--- title: F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Reviews meta_title: 'F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.3 review_count: 2 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-07-17' parent_category: name: Network Security url: https://www.g2.com/categories/network-security --- # F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Reviews **Vendor:** F5 **Category:** [Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/network-traffic-analysis-nta) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 2 ## About F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Designed for service providers, F5® BIG-IP® Policy Enforcement Manager™ (PEM) delivers the insight required to understand subscriber behavior and effectively manage network traffic with a wide range of policy enforcement capabilities. BIG-IP PEM provides intelligent layer 4–7 traffic steering, network intelligence, and dynamic control of network resources through subscriber and context-aware solutions. It also provides reporting, which allows for the creation of tailored services and packages based on subscribers’ application usage and traffic classification and patterns - to increase ARPU. BIG-IP PEM provides the ability to optimize how video traffic is carried in the network and to increase network resource savings while maintaining subscribers video quality of experience (QoE) and enabling monetization of new services. This is critical as video will account for 76% of all mobile network traffic by 2025. Utilizing machine learning functionality, BIG-IP PEM can detect and classify encrypted and unencrypted ABR traffic flows. When identified, protocol-agnostic bandwidth control can be applied to manage and prioritize different video traffic types (high versus low definition for example), or manage and prioritize traffic to different destinations. PEM is available in hardware, as a VNF or as a CNF. ## F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users find the **installation process easy** , with a straightforward setup that ensures smooth onboarding with minimal effort. (1 reviews) - Users value the **seamless integration** with the BIG-IP platform, enhancing visibility and control over network traffic. (1 reviews) - Users value the **detailed reporting feature** of F5 BIG-IP PEM, enhancing workflow and traffic visibility effortlessly. (1 reviews) - Users appreciate the **straightforward setup** of F5 BIG-IP PEM, allowing for a smooth onboarding experience. (1 reviews) - Users value the **superior visibility** provided by F5 BIG-IP PEM, enhancing their understanding of network traffic patterns. (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users find the interface can feel **complex** , particularly when managing advanced policies and navigating workflows. (1 reviews) - Users find the **difficult navigation** a hurdle, wishing for clearer workflows and a more intuitive interface for policies. (1 reviews) - Users find the **interface complex** , craving smoother navigation and clearer workflows for policy management. (1 reviews) ## F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Reviews ### 1. Powerful Traffic Control with Room for UI Improvement **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Roi N. | CEO, Computer & Network Security, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 11, 2025 **What do you like best about F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM)?** I use F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) to manage and enforce traffic policies across our network, which helps align with our performance and security requirements. I really like the granular traffic control; the ability to classify and shape traffic with such detail keeps things stable and predictable. I appreciate how well it integrates with the rest of the BIG-IP platform, providing useful visibility into traffic patterns. The reporting feature makes it easier to understand what's happening without digging too deep, which fits smoothly into the workflow. Using F5 BIG-IP PEM with other BIG-IP modules and monitoring tools gives us a complete picture of traffic movement across the network. Switching from a basic traffic-management tool to PEM allowed us better visibility and more granular control. The initial setup was straightforward, and after tuning, the onboarding went smoothly. **What do you dislike about F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM)?** Sometimes the interface can feel a bit complex, especially when working with more advanced policies. I'd also like to see smoother navigation and clearer workflows for creating and adjusting rules. Even small things like clearer prompts, fewer clicks between steps, and more visual cues would help. A more streamlined layout for editing and reviewing policies would also make it easier to spot issues quickly. Nothing major, just quality-of-life updates that would smooth out the workflow. **What problems is F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use F5 BIG-IP PEM to manage and enforce traffic policies, ensuring performance and security. It classifies traffic accurately, optimizes our network, and reduces guesswork by providing clear visibility into application and service usage. ### 2. PEM gives you the flexibility to do whatever you want with the traffic towards your applications **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 12, 2021 **What do you like best about F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM)?** The visibility and control it provides, mostly on the subscriber model. **What do you dislike about F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM)?** A little bit hard to configure, but it is a complex solution, so it is understandable. **What problems is F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) solving and how is that benefiting you?** Mostly tested in Lab environment - QoS, shaping, etc. based on subscriber. ## F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Discussions - [What is F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-f5-big-ip-policy-enforcement-manager-pem-used-for) - [View F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/f5-big-ip-policy-enforcement-manager-pem/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-07-28+16%3A57%3A27+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=22d2f32f-74e7-4c92-b8c3-3bf538848645&secure%5Btoken%5D=34f92fbb5ac6fc2a4b8a2abc37d0c2aeb1fc5b7e0cad2cbb77db4190939aecce&format=llm_user) ## F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Features **Automation** - Metadata Management - Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning - Response Automation - Continuous Analysis **Functionality** - Multi-Network Capability - Anomaly Detection - Network Visibility - Scalability **Incident Management** - Incident Logs - Incident Alerts - Incident Reporting ## Top F5 BIG-IP Policy Enforcement Manager (PEM) Alternatives - [SolarWinds Observability](https://www.g2.com/products/solarwinds-worldwide-llc-solarwinds-observability/reviews) - 4.3/5.0 (823 reviews) - [Datadog](https://www.g2.com/products/datadog/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (715 reviews) - [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (511 reviews)