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reviewer1010148 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Effective policy and access manager, flexible, and simple setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are DNS, APM, and ASM. Additionally, it is easy to use and you have a lot of flexibility to use the solution within a network."
  • "The user interface could be improved in F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager."

What is our primary use case?

We are using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager for all the modules for DNS applications. It is a core product for us.

How has it helped my organization?

Since the COVID pandemic hit the whole company has been working remotely. It's improved the remote working by handling the security and the reachability of the company.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are DNS, APM, and ASM. Additionally, it is easy to use and you have a lot of flexibility to use the solution within a network.

What needs improvement?

The user interface could be improved in F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager.

There's can be some improvements done on the access policy manager(APM) such as supporting APIs and web services.

Buyer's Guide
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager for approximately eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have found F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager to be stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is good.

We have approximately 20 engineers using the solution.

The solution is extensively being used and we plan to increase usage.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We use many other solutions in our company.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of the solution in-house.

We have one engineer that handles the support of the F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager.

What was our ROI?

We have seen an ROI by using this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are on an annual license to use the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated other solutions but we found the scalability and usability to be better in F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager.

What other advice do I have?

I strongly recommend this solution.

I rate F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director1e9d - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Public Sector at Smart Tronix Inc
Real User
It is the centerpiece of a lot of the solutions that we build
Pros and Cons
  • "We have found the consistency of the application always being the way it is supposed to be as its most valuable feature."
  • "While the licensing is good through the AWS Marketplace, it is more expensive than what you could buy yourself."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for a number of solutions that we build, mostly for identity and access management control.

How has it helped my organization?

It is the centerpiece of a lot of the solutions that we build, and it has integrated with everything that we have needed it to.

It is the best value for our engineers and architects who know how to use it. It meets the government's requirements every time that we've used it. It is easy for us to keep integrating with our solutions.

What is most valuable?

We have found the consistency of the application always being the way it is supposed to be as its most valuable feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We put a lot of stress on the application. It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is awesome. Our environment is thousands upon thousands of instances in AWS.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Purchasing through the AWS Marketplace was very simple. The main reason that we went this way was the simplicity of buying it there. It is maintained and upgraded for us, and this makes it easy to stay current.

While the licensing is good through the AWS Marketplace, it is more expensive than what you could buy yourself. However, the convenience outweighs the price.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM)
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technicab017 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Team Leader at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Improves our program performance and security
Pros and Cons
  • "The configuration and integration into the AWS environment was pretty easy."
  • "We would like to see load balancing between the cloud and the on-premise, a straightforward deployment feature."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for local traffic management and for the application firewall. We are trying to deploy virtual appliances in AWS. 

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved our program performance and security.

What is most valuable?

  • The web application firewall.
  • The configuration and integration into the AWS environment was pretty easy.

What needs improvement?

We would like to see load balancing between the cloud and the on-premise, a straightforward deployment feature.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is almost there. Sometimes it hangs or there are unpredictable performance issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's easier to scale.

How is customer service and technical support?

Technical support could be better.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is high.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at A10. When deciding whether to go with F5 or A10 it depends on the business requirements. Sometimes I propose one and sometimes I propose the other. It depends on the customer's requirements and budget. For our internal use we went with F5 because it's the best tool.

What other advice do I have?

The on-prem version and the AWS versions are almost the same.

In terms of the experience purchasing through AWS marketplace, because we are a partner, the way we purchase it from AWS is different. We don't buy directly from the market.

Overall, it's a good product.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer839310 - PeerSpot reviewer
ACT Solutions Architect at a venture capital & private equity firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
We plan to create packages of services. Improvements will allow the customers to have tailor-made solutions.
Pros and Cons
  • "We plan to create packages of services from which it will be possible to build comprehensive tailor-made solutions."
  • "Improvements should enable customers to build a tailor-made solution in the future through a service portal."

What is our primary use case?

Implementing load balancing services inside managed hosting services based on VMware solutions. The solution is presented as IaaS. F5 BIG-IP VE will be implemented in cooperation with the Cisco ACI solution.

How has it helped my organization?

F5 will improve our position in the customer service market. We plan to create packages of services from which it will be possible to build comprehensive tailor-made solutions.

What is most valuable?

Beyond the basic balancing function, other modules are important to us. In particular, a web application firewall, application security module, and a remote access module for customer applications.

What needs improvement?

As a service provider, we will target F5 BIG-IP VE solutions to customers who request infrastructure as a service. Improvements should enable customers to build a tailor-made solution in the future through a service portal.

For how long have I used the solution?

Still implementing.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Enables us to catch attacks before they hit us

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is the common use case for everyone. It has performed well.

How has it helped my organization?

The benefit is security. It's able to track issues, the attacks. So that enables us to catch the attacks before they hit us. We are able to nail them down.

What is most valuable?

DDOS protection.

What needs improvement?

They can improve on the DDOS solution and have more stable solutions.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't done any upgrades yet, but it is scalable to some extent.

How is customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good. I would rate it seven out of 10.

What other advice do I have?

The most important criteria when selecting a vendor are the market value, the cost, and the stability of the product.

I would rate this solution a seven out of 10 because it fulfills my requirements.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user3834 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Engineer at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
Expensive but for us it's worth it.

Valuable Features:

I've checked out the market and I think Big-IP/Viprion is the best ADC your money can buy at the moment. It has the features and innovations that demanding organizations like us desire in an ADC especially for diverse and complex application environments. F5 has a solid offering with its iRules, iControl and iApps and we use its DevCentral portal. We take advantage of the integration with both Eclipse and .NET/Visual Basic which is a nice plus.

Room for Improvement:

It’s quite expensive compared to the other vendors. F5 lacks a pay-as-you-grow licensing scheme as offered by other companies, which makes acquiring their products more expensive at the outset.F5’s support for low-end platforms is also dismal, with continued restrictions imposed on such systems making it difficult for them to cater to small to medium-sized business. You might be forced to buy more expensive systems just to get the features you want and not the performance benefits of the more expensive system.I'm also concerned about F5’s continued push on new hardware platforms to generate sales.Finally, one must be able to handle the complexity and knowledge required for deploying F5’s ADC products. Selecting a reliable and experienced partner is crucial to get the right configuration for your needs and for you to be able to maximize your ADC investment.

Other Advice:

Top of the line ADC with great features. Just make sure you have the right partner in implementing your solution so as the business value of such an expensive product is maximized.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Hilman Gunawan - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at PT Nusantara Compnet Integrator
Real User
Easy install, quality support, but expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability of the solution depends on the sizing of the network. Generally, the scalability is quite good."
  • "The deployment can take some time because you can do a lot of configuring to meet the needs of the use cases for clients."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is mostly used for the LTM load balancer. Recently more of our customers are using it for the web application firewall. Some of my other customers are using the GTM model also. 

For how long have I used the solution?

My experience in selling this solution is approximately two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution depends on the sizing of the network. Generally, the scalability is quite good.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is one of the best I have seen in their field. They have been good so far.

How was the initial setup?

One of the strongest areas of this solution is its ease of install. It did not take more then a couple of hours.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment can take some time because you can do a lot of configuring to meet the needs of the use cases for clients. This will take more time to configure the different areas than just the general install. We typically have two technicians on site doing the deployments.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is quite expensive if we compare it with the competition. For only load balancer, it is too expensive. The license is subscription-based, except for the security model.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution.

I rate F5 BIG-IP a seven 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: Reseller
PeerSpot user
it_user874860 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at SIG Information Technology GmbH
Real User
Makes the publishing of applications to the Internet safer
Pros and Cons
  • "It is an easy way to build application policies (graphical)."
  • "It makes the publishing of applications to the Internet safer."
  • "It would possibly help to get more training, even better in local languages."

What is our primary use case?

Publishing of many applications through the F5 reverse proxy to the Internet.

We are also using the F5 as an IdP server.

How has it helped my organization?

  • It makes the publishing of applications to the Internet safer.
  • Permanent updates give us more security.

What is most valuable?

  • The automatic inspection of, e.g., SSL (TLS) traffic. 
  • It is an easy way to build application policies (graphical).

What needs improvement?

It would help to get more training, even better in local languages. While we are able to speak and understand English, sometimes it is much easier to use the language you truly understand.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.