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Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs Steelhead comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 10, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.0
Aruba EdgeConnect's customer service is responsive and efficient, but some users find local technical support lacking compared to competitors.
No sentiment score available
Riverbed's support is professional and helpful, with responsive technical assistance and quick responses from higher-level engineers despite call center difficulties.
 

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score
6.0
Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform needs improved connectivity, security, integration, stability, intelligence, support, education, and competitive VPN and UTM features.
Sentiment score
4.6
Steelhead must enhance performance, security, integration, monitoring, availability, cost-effectiveness, and add SDN, DDoS, and IPS features.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
9.0
Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform is highly scalable, efficiently supporting vast deployments and is widely used by large enterprises.
Sentiment score
8.5
Steelhead is praised for scalability and ease of adding sites, though some scaling issues require additional purchases.
 

Setup Cost

No sentiment score available
Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform offers cost-effective licensing from $100-$300 monthly, competitive pricing, and various bandwidth-based annual options.
No sentiment score available
Steelhead's high costs are justified by exceptional support, though some users prefer more affordable alternatives like SolarWinds.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
10.0
The Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform is highly stable, with minimal support calls, ease of management, and consistently praised performance.
Sentiment score
8.7
Steelhead is highly rated for its stability, reliability, and uninterrupted operation, ranking number one in WAN optimization.
 

Valuable Features

Sentiment score
6.1
The Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform excels in deployment, performance, flexibility, and features like real-time optimization and detailed statistics.
Sentiment score
7.9
Steelhead offers optimized performance, faster data access, easy setup, cost savings, and enhanced network visibility through SDR, TCP optimization, and compression.
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Pl...
Ranking in WAN Optimization
2nd
Ranking in WAN Edge
7th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions (7th)
Steelhead
Ranking in WAN Optimization
3rd
Ranking in WAN Edge
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the WAN Optimization category, the mindshare of Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform is 16.8%, down from 20.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Steelhead is 14.1%, down from 21.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
WAN Optimization
 

Featured Reviews

Suraj Krishna - PeerSpot reviewer
Flexible, efficient, and responsive support
Silver Peak VX is used for WAN optimization The most valuable features of Silver Peak VX is the flexibility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the long-distance performance of the application storage is easy and effective. This solution is suitable for small to medium-sized…
Chaudhary Muhammad Moez Manzar - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptionally stable and reliable but costly
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.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which WAN Optimization solutions are best for your needs.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
6%
Computer Software Company
23%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Silver Peak NX?
The tool's most valuable feature is bandwidth optimization.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Silver Peak NX?
Compared to other solutions, I think it is a cheap product in the market. I think the pricing is good. I wish we had more sites. We have 30 locations domestically. I really wish we had more so we c...
What needs improvement with Silver Peak NX?
I haven't had a problem using the product since day one. As a matter of fact, I got it up and running by just reading the quick start guide and deploying it. It is really easy to deploy. I guess th...
What is the best network monitoring software for large enterprises?
We just did an assessment for our 47 datacenters around North America. The top two enterprise-level network monitoring solutions were ExtraHop first, Riverbed SteelCenter second. Their negotiated c...
What do you like most about Riverbed Steelhead?
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.
What is your primary use case for Riverbed Steelhead?
The tool is useful as an optimization tool, especially in scenarios with limited bandwidth, like intra-connecting sites. It optimizes WAN traffic so that critical traffic gets priority and is optim...
 

Also Known As

Silver Peak NX, Silver Peak VX, Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect
RIverbed Steelhead
 

Learn More

Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Group Dekko, Kingston Technology, American Student Assistance, Ares Management, Charlotte Metro Credit Union, Colonial Savings, Community Bank, Denali Credit Union, Bed Bath & Beyond, Breweries of Cameroon, Carnival Australia, Coastal Beverages, Toshiba Electronics, Tru Blu Beverages, WAXIE Sanitary Supply, Charleston Area Medical Center, Community Health Plan, Healthcare Company, Mercy Health, Linklaters, Miles & Stockbridge, Thomson Snell & Passmore
ElAraby, SFK Leblanc, Bobst Group, Northwest Pipe Company, Halkbank, Tradebridge, EFG Hermes
Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform vs. Steelhead and other solutions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.