F5 BIG-IP
F5 BIG-IP
F5 BIG-IP manages application traffic and enforces access policies across distributed environments. It supports SSL offloading, traffic shaping, and integration with identity providers for granular control.
F5 BIG-IP manages application traffic and enforces access policies across distributed environments. It supports SSL offloading, traffic shaping, and integration with identity providers for granular control.
Cost considerations
Functionality
Compatibility
User experience
Customer support
Why these ratings?
Cyberse perspective
Solution details
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We use the following criteria to evaluate this product:
Cost considerations
F5 BIG-IP hardware and virtual appliances are priced above many competitors, and throughput-based licenses escalate costs as traffic grows. Core firewall, WAF and DNS protections are licensed as separate modules and sized by Gbps, with extra fees for support renewals. User reviews consistently describe the pricing as expensive and the licensing model complex to manage.
Cost considerations
F5 BIG-IP hardware and virtual appliances are priced above many competitors, and throughput-based licenses escalate costs as traffic grows. Core firewall, WAF and DNS protections are licensed as separate modules and sized by Gbps, with extra fees for support renewals. User reviews consistently describe the pricing as expensive and the licensing model complex to manage.
Functionality
F5 BIG-IP delivers a full-proxy NGFW with IPS, SSL/TLS 1.3 inspection, and machine-learning threat detection that surpass standard stateful firewalls. Native file sandboxing and SD-WAN functions are absent, so functionality falls just short of the most feature-packed offerings. Even without those extras, the feature set aligns with what many enterprises need from a high-end network firewall today.
Functionality
F5 BIG-IP delivers a full-proxy NGFW with IPS, SSL/TLS 1.3 inspection, and machine-learning threat detection that surpass standard stateful firewalls. Native file sandboxing and SD-WAN functions are absent, so functionality falls just short of the most feature-packed offerings. Even without those extras, the feature set aligns with what many enterprises need from a high-end network firewall today.
Compatibility
F5 BIG-IP is available as hardware, virtual appliances and Kubernetes-native containers, and the same images are offered on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud marketplaces. F5 BIG-IP supports IPv6 and standard routing protocols, allowing organizations to add the device to existing networks without extra gateways. The open iControl REST interface and a ready-made Splunk add-on stream data directly into common SIEM tools, eliminating custom code
Compatibility
F5 BIG-IP is available as hardware, virtual appliances and Kubernetes-native containers, and the same images are offered on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud marketplaces. F5 BIG-IP supports IPv6 and standard routing protocols, allowing organizations to add the device to existing networks without extra gateways. The open iControl REST interface and a ready-made Splunk add-on stream data directly into common SIEM tools, eliminating custom code
User experience
BIG-IP’s browser console handles routine tasks, but dense menus and terminology push many admins to the tmsh command line for deeper changes, so onboarding typically exceeds a day. F5 hosts thorough manuals and an active community that answer configuration questions. Overall, the experience lands in the middle of the pack among network security products.
User experience
BIG-IP’s browser console handles routine tasks, but dense menus and terminology push many admins to the tmsh command line for deeper changes, so onboarding typically exceeds a day. F5 hosts thorough manuals and an active community that answer configuration questions. Overall, the experience lands in the middle of the pack among network security products.
Customer support
F5 BIG-IP provides 24×7 phone and web support with a 30-minute target response for urgent cases, surpassing the rubric’s one-hour bar. Customers can add next-business-day or 4-hour advance hardware replacement, which is faster than the two-day expectation. A comprehensive knowledge base and active user community enable self-service troubleshooting, but support lacks built-in proactive updates and default next-day RMA that define the top tier.
Customer support
F5 BIG-IP provides 24×7 phone and web support with a 30-minute target response for urgent cases, surpassing the rubric’s one-hour bar. Customers can add next-business-day or 4-hour advance hardware replacement, which is faster than the two-day expectation. A comprehensive knowledge base and active user community enable self-service troubleshooting, but support lacks built-in proactive updates and default next-day RMA that define the top tier.