F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) vs WSO2 Identity Server comparison

The compared F5 and WSO2 solutions aren't in the same category. F5 is ranked #20 in WSG , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 1.5% mindshare in the category. WSO2 is ranked #9 in CIaA , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of F5 users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of WSO2 users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) and WSO2 Identity Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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November 2024

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Categories and Ranking

iboss

Mindshare comparison

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)

Featured Reviews

Jack Hamm

Vice President of Security and Engineering at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

We experienced benefits immediately but the report generation is lagging

iboss excels on the networking side but lags slightly behind competitors like Zscaler and Netskope in terms of security feature parity. I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention. Using iboss for DLP instead of traditional endpoint solutions is preferable, but its current feature set requires some clunky workarounds. I'd also like to see better integration of DLP into the platform. Additionally, while it's improving, reporting can be slow at times. This is problematic when generating reports for executives who expect them immediately. I'd like to see further improvements in reporting speed and efficiency.

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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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Clement Hsieh

Doctoral Researcher at National Chengchi University

Supports API integrations with different systems

My company uses multi-factor authentication and we tried using it integrating with FIDO Server. It was done to make sure that the multi-factor authentication feature gets used during the authentication process. AI can be used for better authentication, but right now, our company has not used any such feature. I recommend the product to others. It is easy to install and easy to use. Understanding a feature before you integrate a tool with other tools is important. In my company, there is another team with five to six engineers that takes care of the support part of the tool. The product has helped me to meet my security management requirements as per ISO 7001. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

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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

"Our primary use case for this product is DLP,"

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"Its initial setup was straightforward."

"The iboss system is highly reliable. The false positive rates are small compared to some other systems we've experienced through other partner agencies who use competing solutions."

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"iboss is pretty scalable. They provide good support. The case managers you work with to coordinate what you need are pretty good."

"iboss is easy to use despite its complexity. Multiple engineers manage it, but it's significantly more straightforward to administer than traditional VPNs and web proxies."

"Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss."

More iboss pros

"The most valuable feature is the virtual IP creation. It's our most frequently used feature."

"The load balancing features are valuable."

"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."

"The performance of the solution is valuable."

"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."

"Our customers have never complained about the stability"

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

"The portal access was very good."

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

"Comprehensive ecosystem."

"I would rate the solution's stability eight or nine out of ten."

"The solution gets the job done, and we don't have to do the main configuration."

"The product provides easy integration between API manager and IT server components."

"The single sign-on procedure itself, as well as the ability to connect to external user sources such as Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP servers, are the solution's most valuable features."

"It's very easy to implement everything."

"The keystore feature has been most valuable for us."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

More WSO2 Identity Server pros

Cons

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"The solution could be stronger on the integration side and offer more cloud applications like G Suite or Oracle."

"Sometimes, obviously, there are bugs."

"The dashboards for local use could be better."

"The reporting feature needs improvement."

"The reporting feature needs improvement. It doesn't give you the expected results. It is quite difficult to get the specific reports needed, and it is not as intuitive as the rest of the platform."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"Fold that in with the risk intelligence they're getting from all of the different subscriptions they are a part of. Now, these security companies subscribe to things like emerging threats, databases, etc. You can fold all this intelligence to decide what's happening on an endpoint. I would love to see them start moving into that space. That would compete directly with Microsoft. Maybe that's why they haven't. Having that ability native within the solution would be great. The other area in which I would love to see improvement is more detailed descriptions of why they block websites."

More iboss cons

"The operational deployment is not great."

"We do not have knowledgeable support teams locally."

"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."

"F5 BIG-IP APM disconnects when you leave it for long enough, but that is natural for IT solutions to do. That's a little bit frustrating."

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

"In my opinion, the GUI side needs some improvement based on my usage. Sometimes, it doesn't work as efficiently as the CLI side."

"The price of this product can be improved."

"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."

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

"There needs to be a good support model and easy-to-understand documentation."

"I found the initial setup to be very complex."

"This solution requires extensive knowledge to be used effectively as certain areas of its use are not user friendly."

"The solution could improve its development from a user perspective."

"The solution's licensing model could be more flexible, and pricing could be improved."

"The solution seems to be pretty outdated."

"The price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"This solution does not have BPM workflows already integrated, we had to integrate the BPM module externally. They do not provide full-featured auditing and certification modules out of the box."

More WSO2 Identity Server cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"The product is very expensive."

"Recently, they have simplified the licensing"

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

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"WSO2 Identity Server is not an expensive solution."

"They should bring in some good pricing models to host the marketplace."

"I rate the product price an eight out of ten. There is a need to pay more for the extra features provided by the solution."

"At this time we are working with the open-source version."

"We have to take their support, but that is a minimal charge if I'm comparing it to other identity managers."

"I have found the solutions license is priced competitively compared to others."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about iboss?

Content filtering is the most useful feature of iboss.

See all answers

What needs improvement with iboss?

I have the same complaint about them that I have about other software companies. Sometimes when you call in support, ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

We are a PreK-12 public school district, and we use iboss to filter internet content for our students at home and sta...

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 ...

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 cons...

See all answers

What do you like most about WSO2 Identity Server?

The product provides easy integration between API manager and IT server components.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WSO2 Identity Server?

I rate the product price an eight out of ten. There is a need to pay more for the extra features provided by the solu...

See all answers

What needs improvement with WSO2 Identity Server?

The solution's licensing model could be more flexible, and pricing could be improved.

See all answers

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Compared 10% of the time

Cloudflare One vs iboss

Compared 9% of the time

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

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Compared 10% of the time

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

Compared 8% of the time

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

Compared 7% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

Compared 6% of the time

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

Auth0 vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 18% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 16% of the time

Cloudflare One vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 12% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 11% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 9% of the time

More WSO2 Identity Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

December 2024

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Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM)

December 2024

F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report

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

Buyer's Guide

WSO2 Identity Server

November 2024

Download WSO2 Identity Server product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

F5 Access Policy Manager

No data available

Learn More

iboss

WSO2

Overview

iboss offers a comprehensive security platform designed for diverse use cases such as web filtering, data loss protection, corporate proxy services, and URL filtering.

iboss integrates advanced features to address dynamic security needs, leveraging its strength in SASE, ZTNA, AI initiatives, and cloud integration, while ensuring seamless operations for remote work. It excels in historical forensics, malware protection, and flexible cloud deployments. Users benefit from comprehensive traffic scanning, robust malware detection, and PaaS capabilities that reduce hardware management. An intuitive admin console ensures efficient management with content filtering and low false positives. SSL decryption enhances security, while DLP protects data in AI conversations. Deployment is rapid and scalable, allowing effortless integration with emerging technologies.

What features does iboss offer?

Granular Web Filtering: Provides precise control over web content access.
Traffic Scanning: Monitors data through multiple ports for security breaches.
Malware Detection: Ensures superior protection against malware threats.
PaaS Capabilities: Eliminates need for hardware management.
SSL Decryption: Enhances data protection by decrypting secure connections.
DLP Capabilities: Safeguards data during AI interactions.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts quickly to growing demands and emerging tech integration.
Rapid Deployment: Reduces time to implement security measures.
User-Friendly Admin Console: Facilitates efficient operations management.
Low False Positives: Increases accuracy of threat detection systems.

iboss finds significant application in sectors such as education, where web filtering for K-12 is crucial, and in corporate environments requiring robust proxy services and URL filtering for network security. Its adaptability is essential in scenarios demanding flexible, decentralized security frameworks, particularly for remote work setups.

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.

WSO2 Identity Server can be used to simplify identity and access management (IAM) related activities in the enterprise. The product is based on open standards and open source principles. WSO2 Identity Server comes with seamless, easy to use integration capabilities that help connect applications, user stores, directories and identity management systems.

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

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

Nutanix, ELM, AlmavivA, BDigital, StubHub, M-creations, MedVision360

Buyer's Guide

Secure Web Gateways (SWG)

November 2024

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