The primary use of Radware DefensePro is to protect against DDoS attacks.
Simple to install and the ability to create signatures on-demand is helpful
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the ability to create signatures on-demand."
- "I would like to see more focus on layer seven protection."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ability to create signatures on-demand.
What needs improvement?
Better integration with the automated incident response platform, and the ecosystem in general, would be an improvement. Everything should be automated and seamless.
I would like to see more focus on layer seven protection. This is the application layer.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Radware DefensePro for two years.
Buyer's Guide
Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not noticed any bugs or glitches when using DefensePro.
This solution is used on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
We have not been in contact with technical support for issues other than during setup and deployment. In those cases they were helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use another solution prior to this one.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. The deployment should take no more than one or two days. There are sometimes challenges during the implementation, which is why it takes this long to complete. The support from Radware is very helpful.
What about the implementation team?
We normally use an integrator to assist us with deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Radware DefensePro was bundled together with our security platform.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated other solutions including one by F5.
What other advice do I have?
Normally we do not use the latest version of an application, but one version back, which is the case with this product.
This is a solution that I recommend.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Director Of Infrastructure at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good monitoring helped keep us operational and protected, but the customer service needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "It has kept us up and operational on a day-to-day basis, without being interrupted by an attack from outside sources."
- "This product would be improved if ongoing live monitoring with dashboards were added."
What is our primary use case?
We used this product as part of our security solution. However, we do not plan to continue to use it.
How has it helped my organization?
This product would determine if we were under a DDoS attack, should one happen. It has kept us up and operational on a day-to-day basis, without being interrupted by an attack from outside sources.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the monitoring.
What needs improvement?
The customer service needs to be improved. I do not mean the support, but specifically the customer service. They didn't listen to what we were asking for and what we needed. When we went to upgrade, we kept telling them what we needed and they would offer something else. It was as if we were trying to buy oranges and they would offer us apples. We corrected them and offered additional detail, yet they continued to come back and offer us the wrong solution. This was very expensive and ultimately, we decided to look elsewhere.
This product would be improved if ongoing live monitoring with dashboards were added.
For how long have I used the solution?
We had been using Radware DefensePro for probably six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is part of the problem that we were having. We were trying to get them to scale and they wouldn't listen to what we were asking. I know that they have the ability to scale, so I would say there is good scalability with the product.
Our use case was a school district and more than 30,000 people were using it.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This was the first DDoS solution that the company deployed.
How was the initial setup?
I was not here when the initial setup was completed, although I'm assuming that it was pretty straightforward. My understanding is that the deployment took less than 24 hours to do because they were under attack. They contacted Radware to stop the DDoS attack at the time, and they came in and installed it. By the time that it was installed and put into place, the attack had stopped, and it hasn't really been utilized since that time.
What about the implementation team?
The reseller assisted with the deployment and the experience was good.
Staff is required for ongoing maintenance. It would require standard engineers or network engineers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price was well over six figures. There are ongoing monthly costs for when they monitor the line and then if you activate the service then there is an additional cost. Essentially, you hold them with a retainer fee, and then when you go active, there could be an additional cost associated.
What other advice do I have?
I know for a fact that Radware DefensePro worked. We tested it over all those years. We tested to make sure that it's operational and that it works. It was a very good product, but it just no longer fit our needs and what we were looking for. At least not that I know of because they would never give us what we asked for. As I said, back to that customer support issue. We asked for it, I know that the company does what we ask, but they would not offer it to us. Instead, they kept trying to offer us things we weren't asking for.
My advice for anybody who is looking at this product is to make sure that they get what they are looking for because they wouldn't listen to what we wanted. I spent a solid year trying to stay with them, but they wouldn't listen. They would come back every two or three months with new offers and it was just crazy. It wasn't what we wanted.
The biggest lesson than I have learned from using this product is to stay on top of your solution provider to make sure that they're providing what you need.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,071 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Product Manager - ICT Solutions, Marketing and Development of Cybersecurity at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
A stable user-friendly solution with good integration capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "All of our traffic has to pass through the appliance, so we can very quickly mitigate the attack. This is a very valuable feature. On top of that, it's not only volumetric attack protection that the solution offers, but also layer 7 attack protection as well."
- "The solution needs a bit more functionality. It would be good if DefensePro could have anti-bot functionalities in order to stop bots like web scrapers from getting onto our customers’ network."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for attack prevention.
What is most valuable?
All of our traffic has to pass through the appliance, so we can very quickly mitigate the attack. This is a very valuable feature. On top of that, it's not only volumetric attack protection that the solution offers, but also layer 7 attack protection as well.
Another valuable aspect is that DefensePro can work together with Alteon and AppWall as one big platform. We can offer one holistic web application firewall, which covers aspects such as layer 7 protection, volumetric protection, and the web application firewall. The integration potential of the solution is great.
The solution is very user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
There was occasionally a lack of communication between the distributors, the vendor, and companies that can affect how the solution operates or is implemented. The level of knowledge of the product by support was not so high in the past. There were miscommunications about integration capabilities. This is just something I noticed, and it was a few years ago, so I'm not sure if the problems have already been dealt with, or if it was a one-off case.
The solution needs a bit more functionality. It would be good if DefensePro could have anti-bot functionalities in order to stop bots like web scrapers from getting onto our customers’ network.
The solution should aim to be a multi-functional platform. It could be cloud as well, but offer a mix of functionalities under one line of products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for four 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 solution can scale, but the license model could be more flexible.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is okay.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't too easy. Know-how is very important when implementing the solution and without that, the solid security policy is risky. It's not worth it to do it without a good amount of technical knowledge.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There are other vendors that offer similar solutions, but we came to the conclusion that Radware would be the best for us. It helps us to sell the service, not only to customers who use our internet access but to others as well.
What other advice do I have?
We use the on-premises deployment model.
It's a very, very good solution. I would recommend it to others.
I would rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Architect at Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones
Offers good protection, easy setup and excellent technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The important features include automated protection and defense against many attacks, it's important that our networks are protected in the Radware cloud."
What is our primary use case?
We use Radware to control close to the most sensitive areas of our network and as protection against significant external attacks.
What is most valuable?
The important features include automated protection and defense against many attacks, it's important that our networks are protected in the Radware cloud.
What needs improvement?
As price increases based on the volume of net traffic, it can get expensive.
The NetFlow security could be improved too.
More customization options would be a welcome addition.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good at the moment.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution has scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good, I would rate it a five out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented Radware deployment through a reseller.
What other advice do I have?
We use about 10 engineers for the deployment and maintenance of this product.
It's very important for us to have well-analyzed and protected traffic within our network, that's why we use this solution.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
System Engineer at Check Point Software Technologies
SSL, DNS and HTTP are all valuable features; lacks integration with third parties
Pros and Cons
- "Technologically simple and effective."
- "APSolute Vision needs to be more granular so that it's possible to get real-time information."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a security engineer.
What is most valuable?
In terms of the environment that I work in, the SSL, DNS, and HTTP are all valuable features. This is a very technologically simple and effective solution.
What needs improvement?
There are no issues on the hardware front, but on the management front, the APSolute Vision needs to be more granular so that it's possible to get real-time information. If I want to check on TCP traffic or any kind of traffic flowing between a source and a destination, I should be able to access it in real-time. For now, I have to check four or five options, then go for a TCPDUMP, download it, and then open it. It takes too long and is a complex process. There should be an option in the management server or on the GUI, to simplify things for users. It should just be a matter of putting in the source and the destination IP, to see the latency for that particular destination and what's going on.
Because Radware does not have its own control plane software, it can only integrate with specific products. They should aim to integrate with third parties such as Genie, Nokia, and Arbor DMS. It's currently very limited.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for three 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?
Scalability is not an issue because the product comes with a scalable license.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support wasn't great but it was reasonable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very straightforward. Maintenance requirements depend on the size of the environment. If it's deployed in an ISP environment then it requires one or two administrators. If it's a single appliance for an enterprise environment, then one person is enough for maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution seven out of 10.
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.
Technical Manager at Secur Links
Secure and reliable but I would like to see more graphics within the dashboard
Pros and Cons
- "This solution is extremely scalable and has the highest level throughput (100G) which complies with Telco deployment."
- "I would like to see more graphics within the dashboard. Right now, you are required to buy tools in order to have graphical representation for your monitoring."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is used to to block and mitigate cyber attacks. We have a lot of clients that use this solution including banks, corporates, and governments.
What is most valuable?
This solution is extremely scalable and has the highest level throughput (100G) which complies with Telco deployment.
The solution is also very secure and reliable and can be integrated with many different platforms. The configurations are very easy when considering the graphical user interface.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more graphics within the dashboard. Right now, you are required to buy tools in order to have a graphical representation for your monitoring.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been selling this solution for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution has an entry level throughput that is extremely scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The support provided is very knowledgeable. We do not need to use them much since, as a distributor, we are trained and certified on the platform.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and much easier than the AppWall. You are able to install this solution on-premise in three to five days. There is a baseline that is based on the traffic of your network that can be adjusted and configured to your specific needs.
The whole process can be completed by a single engineer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price varies by use case and there are monthly and annual licensing options. If you deploy on-premise, there is an annual license with the amount dependent on the throughput you need and which features you will be using - i.e. IPS, behavioral, etc.
What other advice do I have?
This is a great product for any organization looking to be protected from cyber attacks or hackers.
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:
SolArch2098 at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Speed of signature updates is a key feature for us
Pros and Cons
- "A valuable feature is the speed of signature updates."
- "SSL-based mitigation from DDoS attacks is good from their side. They are capable of preventing SSL-based attacks with certifications and everything loaded onto them."
- "It has not gone down for a quite long time. It's working fine."
- "If they would go to a cloud-based approach, that would give much more flexibility in terms of working with them."
- "They should add artificial intelligence to the platform. It is currently missing the machine learning piece."
- "I would like to see better implementation of a zero-day attack implementation strategy with self-mitigation."
What is our primary use case?
It is used for DDoS protection, especially from low-rate DDoS attacks.
How has it helped my organization?
We use this product for various services which are delivered to our end customers.
What is most valuable?
A valuable feature is the speed of signature updates. We have received a better response from the team that does technical support.
SSL-based mitigation from DDoS attacks is good from their side. They are capable of preventing SSL-based attacks with certifications and everything loaded onto them.
What needs improvement?
From a service provider's point of view, I would like to see better scalability in terms of a platform, rather than sticking to specific models. From a subscription or model-of-operations point of view, I think they should scale it better.
If they would go to a cloud-based approach, that would give much more flexibility in terms of working with them.
They should add artificial intelligence to the platform. It is currently missing the machine learning piece.
I would like to see better implementation of a zero-day attack implementation strategy with self-mitigation.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. There is no question or doubt about it.
It has not gone down for a quite long time. It's working fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is okay. I would rate it as a nine out of ten.
We have eight to 11 people using the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their tech support is fantastic. Their response time has been good.
How was the initial setup?
It was a straightforward setup. Deployment was not a challenge, and it took a few weeks.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product's pricing is a good value.
The cost for maintenance is cheaper because the majority of the deployments using the solution are in areas where cost of maintenance is also lower.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also evaluated Arbor DDoS. Licensing of Radware is quite simple and straightforward, while Arbor DDos is a bit complicated.
When we looked at changing the platform, two things came to mind. One is the scalability issue, in terms of adding more appliances into a cluster form to have better throughput. Secondly, we looked at the cost.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this product.
It's a straightforward, simple installation. I don't see any complexity in doing it. Even a person with a basic understanding of how a Radware platform works will be able to do it.
In case of any challenges in terms of deployment, upgrades, or in change management, the technical support is there to help us. They do miss out in terms of the cloud-based approach.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller.
Information Systems Management Specialist at Mission Control NOC and Helpdesk Services
Verbose and descriptive reporting, reliable, and it is easy to scale
Pros and Cons
- "The reporting is very good and provides us with a comprehensive description of where attacks are emanating from."
- "This solution may not cover all of the requirements in situations for which I am unfamiliar, and there is always room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
I set this solution up for a company who was using it as their edge security solution. It was used to secure the entire infrastructure for the company and helped to protect against DDoS attacks. It was being used in conjunction with a load balancing solution and an open-source firewall running on CentOS.
I was working with them at the time that this solution was deployed, but I have now moved.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has given us protection against our network being compromised. All of our customers are depending on services that are offered on our network, and DefensePro makes sure that it is protected and customers have access to these services at every point in time.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the DDoS protection.
The reporting is very good and provides us with a comprehensive description of where attacks are emanating from. The solution mitigates against these attacks in real-time and you can see where their base path is routing from.
If for any reason, DefensePro goes offline, it doesn't prevent your infrastructure from functioning or your customers from reaching you. Obviously, the protection will not be there, but your customers can still reach the services that you are hosting internally. This is a good feature because otherwise, it would be a single point of failure for your entire infrastructure.
What needs improvement?
This solution may not cover all of the requirements in situations for which I am unfamiliar, and there is always room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
We implemented this solution in 2015 and it is still working.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is quite stable. If the device is ever offline then you can still have everybody access the entire infrastructure. This is important in Africa, where power is not always stable. You can just wake up in the morning and discover that the power provider has made a mistake and the entire infrastructure is down. Once the power is restored, this solution boots up and simply begins working again.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Radware DefensePro is highly scalable. You have to imagine the high volume of packet inspection. As you add more links, you want the inspection capability to be able to handle more packets. It is just a matter of buying more licenses that allow you to inspect more packets.
This solution is part of the security wall that is protecting between 600 and 700 users in a call center services environment. Several call centers across the country are relying on DefensePro as part of their edge security.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is okay. They are very accessible and they have different levels of services, depending on your plan.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did use another solution prior to this but we were getting a lot of attacks. This meant that we were paying a lot for bandwidth and our customers were complaining that our services were not happening in a timely manner. Based on this, we felt that our solution was insufficient to protect the infrastructure, which is why we switched to Radware.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. The deployment took about three days and the plan was executed such that there was minimal disruption to the business services.
We had been satisfied with the outcome of the simulation and everything we did before actually migrating to the production environment.
Two staff members, both system administrators, are handling maintenance. The same two people focus primarily on the edge protection devices.
What about the implementation team?
The company had two consultants visit from Radware and assist with the deployment. They were very helpful, supportive, and trained us in such a way that we were confident in handling the solution on our own and no longer needed to depend on them.
All the way from the testing phase to the deployment stage, the Radware consultants were there to support our efforts and everything was successful.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is based on the amount of network traffic and the number of packets being inspected.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Radware DefensePro, we did an extensive evaluation of all of the solutions that were available. This is a fantastic solution and it met all of our requirements at the time, which is why it was chosen.
What other advice do I have?
The reporting provides us with a lot of interesting and rich data. It allows us to have total control over what is being protected.
When I first started using this solution, I wondered why it was that the DDoS protection could not be coupled with other edge protection features that I have on my firewall. I questioned why it was that I couldn't have all of the protection in a single box. However, I now realize why it is, from a strategic perspective, and it just makes more sense to have DDoS in its own box.
The biggest lesson that I have learned from using this solution is that you can't assume that everything is right unless you have insight as to what is currently going on within your infrastructure. You can't just relax and think that everything is okay. It is not a good policy to assume that customers are simply complaining about the services and their experience for the sake of complaining. Rather, consider that something is not right and look into it. This begins with getting the proper solutions in place.
Overall, I'm happy with this solution and what it has offered so far. The suitability of using DefensePro depends on your budget and your requirements. My advice is to make sure that you have your requirements right and then compare against the other products that are out there. I tend to believe that this solution is fit for all institutions and in my opinion, anyone who implements this will not regret it because it will serve them well.
While this solution has worked well, I can't say it is perfect because there might be requirements out there that I am unfamiliar with and are not currently being met.
I would rate this solution an eight 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: distributer
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Radware Cloud DDoS Protection Service Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
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