F5 BIG-IQ vs vCenter Orchestrator comparison

F5 and VMware are both solutions in the Process Automation category. F5 is ranked #27 with an average rating of 8.0, while VMware is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.2. F5 holds a 0.2% mindshare in PA, compared to VMware’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 77% of F5 users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of VMware users who would recommend it.

F5 BIG-IQ

Read 12 F5 BIG-IQ reviews

234 Views
109 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

vCenter Orchestrator

Read 50 vCenter Orchestrator reviews

215 Views
172 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

F5 BIG-IQ

vCenter Orchestrator

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

vCenter Orchestrator and F5 BIG-IQ are part of the automation and management category, with vCenter Orchestrator thriving in VMware environments, whereas F5 BIG-IQ excels in managing F5 Networks appliances. F5 BIG-IQ is considered superior due to its comprehensive features, while vCenter Orchestrator stands out for its cost-effectiveness and support.

Features: vCenter Orchestrator offers workflow automation, scalable solutions, and seamless integration within VMware environments, with features like Distributed Resource Scheduler and efficient VM management. It simplifies management activities significantly. F5 BIG-IQ provides centralized management for F5 BIG-IP devices, notable for its load balancing capabilities, web application firewall (WAF), and streamlined operations management via a singular dashboard.

Room for Improvement: vCenter Orchestrator could enhance mobile administration, cross-platform compatibility, and workflow simplicity. Better integration with third-party systems and improved support response times are also recommended. F5 BIG-IQ users suggest enhancing integration with third-party products and easing interface complexity for those less versed in networking, alongside considering pricing adjustments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both solutions typically see on-premises deployments, with vCenter Orchestrator often utilized in hybrid settings. Users generally appreciate technical support for both products, but some note speed issues in response times for vCenter Orchestrator, with VMware support gaining higher regard overall while suggesting faster issue escalation.

Pricing and ROI: vCenter Orchestrator is often viewed as expensive but can offer significant ROI within larger VMware ecosystems due to its virtualization benefits. In contrast, F5 BIG-IQ is seen as more affordable, with its inclusive licensing offering all necessary features in a single fee, often resulting in good ROI for larger setups.

To learn more, read our detailed F5 BIG-IQ vs. vCenter Orchestrator Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IQ vs. vCenter Orchestrator

January 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

F5 BIG-IQ

Ranking in Process Automation

27th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

vCenter Orchestrator

Ranking in Process Automation

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of F5 BIG-IQ is 0.2%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of vCenter Orchestrator is 0.2%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Process Automation

Featured Reviews

Nikolay Dimitrov

Cyber Security Engineer at Paysafe / IBM

A central management system to manage and monitor a bunch of different BIG-IP devices

A new user should consider what they want to use F5 BIG-IQ. The solution can be used for configuration management or monitoring. The solution can also be used for configuration management and monitoring together. So, users have to select their use cases before choosing F5 BIG-IQ. When you have a lot of devices, you need to improve them. F5 BIG-IQ is a product for big companies with many F5 BIG-IP devices. You don't need the solution if you've got fewer devices, like 10 to 20 devices. F5 BIG-IQ has the ability to generate a lot of good statistics to troubleshoot latency issues with web applications. Overall, I rate the solution seven and a half out of ten.

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David Villota

EMEA Hosting Engineer at Yanfeng Automotive

Provides automatic monitoring capabilities that save time for users

In my company's IT environment, we use the tool to deploy production environments for products, including live manufacturing systems. The product improves my company's IT automation processes since we can use fewer resources currently. In my company, we need to spend less time considering that vCenter Orchestrator monitors everything. In general, we don't have to be present in our company to do active monitoring. Automatic monitoring is available for everything with vCenter Orchestrator, so we have proactive alerts in our company. The most valuable feature of the product in streamlining our company's workflow stems from the fact that we need to spend fewer resources and less time in general. Our company can spend time on more effective tasks like working with the plans to improve processes and so on, instead of taking care of the systems. The benefits of the product's integration capabilities were useful for HPE. My company has HPE infrastructure, and we are keen to integrate everything into the host, VMware ESXi. It is really important to have an easy integration method that allows for everything to be installed easily in a matter of minutes. I was not involved in the product's setup process. My colleague took care of the product's setup process. From what I know, I can say that the product's setup phase was straightforward. Some custom setups were to be done manually in the tool, but everything was well documented. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. One of the benefits of the product is that it is a low-cost and stable solution that offers a lot of resources. I rate the overall 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

"The reporting feature is quite good."

"The GUI is fine, at least from an engineer's perspective."

"F5 BIG-IQ is a central management system for the BIG-IP."

"The best aspect of the solution is that we can have everything integrated with a rather large capacity in order to personalize and configure specific rules."

"F5 BIG-IQ reduces the propensity for error."

"The most valuable features are load balancing and WAF."

"We use this solution on a daily basis, and it is very stable."

"Scalability: To move from larger boxes to smaller boxes, along with virtualization. So, we are not locked into a particular size."

More F5 BIG-IQ pros

"The platform integration is straightforward, especially with recent updates, making connecting with various systems and streamlining workflows easier."

"The solution was easy to install."

"The DRS feature from VMware is very valuable to us because it balances workloads."

"vCenter Orchestrator is very reliable and stable."

"It has the best workflow feature."

"We can manage and relocate resources easily."

"The stability of the product is very good."

"The open, flexible architecture has brought in the agile computing environment along with better Dr capabilities. Automation management and operational tasks across VMware and third-party applications, like our HMIS and other business productivity applications, have delivered peace of mind."

More vCenter Orchestrator pros

Cons

"They could use YAML or JSON if they wanted to make it a little bit easier for us."

"The solution's rSeries has been made free, and iSeries should be made free as well."

"There are a lot of scripts available on the internet for people who know how to use them, but with a graphical interface, it would be easier for new users."

"F5 BIG-IQ is a complex solution, and it cannot manage everything related to BIG-IPs."

"F5 BIG-IQ should improve by being a complete certificate management solution because currently, it is only for Venafi. Other automation platforms, should be added."

"I had trouble with high availability deployment in my environment."

"Sometimes the solution does not work."

"The shell, kernel, or Linux has something like a delay, especially with the Virtual Edition, when you are trying to implement it in the cloud and you want to access it remotely with web management. It would be great if they could improve their kernel. It was difficult for me, especially when I got started with BIG-IP. I was struggling to find which commands work with it. If you want to work with it, you have to be a Linux guy."

More F5 BIG-IQ cons

"I would like to see more automation added in the future."

"I liked the previous client better than the current web client of vCenter Orchestrator, though my colleagues like the client now. The technical support for vCenter Orchestrator needs improvement."

"The cost of the solution is high."

"Enhancing the platform's setup process intuitiveness and offering more flexible pricing options could further improve its accessibility across different company sizes."

"We would like more flexibility in sizing data storage and virtual machines, as the current options aren't very adaptable."

"The GUI should be enhanced in the future."

"There are no good manuals or guidelines on integrations. Hence, you need to be asking someone."

"The interface could be improved to bring greater user-friendliness and ease of use."

More vCenter Orchestrator cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"F5 BIG-IQ is a cheap solution."

"I would like the product to be cheaper."

"Users have to pay an annual subscription fee for the solution's iSeries."

"There is only one licensing fee for F5 BIG-IQ and everything is included in the price."

"My organization didn't have to pay extra for vCenter Orchestrator. It was already included, so it's basically free. Even VMware regular support is included."

"This solution is expensive and the licensing is more attractive for Haveri."

"The product is expensive."

"vCenter Orchestrator is an expensive solution."

"The solution is a bit expensive."

"The licensing cost is manageable because they have different versions available, standard, essential, and advanced."

"vCenter Orchestrator could be more affordable."

"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. We pay for the license and then we pay the support every year."

More vCenter Orchestrator pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Energy/Utilities Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

23%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about F5 BIG-IQ?

F5 BIG-IQ is a central management system for the BIG-IP.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for F5 BIG-IQ?

F5 BIG-IQ is a cheap solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with F5 BIG-IQ?

F5 BIG-IQ is a complex solution, and it cannot manage everything related to BIG-IPs. It's a little bit complex with respect to statistics gathering.

See all answers

What do you like most about vCenter Orchestrator?

The stability of the product is very good.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vCenter Orchestrator?

We're running a low-profile budget. This is not our main focus on investment technology, so we're trying to reduce costs due to the change from perpetual to subscription licenses.

See all answers

What needs improvement with vCenter Orchestrator?

After the change from perpetual licensing to subscriptions, the cost model changed. We are considering alternatives since we lost the perpetual aspect, and support is changing.

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IQ

January 2025

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Buyer's Guide

vCenter Orchestrator

December 2024

Download vCenter Orchestrator product report

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VMware

Overview

F5® BIG-IQ® Centralized Management provides a unified point of visibility and control for the entire F5 portfolio, ensuring administrators remain aware on the pulse of F5 devices, modules, and licenses and enabling them to deliver optimal application availability, performance, and security.

BIG-IQ manages policies,licenses, SSL certificates, BIG-IP images, and configurations for F5 appliances and for the following BIG-IP moduals across hardware and virtual editions:

BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager™ (LTM)
F5 Advanced Web Application Firewall™ (WAF)
BIG-IP Advanced Firewall Manager™ (AFM)
F5 SSL Orchestrator®
F5 DDoS Hybrid Defender®
BIG-IP Access Policy Manager® (APM)
F5 Secure Web Gateway Services
BIG-IP DNS

VMware vCenter Orchestrator simplifies the automation of complex IT tasks and integrates with VMware vCloud Suite components to adapt and extend service delivery and operational management, effectively working with existing infrastructure, tools and processes.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Beiersdorf Shared Services

Buyer's Guide

F5 BIG-IQ vs. vCenter Orchestrator

January 2025

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