2021-06-23T13:33:00Z

Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs Fortinet FortiNAC: which solution is better and why?

MK
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2 Answers

John Sayer - PeerSpot reviewer
Real User
Top 10
2021-06-28T14:25:25Z
Jun 28, 2021

My preference would be HPE/Aruba's Clearpass product over either of these 2 products, although Clearpass really shines when using the Wireless Guest and OnBoarding functions.  The authentication functionality is good and very complete with hooks to tie into external servers such as Google Admin Console for Chromebooks and JAMF for Apple devices.  


I haven't seen the latest incarnation of ISE, but my understanding is that it is a complete product.  


FortiNAC is the old Bradford Systems NAC solution.  Fortinet has recently added the ability for it to be a standalone RADIUS server for wireless WPA2-Enterprise implementations.  


Prior to that, it was essentially a MAC address repository that checked each device connecting to a network and then changed the VLAN for the device through SNMP and direct commands sent to the switches. Very old-school NAC.  


I was hoping that perhaps the added RADIUS functionality would allow standard Wired-802.1x and wireless WPA2 functionality. Tested this at a customer a couple of months ago and it failed completely. Without that functionality, you will need a separate RADIUS server in addition to FortiNAC.  

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EB
Community Manager
2021-06-28T08:54:48Z
Jun 28, 2021

Hi @Sean Muller ​, @Manjil Bhetwal ​, @Ahmed-Fawzy ​and @Nayef Hamzeh. Possibly, you can assist here? ​ Thank you!

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs. Fortinet FortiNAC and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
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Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs. Fortinet FortiNAC comparison
We compared Cisco Identity Services Engine and Fortinet FortiNA (ISE)C based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below. Ease of Deployment: Users of both solutions find them to be relatively difficult to deploy. Features: Users of both products feel that they are stable and scalable. Users of Cisco ISE find its integration capabilities to be valuable. However, they feel that its web interface could be easier to...
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