Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs Symantec VIP Access Manager comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) and Symantec VIP Access Manager based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Forescout and others in Network Access Control (NAC).
To learn more, read our detailed Network Access Control (NAC) Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"Among the most valuable features is TACACS.""Member Access Control and the ability to integrate all Cisco wireless, Cisco networking, switches, routers, and firewalls.""The best features are the scalability and the license structure.""The most valuable feature is the ASDM - the user interface makes it very easy to configure the firewall.""It has all of the features available, in fact, more than what you need.""It works as a good RADIUS server. It has lots of features. It works with all the proprietary Cisco AB pairs and features.""The profiling model included is the most valuable feature.""It provides client provisions and profiling as well as guest access."

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"The two-factor authentication is most definitely valuable and moves us closer to being able to check off those important boxes for compliance.""The tool has been very stable, in my experience. Also, I haven't faced any issues or problems with integration or connectivity.""Other than it provides us with remote access, so it's fairly easy to install, fairly easy to set up, and provides us the ability to get into our corporate environment.""The VPN we are using is good and working quite well.""In this version 9.1, lots of changes are done for the dashboard, User Store etc.""It is easy to use.""Cloud-based service and management.""It's a good tool. It's pretty straightforward."

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Cons
"We do tend to run into a lot of issues with ISE when it comes to bugs.""Cisco ISE can become quite complex, especially with policy sets, the entire authentication process, and everything involved.""I'd like to see the logging be a bit more robust in terms of what it has baked in. If I want to do any in-depth searching, I have to export all the logs to an external platform like Elastic or LogRhythm and then parse through them myself. It would be nice if I could find what I want, when I want it, on the platform itself.""The solution can lag somewhat as we have a large database.""There are still some bugs in ISE that need to be worked out.""I'm working from China currently and the only real issue is that, within the country, there's some concern around Cisco and its ability to offer the solution for the long term. As the United States has banned the Huawei version in their country, we feel there may be retaliation in ours and Cisco will get banned as a countermeasure from the government. The future of Cisco in China is in question. Our local partners are worried about the situation.""It could be more intuitive in terms of how to configure the policies.""ISE is a little clunky. The front-end feels like it is from the 1980s."

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"It gets out of sync with Active Directory or whatever it might be, whatever the authentication piece is on Active Directory, and they just reset it on the backend. I never have to contact the vendor.""In the next release, I would like the ability to work offline with remote access.""The User Store synchronization part needs to improve. Also, the logs, reports, and dashboard can be improved.""The gateway server is a RADIUS server, but it lacks the functionality of returning RADIUS attributes other than those that are required for the gateway to authenticate the users.""If they had dashboards or a report for managers or executives, then it would allow them to see the status and have it make sense to them.""It is challenging to use when installing a new version.""I would like to see the solution meet the integration needs at our company...Improving the solution's integration feature would be beneficial.""Maybe Symantec could consider providing a step-by-step guide for first-time users."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "There are three levels of pricing: basic, plus, and apex. Basic satisfied our needs."
  • "If you go directly with Cisco for the implementation it's very, very expensive."
  • "The SMARTnet technical support is available at an additional cost."
  • "For the Avast virus scan, we pay around USD $95 per machine for five years which includes all updates and technical support."
  • "The price for Cisco ISE is high."
  • "The price can be lower, especially for subscriptions. It should be a lot cheaper to have a wide range of customers. The price should be comparable to competitive products like Forescout or Fortinet FortiNAC. Forescout is cheaper for customers looking for a cloud solution."
  • "There are other cheaper options available."
  • "The price is okay."
  • More Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Licensing and pricing seems very fair."
  • "There is a one-time setup fee plus the licenses are provided as per the number of users. For SMS and voice calls, the costs are separate."
  • "There are additional costs for maintenance."
  • "I can say that the solution is worth the money."
  • More Symantec VIP Access Manager Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: Aruba ClearPass is a Network Access Control tool that gives secure network access to multiple device types. You can adapt the policies to VPN access, wired, or wireless access. You can securely… more »
    Top Answer:OK, so Cisco ISE uses 802.1X to secure switchports against unauthorized access. The drawback of this is that ISE cannot secure the port if a device does not support 802.1x. Cameras, badge readers… more »
    Top Answer:Cisco ISE uses AI endpoint analytics to identify new devices based on their behavior. It will also notify you if someone plugs in with a device that is not allowed and will block it. The user… more »
    Top Answer:The product is useful for providing user access from an in-built office server as we follow the work-from-home model.
    Top Answer:The pricing would most likely charge per user based on how many accounts have access to the IT managers.
    Top Answer:The product's connection speed needs improvement. Sometimes, I need help connecting my mobile to the main office's system due to a version upgrade. It is challenging to use when installing a new… more »
    Ranking
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    16,525
    Reviews
    74
    Average Words per Review
    756
    Rating
    8.5
    15th
    Views
    2,087
    Comparisons
    1,787
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    490
    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cisco ISE
    Symantec VIP
    Learn More
    Overview

    Cisco ISE is an all-in-one solution that streamlines security policy management and reduces operating costs. Cisco ISE delivers visibility and access control over users and devices across wired, wireless, and VPN connections.

    Identity Services Engine enables enterprises to deliver secure network access to users and devices. It shares contextual data, such as threats and vulnerabilities, with integrated solutions from Cisco technology partners. You can see what is happening in your network, which applications are running, and more.

    Features of Cisco ISE

    • Centralized management helps administrators configure and manage user profile characteristics - a single pane of glass for integrated management services.
    • Contextual identity and business policy: The rule-based attribute is a driven policy model. The goal is to provide flexible access control policies.
    • Wide range of access control options, including Virtual LAN (VLAN) URL redirections, and access control lists.
    • Supplicant-less network access: You can roll out secure network access by deriving authentication from login information across application layers.
    • Guest lifecycle management streamlines the experience for implementing and customizing network access for guests.
    • Built-in AAA services: The platform uses standard RADIUS protocol for authentication, authorization, and accounting.
    • Device auditing, administration, and access control provide users with access on a need-to-know and need-to-act basis. It keeps audit trails for every change in the network.
    • Device profiling: ISE features predefined device templates for different types of endpoints.
    • Internal certificate authority: Qn easy-to-deploy single console to manage endpoints and certificates.

    Benefits of Cisco ISE

    Cisco’s holistic approach to network access security has several advantages:

    • Context-based access based on your company policies. ISE creates a complete contextual identity, including attributes such as user, time, location, threat, access type, and vulnerability. This contextual identity is used to enforce a secure access policy. Administrators can apply strict control over how and when endpoints are allowed in the network.
    • Better network visibility via an easy-to-use, simple console. In addition, visibility is improved by storing a detailed attribute history of all endpoints connected to the network.
    • Comprehensive policy enforcement. ISE sets easy and flexible access rules. These rules are controlled from a central console that enforces them across the network and security infrastructure. You can define policies that differentiate between registered users and guests. The system uses group tags that enable access control on business rules instead of IP addresses.
    • Self-service device onboarding enables the enterprise to implement a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy securely. Users can manage their devices according to the policies defined by IT administrators. (IT remains in charge of provisioning and posturing to comply with security policies.)
    • Consistent guest experiences: You can provide guests with different levels of access from different connections. You can customize guest portals via a cloud-delivered portal editor with dynamic visual tools.

    Support

    You can get ISE as a physical or virtual appliance. Both deployments can create ISE clusters that create scale, redundancy, and requirements.

    Licensing

    Cisco ISE has four primary licences. Evaluation for up to 100 endpoints with full platform functionality. The higher tiers are Partner, Advantage and Essential.

    Reviews from Real Users

    "The user experience of the solution is great. It's a very transparent system. according to a PeerSpot user in Cyber Security at a manufacturing company.

    Omar Z., Network & Security Engineer at an engineering company, feels that "The RADIUS Server holds the most value."

    “Whether I deploy in China, the US, South Africa, or wherever, I can get all the capabilities. It allows me to directly integrate with 365, and from a communications point of view, that is a good capability," says Rammohan M., Senior Consultant at a tech services company.

    Hassan A.,Technology Manager at Advanced Integrated Systems, says that "The most valuable feature is the integration with StealthWatch and DNA as one fabric."




    Symantec VIP Access Manager is the next generation control platform that integrates Single Sign-On (SSO) with strong authentication, access control, and user management. It offers users and administrators control, convenience, and compliance for public and private cloud- based applications. Symantec VIP Access Manager solves cloud security problems using identity and/or context-based access control across multiple cloud applications. In the cloud, where a traditional enterprise perimeter doesn't exist, this solution fills the gap. Through Symantec VIP Access Manager, administrators can define policies that utilize the built-in user directory or existing identity management infrastructure to enforce security and compliance for applications without getting in the way of productivity. Symantec VIP Access Manager can also protect and consolidate access management for on-premise web applications. It also simplifies compliance auditing for cloud applications by consolidating logs across all applications it protects.

    Sample Customers
    Aegean Motorway, BC Hydro, Beachbody, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Cisco IT, Derby City Council, Global Banking Customer, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha, Houston Methodist, Linz AG, London Hydro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Molina Healthcare, MST Systems, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Reykjavik University, Wildau University
    Maine Medical Center, Aria S.p.A
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Comms Service Provider11%
    Government11%
    Computer Software Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization23%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Government8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    Leisure / Travel Company11%
    Real Estate/Law Firm11%
    Hospitality Company11%
    Transportation Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Healthcare Company12%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise55%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise32%
    Large Enterprise52%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise63%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business20%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise69%
    Buyer's Guide
    Network Access Control (NAC)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Forescout and others in Network Access Control (NAC). Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is ranked 1st in Network Access Control (NAC) with 135 reviews while Symantec VIP Access Manager is ranked 15th in Authentication Systems with 15 reviews. Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is rated 8.2, while Symantec VIP Access Manager 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 Symantec VIP Access Manager writes "With its mobile application, this tool offers a convenient and user-friendly experience to its users". Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is most compared with Aruba ClearPass, Fortinet FortiNAC, Forescout Platform, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager and Fortinet FortiAuthenticator, whereas Symantec VIP Access Manager is most compared with Microsoft Entra ID, Check Point Remote Access VPN, Yubico YubiKey, RSA SecurID Access and Okta Workforce Identity.

    We monitor all Network Access Control (NAC) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.