Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) comparison

Cisco and F5 are both solutions in the SSL VPN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.7, while F5 is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1. Cisco holds a 8.9% mindshare in SV, compared to F5’s 15.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of F5 users who would recommend it.

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Read 47 Cisco IOS SSL VPN reviews

755 Views
465 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Read 14 F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) reviews

800 Views
675 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Cisco IOS SSL VPN and F5 BIG-IP APM compete in the secure remote access category. Users report that F5 BIG-IP APM holds an advantage due to its comprehensive features and integration flexibility.

Features: Cisco IOS SSL VPN is known for robust security, reliable connections, and ease of installation. F5 BIG-IP APM distinguishes itself with comprehensive access controls, integration flexibility, and an extensive feature set tailored for complex environments.

Room for Improvement: Cisco IOS SSL VPN requires enhancements in scalability, authentication options, and support infrastructure. F5 BIG-IP APM needs simplified configuration, streamlined management, and reduced complexity to better the user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco IOS SSL VPN offers straightforward installation but lacks extensive customer support. F5 BIG-IP APM has a complex deployment requiring a significant initial setup but benefits from responsive and effective customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco IOS SSL VPN is valued for being cost-effective with faster ROI despite fewer features. F5 BIG-IP APM demands a higher initial investment, with users finding its broad capabilities justifying the price, leading to a substantial long-term ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Ranking in SSL VPN

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (9th)

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Man...

Ranking in SSL VPN

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Secure Web Gateways (SWG) (20th), Network Access Control (NAC) (7th), Remote Access (13th), Access Management (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the SSL VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 8.9%, down from 12.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is 15.6%, down from 16.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

SSL VPN

Featured Reviews

Rupesh Kolhapurkar

Manager at Reliance Industries Ltd

Offers easy setup phase but needs to improve connectivity

For our company's remote workforce connectivity, the tool was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In general, the VPN functionality offered by the product was very useful during the COVID-19 situation. In terms of the product's ability to secure third-party access, the tool works very well. The most valuable feature of the product in terms of network security stems from the fact that the tool provides access to the whole network, and even if users give access to some special applications, it is still really helpful. The clientless access feature is not available for clients. My company installed the product for its clients. If the product offers a clientless access feature, then it is okay and can be very helpful for our company. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is a reliable product. The product is very helpful for a work-from-home setup as the tool can be used to access our company's internal network, which Falls outside the network of our organization. I rate the tool a seven to eight out of ten.

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Ashish Kumar Rai

Associate Network Engineer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

Offers remote access control, good GUI and easy to configure

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. In the APM interface itself, they could add direct hyperlinks to relevant online documentation. This would provide easy access to admin guides and other resources when working within the GUI.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product's most valuable features are security, stability, and troubleshooting capabilities."

"Cisco certainly has a really strong support team."

"The split panel functionality is much better in the Cisco IOS SSL VPN than in the Aruba VPN."

"The solution's technical support is very good."

"With Cisco IOS SSL VPN, you can access your corporate data safely and securely."

"Cisco VPN is easy to connect."

"It's a very stable solution and I'd say it works perfectly."

"IOS is user-friendly and simple. You connect to a particular VPN, and that's it. You become seamless after that."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN pros

"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."

"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."

"Our organization is small - a college with about 3,500 students. We use F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager to protect our site, especially from the Iranian attacks we faced last year. We restrict access to only inside the country."

"The solution is stable and reliable."

"Our customers have never complained about the stability"

"The performance of the solution is valuable."

"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."

"F5 BIG-IP APM is relatively easy to use."

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) pros

Cons

"Cisco IOS SSL VPN should add a sensor that can authenticate with a fingerprint instead of having to type the username and password every time."

"The solution's configuration could be made easier."

"In terms of what needs improvement, it should have better integration. Although, it might have already been taken care of."

"When many people are using the internet at home, which is usually right after dinner, this type of service is a little bit hard to use. The internet becomes quite slow, and sometimes, I have to stop using this application. I am not sure if this issue is because of the application or my internet provider."

"Cisco has a history of problems with the area of web filtering, because of which my company sometimes had to change the vendor and the appliance."

"I would like for it to have support for the Dutch language. I typically use English in 99% of our communications but for some people, it matters."

"I have no notes in terms of areas of improvement."

"The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN cons

"The technical support’s response time must be improved."

"Cloud services are something that F5 Access Policy Manager could do better"

"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 initial setup was complex."

"Regarding price, I'm not directly involved in purchasing, but our CIO thinks the product is very expensive. He's considering moving from the tool to Citrix NetScaler WAF because it's cheaper, and we already have Citrix for VDI. We got NetScaler almost free as part of our VDI deal. Three years ago, I convinced him to use the solution because it's better, but now, with budget constraints, he may want to switch."

"We do not have knowledgeable support teams locally."

"The solution’s GUI looks very old."

"F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager has room for improvement in integration with other products."

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing fee is expensive."

"With Cisco, there is a free solution or a licensed version of the solution with a set of endpoint services."

"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."

"The pricing of the solution is reasonable"

"It is an expensive product."

"Price flexibility could be improved in comparison to other vendors."

"The solution is reasonably priced, and we have around 50% to 60% discounts from Cisco."

"My company makes payments on a quarterly basis to the vendor to cover the licensing costs attached to the product. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an expensive product. There are no additional costs apart from the licensing costs attached to the product."

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN pricing and cost advice

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"The product is very expensive."

"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"

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816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

The solution is pretty fast.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

It is an expensive product.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?

Sometimes, the product does not connect with the Wi-Fi. It usually does, but sometimes, if I'm using another Wi-Fi apart from my work Wi-Fi, it does not connect. It shows some error. If I have to w...

See all answers

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?

I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)?

Regarding price, I'm not directly involved in purchasing, but our CIO thinks the product is very expensive. He's considering moving from the tool to Citrix NetScaler WAF because it's cheaper, and w...

See all answers

Comparisons

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 27% of the time

Zyxel VPN Client vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 16% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 13% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 13% of the time

OpenVPN Access Server vs Cisco IOS SSL VPN

Compared 9% of the time

More Cisco IOS SSL VPN Competitors

Citrix Gateway vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 12% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 10% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 7% of the time

VNC Connect vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 3% of the time

More F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN

November 2024

Download Cisco IOS SSL VPN product report

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

November 2024

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report

Download F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) product report

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN

F5 Access Policy Manager

Learn More

Cisco

Overview

Cisco SSL VPN solutions help you easily and securely extend the network to users who have access to the Internet and a web browser. You can customize access and extend the reach of your corporate network to individuals based on their roles, including teleworker contractors and business partners.

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

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

Sample Customers

MST Systems

City Bank, Ricacorp Properties, Miele, American Systems, Bangladesh Post Office

Buyer's Guide

Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

October 2024

Free Report: Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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