

Steelhead and VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN are competitive solutions in the SD-WAN market. VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN appears to have an edge due to its extensive features as reported by users.
Features: Steelhead offers strong performance optimization, integration capabilities, and customer support. VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN provides advanced security features, superior routing, and a scalable architecture with a robust feature set.
Room for Improvement: Steelhead could improve its analytics, reporting functionalities, and scalability. VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN needs better troubleshooting tools, improved documentation, and more efficient operational capabilities.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Steelhead has a straightforward deployment process and responsive customer service. VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN's deployment is user-friendly with excellent customer support, though it can be more complex initially.
Pricing and ROI: Steelhead is cost-effective with positive ROI. VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN, while more expensive, offers higher ROI and better overall value due to its extensive features.
Without Steelhead, we would have spent much more on bandwidth costs.
The deployment time with VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN saves 50 percent compared to traditional MPLS networks.
Steelhead's support is generally good for typical issues yet can be time-consuming during complex problem-solving across teams, particularly for Active Directory integration.
I have no issues with technical support from Riverbed.
Riverbed's customer service and technical support would be rated an eight.
I appreciate having dedicated service engineers who manage our account and ensure any technical issues are addressed efficiently.
If a customer has 1 GB traffic, they will only be able to utilize 600 MB of traffic with Steelhead.
It allows us to maximize use from our MPLS providers by handling traffic efficiently across phased deployments.
The customer base for VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN has been growing 30 to 40 percent per year when transitioning from traditional MPLS networks.
It's quite stable and provides all necessary alerts if something is wrong.
For instance, even if there is a power failure, Riverbed still works.
Steelhead helps significantly with large data transfers.
The technical team from VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN addresses these issues promptly, making us very happy with their support.
Overall, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is a stable solution.
Steelhead is very expensive, and the vendor should work on handling Oracle type of traffic better.
It would help if Riverbed could prevent such drastic impacts during updates.
It could still be useful in places with satellite communications, such as the south of Chile, or in the mining industry.
I would like to see improved security features, such as adding more SASE functions.
Unlike the comprehensive reports we receive from Palo Alto for our firewalls, VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN doesn't offer detailed reports that effectively convey the solution's benefits to management.
Buying the hardware initially is costly, but yearly maintenance and licenses are not as expensive.
Steelhead is considered an expensive solution in our country.
The pricing is high, making the margin thin, which limits mark-up opportunities from the wholesale price.
The pricing involves licensing for the VeloCloud gateway based on the bandwidth used.
Functions like acting as an NTP server, DNS, DHCP, and auto-optimization mode enhance efficiency.
My actual traffic is around 2 GB, but I purchased a link from the ISP for only around 700 to 800 MB. All the prices that need to be paid monthly to the ISP are saved, which is a significant saving for my company after using Riverbed.
Steelhead's most valuable feature is its ability to hash and send only the important parts of the information, avoiding the resending of data.
Its proprietary Dynamic Multipath Optimization (DMP) technology is regarded as the most powerful and valuable function by VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN.
Previously, organizations used MPLS links for 1 MB at around $200, but now they can use 4G or 5G SIM cards for half that price while achieving more bandwidth.
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN has truly transformed our environment, providing significantly more bandwidth at lower costs, which is essential for tasks like Teams calls.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN | 8.5% |
| Steelhead | 2.1% |
| Other | 89.4% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 5 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 7 |
| Large Enterprise | 14 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 24 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 14 |
| Large Enterprise | 20 |
Steelhead is designed to optimize WAN performance by reducing data load and enhancing network efficiency. It utilizes advanced data compression and caching techniques to improve speeds and manage bandwidth, crucial for cost reduction.
Steelhead offers enhancements in data throughput and network optimization with its ability to improve TCP and WAN efficiency. Organizations benefit from scalable data referencing and adaptive transfer schemes that simulate LAN-like speeds over WAN. Its monitoring features provide insights into network dynamics, although potential improvements are noted in areas like QoS configuration and handling encrypted traffic. Users also recognize challenges in upgrading, GUI design, and monitoring tools.
What are Steelhead's key features?Steelhead is widely used in industries like banking and distribution for optimizing traffic between data centers and ensuring efficient branch connectivity. It addresses latency problems, boosts application performance, and helps reduce data traffic. In environments with limited bandwidth, its features ensure critical data is prioritized, creating significant cost savings.
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN offers dynamic multipath optimization and vendor integration for efficient traffic routing, with features like zero-touch provisioning and flexible connectivity. It's designed for easy deployment, robust security, and improved network performance, addressing versatile networking needs.
VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is known for boosting connectivity across global WANs and data centers, emphasizing bandwidth optimization and real-time application prioritization. Its orchestration enables cloud management with multi-tenant support. While offering robust functionalities, there is room for enhancements in areas like failover, security, scalability, and integration with security platforms like Palo Alto and Fortinet. Cost models and documentation need improvements for wider adoption. Its role in disaster recovery and application prioritization is a highlight, facilitating enhanced voice and video communication.
What are the key features?VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN is utilized by companies for global WAN upgrades, data center virtualization, and disaster recovery solutions. It helps manage connectivity challenges across branch offices and ensures intact data transmission for voice and video communications, which is invaluable for industries requiring secure and efficient network performance management.
We monitor all WAN Edge 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.