Barracuda CloudGen Firewall vs SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN comparison

Barracuda Networks and Riverbed are both solutions in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category. Barracuda Networks is ranked #8 with an average rating of 7.7, while Riverbed is ranked #24. Barracuda Networks holds a 2.6% mindshare in SDW, compared to Riverbed’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Barracuda Networks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 50% of Riverbed users who would recommend it.

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Read 47 Barracuda CloudGen Firewall reviews

6,639 Views
2,191 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

SteelConnect EX Enterprise ...

Read 1 SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN review

933 Views
821 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

SteelConnect EX Enterprise ...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Barracuda CloudGen Firewall and SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortinet, Cisco, Check Point Software Technologies and others in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Report (Updated: July 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

July 2026

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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

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

8th

Ranking in WAN Edge

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Firewalls (15th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (15th), IoT Security (6th)

SteelConnect EX Enterprise ...

Ranking in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

24th

Ranking in WAN Edge

21st

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions category, the mindshare of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is 2.6%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN is 1.2%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall	2.6%
SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN	1.2%
Other	96.2%

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

Featured Reviews

Jennifer Bernice

Dotnet Developer at Kohl's

Centralized firewall management has saved time and improved network security across locations

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall could be improved as it has a very high learning curve. It is definitely not a one and done firewall, as a one and done firewall requires a lot of dedicated time to get the machine running the way you want. To improve Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, there should be a lot of tutorials and videos online to help new users. Multiple ways to configure for the same service or feature takes time to determine your customized build. In addition to previous points, the interface can sometimes be clunky when trying to determine how it is organized or arranged.

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Jason Best

Data center network architect at Cloudwire

Analytics feature is very granular and comprehensive, although complicated to use

It's like an SD-WAN project basically. You really need to make sure that the product matches the needs of what the customer's trying to achieve and their overall strategy to meet their core business requirements. I think a certain customer made a mistake in choosing this solution because a large part of their network was Cisco and they had firewalls that were from Fortinet. I think they would have been better off and it would have been better from a CAPEX, OPEX point of view. It would've been more advantageous for them to have maybe chosen a Cisco or Fortinet solution based on their existing environment. Make sure you understand your network correctly before you try to implement any SD-WAN solution. That was one of the good lessons I learned about SD-WANs with this specific product. I wouldn't say it was a fault of the product. I would say it's more a fault of the CTO who tries to do things quickly without taking into account the existing environment or give the internal faculties the time to provide real low-level design implementation. It was more of a management mistake than from their technical team. In the next release, I would like to see things like integrated security but with local internet breakout instead of using third party solutions like NetScaler or Palo Alto. I would also like to see the integration of things like a VPN so that if you have remote sites where you might have remote workers that need to access the site from home or something, there's a VPN solution. Those are two key features and hotspots in the sort of global crisis. I would rate Riverbed a seven out of ten. I could never give any solution a 10 cause they all have good and bad points. To get any solution to a ten is pretty much impossible. If I was to rate it against others like Fortinet, I would probably give Fortinet an eight or nine. Again, I think you have to be careful because it's very subjective. I think it really depends on the type of environment, the type of customer you're deploying the SD-WAN solution for, and from which perspective you're looking at like if you an operator, if you're a large enterprise, if you're looking for a plug and play type solution. If you're looking for more of a security solution, I would go for Fortinet. It's kind of tough to say. I'd probably put the clouds a little bit ahead of the game because it does what it's supposed to do and easily. It's a little more of a plug and play type solution. Fortinet, for example, is more complex. I put it in a close second place, it's better from a security perspective. It has integration with FortiGuard. After that, I would put Riverbed in third place.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The features I find most valuable is the VPN and the fact that we can apply our policies to the program."

"What I like best about this product are the support and the features."

"Single sign-on is also good. If you are accessing your corporate firewall from your home, during that time there is integration with AD. You can use your AD password to access your SSL VPN. It's not like if you buy an additional SSL VPN... You can directly integrate with your AD. If you change your password on the AD side, your client-to-VPN password also gets changed. You can integrate all your passwords from a single console. It's not like admin has to change your password, it's a single sign-on."

"Barracuda CloudGen Firewall has positively impacted my organization by increasing the level of network protection against threats from twenty percent to forty-five percent."

"The interface is very user-friendly and it is quite easy to use."

"The drag and drop features of VPN are really convenient to be configured, and the VPN tunnel provides a secure environment in the organization."

"We evaluated a lot of different options, and we concluded that Barracuda NG Firewall provided the most features for an exemplary price."

"They have very good security."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pros

"The analytics is the most valuable feature because it was very granular and very comprehensive, although a little complicated to use. If you're really interested in knowing what's happening on your network, it's a very good solution. That was the .NET Profiler part of the solution."

Cons

"Command line could be more user friendly."

"The features are a bit limited compared to other vendors."

"The biggest issue that I have with this solution is that it is not super intuitive. Once you know what to do, things make sense, but you can't just open the program and start doing things. It would be great if there was a little bit more guided usage inside the program."

"The interface of Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is not as user-friendly as others. It is a bit complicated and could be improved."

"We would like to see a solution that is focused on container deployment, which is very important right now."

"There is room for improvement in performance and the support language. The support they're providing right now is from a different country, and in our country, there are people—network admins and IT heads—who don't speak English properly. So Barracuda needs to provide support agents who speak additional languages, such as Bangla."

"The solution could be improved with visibility into the traffic about what's happening at a given time."

"The technical manuals, at times, have images that don't match the actual screens and are not always as clear as they could be on the configuration."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall cons

"The routing scalability needs improvement. We have run into a lot of limitations and also primarily from a routine perspective, things like RSPs line support. It was supportive but not really supportive."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My advice is to try and evaluate it (Barracuda offers a trial period of one month)."

"Pricing and licensing are fine. It's worth the value because every four years, if I buy any other product, I have to replace my hardware. But with Barracuda I get a free hardware upgrade. Today I'm using Xbox. After four years I can take another Xbox or a Ybox."

"It's not the most expensive, but it's certainly not cheap."

"It is a product with a very transparent model of licensing. In the sense of hidden expenses, they do not exist with this model. "

"It would be nice if the pricing and licensing offered for less."

"The solution's price is reasonable."

"We evaluated a lot of different options. We concluded that Barracuda NG Firewall provided the most features for an exemplary price. "

"In general, it tends to be cheaper than most solutions."

More Barracuda CloudGen Firewall pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	13

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

Although I am not directly involved in that particular segment, from what I understood from the pricing information, it is a very cost-effective solution compared with other well-known firewall ven...

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What needs improvement with Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

When I consider what I dislike about Barracuda CloudGen Firewall, there are a lot of competitors in the market. Next-gen firewalls offer a lot of capabilities. From a capability standpoint, competi...

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What is your primary use case for Barracuda CloudGen Firewall?

I use Barracuda CloudGen Firewall for multiple functionalities. One function is an email security gateway. It also acts for network security protection, network security and threat protection, whic...

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Comparisons

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 4% of the time

OPNsense vs Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 26% of the time

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Compared 25% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

August 2026

Download Barracuda CloudGen Firewall product report

Buyer's Guide

Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions

July 2026

SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN report

Download SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN product report

Also Known As

Barracuda NextGen Firewall, Barracuda CloudGen Firewalls

SteelConnect, Riverbed SteelConnect

Overview

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers strong VPN, scalable network management, and advanced threat protection. Its capabilities include dynamic VPN, SD-WAN, URL filtering, and malware protection, making it essential for network security in distributed environments.

Known for its robust security and user-friendly management, Barracuda CloudGen Firewall helps safeguard networks, manage traffic, and secure connections across distributed sites. It provides critical security features and solutions like firewalling and intrusion prevention for protecting environments such as data centers, offices, and remote locations. Room for enhancement includes the user interface, needing better tutorials, improved load balancing, and stronger tech support.

What are the most valuable features?

Seamless VPN capabilities enhance secure remote access for users.
Scalable network management supports large distributed architectures.
Advanced threat protection defends against malware and unauthorized access.
Dynamic VPN offers flexible secure connectivity options.
SD-WAN functionality optimizes application performance and cost-efficiency.
Robust URL filtering enhances security by blocking malicious sites.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Cost efficiency is achieved by combining security features with network management.
Centralized management allows configuration and policy updates from one interface, improving control.
Real-time monitoring boosts operational efficiency by promptly addressing threats.
Policy updates and instant changes help organizations stay responsive to security needs.

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall is leveraged by industries to enhance network security and application performance. It caters to sectors requiring strong protection for IT infrastructure, managing traffic in data centers, and ensuring secure connectivity for distributed workforces, which is crucial in sectors like finance, healthcare, and education.

Barracuda Networks

SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN provides advanced network management, ensuring seamless connectivity and enhanced performance for businesses seeking a reliable SD-WAN solution.

SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN is tailored for enterprises looking to streamline their network architecture. Designed to deliver robust connectivity, it offers optimized traffic management and comprehensive security features. Businesses appreciate its scalable architecture that accommodates dynamic workloads while maintaining network integrity, making it a valuable asset for boosting efficiency and reducing latency.

What are the essential features of SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN?

Intelligent Path Control: Ensures optimal routing paths for critical applications.
Advanced Security Protocols: Protects data across all network layers.
Scalable Deployment Options: Supports diverse network sizes and requirements.
Integrated Management Dashboard: Facilitates easy monitoring and configuration.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Operational Efficiency: Streamlines IT operations, reducing manual tasks.
Cost Savings: Decreases expenses by optimizing bandwidth usage.
Enhanced Performance: Improves application response times and user experience.
Robust Security: Minimizes network vulnerabilities and threats.

In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, SteelConnect EX Enterprise SD-WAN is implemented to meet complex networking needs. Healthcare networks utilize its robust security features to protect sensitive data, while financial institutions benefit from improved latency and reliability. Retail industries leverage its scalability to ensure consistent connectivity across numerous locations.

Riverbed

Sample Customers

ARZ, Bauer, CBCX Technologies, Diamant-groep, Eissmann Group Automotive, European Youth Olympics, Exalo Drilling, FineLine Technologies, Geocell, Grimaldi, Infront Sports & Media, Odlo, Schenker Deutschland AG, Tilak, Verbandsgeneinde Zell, Conservas El Cidacos S.A., Institute for Emergency Medicine and Medicine Management, Erwin Muller GmbH, Info-Tech: NGF is Champion, Schoellerbank, IZB Informatik-Zentrum, RHI AG, Berglandmilch, Antenne Bayern, Sanochemia

Roxtec, Software Solutions Company, Rignet

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July 2026

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