We performed a comparison between Aruba ClearPass and Cisco ISE (Identity Service Engine) based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Although Cisco is a worldwide, well-known, trusted, and respected branded product, with many known complexities, Aruba ClearPass is flexible, versatile, and more user-friendly than Cisco. Aruba’s aggressive stance on keeping hackers out with strict authentication policies and its cost-effective business model and excellent technical service make it a NAC solution to consider seriously.
"It's very easy to access support and the documentation is self-explanatory."
"What I like most about Aruba ClearPass is that it has the best enforcement feature for the network. I also like its Guest Captive Portal and virtual security enforcement features, but the virtual security enforcement feature is still under testing by my company. Aruba ClearPass also has a wonderful UI which I find valuable."
"The solution has been working well."
"We can double verify whether a machine is compliant with our policy on the one hand, and on the other hand if it's one of our machines we let it into the network."
"The aspect of Aruba ClearPass that I like most is that it has a lot of options, it is very versatile."
"Aruba ClearPass's most valuable features are simple accessing, operating, and management. Additionally, the dashboard and performance work well."
"Authentication capabilities are one of the most valuable features."
"ClearPass prevents hackers from accessing the network. No one can get inside without authentication. It provides a lot of features we are missing. It's incredibly powerful and stable."
"The profiling model included is the most valuable feature."
"Not having to trust devices and being able to set those levels of trust and more finely control our network is a benefit."
"The interface is pretty easy to use."
"The solution cuts down on the repercussions of getting malware or ransomware."
"The biggest value of ISE is that it can get so granular with gaming systems, versus IoT and BYOD."
"Authentication is the most valuable feature because it puts our company at another level of security."
"Improves switch account management."
"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 user interface could be more polished and modern. It would be useful to have more options for automation."
"There is room for improvement in the support."
"Licensing cost is extremely high."
"The setup of ClearPass can be a bit convoluted at times."
"This solution could be improved by making it possible to use it across different territories. Currently, if a user moves from the US to the UK, their usage and access will be restricted."
"The product's graphical user interface (GUI) could use an update and better integration between the guest management and policy management interfaces."
"The scalability could improve."
"In the next version, I would like to see some enhancement or extension on the tracking side. For example, when any user enters the network, it should be more visible in the graphical form."
"ISE is a little clunky. The front-end feels like it is from the 1980s."
"I'd like to see an easier way to upgrade to larger versions, as well as more best practices that are easier to locate on their support page."
"The policies could be adjusted to make them more easily implementable."
"It does a good job of establishing trust for every access request. We have had a little bit of a challenge with profiling, but we are probably about 80% there."
"There should be a single button that can be pressed to dismiss all of the alarms at once."
"Sometimes some of Cisco ISE's graphical interfaces could be a little bit smoother. However, with the different versions, the product is getting better and better."
"I don't like the fact that we can see the logs only for 24 hours. Maybe that happens because of the way we set it up."
"Cisco ISE requires a lot of time-consuming administration."
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Aruba ClearPass is ranked 2nd in Network Access Control (NAC) with 31 reviews while Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is ranked 1st in Network Access Control (NAC) with 76 reviews. Aruba ClearPass is rated 8.6, while Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Aruba ClearPass writes "Easy to use, integrates well with other Aruba solutions, and offers good performance". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) writes "Offers rich contact sharing, many self-service features, and the ability to categorically list all the endpoints in the infrastructure". Aruba ClearPass is most compared with Fortinet FortiNAC, Forescout Platform, Microsoft Intune, Ruckus Cloudpath and macmon Network Access Control, whereas Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is most compared with Fortinet FortiNAC, Forescout Platform, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator and Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security. See our Aruba ClearPass vs. Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) report.
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