We performed a comparison between Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) and F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Network Access Control (NAC) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."It has all of the features available, in fact, more than what you need."
"Cisco offers automation, visibility, and control as well as third party integration capabilities."
"The policy sets give us more granular groups for end-user access."
"The most valuable feature is the visibility element, the ability for customers to be able to see what devices are actually on their network. Without a solution like ISE, they would have no idea what devices are connected to their network. It offers them the ability to authenticate devices via mobile."
"The authorization and accounts inside of ISE are very useful for us."
"It does what it's supposed to. We use a certificate-based authentication method for corporate-managed devices. That means when a user walks in with their managed laptop and plugs it into the network, it chats with Cisco ISE in the background, allows it on the network, and away they go."
"The product is stable."
"The most valuable features are authentication, we have more granular control on the access policies for the administrators. The solution is easy to use, has a center point administration, and has a good GUI."
"The tool is reliable and easy to configure."
"The product allows us to create customized portals for your users."
"This is a product that is easy to install and integrate, and it is simple to use."
"The load balancing features are valuable."
"Our customers have never complained about the stability"
"We have seen a return on investment from F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager. It provided access at a time when we didn't have it."
"Stickiness is the most valuable feature of the product."
"The performance of the solution is valuable."
"Cisco ISE can become quite complex, especially with policy sets, the entire authentication process, and everything involved."
"One of the issues that we used to have was with profiling because we're working with a service provider that uses a lot of bring your own devices."
"Cisco ISE's performance could be better, faster, and more robust."
"An area that could be improved is the agent. The challenge now is that agent and most of the computers have changed. They could think about agent-less deployment."
"With the recent release of the solution, we had a bunch of bugs and we had to delay our deployment. Other than that, the solution is good."
"The ISE software needs to be improved so that it is easier to administer."
"Deploying to a machine, as opposed to a dedicated appliance, can be a bit difficult."
"Segmentation can be improved."
"The operational deployment is not great."
"F5 BIG-IP APM disconnects when you leave it for long enough, but that is natural for IT solutions to do. That's a little bit frustrating."
"The solution is quite costly."
"The technical support’s response time must be improved."
"The solution’s GUI looks very old."
"We do not have knowledgeable support teams locally."
"The initial setup was complex."
"Integrating identity providers and single sign-on solutions can simplify user authentication and access control."
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Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is ranked 1st in Network Access Control (NAC) with 138 reviews while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is ranked 7th in Network Access Control (NAC) with 13 reviews. Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is rated 8.2, while F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) writes "Gives us that extra ability to assist the end user and make sure that we are making them happy". On the other hand, the top reviewer of F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) writes " Facilitates packet inspection, modification, and offloading and offers visibility and troubleshooting capabilities, allowing for pre-production server testing". Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is most compared with Aruba ClearPass, Fortinet FortiNAC, Forescout Platform, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager and One Identity Manager, whereas F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) is most compared with Citrix Gateway, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Ivanti Connect Secure, Microsoft Entra ID and Aruba ClearPass. See our Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs. F5 BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM) report.
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