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NetScaler pros and cons

Vendor: NetScaler
4.2 out of 5
Badge Ranked 1
2,190 followers
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Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

NetScaler offers excellent load balancing and SSL offloading features, providing high availability and security for applications.
SSL VPN in NetScaler is highly regarded for its ease of setup and management.
NetScaler's GSLB feature ensures service continuity by efficiently balancing load across data centers.
High availability and performance capabilities make NetScaler a preferred choice among users.
NetScaler is valued for its robust security features, such as application firewalling and IP Reputation.

CONS

Certain templates for app integration are outdated, with no updates since 2013.
Citrix ADC's firmware upgrades often disrupt existing configurations.
Pricing model lacks transparency, presenting cost concerns for users.
Frequent software bugs complicate updates and reliability.
Configuration for web application firewall is complex and challenging.
 

NetScaler Pros review quotes

RH
May 17, 2018
One feature that works really well is the SSL VPN. It's very easy to set up and you can go very granular with it. You can define what user groups get what kind of access and the management overhead is very low.
Flight9875 - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 2, 2019
I can turn on features without actually owning a license. I can test them out, I can use them for a while, and then I can be licensed up. That's awesome. I don't have to have a license immediately before I can start to deploy things rapidly, rapid deployment is a plus.
RB
Dec 3, 2020
Citrix Director has been great. It gives us one pane of glass to be able to monitor what's going on with the user sessions as well as to keep on top of the virtual desktops, any servers that may be offline or behaving suspiciously, or any troublesome spots like disconnections. We also use Citrix Studio for maintaining the actual servers that are hosting these applications. We use it for delivery groups in case we need to modify delivery groups in regards to which groups have access to which applications. It has been very helpful.
Learn what your peers think about NetScaler. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
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VivekKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 14, 2023
For NetScaler, our major use cases are database load balancing, PowerVPN VPN access gateway, WAF (Web Application Firewall), and content switching.
OK
Apr 3, 2019
For desktop application management, I recommend the NetScaler edition. This product is like a Swiss army knife. Citrix NetScaler ADC supports the education front-end.
reviewer1987287 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 4, 2024
The most valuable feature for us is the application firewalling in Citrix NetScaler, ensuring only valid traffic enters our environment.
Appwall677 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 30, 2019
The web application firewall which protects our services on the internet, and then of course services like our ability to provide high availability for the services we are offering are the most valuable features.
Yash Saxena - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 14, 2023
The most impressive thing about Citrix ADM is that we don't encounter latency.
it_user1295586 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 11, 2022
The web application firewalling component is a powerful feature.
ME
Nov 26, 2020
Its flexibility, agility, and robustness are the most valuable. Its management and implementation are also quite easy.
 

NetScaler Cons review quotes

RH
May 17, 2018
The customization has always been a key area where some improvements are required. In the beginning, everything was for customizing the outer shell of it. You had to use the command-based utility and you had to do a lot of manual work. They have improved it a little bit and now there are some GUI-based functionalities that can be used. However, more can be done that doesn't require a lot of intervention. Right now there are some features, there are some customizations that can be done, but it's still very tedious, very cumbersome, a lot of work. So that could be simplified.
Flight9875 - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 2, 2019
I would like to see them make it easier to do some of the more complex things. For example, a web re-direct requires two pieces to it. You have two ports and when people want to go to a web page, they just type in the webpage that on the backend it will redirect them to a secure link. The initial setup of that is cumbersome because you have to do it twice. There are things that can be replicated. The IP address, for example, is the same. This change would go a long way. Don't make me do it twice and don't make me have to read tons of documentation to figure out how to do it. Ease of configuration for some of the more complex processes would be a good improvement.
RB
Dec 3, 2020
We are looking for some in-depth monitoring and analytics and more information that Citrix Director doesn't provide. ControlUp has insights that not only give you an overview but also allow you to do some drill-down troubleshooting for what's going on in your environment. We are looking for some more analytical and monitoring data to be able to monitor the environment better, not only from an application standpoint but also from the standpoint of the infrastructure to everything it sits on. They can provide more data to the administrators about what's going on within the application. They can provide data not only on the application side but also about what the application sits on. They're making strides with Citrix Analytics in regards to that.
Learn what your peers think about NetScaler. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
VivekKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 14, 2023
Manageability and adaptability can also be challenging for end customers.
OK
Apr 3, 2019
Citrix should improve the documentation. It is not really clear how to set up many features to our advantage. When we setup Citrix NetScaler ADC, we have to figure it out by ourselves without a lot of documentation.
reviewer1987287 - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 4, 2024
Mastering it requires significant learning and training due to its complexity.
Appwall677 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 30, 2019
The user interface could be more friendly. Some wizards and other documentation for administrators, as well as some use cases, helps us to understand the solution.
Yash Saxena - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 14, 2023
Citrix ADM needs to improve on its additional features and reduce the communication ports.
it_user1295586 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 11, 2022
Quality assurance could improve by ironing out security vulnerabilities before releasing upgrades.
ME
Nov 26, 2020
Citrix ADC can be really complex. It isn't very simple like some other appliances that I've worked with. You need a lot of skill and experience to manage it. I'm not talking about a year or two. You need at least four years to understand it very well. It is not that easy to learn. They should make it a lot simpler for users to understand the management of it. They can also provide some additional training. The material they have on the site is not sufficient enough for you to understand how to manage it. Their training is expensive, and not everyone has the funds and experience for it. Citrix isn't very popular around these parts of the world. So, it can use some more marketing, sales, enlightenment, and advertisement. These could bring more market for them. Basically, there are just a few companies that really go for Citrix. Most of the companies go for VMware because they marketed themselves more than Citrix. There isn't much difference between Citrix and VMware. VMware is a little more robust than Citrix. Citrix has focused more on desktops rather than server virtualization, and that's the advantage VMware has over Citrix. Citrix also needs to educate and inform users about the infrastructure that is supported with a version. Currently, if the customers don't look at the datasheet, they might miss this important information.