My main use case for Ivanti Connect Secure is zero trust connectivity. The main feature I have been using is geolocation and source IP restrictions, ensuring security, advanced proxy support, and enhanced integrity rechecks. For this, I have to rely on the tool, and it is mainly used for secure remote access using SLS and VPN, and also for Zero Trust Network Access, alongside secure multicloud connectivity with Ivanti Connect Secure.
External reviews
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Zero trust access has strengthened hybrid work security and simplifies compliant remote connectivity
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The best features I use more include granular zero trust access, the host checker, which I find important, and Ivanti Nervous integration, alongside robust clientless access, which I consider a good feature.
Ivanti Connect Secure has a very deep impact on my organization. Its main benefit is supporting modern hybrid work and high-level security compliance. It provides agility and aggressive security patches, leading to regular updates, with a significant operational impact from VPN to zero trust. The self-healing endpoint feature allows the system to detect if security software has crashed and fix it before the user attempts to log in, making it a standout feature.
What needs improvement?
The biggest friction point I have encountered with Ivanti Connect Secure is related to compliance. When the host checker is configured too strictly, it can conflict with ensuring 100% security. If the IT department sets a policy requiring a specific Windows update that an engineer's laptop has not downloaded, Ivanti Connect Secure will block their connection, preventing the engineer from working with the IT team. This creates an impact on collaboration between the security and data engineering teams. Additionally, management complexity exists.
I wish Ivanti Connect Secure would have features for auto-update for Windows.
The one change I would request is for Ivanti Connect Secure to have a modern administrative management console, along with a LogicFirst unified interface featuring authenticator server, user roles, user realms, and resource policies. I would appreciate it if these names were changed for clearer understanding.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been familiar with Ivanti Connect Secure for nearly one year.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before I landed on Ivanti Connect Secure, I was using the Citrix tool for remote desktop access, and I previously used Pulse Connect Secure and Netscreen, which are older tools.
How was the initial setup?
When I first implemented Ivanti Connect Secure, it did not take me a lot of time. Basically, it took one to two hours to run it, with deployment taking approximately fifteen to thirty minutes, and the initial setup requiring around thirty minutes along with licensing taking nearly ten to fifteen minutes.
What about the implementation team?
The scope of using Ivanti Connect Secure is something I am mostly running on my own. It is not a team-wide scope.
What was our ROI?
By keeping numbers in mind, I can say we have reduced implementation times, resulting in over 300% ROI, with a payback period of less than six months, alongside a software spend reduction of approximately 25 to 30%. Additionally, we are saving approximately eight hours a week, with subscription costs per user around $80 to $150 per year, indicating significant cost reductions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
During the evaluation process, I considered other tools including Pulse Connect, alongside big three firewall competitors including Palo Alto, GlobalProtect, and Cisco Secure Connect. For cloud-native needs, I looked at Zscaler Private Access, Cloudflare One, and Microsoft Entra Private Access.
The main reason I chose Ivanti Connect Secure over those alternatives is its strengths such as hybrid visibility and endpoint control, along with superior endpoint integration. While the VPN can check if the antivirus is on, Ivanti Connect Secure's host checker is significantly more granular. It checks the logic for the data team handling personally identifiable information and blocks access unless a device complies exactly with corporate policies, which is often difficult to check for Zscaler and GlobalProtect. Additionally, Ivanti Connect Secure also offers deep legacy protocol support and clientless browser-based access, which influenced my choice.
What other advice do I have?
When I open Ivanti Connect Secure, the first thing I do is check the host by entering the proper host name. Ivanti Connect Secure silently checks for the host name, then the antivirus status and OS patches, and also checks for firewall instructions. After that, the primary authentication is there where I need to put my username and password, and single sign-on is present, along with multifactor authentication, before I land on the homepage.
My team does not need formal training for the basic use case, but I can say it is quite intuitive to pick up. I would recommend that formal training should be provided. The adoption of Ivanti Connect Secure is quite good, as people are using the tool.
Ivanti Connect Secure is used by some of the team's candidates and by some people only. The whole company does not use it. During implementation, we discovered features including multicloud management and accelerated networking that we are not using.
The way my team works together has changed. Collaboration has increased, making it easier to keep an eye on things.
My advice for someone considering Ivanti Connect Secure with a similar workflow is to adopt a two-arm deployment strategy. I recommend not settling for a one-arm setup. Using a two-arm configuration with distinct internal and external ports physically separates public-facing traffic from sensitive backend data, allowing different network security groups to be applied to each interface, thereby providing cleaner and more audit-friendly security boundaries. I would rate this review a 9 out of 10.
Provides secure and simple remote access but needs improved reporting capabilities
What is our primary use case?
Ivanti Connect Secure is used for both applications and for the RDP of our server.
What is most valuable?
Ivanti Connect Secure is simple and secure, making it valuable for our organization.
Ivanti Connect Secure's access control feature provides global protect, which allows country-wise blocking. There are many access controls available, and policies can be created on a host basis and on the MAC address of assets that will connect. Firewall versions and OS versions can be defined, and only devices meeting these criteria can connect to the VPN. These features are effective, along with MFA.
Ivanti Connect Secure is a client-based, agent-based solution, so if the agent is installed, users are able to connect to the network.
Ivanti Connect Secure utilizes identity-based LDAP authentication.
Ivanti Connect Secure is very effective for remote access for remote workers.
What needs improvement?
The reporting capabilities of Ivanti Connect Secure are not strong; the format is simple, and obtaining a detailed report is difficult and requires manual work.
Regarding points for improvement, the reporting part is an issue. However, Ivanti Connect Secure has been sufficient for our VPN needs, and we have not required any additional product.
For how long have I used the solution?
Ivanti Connect Secure has been used for the last six or seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Ivanti Connect Secure rates seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Ivanti Connect Secure offers many features for scalability, and I would rate it seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support for Ivanti Connect Secure is satisfactory, and I would rate it seven out of ten.
The response time for Ivanti Connect Secure is adequate for remote support, but the quality could be better.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The main competitors of Ivanti Connect Secure in the market that were considered for VPN are Zscaler, ZTA, and Cisco AnyConnect.
The price of Ivanti Connect Secure is lower than that of other competitors.
Ivanti Connect Secure was chosen because of its simplicity; it is very easy to administer, and the security is strong, making administration straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I can recommend Ivanti Connect Secure to other users because over the five or six years of use, there have been no issues, and it is working well. Overall, I rate Ivanti Connect Secure seven out of ten.
Reliable remote access and tunneling enhance work efficiency, but upgrade processes need improvement
What is our primary use case?
I use Ivanti Connect Secure for daily work purposes. We provide VPN services to various social security organizations within Belgium. Additionally, we offer leased service connections for third parties that need to support our applications. It is primarily used for remote access.
What is most valuable?
The most robust and reliable feature of Ivanti Connect Secure is the VPN tunneling, using both the Pulse and the Ivanti client. We also use web rewriting and application rewriting, which are valuable components. The solution's central infrastructure is straightforward, and on the client side, the Ivanti client is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
Ivanti needs improvement in its seamless upgrade and migration procedures, particularly with the browser components, which are fragile and sometimes cause issues depending on the Windows version, the browser version, and the different modules being used. On the client side, browser-initiated sessions are complex and require a more robust approach for non-admin users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ivanti Connect Secure for approximately four years, since the transition from Juniper to Pulse Secure.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Deploying Ivanti Connect Secure is straightforward on the central infrastructure, appliances, and clusters. However, there are some complexities on the client side, though using the Ivanti client is also straightforward.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The central infrastructure is very stable, and I would rate it an eight or nine. On the client side, while it can be tricky, it is robust once everything is functioning properly.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Initially, scalability was an eight. However, with Ivanti's shift to virtual appliances and the lack of multi-node setup support, we are limited to two appliances, indicating a need for improvement.
How are customer service and support?
Previously, customer service was very good, but there have been issues with the transfer and retention of knowledge through various company transitions. While the support remains good with specialists, response times have decreased somewhat.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup on the central infrastructure is straightforward. On the client side, while there are complexities, using the Ivanti client is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Ivanti has always been known to be pricey, making it a rather high-cost solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Competitors include Cisco, Palo Alto, and Fortinet. However, I have only seen presentations and do not have experience using them.
What other advice do I have?
Ivanti is suitable for medium and large companies. It is flexible in configuration but needs work on robustness, especially during migration from older versions. Ivanti's Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) migration path is a plus, as other companies often lack such transition possibilities. Overall, I would rate Ivanti Connect Secure a seven.
Enables secure remote work and helps with compliance but needs bedtter updates
What is our primary use case?
We are using Ivanti Connect Secure to allow our remote staff to access our virtual platform. Our engineers work remotely, so they do not need to come to the office. This solution enables secure connections for our engineers to work from home or other locations. It provides security by ensuring compliance checks are met before allowing access to our network.
What is most valuable?
Ivanti Connect Secure provides the feature to check and ensure that employee devices are compliant before allowing them to access the VPN. This includes verifying that devices are backed by antivirus software that is updated, and that the operating system has the latest updates. This security compliance feature is the most valuable for our use case.
What needs improvement?
From our side, there is an issue when Windows updates. The security mechanisms of Ivanti Connect Secure are very slow to update. We expect them to provide weekly updates for compatibility with Windows. Oftentimes, we face problems where the security compliance does not match, causing issues with VPN connection. We would prefer if the updates were more regular and stable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ivanti Connect Secure for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Ivanti Connect Secure is generally quite stable. I would rate its stability as a seven or eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Ivanti Connect Secure meets our organizational needs. However, since we also have a VPN from Fortinet as a backup, we haven't fully scaled Ivanti Connect Secure to its limits. I cannot provide a precise answer for its scalability under high demands.
How are customer service and support?
We usually don't write support tickets directly with Ivanti but through another provider. Sometimes, it takes more time for vendors to resolve issues. Therefore, I would rate the overall support as a six out of ten. Their response time could be improved.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have the VPN from Fortinet as a backup solution alongside Ivanti Connect Secure.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Ivanti Connect Secure was somewhat difficult, around a four out of ten in terms of difficulty. This difficulty was due to deploying it on AWS and configuring the necessary settings within the solution.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed Ivanti Connect Secure on AWS, which involved preparing many network configurations and IP setups.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have used a VPN from Fortinet as an alternative solution.
What other advice do I have?
Ivanti Connect Secure is generally a good solution. However, since they plan to replace it with another product, I do not have any specific advice for new users evaluating this solution.
Overall, I rate Ivanti Connect Secure as a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Provides connection with roaming users with easy deployment
What is our primary use case?
The solution is useful for connecting with roaming users outside the office locations.
How has it helped my organization?
We use Ivanti Connect Secure to enable roaming access to our office resources. It offers robust features such as two-factor authentication and host checking, making it a wonderful product.
What needs improvement?
Some vulnerability issues have led to a high alert in the US and other countries. We've had to initiate a reset of all systems, including Factory and DC, and refresh the configurations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ivanti Connect Secure for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
3,000 users are using this solution.
I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Most of the time, we resolve issues ourselves. Our Internet team is also quite competent and well-versed. There are usually no issues. I do encounter some technical delays
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product costs around 2000 rupees per year.
What other advice do I have?
It is easy to integrate other solutions with Connect Secure.
We are currently using Ivanti Connect Secure with client-based connectivity. Implementing clientless connectivity enable us to connect without the need for any client software. This allow us to access office resources such as URL-based or SAP SaaS-based systems. Additionally, Ivanti is working on enhancing this feature, which is a positive development. In terms of competition, backups from other providers like Cisco AnyConnect and Fortinet are also considered.
I've worked with Cisco Connect and FortiGate, which are relatively easy to work with. FortiGate does have quite a few bugs, making some applications not visible, which can cause discomfort during implementation. The only concern arises from the vulnerabilities that are found.
Ivanti Connect Secure's security is a priority, since they're operating on a legacy OS platform. Approximately 22,000 Ivanti users have transitioned from Juniper to Pulse Secure and then to Ivanti. I strongly recommend avoiding the use of any legacy platforms for security reasons. It's advisable to utilize the latest platforms equipped with comprehensive security management features.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Stability concerns outweigh the scalability benefits due to recurring security risks
What is our primary use case?
We use Ivanti Connect Secure for our users' remote access. It provides virtual private network (VPN) connectivity.
How has it helped my organization?
Ivanti secures access to the corporate network from various devices and locations.
All endpoints connect to the Ivanti gateway and then to our internal infrastructure. Gateways are implemented globally for users to connect and access our office infrastructure.
Security posture is quite okay. We can validate it with other competitors. They are quite competitive.
What is most valuable?
I like its ease of implementation and user-friendliness. It is quite easy to use. Clients can connect easily without much effort, and the implementation is robust.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement. I'm concerned about the frequent vulnerabilities identified. As a security product, the number of vulnerabilities is concerning.
So, security features could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is a concern due to the frequent vulnerabilities. We constantly need to update and make changes, which disrupts stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is good. Adding more gateways allows scaling up.
We have around 1,500 end users.
Adding virtual instances allows scaling user access quickly with additional licenses.
However, stability concerns outweigh the scalability benefits due to recurring security risks.
How are customer service and support?
Support is okay; it is nothing exceptional compared to industry standards. However, the product stability needs significant improvement.
I can't recall specific instances where their support was most critical, but a recent vulnerability caused major patching headaches. There were no readily available organization-wide patches, and things weren't clear.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is relatively straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We did it in-house. For the deployment process, we implemented gateways across various locations and configured them for failover.
They're managed by a central server, with post-ejects enabled and groups defined for authentication. Clients were then pushed to all endpoints.
We required around four to five people for the deployment.
What was our ROI?
It provides a decent private network for users, which is valuable.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is quite nominal. We pay on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
At this point, I wouldn't recommend it due to the stability and security concerns.
Overall, I would rate the solution a three out of ten.
A reliable and stable product that increases an organization’s productivity and is easy to use
What is our primary use case?
We normally use the product for VPN connectivity to access applications and servers remotely. We also use it for applications like Teams and Outlook.
What is most valuable?
The product is easy to use. It is reliable. It is always available. It's quite transparent. The product is quite exhaustive for the end user. It serves the purpose. The traffic that is involved as part of the VPN is secure. The solution has increased our productivity. The updates are optimal.
What needs improvement?
The solution must be more user-friendly. It must show more connection details and statistics to the end user.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have a few thousand users in our organization. It is used daily.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is easy to deploy. The deployment doesn’t take more than 15 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
The product can be deployed in-house.
What other advice do I have?
I will recommend the tool to others. Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.
Though the tool is useful for VPN connectivity and remote access, the price and stability needs improvement
What is our primary use case?
I use Ivanti Connect Secure in my company for VPN connectivity and remote access.
What needs improvement?
The product's price is an area where improvements are required. I have also dealt with some solutions, like Cisco, in the past, which were more expensive than Ivanti Connect Secure.
Sometimes, the product is unstable due to workload or other issues. The product's end users have to deal with the stability issues of the tool, making it an area of concern where improvements are required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Ivanti Connect Secure for three to four years. I am an end user of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. Previously, when we were using Cisco in our company, we had some stability issues, but with Ivanti Connect Secure, we haven't faced any stability problems.
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a seven to eight out of ten.
The stability of the product also depends on how many autoscaling features can be used. Once the load increases, there will be a direct impact on the stability. When the product is deployed on an on-premises model, using the scalability features will impact the stability of the tool. When it comes to SaaS, I would have a different opinion about this stability part, but I can't comment much since I haven't used the SaaS version of the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are around 4,000 to 5,000 users of the solution in my company.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Five years ago, we were using Cisco in our company.
The product's cost and stability are why my company's customers want to use Ivanti Connect Secure over Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy.
The product's installation phase can be carried out with the help of the client software. With the help of Ivanti's library, the client tool needs to be downloaded, after which you need to ensure that you have the hardware token or a software token. With a software token, you can do the installation of the product.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
The solution can be deployed in around 30 minutes.
As an end user of the solution, I don't really need to manage the deployment and maintenance of the product. After a customer purchases the product from our company, I only take care of the installation part, which hardly takes two to three minutes, so I don't really put in too much effort from an end-user perspective.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Ivanti Connect Secure's price varies from customer to customer. Okay. VPN products are always expensive. The price also depends on how much a user wants to have a secure VPN.
I rate the product price a six to seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price.
What other advice do I have?
The way Ivanti Connect Secure is implemented for secure access to our company's corporate network from various devices and locations is something that I don't know about. I know that the secure access part is implemented in our environment with the two-factor authentication process so that our company can have a secure network with credentials and authentication either with RSA Token or Google Authenticator.
The most valuable feature of Ivanti Connect Secure, which I found to be impactful on the User experience part, stems from the fact that with the tool, I get to use Ivanti Tunnel or VPN to gauge our customer's networks, making it an easy experience since Ivanti provides a landing page. The landing page can be easy or complex based on the implementation, but for me, it is easy.
I am very much used to the product, so it won't even take me more than 30 seconds to get into a network, making the tool very easy for me to operate.
Whether or not improvements are required in Ivanti Connect Secure depends on the way users implement the VPN in their environments while also considering the amount of scalability that the VPN can offer. When I implemented Ivanti Connect Secure, I found it to be scalable enough.
Ivanti's endpoint security of compliance check-in features enhances security posture, which is something that is not used in our company. The tool is only used for VPN.
The benefits of using the product will ensure that it would be difficult to get into the product's customers' network since the tool will ensure that a more secure process is in place. For whichever customers I have implemented the product, I have seen that they did not previously have a solution to secure their network and provide them with the landing zone.
Speaking of how the product's scalability has supported our organization's growth stems from the fact that the tool offers more in the area of security. If you want to make your system or network secure, Ivanti helps, especially if you need to have an SSL VPN.
I haven't seen any significant incidents in the last five years where Ivanti's support was critical.
I rate the overall tool a seven to eight out of ten.
Helps to connect remote client systems but needs to improve connectivity and stability
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution to connect to our client systems.
What is most valuable?
The tool's most valuable feature is remote access.
What needs improvement?
Ivanti Connect Secure needs to have faster connections. It also needs to improve the stability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Ivanti Connect Secure's stability a five out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company has ten users for the product.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted technical support yet.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is easy and takes a few minutes to complete.
What about the implementation team?
Ivanti Connect Secure's deployment can be done by myself.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall product a five out of ten.
An easy-to-maintain and stable VPN solution that needs improved customer support
What is our primary use case?
The solution is being used for VPN.
What is most valuable?
The stability of the product is its most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The support team of the product needs improvement. Sometimes we have issues with multiple authentications, but there is no help from the support team. It is very dissatisfying.
Some emerging technologies like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) have the VPN included even if you don't need to use it. The present process for Pulse Connect Secure is becoming old-fashioned; they need to change the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the solution for two and a half years for my company. I have been using this solution since 2004 when it was called Juniper.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. You need to add a few more licenses, and it works fine. Currently, seven thousand or eight thousand people have current concurrent licenses.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is not satisfactory. I rate it four or five out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used a Cisco solution and another solution.
Pulse used to be much more flexible than Cisco. You could do more with Pulse, like different realms and authentication policies for different types of users. But the latest still needs to be improved, and users see much more user-friendly solutions. As I mentioned, other solutions exist, like Zero Trust Networks Access.
So these are getting much easier for users. But for installing a solution for the first time, ThoughtSpot was much easier than Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
This product is good and easy to maintain if one can manage without the products' support team and have their administrative team. If you want to implement a new feature or interaction with the product, it gets complicated, or help is needed.
I rate the overall product a six out of ten.
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