AWS Direct Connect vs Ivanti Connect Secure comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Ivanti are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.9, while Ivanti is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.8% mindshare in EIV, compared to Ivanti’s 5.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Ivanti users who would recommend it.

AWS Direct Connect

Read 12 AWS Direct Connect reviews

1,065 Views
1,033 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Ivanti Connect Secure

Read 29 Ivanti Connect Secure reviews

3,911 Views
3,207 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

AWS Direct Connect

Ivanti Connect Secure

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

Ivanti Connect Secure and AWS Direct Connect compete in the enterprise connectivity and security solutions category. AWS Direct Connect has the upper hand due to its robust feature set and reliable high-speed connectivity.

Features: Ivanti Connect Secure offers comprehensive security features, strong encryption, and seamless SSL VPN integration. AWS Direct Connect provides stable, high-performance network connections, direct integration with AWS services, and efficient handling of large-scale workloads.

Room for Improvement: Ivanti Connect Secure needs better scalability, improved integration with newer technologies, and enhancements in user interface design. AWS Direct Connect requires better cost transparency, a more straightforward setup process, and enhanced documentation for easier configuration.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ivanti Connect Secure is praised for its relatively easy deployment and responsive customer service. AWS Direct Connect has a steeper learning curve but benefits from AWS's extensive support infrastructure.

Pricing and ROI: Ivanti Connect Secure is cost-effective with lower initial setup costs and a good ROI. AWS Direct Connect, while more expensive, delivers high value through performance and reliability, particularly for large-scale operations.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Direct Connect vs. Ivanti Connect Secure Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Direct Connect vs. Ivanti Connect Secure

March 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 884,933 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AWS Direct Connect

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

12th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ivanti Connect Secure

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

13th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

SSL VPN (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of AWS Direct Connect is 1.8%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ivanti Connect Secure is 5.2%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
AWS Direct Connect	1.8%
Ivanti Connect Secure	5.2%
Other	93.0%

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

reviewer2231871

Product Manager at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees

Offers secure high-bandwidth connectivity without internet-related risks

Regarding the benefits from the multiple virtual interfaces in the product, there is no interface for the product; it is just a connection that we have. It is an ethernet connection we offer. The customer, from the customer side to AWS, receives an ethernet point-to-point connection, and that is it. The interface and everything along with the communication with AWS, the customer has to do by themselves to build the routes and everything. The connection speed that our clients are using ranges from 100 megabits up to 10 gigabits. The main concern is the port costs. Clients do not report technical problems, so it is mainly always an issue of money. The solution is nice, but sometimes they avoid it because the port costs are high. This is not a problem AWS has exclusively; Azure has the same costs, and these port costs are quite expensive. I would rate this review as an 8 out of 10.

Read full review

Kaushlendra Singh

Manager - IT Infrastructure and Network at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Provides secure and simple remote access but needs improved reporting capabilities

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.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Direct Connect is its low latency to the users."

"Direct Connect provides an improved connection quality and a diversified link, which contributes to high availability and failover capabilities."

"It is a highly scalable solution."

"AWS Direct Connect is highly secure and much faster compared to normal network infrastructure."

"The platform's most valuable feature for us is its robust network performance."

"AWS Direct Connect allows me to connect our on-premise infrastructure directly with AWS infrastructure."

"The most valuable feature of Direct Connect is its low latency to the users."

"AWS Direct Connect provides a secure and encrypted connection over the internet."

More AWS Direct Connect pros

"The solution helps with principal decisions. It also helps with the security and configuration of many technologies."

"This is a very secure and stable tool."

"The flexibility in their management is great."

"This solution enables secure connections for our engineers to work from home or other locations."

"VPN tunneling is a very valuable feature of Pulse Connect Secure. I also like that it is straightforward to use, and you can see traffic logs on it."

"The most robust and reliable feature of Ivanti Connect Secure is the VPN tunneling, using both the Pulse and the Ivanti client."

"It's quite stable."

"From an end-user perspective, the setup phase is easy."

More Ivanti Connect Secure pros

Cons

"One area that needs improvement is the cost of the ports, which is a concern as these charges are quite high."

"AWS Direct Connect is straightforward and performs well for me."

"Having more locations could improve the convenience of using the service."

"Its terminologies are challenging to interpret."

"It would be good if we could connect AWS Direct Connect from different networks."

"It can be difficult to configure compared to cloud-based GUIs."

"The platform's stability needs improvement."

"AWS Direct Connect should support cross-cloud connections, such as migrations between Azure and AWS, for disaster recovery purposes on different cloud platforms."

More AWS Direct Connect cons

"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."

"An area for improvement in Pulse Connect Secure is the concurrent connections, particularly needing a license if you want to use Pulse Connect Secure with your Microsoft or Windows machine."

"The user experience has room for improvement."

"Connection-wise, Pulse Connect Secure could be faster, and this is its area for improvement."

"The solution can be improved by addressing the failure to connect on public 2-step networks."

"I don't have any downsides to report about the product at this time."

"The product could use additional dashboards."

"The stability could be better. There are sometimes bugs in the system."

More Ivanti Connect Secure cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive solution."

"It has reasonable pricing in terms of the features offered."

"The pricing for Pulse Connect Secure is not low and not high, so it's good. It's a six out of ten for me, price-wise."

"The price of Pulse Connect Secure is expensive."

"A license is required for you to use Pulse Connect Secure, but I'm not aware of how much it costs."

"The pricing is quite nominal. We pay on a yearly basis."

"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."

"The cost of the product is high, but worth it because of the utility and great product support."

"Pulse Connect Secure is relatively cost-effective."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Enterprise Infrastructure VPN solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Healthcare Company

10%

University

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	19

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with AWS Direct Connect?

One area that needs improvement is the cost of the ports, which is a concern as these charges are quite high. It is primarily a budget issue because while the solution is effective, the port costs ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for AWS Direct Connect?

Our customers primarily use AWS Direct Connect for hybrid cloud solutions. They have parts of their equipment in their on-premise data center, while also using AWS infrastructure for backups, datab...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering AWS Direct Connect?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pulse Connect Secure?

Ivanti has always been known to be pricey, making it a rather high-cost solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Pulse Connect Secure?

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, th...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Pulse Connect Secure?

Ivanti Connect Secure is used for both applications and for the RDP of our server.

See all answers

Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 16% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 16% of the time

AWS PrivateLink vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 9% of the time

Sangfor SSL VPN vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 9% of the time

Lumen MPLS IP VPN vs AWS Direct Connect

Compared 5% of the time

More AWS Direct Connect Competitors

OpenVPN Access Server vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 8% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 8% of the time

Ivanti Secure Access vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 7% of the time

Citrix Gateway vs Ivanti Connect Secure

Compared 6% of the time

More Ivanti Connect Secure Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

February 2026

Download AWS Direct Connect product report

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Connect Secure

March 2026

Download Ivanti Connect Secure product report

Also Known As

No data available

Pulse Connect Secure

Overview

AWS Direct Connect offers low-latency, reliable connectivity with secure data transfers between on-premise infrastructures and AWS environments. It ensures high availability and cost-effectiveness for large data transfers, integrating seamlessly with existing systems.

AWS Direct Connect is recognized for its robust network and security, providing minimal latency and reliable connectivity. It seamlessly integrates with on-premise infrastructure, enabling secure and fast data transfers. Users benefit from its high availability and low maintenance, making it cost-effective for large data transfers. Multi-account environment support is a key feature. Despite a complex configuration process compared to cloud GUIs, it enhances security by avoiding public internet exposure. Room for improvement includes the setup of credentials and terminology, upgrade process, BGP configuration, multi-network connections, traffic visibility, stability, and throughput security. Expanding data center locations and cross-cloud connections can be advantageous. Promotion is necessary for awareness. Some report VPN connection issues while some are content with its performance.

What are the key features of AWS Direct Connect?

Secure Connectivity: Enhances security by avoiding public internet exposure
Low Latency: Provides minimal latency for fast data transfers
High Availability: Ensures continuous connectivity with low maintenance
Cost-Effective: Reduces costs for large data transfers and multi-account environments
Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with on-premise infrastructure

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Reliability: Sturdy and consistent connectivity minimizes downtime
Efficient Data Transfers: Cost reduction and efficiency for large data volumes
Security: Avoids exposure to the public internet, enhancing data protection
Resource Integration: Facilitates hybrid cloud environments by integrating on-premises and cloud resources

In industries like finance, healthcare, and media, AWS Direct Connect is implemented to ensure secure and efficient connectivity between on-premises data centers and AWS environments. It supports operations like database management and application deployment, facilitating data and application migration while enabling hybrid cloud connectivity.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Ivanti Connect Secure provides a seamless, cost-effective SSL VPN solution for remote and mobile users from any web-enabled device to corporate resources— anytime, anywhere.

Ivanti

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

Axcient, Baloise Group, Cygate, Catholic University of America, Datec Inc, Revlon, Santa Monica Networks, 7-Eleven

Buyer's Guide

AWS Direct Connect vs. Ivanti Connect Secure

March 2026

Free Report: AWS Direct Connect vs. Ivanti Connect Secure

Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Direct Connect vs. Ivanti Connect Secure and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our AWS Direct Connect vs. Ivanti Connect Secure report.

See our list of best Enterprise Infrastructure VPN vendors.

We monitor all Enterprise Infrastructure VPN reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.