friendly and easy for someone to set up.
What about the implementation team?
We didn't require any assistance for the setup or implementation. We did it ourselves. It was really quite simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is a bit expensive compared to some other products. If they could lower the prices, it would be great.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco does have really good products and good services but pricing is not allowing us to take advantage of their enterprise solutions.
On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I think Cisco SSL VPN is an 8.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco IOS SSL VPN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
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