Item: F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect
Rating: 9
Author: Yegor Devyatovskiy

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The Network Connect aspect of the F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect is an absolute game-changer! It is a full stack that replaces disparate pieces of networking architecture. We are looking forward to getting the connectivity connected between all our sites. The best part is how much happens on the backend to make an engineer’s job much easier. Glad that with the whole XC platform, the initial step to make things easy was the primary driving force.

Pros and Cons

Solves a difficult problem of duplicate IP addresses.
Product is very well documented.
There is a clear understanding of what is currently missing and needs added.

Still can’t quickly rename things!
Missing some aspects of APM being migrated into cloud.
Still a bit many use-cases for on-premise hardware.

Return on Investment

Increasing network visibility.
Single point of management.
Reducing total cost of ownership from hardware.

Performance

Overall, F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect is responsive and has many features. There is minor clunkiness in how certain scroll bars are layered. This may cause some adverse experience when trying to manage this product through a zoomed browser. Page loading and refresh timers were all very much responsive. There is a good amount of feedback from the interface as well.

Alternatives Considered

Aviatrix Cloud Network Platform

Aviatrix operates like a slightly different version of XC. Mostly it relies on routing, where cloud connect takes a whole stack into consideration. Not sure if XC can fully replace Aviatrix, but after a couple of implementations, it may become apparent. There are similar routing features in both. XC has more overall features.

Key Insights

Do you think F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect's feature set?

Yes

Did F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN, Aviatrix Cloud Network Platform, LogicMonitor

Likelihood to Recommend

F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect Would be incredibly useful when having to juggle multiple cloud providers. Also XC would be fantastic for standardization and consistency of the whole networking stack. It may be less useful for incredibly specialized cases where very specific traffic manipulation is needed. Any use-cases with heavy APM usage would have to be carefully considered as those features didn’t make it into XC yet.

The Network Connect aspect of the F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect is an absolute game-changer!

Overall Satisfaction with F5 Distributed Cloud Network Connect