What users are saying about
31 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.7 out of 100
Based on 31 reviews and ratings
16 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 9.8 out of 100
Based on 16 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
Firewall

8.1
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
81%

Riverbed SteelHead
Feature Set Not Supported
N/A
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall (formerly NG Firewalls) ranks higher in 11/11 features
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall (formerly NG Firewalls) ranks higher in 11/11 features
Identification Technologies

7.7
77%
7 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Visualization Tools

7.6
76%
7 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Content Inspection

8.2
82%
6 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Policy-based Controls

7.8
78%
7 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Active Directory and LDAP

7.9
79%
8 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Firewall Management Console

8.2
82%
8 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Reporting and Logging

7.8
78%
8 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
VPN

9.1
91%
7 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
High Availability

7.7
77%
7 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Stateful Inspection

8.2
82%
6 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Proxy Server

8.9
89%
3 Ratings

N/A
0 Ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Riverbed SteelHead is rated higher in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend
Likelihood to Recommend

6.5
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
65%
11 Ratings

10.0
Riverbed SteelHead
100%
6 Ratings
Usability

5.5
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
55%
1 Rating

Riverbed SteelHead
N/A
0 Ratings
Support Rating

6.6
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
66%
6 Ratings

Riverbed SteelHead
N/A
0 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
I would say a small business with a basic firewall and security needs would be a perfect fit for the Barracuda CloudGen firewall. I know that they soon end up leaving the NG models and are moving forward with the F series firewall. I think the F series is a much more difficult to manage device and doesn’t offer simplistic configuration or use and lacks cloud control so I don’t understand the move on Barracuda’s part to nix a great easy to manage the firewall. I do think that the NG line is maybe too simple for bigger businesses and would lack some main features that they would require.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Defense & Space Company, 201-500 employeesRiverbed SteelHead
If you are dealing with large CAD files on a daily basis "remotely", Riverbed Steelhead makes your home office feel just like the office
Technology Lead
LandformCivil Engineering, 11-50 employees
Pros
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
- The management software is excellent. It make it much easier to manage the firewalls than some of the other vendors.
- Watching real-time traffic is easy to do when trying to troubleshoot a users issues getting to a particular service.
- Support from Barracuda has been excellent. We rate their phone and online remote support as being the best in the business.
- We like the QoS and Traffic shaping of the NG Firewalls. They help is manage our limited bandwidth, so that business critical resources are available over lesser critical resources.
- Integration with Active Directory makes it easy to identify users activities in logs.

Verified User
Project Manager in Information Technology
Higher Education Company, 201-500 employeesRiverbed SteelHead
- Effectively improves data throughput over VPN WAN connections.
- Seamless operation.
- Optimizes a variety of applications. Including, HTTPS, Citrix, Netapp SM and SV, Exchange, etc.
Manager, Corporate Services and Information Systems
Forest Practices BoardGovernment Administration, 51-200 employees
Cons
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
- Very complex and steep learning curve to get up to speed.
- Multiple ways to configure for the same service or feature. Takes time to determine "your" customized build.
- Interface can sometimes be clunky when trying to determine how it's organized or arranged. Again, steep learning curve.
Service Manager
Accellis Technology GroupInformation Technology and Services, 11-50 employees
Riverbed SteelHead
- A reduction in price is always welcomed
- Simplify and streamline advanced features and add-on pieces for more detailed traffic analysis
- Getting granularity into traffic behavior becomes confusing and very expensive

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Chemicals Company, 1001-5000 employeesPricing Details
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
General
Free Trial
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Riverbed SteelHead
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Usability
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall 5.5
Based on 1 answer
Easy enough to use and configure using the management UI. Reporting from the web filter is a little clunky, and not very user friendly. To be perfectly honest, once it's set up and running, there isn't a lot to do from the day-to-day side of things, which is not a bad thing.

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Education Management Company, 51-200 employeesRiverbed SteelHead
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall 6.6
Based on 6 answers
I could go on and on about how good Barracuda's support really is. I have yet to have a problem they didn't help me fix and I always learn something when talking with them. The story that best describes my overall experience with Barracuda's support is this: When I first put in the xSeries they had a problem with a policy route. There was a bug in the code and in the one situation I was it, it just would not work. I went up the levels of support and they couldn't fix it. Well, next thing I know I am on the phone with 2 of the guys that programmed the thing and they work out the solution in no time and get me going. That is support. That is what I have come to expect from Barracuda. If the tech on the phone doesn't know the answer, they do not stop until they find it. Grant it, I also have to admit I do not call support with every problem, I try to work it out on my own first as that is how I learn best, so when I do call support it is going to be complicated.
Senior Network Engineer
Pine Belt Mental HealthHospital & Health Care, 501-1000 employees
Riverbed SteelHead
No score
No answers yet
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
Our Cisco firewall was always difficult to make any changes against. It had no user-friendly GUI interface. We were calling technical support most of the time whenever we needed to make any changes. The Barracuda CloudGen Firewall has a GUI interface which we are looking forward to getting better acquainted with as we move off of our old Cisco. Of course, Barracuda's technical support is always there and is top notch!
Vice President of IT
GiumarraFood & Beverages, 201-500 employees
Riverbed SteelHead
We tested Cisco eleven years ago in parallel with Riverbed in a PoC. The Cisco configuration was very complex and sticky based on the location. The Riverbed configuration is flexible based on the whole storage. A software client for devices like laptops or tablets is not available for Cisco WAAS, therefore we selected Riverbed based on a PoC.
Senior Solution Architect
Freudenberg IT GmbH & Co. KGComputer & Network Security, 1001-5000 employees
Return on Investment
Barracuda CloudGen Firewall
- We saved multiple thousands of dollars the first year out with the firewall in maintenance fees. We paid for the firewall and 3 years of service and still saved money.
- The ease of management allows me to do my job more efficiently. I save a lot of time when doing my day to day job because I can get to my firewall virtually anywhere.
- I feel a lot safer and my business more secure knowing that I have configured things the way they need to be and it was simple and not overly complicated.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Defense & Space Company, 201-500 employeesRiverbed SteelHead
- Files now open a lot quicker, at near local speeds.
- We are able to respond to customers quicker as we can get access quicker.

Verified User
Manager in Information Technology
Airlines/Aviation Company, 501-1000 employees