VIP is a strong authentication service to securely access the network while working remotely.
IT Service Delivery Coordinator for Victoria at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
All the platforms we were running were supported.
What is most valuable?
How has it helped my organization?
Strong, smarter user authentication with no set date of expiry on the soft tokens issued to remote users. It is an app that sits on the iPhone and generates a token every 30 seconds and combined with a 4 digit PIN makes remote login very simple either from an iPad or a laptop.
What needs improvement?
No areas come to mind at the moment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for two years.
Buyer's Guide
Symantec VIP Access Manager
December 2024
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831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and support?
Customer Service:
Excellent.
Technical Support:Excellent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously we used RSA SecureID hard tokens for authenticating remote logins which were more expensive and we always used to get user requests to replace them when the expired.
How was the initial setup?
It was fairly straightforward because all the platforms we were running like Microsoft Server 2008, Citrix, Cisco etc. were all supported by VIP.
What about the implementation team?
We had very good vendor support for our in-house team, so the implementation went very smoothly. Within a month, we were able to migrate our entire fleet from the hard tokens to the VIP access soft tokens for remote login to the network.
What was our ROI?
It is added value that cannot be quantified with a monetary ROI figure, but what I can confidently say is that it is a one time investment of soft token licenses that do not expire. The main benefit of Symantec VIP is that it provides strong authentication while keeping it as a very user friendly experience.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
As we already had a good business relationship with Symantec, and they were giving us a very cost effective cloud based option with VIP, we did not even have the need to pursue other options.
What other advice do I have?
These are the benefits of implementing VIP by Symantec as remote login solution
- Cloud based solution
- Fast migration from hard token solution
- Reduced complexity
- Improved productivity
- Lower costs
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Technical Supervisor at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees
Provides efficient remote access to the main system, but its connection speed needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model."
- "It is challenging to use when installing a new version."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product to access a virtual computer, hosted by our IT sector while working remotely.
What is most valuable?
The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model.
What needs improvement?
The product's connection speed needs improvement. Sometimes, I need help connecting my mobile to the main office's system due to a version upgrade. It is challenging to use when installing a new version.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Symantec VIP Access Manager for ten years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 2000 Symantec VIP Access Manager users. The scalability depends on the system maintenance done by our IT technicians. We need VPN connections to comply with the licensing terms and system capacity to accommodate a certain number of users. If the number exceeds the licensing limit, the users cannot access it.
How are customer service and support?
Our organization relies on a third-party contractor to support and maintain the system.
How was the initial setup?
We have set up the product using small routers at home using separate VPN channels. In some situations, connections from common cables are required. The blank cable is already using one of our systems. We can utilize it to establish a temporary connection.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Symantec VIP Access Manager a seven out of ten. I recommend using the product if you also want remote access to the main system for mobile users.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Symantec VIP Access Manager
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Symantec VIP Access Manager. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Security PCI Project Coordinator at a leisure / travel company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The product is user friendly, but I have found some users still require coaching
What is most valuable?
The ease of integrating into an existing authentication system. A hand held or laptop device is easily enrolled. The product is user friendly, but I have found some users still require coaching.
How has it helped my organization?
No functional improvement on accessing the intranet. However this product provides significantly more access security with an additional challenge. We have yet to use it for additional internal controls.
What needs improvement?
- Installation
- User experience
- Friendliness.
For how long have I used the solution?
It's been available to the enterprise since the beginning of 2014. Test and development began in April of 2013.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Our only issue was with user training. The additional challenge was not well received.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far so good!
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No problems.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Responsive, but confusing about who owned what piece and where the expertise was for particular issues.
Technical Support:Very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used the virtual solution provided by Solutionary.
How was the initial setup?
Straightforward in that adding VIP provided a new layer of security to an existing virtual access platform.
What about the implementation team?
This was done in-house primarily and with the help of Solutionary.
What other advice do I have?
Produce a simple yet comprehensive guide for new enrollees.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Specialist Solution Architect at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Good interface and the VPN works well
Pros and Cons
- "The VPN we are using is good and working quite well."
- "If they had dashboards or a report for managers or executives, then it would allow them to see the status and have it make sense to them."
What is most valuable?
Some of the features that are the most valuable are both the VPN and the interface.
The VPN we are using is good and working quite well. We are in the process of using all of the server access with cloud access.
What needs improvement?
The reporting on the VIP Manager is not correct. The error is showing that we have a certain amount of users, but when we export the report to Excel or CSV, the number of users is different. The challenge we are facing at the moment is not knowing which one is correct.
If they had dashboards or a report for managers or executives, then it would allow them to see the status and have it make sense to them. They can also see the value of this solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable. Everything is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. We have approximately 7,000 licenses at the moment.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good, but we have Business Critical as well. If it takes longer than two or three days to resolve an issue, we contact Business Critical.
Overall, we are satisfied with the technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. It was not complex.
The deployment model that we are using is on-premises.
What other advice do I have?
I am a consultant for Symantec on-site.
Before getting started with this solution, have a successful business process in place, or get something in place as soon as possible.
I like the whole solution, and I would recommend 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.
Consultant at a government with 11-50 employees
Offers more platform support and is easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use."
- "It offers more platform support, like Apple, Android, and Microsoft."
- "In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access."
- "Every time that I have a new phone or computer, it takes a little longer to deploy it."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is to generate digital code to login to my email and network.
This solution is part of our requirement for multifactor authentication when logging into the network from outside the office.
We are currently using the latest version of the product.
How has it helped my organization?
It offers more platform support, like Apple, Android, and Microsoft.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use. I use it when traveling.
What needs improvement?
In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access. Sometimes, there is no connectivity.
Every time that I have a new phone or computer, it takes a little longer to deploy it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is okay.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good.
What about the implementation team?
We used a consultant for the deployment, who was good.
What was our ROI?
The solution has helped to increase staff productivity by approximately a minute.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are additional costs for maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
Find a way to work offline.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Intelligent Authentication and the cloud-based service with BYOD are valuable features. The User Store synchronization part needs to improve.
Pros and Cons
- "In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc."
- "The User Store synchronization part needs to improve. Also, the logs, reports, and dashboard can be improved."
What is most valuable?
In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc.
How has it helped my organization?
Mostly from a product expert's point of view, it provides solutions for my clients.
Intelligent Authentication and the cloud-based service with BYOD are valuable features.
What needs improvement?
The User Store synchronization part needs to improve. Also, the logs, reports, and dashboard can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for around two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There was the User Store issue that we experienced in terms of the scalability. It was difficult to fix after lots of troubleshooting.
How is customer service and technical support?
Frankly, still in India, the technical support team is not that capable so as to resolve issues. This is because, in the APAC regions, this technology is new both for the Symantec support as well as for the partner engineer.
What other advice do I have?
Read all of the initial configuration guide and attend training from OEM.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: My company is a Symantec partner and we provide services for multiple Symantec products.
Professional Services Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Provides an easy management of credentials for the remote users when accessing the corporate resources
Pros and Cons
- "Cloud-based service and management."
- "Geofencing needs improvement."
What is most valuable?
- Intelligent authentication - Risk-based authentication
- Cloud-based service and management
How has it helped my organization?
It provides an easy management for credentials of the remote users when accessing the corporate resources.
There is a consolidation of a couple of Identity Providers into Symantec VIP for centralized management of credentials.
Integration with Citrix Access Gateway, Microsoft Office 365 and Single Sign-On (through Symantec Validation and ID Protection Access Manager) has increased the productivity of the employees for accessing resources.
What needs improvement?
The factors that need improvement are:
- Geofencing
- Privileged account management
- Behavioral authentication
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for more than four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no stability issues experienced.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There were no scalability issues experienced.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward since this is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, no hardware procurement or provisioning is required. Everything is already set up and provisioned on the Symantec data center.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate.
What other advice do I have?
Understand your pain points and requirements, then fully understand the feature set provided by the vendor and licensing requirements.
You know your environment best and the consultants who work with the vendors know the solution best, so bring everything down to an overlap.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Symantec VIP Access Manager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Symantec VIP Access Manager Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
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