We performed a comparison between Cisco ISE and Forescout Platform based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Cisco is a worldwide, well-known, trusted, and respected branded product, and despite its known complexities, Cisco ISE pushes just ahead of Forescout Platform. Forescout Platform has just a few buggy issues and is lacking in some reporting structure, which makes Cisco ISE an easier choice.
"The authorization and accounts inside of ISE are very useful for us."
"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."
"Profiling is one of the most valuable features. We have a lot of different devices between cameras, access points, and laptops that get plugged in."
"Cisco ISE now competes with any other product in the space because of its centralized and unified highly secure access control with ISE."
"The policy sets give us more granular groups for end-user access."
"I like that Cisco ISE is easy to use."
"It has allowed us to pull in multiple authentication databases, then centralize them into a captive portal system."
"The solution cuts down on the repercussions of getting malware or ransomware."
"Forescout Platform has granular features and one of the most impressive features is the agentless feature."
"It allows for good detection of all the vendor products we have on-site."
"The initial setup is quite simple. It's not too complex or difficult to set up."
"This solution can be used to organize guest portals, integrate switches, and create policies. Some of its standard use cases also include completing key process upgrades and anti-virus of Windows OS."
"The most valuable feature of the Forescout Platform is the large capacity it can handle. Additionally, the interface of the platform is good."
"The plugins are very robust -- the ability scanner, patch management system, and SQL integrator."
"Emergency response, risk assessment information to get a view of the of the vulnerability."
"The user interface is quite simple."
"There should be a single button that can be pressed to dismiss all of the alarms at once."
"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."
"The templates could be better. When you have to do certs, especially with X.500 certs, it isn't very intuitive."
"Cisco ISE is complex. The deployment and design of networks with it is so complex. If it could change it would be better."
"The interface could be more user-friendly and the ability to apply rules to MAC addresses, for example, if I wanted to allow a certain MAC address access at a particular time I cannot make this adjustment."
"Difficult to figure out the protocols and nodes in order to implement correctly."
"The solution lacks properly knowledgeable support, especially internationally, and this is why I am exploring other applications."
"I would like to see the product simplified more, especially with the configuration."
"The biggest disadvantage is the pricing."
"As a user, if I am using a laptop that is Wi-Fi connected, Forescout identifies my port connectivity as one user license, and if I take that same laptop with the same username to a wired network, which is also the same network that is used for the Wi-Fi connection, Forescout detects it as a separate license."
"Two things can be improved in the Forescout Platform. First of all, the support for some certain proprietary protocols from other vendors, but they are very widely used. If the TechEx from Cisco, was added to Forescout, then it will be a full solution for me."
"I believe that the overall user experience has not always been preferable."
"Forescout Platform's technical support is slow to respond and could be more knowledgeable."
"As a product, there is nothing to complain about. However, they should improve their overall support. You need that level of knowledge, that level of information is clearly not available. First and foremost, that information is not accessible. The second point to mention is that once you purchase the later support and services. That is, they will continue to charge you for every service."
"The licensing costs are quite high. With the amount of hardware we have, we need too many licenses to make the product effective and it's ultimately just too costly."
"I should be able to integrate my Forescout with any other third party security technology, to build that connected security strategy."
More Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) Pricing and Cost Advice →
Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is ranked 1st in Network Access Control (NAC) with 135 reviews while Forescout Platform is ranked 4th in Network Access Control (NAC) with 69 reviews. Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is rated 8.2, while Forescout Platform is rated 8.4. 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 Forescout Platform writes "We can go granular on each endpoint, quarantine non-compliant machines, and target vulnerabilities through scripting". Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is most compared with Aruba ClearPass, Fortinet FortiNAC, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Fortinet FortiAuthenticator and Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security, whereas Forescout Platform is most compared with Aruba ClearPass, Fortinet FortiNAC, Nozomi Networks, Armis and Tenable Security Center. See our Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs. Forescout Platform report.
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