Cisco Legacy AnyConnect for iOS

Cisco AnyConnect is an app designed to let you connect securely to VPNs. This is an app for enterprise users who need a secure way to connect to a VPN at their place of work. Coming from a trusted name like Cisco, the app provides a level of safety and security that should be welcome by those who have need of such an app.

Pros

Built-in help: The built-in help within the application is quite useful. A small icon in the bottom right-hand corner of a given screen will pull up an explanation of the menu items. This is helpful for people who might need to use a VPN but who aren't as technically experienced. The help feature is comprehensive and easy to access, which is always welcome in advanced applications.

Setup ease: Connecting to a VPN was very straightforward, and worked the first time with no glitches. As long as you have the server address, username, and password you should have no problems connecting to your network.

Smooth performance: The app connected seamlessly to the test VPN, and provided smooth and reliable performance. There was no drop-off in speed or responsiveness as can sometimes happen when connecting to a VPN.

Cons

Bare-bones design: Although we realize this is an enterprise app, it appears as if very little thought at all went into the design. The app's interface is just a series of buttons and text boxes and doesn't look all that different from the built-in settings pages of iOS, except with a different color scheme. A little more design consideration might have been welcome.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, if you need a secure way to access your work VPN from your iPhone, Cisco AnyConnect is probably a worthwhile option. It is easy to set up and provides a fast and reliable connection. The design is minimal, but the app certainly functions as advertised.

This version is now known as Cisco Legacy AnyConnect and will be phased out over time. The newer Cisco AnyConnect application is now available as a separate download from the App Store. This Legacy AnyConnect version utilizes a deprecated VPN framework and will only receive critical bug fixes going forward.

The new Cisco AnyConnect application uses the latest VPN framework which is more reliable and includes official Per App VPN support (both TCP & UDP applications). To use the new application, you will need to download it or have it pushed via EMM. Re-provisioning/new set up is required for the new application.

EMM vendors must support VPNType (VPN), VPNSubType (com.cisco.anyconnect) and ProviderType (packet-tunnel).

Admins - Please consult with your EMM vendor on how to set up this configuration for your profiles.

Please direct any questions to ac-mobile-feedback@cisco.com.