This solution acts as my web server, web application server, firewall, and load balancer. I also use it for IPSec 4 to IPSec 6 conversion.
Customer Service Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Good load balancing and web application firewall functionality
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is load balancing."
- "The WAF component needs to be simplified so that it is easier to use."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is load balancing. This solution will do both global and local load balancing.
The WAF features are very helpful.
What needs improvement?
The WAF component needs to be simplified so that it is easier to use.
In the next release, I would like to see more firewall policy support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Citrix NetScaler VPX for about five years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are a few bugs here and there, but technical support has been able to assist with them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is easy to scale if we have up to ten servers, but much higher and we need to use a different level of license. It is a little bit expensive.
We have approximately 2,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
I am quite satisfied with the technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use another solution prior to this one.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
I installed this solution with the help of my own team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our licensing fees including technical support are approximately $3,500 USD.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated a solution by F5, but we found it to be a little complex and we didn't proceed with it.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is considering this product is that it works best for small-scale industry. I would recommend this for a small business, but not for larger organizations. It works quite well for 1,000 or 2,000 users, but I would not recommend more than that.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Technical Manager at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Provides good performance for our virtual apps and desktops
Pros and Cons
- "This solution increases the backend network service performance, which is one of the things that we like the most."
- "Some of our customers have questioned the security of this solution lately, wondering whether it is safe or not, so enhancements in this respect would be good."
What is our primary use case?
We are using NetScaler VPX as a gateway for our virtual applications and desktops.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the securing of virtual apps and desktops.
This solution increases the backend network service performance, which is one of the things that we like the most.
What needs improvement?
Bugs in the software have had an impact on us. Better quality control or quality assurance would be an improvement.
Some of our customers have questioned the security of this solution lately, wondering whether it is safe or not, so enhancements in this respect would be good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Citrix NetScaler VPX for seven or eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Citrix NetScaler VPX is a very stable solution and it is used on a daily basis. Its use is quite crucial.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution and it is easy to expand.
We have a variety of clients that range in size from small businesses to enterprise-level customers. Most of our clients are of medium size.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support for this solution is pretty good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. It takes 30 or 40 minutes to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
I am a consultant and the person responsible for deploying this solution. Usually, one or two engineers are used during deployment.
The number of people required for maintenance depends on the scope of the project. I would say that two to three people are the average.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing costs for this solution vary depending on which model is being used. It comes in many different sizes and models. I think that the cost of support, or maintenance, might be in addition to the standard feeds.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our clients do evaluate other options and vendors such as F5, Cisco, Palo Alto, and Microsoft Azure before deciding on which solution to implement. People generally choose Citrix NetScaler because of the performance that it offers. Also, if they have other products by Citrix then it is generally a good idea to stay with the same vendor because of compatibility.
What other advice do I have?
This is definitely a solution that I recommend.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Senior Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Good gateway and SQL load-balancing features and has good stability
Pros and Cons
- "The program is easy to install and to set up."
- "I think the documentation should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is to serve as gateway.
What is most valuable?
The features I find most valuable are the gateway feature and the SQL load-balancing that you can do as well.
What needs improvement?
I think the documentation should be improved - there should be more documentation. In the next release, I would like to see more analytics, better dashboards, and some management monitoring tools.
For how long have I used the solution?
Our client has been using this solution for many years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable program.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe this solution is very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am satisfied with the technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The program is easy to install and to set up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Citrix NetScaler VPX is not the cheapest solution out there, but you get what you pay for. There are also additional costs to the standard licensing fee.
What other advice do I have?
This solution gets a ten out of ten rating from me. My advice to others is that they need to be clear of what they want to actually achieve and plan before they deploy. They should make sure that it actually meets the business requirements or the use case that they are trying to fix or sell.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
Senior Sales Engineer at a tech consulting company with 10,001+ employees
Offers valuable work balancing applications and assists with the customer's communication requirements
Pros and Cons
- "The work balancing applications are the most valuable feature."
- "The product could be improved by making it easier to use and easier to implement."
What is our primary use case?
I work as a senior sales engineer and business developer manager and we distribute the Citrix NetScaler AppFirewall. My job is in presales and I'm also a distributor, assisting the company partners.
Our customers are generally enterprise and public companies and our primary use of the product is for security and work balancing applications. Implementation of the product assists with all the applications and the customer's communication requirements. NetScaler can do a lot of things. We make a point of always using the latest version of the product.
What is most valuable?
I think that the work balancing applications are the most valuable feature. The licensing model that Citrix has implemented is very good. It's a pay-by-use system.
What needs improvement?
The product could be improved by making it easier to use and easier to implement. We've had some difficult problems with that.
An additional feature they could include more of a firewall, as you would find with Checkpoint, Fortinet or Palo Alto firewalls, which all have specific features for security. It would be good if they could include some kind of technical analysis in the next version but I don't know that is part of the Citrix strategy.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Citrix NetScaler AppFirewall for the past two years.
How are customer service and technical support?
The Citrix technical support is very good and the support from the company sales engineer is very good too.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be problematic. The length of time it takes to implement really depends on the project. It normally takes around two weeks.
What about the implementation team?
Our company carries out the implementation, the integration of the solution on the customer's infrastructure. In Portugal, we have a lot of enterprise and public sector implementations and a lot of different products available for mounting infrastructure. Sometimes the older implementations and on-prem implementations haven't been done properly and we need to manage this for the customer and for the implementers. You need to know very well what the customer has in order to implement the solution.
What other advice do I have?
The deployment model depends on the customer and normally it's carried out by the customer, because NetScaler in Portugal, where I am, isn't well known so we do a proof of concept first for a couple of months and then after the installation, configuration and the customer approves the product, then the department delivers it.
There are some security problems, there's are DOS problems, different kinds of attacks. Another one is for load balancing the charge of the application because NetScaler is a very good solution to load balance the load off the application itself, from Citrix or from another solution. These are the best cases, security and load balancing.
I would rate this product a nine out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller.
Business Consultant. at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Scalable, easy to deploy, and reasonable enterprise-level pricing
Pros and Cons
- "The solution was very easy to deploy."
- "We have issues with the certificates. All authorization processes need certificates, however, every three months we needed to change certificates. This process iss complicated for us because Citrix does not have a not user-friendly interface and does not off user-friendly services. This needs a lot of improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as a device for connections from our mobile corporate devices to our infrastructure.
How has it helped my organization?
provided a secure connection to critical information
What is most valuable?
Authorization from mobile diverse for end-users to our infrastructure is a valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
We have issues with the certificates. All authorization processes need certificates, however, every three months we needed to change certificates. This process is complicated for us because Citrix does not have a not user-friendly interface and does not off user-friendly services. This needs a lot of improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No
How was the initial setup?
The solution was very easy to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was handled internally by our team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For enterprise-level pricing, the cost isn't too high.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's pretty good, but the issues surrounding the certificates make it a difficult system for us.
In terms of advice, I would give to others, I'd say that they should read the manual before implementing the solution. Also, be sure to have someone on your team who knows Citrix very well. If you do not understand all processes when you deploy this solution, you will have issues.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solution Architect at ReDoy Corporation
Good scalability and stability with very responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very stable. We don't have any downtime or issues of that nature."
- "The solution is a bit more expensive than some of the available solutions in this region. One solution in particular that I noticed was cheaper was Kemp."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for network load balancing on the edge of the network.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable feature is the content.
What needs improvement?
The solution is a bit more expensive than some of the available solutions in this region. One solution in particular that I noticed was cheaper was Kemp.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. We don't have any downtime or issues of that nature.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is pretty scalable. Right now, we are only using about 40-50% of the solution's capacity. We have about 4,000 users connecting through the system. Currently, we don't plan to increase usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
Support has been okay so far. We only ever call about two times a year, but each time we get the right help. Once we called about custom features and they supported us quite well.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Kemp Load Balancer. We still have it as part of our infrastructure. The main difference between the two is the Citrix solution is part of a physical appliance, whereas the Kemp solution is a virtual appliance.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. We had a very good engineer that handled the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are costs in addition to the licensing fees, so the overall price can begin to add up.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend the solution to people who need the services and features provided by Citrix. It's a wonderful product. We've never had any downtime on our NetScaler solution. I'm pretty happy with it.
I'd rate it nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller.
Network Support Officer at Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc
A stable and lightweight gateway for application delivery
Pros and Cons
- "My customers have told me that the performance of this solution is good."
- "I would like to see multifactor authentication added to this solution to improve the security."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use of this solution is application delivery. It provides access.
This solution is a gateway to the public cloud.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is very light. Once you log in, you have your applications delivered. It is not heavy over the internet or the web.
My customers have told me that the performance of this solution is good.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see multifactor authentication added to this solution to improve the security.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for three or four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, this solution is quite good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are some things that I am not fully clear about when it comes to the physical appliance because I have not used it before. Currently, I am using the virtual appliance and it is scalable.
We have approximately one hundred users. We have no plans to increase usage at this time.
How are customer service and technical support?
My consultant handles the first level of technical support for me.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have not tried other solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of this solution is not complex. I think that it's quite simple.
The deployment takes approximately one or two days.
What about the implementation team?
I have a consultant who handles the deployment of this solution for me.
What other advice do I have?
We have the option of configuring the workspace or the receiver for clients to connect, or they can use the URL option and then login. I prefer using the URL that is on the web.
This is a solution that I have used for years and I recommend it.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Digital Transformation Division Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Runs behind the scenes, in the background and keeps everything running smoothly
Pros and Cons
- "The web application firewall which protects our services on the internet, and then of course services like our ability to provide high availability for the services we are offering are the most valuable features."
- "The user interface could be more friendly. Some wizards and other documentation for administrators, as well as some use cases, helps us to understand the solution."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is to provide security and ensure the viability of our services.
How has it helped my organization?
The services are almost 100% available to everybody. The solution is invisible for our clients, so by using it, nobody knows that anything is broken because we're hiding the service behind it. It works behind the scenes, in the background, and it keeps everything running smoothly.
What is most valuable?
The web application firewall which protects our services on the internet, and then of course services like our ability to provide high availability for the services we are offering are the most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
The user interface could be more friendly. Some wizards and other documentation for administrators, as well as some use cases, helps us to understand the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for 3 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. On the client side, we have several thousand users. In the company itself, I would say there are more than one hundred users.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No, we haven't been using any other solution.
How was the initial setup?
For deployment, it depends on the maturity of the client. If it's the services that are going to be supported by the solution or if it's just a new one, but the number of services is very low, then the implementation would take a week. If you are implementing a major infrastructure project that will support lots of services, then it becomes complicated, so there's no idea really how long it would take.
For our company's size and complexity, I would say it's straightforward.
Most clients, rather rarely, have a dedicated person to maintain just that solution but almost anybody from the operational team can watch it, so I don't know how many people you would need for deployment and maintenance. I haven't done a headcount.
What about the implementation team?
We provide the consultancy ourselves.
What was our ROI?
This is a type of product that, in terms of security, the moment you implement it, it has an ROI because it secures the home system in the sense that no data is lost. No secrets get out.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are some add ons to the standard licensing that you can buy for the basic version. You can extend with some add ons, or you can buy the premium version, so it depends on what your clients need. They get the packet and then they can do the add ons.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We were looking at different options according to price. We looked at the F5. The Citrix pricing was good for what it offers.
What other advice do I have?
It's always a really good idea to do a POC. There are companies that are not convinced as to why should they should use something, but a POC is a good way to show why.
The quality of the service is higher, simply, and that's what you need. So that's why we are using the solution. Also, there are lots of securities that integrate with the solution, so it's good. You can very easily find a way for almost every customer to use it.
I would rate this solution as a 9 out of 10. The performance is very good. The price is also good. You get performance, and lots of features which are very flexible which give the opportunity to provide really advanced support and the quality of the services we are serving from the platform is high.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.

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