OpenVPN Access Server Reviews

Interoffice connections. We had offices in India and the US. To connect both of them to the same environment, we were using OpenVPN for that. It was so we could maintain a file store, exchange files and documents securely through our own proprietary mechanism, instead of having to rely on Dropbox and the like. 

Interoperability between different offices. We didn't have to keep exchanging documents via email and other tech. We were able to maintain a common file store because of the complete VPN setup we had using OpenVPN.

The compatibility with almost any Linux operating system, and how easy it is to write scripts and generate keys for people to use and log in. I found it easy to deploy quickly.

Some of the issues we faced were things like, if someone's key is not working, or if we had to remove someone's permission from it, or maybe an employee left the company and we had to take their key out. That seemed a little bit more complicated than it had to be.

Also, I think right now the GUI part of it is locked out behind the pay wall. It could use something that gives it a very basic, minimal, graphic interface for logging in, for the community version. That would probably be a good step forward.

We did not encounter any stability issues in our scope.

Our use case was less complex than most. We did not come across any issues with scalability.

I usually found support online, so I didn't have to use tech support.

We started off with OpenVPN when we were evaluating what we could use for our needs and we ended up with OpenVPN. I have used other VPN solutions at other offices, but in the cases that I've dealt with, OpenVPN was the choice.

If we had to create something for someone who was not necessarily tech savvy, I had to set that up on their computer, I had to write "read me's" and other things so that they could install their client and then connect to the VPN by themselves. So it was hard to set up for people who are not tech savvy. I had to actively provide assistance and walk them through the whole process.

The product's pricing is good value, definitely. It is one of the best features, I would say.

Evaluate the product before seeing which type of licensing is good for you. I think there is a good evaluation method available for OpenVPN, so you can just evaluate if it meets your needs. Then go forward with the right licensing policy.

OpenVPN is a good option for kick-starting any kind of interoperability between offices. It doesn't have a huge setup time, so it's a quick way to start experimenting with how the organization would work with its VPN requirements. Even if your requirements are very small, it's a very convenient to start off with this solution.

I rate it at eight out of 10 because it gives value for what it provides. You need technical know-how to get started on it, but it is also very swift. It has all the right features but it's technically challenging if you're not tech savvy. Providing clients with keys is not that straightforward.

It allows us to give access to our office network in a safe and secure way to users, no matter which computing platform they use. 

1. Easy to set up.
2. Clients for multiple platforms
3. It runs on Linux.
4. It allows for two-factor authentication. 

This makes it very easy to administer if it is running on a Linux server where you can do everything over CLI or a web-based interface. Some software only has clients for MAC and Windows, which is annoying. Two-factor authentication allows us to not force frequent password changes.

There was one annoying feature where we had to disable and enable the user. I cannot remember what it was exactly, but I think it was for a password lockout. It would be nice if there was a checkbox, or something, in the web interface to allow you to unlock a user whose password was locked. 

No issues. It is solid as a rock.

Never.

I do not think we ever had to use technical support. I mainly found answers on the web forums.

No.

It was already set up when I got there. 

However, I have set up OpenVPN elsewhere. The initial setup is very straightforward as long as you understand something about the way the OS works, and how the networking and certificates work.

Not applicable.

It is good stuff.

We use the solution to access FTP pages and file sharing.

The solution is reliable, easy to use, and open source. It's free at no cost.

I have been using OpenVPN Access Server as a user.

The product is stable. There are no interruptions, and it works smoothly.

The solution’s scalability is fine. It encompasses security advances and investments in the industry.

The solution is free. It is worth the money.

The tool works fine and doesn't bother me all day.

I recommend the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

My entire engineering team can access our infrastructure from anywhere in the world, securely.

Privacy and cryptography for my network communication.

Maybe provide a GUI or Web UI to manage users. Today these features are in the Pro Edition or are done by scripts.

No issues with scalability.

No issues with scalability.

The community is great. We are able to find a lot of documentation on the Web.

Cisco VPN, L2TP/IPsec. OpenVPN is easier to maintain and use, save us time.

Straightforward, a server is installed in a few minutes.

The Pro Edition has a reasonable price per user.

Cisco VPN.

I use it as server and client in AWS. The first reason is to provide a kind of crypted VLAN.

No real advice to give, except to be careful with the traffic in/out on extensive usage.

I rate it 10 out of 10. Simple to install and maintain, easy to find documentation or help in Google.

Try it. It's really fast to PoC and validate this solution.

The solution is used to connect to the user's remote screen to access the network.

The solution is secure and user-friendly.

I would like more frequent updates.

The solution can be more compatible with different operating systems.

I have been using the solution for four years.

I give the stability of the solution a seven out of ten.

I give the scalability a six out of ten. The scalability of the solution relies on the operating system being used by the clients. It is easier to scale for clients who are using Windows, while it can be a bit more challenging for clients using Linux.

The initial setup is straightforward. I deployed the solution on my own in four hours. The only step is to run the executable files.

The implementation was completed in-house.

We have seen a return on investment.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

We currently have 20 users and plan to increase the usage eventually.

We have one administrator for the maintenance of the solution.

The solution is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac, but it is most optimized for Windows.

We primarily use the solution for a secure VPN connection.

Overall, it's okay and performance-wise it's fine.

It is easy to set up.

The solution is stable.

It can scale well. 

It is open-source and free to use. 

The performance could be a bit better. The stability could always be enhanced. 

When there are too many concurrent users trying to connect at the same time, there may be a bit of a bottleneck. When all people would like to reconnect to the VPN at the same time, the performance and availability of the solution could be better.

I've been using the solution for almost a year.

The solution is quite stable and has okay performance. However, it could be better. We'd like the performance to be more robust.

It's a scalable product. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. 

We have around 2,000 users on the solution right now. 

We're always open to increasing usage. 

I haven't dealt with technical support just yet. I can't speak to how helpful they would be. 

We did not previously use a different solution. 

With OpenVPN, the amount of people you need to deploy and maintain it depends on how many nodes you would need and the number of users as well as whether you are operating 24/7 or operating only during work hours. Likely, you would need between three and six people.

This is an open-source solution. We can use it for free. 

I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations. 

I would rate the product eight out of ten as I have been mostly pleased with its capabilities. 

Our primary use case was to give mobile knowledge workers a secure connection across the Internet to our LAN, whether by laptop, mobile tablet or smart phone.

It allowed people to remotely access files from their mobile devices. It was so easy for end-users to use that they were able to work more efficiently no matter where they were, whether at a client’s campus, home, traveling – wherever they had a device and internet access.

This open-source solution provided the easiest UX for our end-users and had the greatest interoperability with all the operating systems we used, including but not limited to: iOS, Android, OS X, Windows, and Linux.

The upgrade path from older versions was more difficult than we wanted to tackle, so we ran an older version of the software for longer than I wanted. Patching, updating, and migrating to newer versions was a problem for us. That said, we were on a rather old version that I inherited yet it worked rock solid.

No issues.

We more than doubled our staff at my previous company and our OpenVPN appliance handled it well.

Tech support wasn’t needed during my 5 years administrating OpenVPN.

OpenVPN was already implemented when I took over the IT department. I do know that there was also a Cisco VPN product in place, but it was finicky and many of our end-users had issues with the Cisco VPN. At the time, it also didn’t work on mobile devices and the required ports were blocked by certain ISPs (like some hotel internet connections, cellular providers, etc.)

In-house expertise.

At one point I had to purchase addition connection licenses. I was very pleased with the pricing and licensing; so much easier than navigating the confusing jungle of Microsoft and Cisco licensing and pricing. That alone made the product a delight to manage.

I didn’t purchase OpenVPN, but I have evaluated other products for other departments I managed at other companies. Cisco and Fortinet are the two I remember off hand.

We did not use this product on AWS. We hosted the server on our network.

My advice would be, if OpenVPN fits your environment and needs, it’s a great solution. Do it.

I used OpenVPN Access Server for personal use for VPN access, such as browsing the internet with the Brave Internet browser.

The most valuable feature of OpenVPN is that it is open source. I can do anything with the solution, such as change, build, and collect. Additionally, it is safe to use the solution and there are frequent updates.

The stability of the solution could improve.

I have used OpenVPN Access Server within the last 12 months.

I rate the stability of the OpenVPN Access Server a nine out of ten.

I am using the solution only for myself.

I have not contacted vendor support. I solve issues myself.

Setting up the OpenVPN Access Server is a straightforward process that can be completed within minutes. As someone knowledgeable in technology, certain tasks come easily to me, whereas others may find them challenging. However, I found the implementation process to be effortless.

I use the command line interface to install the solution with a few commands.

I did the deployment of the OpenVPN Access Server myself.

OpenVPN is an open-source solution. If the solution is used for personal use it is free. For non-personal use, the solution can be expensive.

The solution works well if you have a good internet connection. If the connection is not stable it is not the fault of the solution.

I would advise others to use this solution, it works well.

I rate OpenVPN Access Server a nine out of ten.