We are using Citrix ADC as a VPN appliance, and use it as a load balancer for a few different services.
Senior Server Administrator at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
A flexible product with a good VPN and easy-to-use load balancing capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "I find all of it to be valuable, because of the flexibility that is built into this product."
- "There are certain features that are very useful and Citrix makes you pay a bit more for them."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
We have a custom application that we use, and we were able to port it over from a legacy system into the ADC.
What is most valuable?
I find all of it to be valuable, because of the flexibility that is built into this product.
If we need an on-premises load balancer, it's easy enough to spin those up here an there and the VPN seems to be pretty solid as well.
What needs improvement?
The licensing model that Citrix employs need to be improved. There are specific features that we like but are not available at our licensing level.
There are certain features that are very useful and Citrix makes you pay a bit more for them. I think that they should be included as default features.
In the next release, I would like to have the ability to inspect the SSL payload. It should be included by default.
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Citrix ADC for almost a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product and I haven't found any issues with it. It's been working well for us this entire time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is not really applicable in our case. We have moved towards the cloud.
I don't believe that we plan to scale on-premises any further.
We have approximately 500 users in the company who are using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. We have reached out a couple of times and they were able to assist us quickly, even on the weekend.
I would rate technical support a nine out of ten.
It depends on who you get, there are some who want to redirect you to professional services. Once you get them on board, their service is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used Juniper VPN. The hardware was older.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was fairly complex. There is a bit of a learning curve.
What about the implementation team?
We worked with professional services during our deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's an expensive product but it works well.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to anyone who is looking at implementing Citrix ADC is if they need flexibility, it's a stable product. It's one of the better appliances that I have used, even in a virtual environment, it's working great. I can recommend it.
I would rate Citrix ADC a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Workplace Virtualisation Senior Analyst at AXA
Allows the user to easily scale out application delivery, and provides secure remote access
Pros and Cons
- "This solution allows the user to easily scale out application delivery, and provides secure remote access."
- "Should offer more flexible cost-effective licensing for small to medium sized organizations."
What is our primary use case?
- Load balancing business web applications
- Load balancing core infrastructure services e.g. App-V, Ivanti UWM, Citrix Storefront and Director
- Application firewall features WAF for more secure application access
- XenApp/XenDesktop application gateway with two factor authentication
- Use of MAS for analytics and centralised management
How has it helped my organization?
- Allows the user to easily scale out application delivery.
- Provides secure remote access.
- Ease of management and business continuity support.
- Powerful, reliable, and feature rich solution all in one appliance.
What is most valuable?
NetScaler MAS centralised management and analytics makes it is easy to support, manage, monitor, and maintain a NetScaler solution.
What needs improvement?
It should offer more flexible cost-effective licensing for small to medium sized organizations i.e. a pooled licensing option on entry level MPXs like 5901s.
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.
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January 2025
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Programator at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
A highly stable tool that offers two-factor authentication
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very stable solution."
- "Currently, it is not easy to use the configuration capabilities of the product."
What is our primary use case?
I use Citrix NetScaler in my company for mostly two-factor authentication.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is the two-factor authentication.
What needs improvement?
From an improvement perspective, the tool should be made easier in the area of the configuration capabilities that it provides to users. Currently, it is not easy to use the configuration capabilities of the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Citrix NetScaler for a month. I use the solution's latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Around 100 employees in my company use the product.
How was the initial setup?
The product's initial setup phase was easy.
I did not do the product's installation. My colleagues managed the product's installation phase.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
What other advice do I have?
I don't know about the maintenance part of the solution since the server we use in our company is operated from some other location.
The global server load balancing feature of Citrix NetScaler has improved our company's application availability.
I can recommend the product to those who plan to use it.
I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Network Engineer at a legal firm with 201-500 employees
A stable solution to facilitate Citric remote access, with a very complicated configuration process
Pros and Cons
- "We appreciate that this solution facilitates our access to Citrix internet."
- "We would like to see some fairly large scale improvement in the configuration process for this solution."
What is our primary use case?
We solely use this solution for Citrix remote access.
How has it helped my organization?
This has allowed us to secure Citrix remote access from the internet, as it is currently the only solution available that enables this.
What is most valuable?
We appreciate that this solution facilitates our access to Citrix internet.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see some fairly large scale improvement in the configuration process for this solution.
This solution carries a high price point, which we would like to see some reduction in.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for 10 years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have found this to be a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution in our experience.
How was the initial setup?
The setup for this solution is fairly complex.
What other advice do I have?
We would rate this solution a six out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager - Cybersecurity & Cloud Solutions at Paramount Computer Systems
Easy to manage and affordable with good security, performance, and high availability
Pros and Cons
- "High availability, performance, and security are the main pillars. It enhances the security for accessing the applications."
- "It does not have a sandbox cloud service and antivirus. It should have on-prem or cloud sandboxing and antivirus."
What is our primary use case?
It has many use cases. It is used for the high availability of the service and for connecting local sites or geolocation sites called GSNP.
We are selling all of its models. Citrix ADC can be deployed on the cloud or on-premises.
How has it helped my organization?
Citrix ADC has increased the productivity of the staff by keeping all the applications available all the time.
It also increased the security of the online application by enabling the web application firewall feature.
With the amazing scalability features of the Citric ADC, we have been able to save money.
What is most valuable?
High availability, performance, scalability, and security are the main pillars. It enhances the security for accessing the applications.
It is very user-friendly, and it works fine. The management of the device is very easy from a technical perspective.
What needs improvement?
It does not have a sandbox cloud service and antivirus. It should have on-prem or cloud sandboxing and antivirus.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
They have awesome support. I can give them a four and a half out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
It has a medium level of complexity. It is not complex, and it is also not that easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its price is comparable to others and affordable.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise doing proper sizing and proper configuration to get the maximum benefits of this solution.
I would rate Citrix ADC an eight out of ten. Everything is very good in this solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Gerente Divisional at Tecnologia Especializada Asociada de México, S.A. De C.V
User-friendly setup with content switching and integrated caching features
Pros and Cons
- "Easy, user-friendly setup with content switching and integrated caching features."
- "The only thing customers told me that could be improved is that they would like to be able to purchase and receive the products in one box, rather than two boxes. This is something related to marketing, though."
What is our primary use case?
We used this mostly for disaster recovery plan (DRP), for global service load balancing, and Citrix Access Gateway.
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable from Citrix ADC were the Content Switching and Integrated Caching features which were the things we commonly installed for our customers.
What needs improvement?
The only thing customers told me that could be improved is that they would like to be able to purchase and receive the products in one box, rather than two boxes. This is something related to marketing, though.
For how long have I used the solution?
We were partners with Citrix for 15 years. We used it for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I also found this solution to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I found it to be scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Our customers' feedback was that support wasn't the best. Cases were often on queue and there were delays in solving their issues, leading to customers getting angry. Support could be improved.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was able to try F5 and Radware. The price for Citrix ADC here in Mexico was good when you compare it with F5 and Radware.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was easy. For the first version of this solution, it was not very user-friendly, but in the last edition we used, the setup was very user-friendly.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it for our customers through our in-house team of 3 consultants. I think 3 people is sufficient for implementing this solution to our customers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was able to evaluate F5 and Radware.
What other advice do I have?
My rating for this solution is ten out of ten. I think it is the best product ever.
My recommendation is for customers here in Mexico to try it. I feel it is the best solution in the market, at least here in Mexico. My message to customers here is to try it and they'll never be disappointed with this magic box.
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: Partner
Senior Solution Architect at Diyar United Company
Has helped us to increase the resiliency and performance of the application
Pros and Cons
- "It has helped us to increase the resiliency of the application and the performance."
- "The technical support has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use it for load balancers.
How has it helped my organization?
It has helped us to increase the resiliency and performance of the application.
What is most valuable?
There are multiple features that I have found to be valuable including load balancing, supply authentication, web for application firewall, and the reverse proxy.
What needs improvement?
The technical support has room for improvement.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is amazing.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is amazing. There are 1,000 plus employees that are using it. Anybody from the CEO to the technicians or the receptionists.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. We only required one staff member for the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You get the value for your money. There aren't any hidden fees.
What other advice do I have?
It's one of the best application delivery controllers available in the market and it requires very minimal administrative effort to manage it.
I would rate it a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Associate General Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Works as a reverse proxy solution and helps with load balancing
Pros and Cons
- "We use the product for load balancing and as a reverse proxy solution."
- "The tool's pricing is a pain point since we have many cheaper alternatives."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product for load balancing and as a reverse proxy solution.
What needs improvement?
The tool's pricing is a pain point since we have many cheaper alternatives.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Citrix ADM's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the tool's scalability a seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Citrix ADM has a good tech support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
I rate the solution's deployment an eight out of ten, and was straightforward. It was completed in three weeks.
What was our ROI?
Our customers are mostly medium enterprises.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Citrix ADM 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: Implementer
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