We use it to ensure that any device that connects to our network or wireless environment is a company-owned asset and has all the security certificates. We aren't doing too much remediation. We just identify whether it's one of our assets and whether it's allowed.

In our company, we have a lot of remote workers. Knowing that even devices that are coming through a VPN comply with our policies, whether they're in the office or they're remote, face the same level of scrutiny is a benefit to our company.

We can set as in-depth alerts as we want to. We can set up an alert through email, text, etc.

It has helped to improve our cybersecurity resilience. It helps to ensure that all devices meet the patching and certificate requirements.

It's keeping our company safe from rogue devices connecting to our network. From a security standpoint, there's peace of mind knowing that every device that connects is a good one.

The upgrades could be better. Every time we try to do an upgrade, we have problems. It's a pain.

I've only been with the company for six months, but they adopted Cisco ISE about three to five years ago.

Support has always been good. Overall, I'd rate them an eight out of ten. Sometimes it feels that their first-level support hasn't been trained in-depth.

Positive

We have redundant solutions across all of our data centers, policy nodes, and authentication nodes. As far as I know, we started off in a small deployment with our wireless. We profiled our devices to ensure that they belonged to our companies before we let them access, and then from there, we expanded into profiling wired ports as well, so we started very small and then moved to a larger solution.

In terms of our plans to increase its usage, we may use Cisco ISE in different ways, but the number of nodes that we have will probably stay the same. With version 2, we're moving more of our deployment to the cloud, so we'll move from the on-premise solution to the cloud. We've already started the process. We have some nodes built in the cloud, and we just have to move the production and then remove our on-prem. We're using Oracle Cloud for our highest deployments. It will be fully cloud.

We've seen a return on investment from the security aspect.

I'd advise starting just the way we did. Start small because there are a lot of use cases of Cisco ISE. If you try to do it all at once, you might be disappointed, so start small and pick an area that you'd like to focus on, get that piece done, and then go from there. 

It hasn't really helped to free up our IT staff for other projects. It also hasn't helped us consolidate any tools. 

Overall, I'd rate Cisco ISE an eight out of ten.

We mainly use Cisco ISE for device authentication. We are now rolling out 802.1X.

Cisco ISE has provided us with a security posture that we desire, particularly for wired connections, enabling the identification of domain users and non-domain users.

I would rate Cisco ISE an eight out of ten for its capability to secure our infrastructure from end to end, enabling us to detect and address threats. This high rating is due to its ability to establish policies and dynamically configure switch components for users.

Cisco ISE has helped our IT staff save approximately 15 hours per week, as they no longer need to manually configure the switch components.

Cisco ISE has helped improve our cybersecurity resilience, particularly through the use of 802.1X. This aspect is something we are leveraging to a great extent.

Being able to authenticate wired users through 802.1X is valuable as it enhances our security. If someone enters an unsecured room and connects to a wired connection, they will be authenticated to a guest network, completely segregated from our data networks.

The policies could be adjusted to make them more easily implementable.

I have been using Cisco ISE for four years.

Cisco ISE is extremely stable.

Cisco ISE is highly scalable, particularly for device authentication, as we have 3,000 switches in our environment.

Cisco technical support was knowledgeable about Cisco ISE deployments.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward because we were familiar with what we wanted. When we encountered an issue with the policies, we opened a task case, and it was resolved quickly.

We utilized an internal consultant for the implementation who possessed extensive experience in Cisco technology. Our overall experience was positive.

We have witnessed a return on investment with Cisco ISE due to the protection it offers to our environment and the capability of 802.1X to assist in managing security risks.

I give Cisco ISE a nine out of ten.

Cisco is continuously improving its products. There are so many features that we're not even using in Cisco ISE. So we use what is relevant for our own use case.

I recommend that individuals conducting research on the solution take a thorough look at 802.1X and gain a comprehensive understanding of how it can offer the desired level of security.

We utilize Cisco throughout our environment and chose ISE due to our familiarity with all of Cisco's products.

I use Cisco ISE for VPN and authentication.

Cisco ISE is a good and easy-to-use solution. We had a smooth experience with it, and we didn't face any issues. We upgraded the solution two years ago, and that version also worked fine. 

Cisco ISE's integration with other external identity servers like Duende is very simple and easy.

Cisco ISE's performance could be better, faster, and more robust. Sometimes it takes some time to move through the tabs and configure something.

I have been using Cisco ISE for three and a half years.

Cisco ISE is a stable solution. We haven't faced any major issues with the product.

Cisco ISE is a scalable solution. Our environment has a cluster distributed across three countries and seven nodes. It would be very easy to add another node or remote site.

In some areas, Cisco ISE's technical support is good. However, we had an issue with integrating Cisco ISE with DNS. So we opened a case, which escalated, and we had it for almost two years. Cisco escalated our case after hearing about our integration problem, and the issue was solved eventually.

In normal support cases, like if you are facing a bug, you will have very quick input from Cisco ISE's technical support. It is easy to find the issues in some areas, but in some cases, you might have to go along a troubleshooting path to find the issue. I used to work for Cisco tech wireless team. In some deployments, you have a complicated environment and must understand and solve the issue. Sometimes, it might take a long time to solve or find an issue, while it would be easy in other cases. It depends on the complexity of the environment.

Positive

Cisco ISE was already deployed when I joined my company, but I was present when it was upgraded. The upgrading process wasn't very easy, but we didn't face many issues. When we upgraded our Cisco ISE, it was running on the 2.3 version. We upgraded it to 2.7, and we had some issues at that time. We upgraded directly to 2.7 patch 2, and most problems were solved.

My main focus is on the .1X access. We have another security team whose focus is on VPN access. I use Cisco ISE for TechX authentication and .1X authentication.

Cisco ISE saves us time. If you deploy any security features using Cisco ISE, you don't have other options not to automate it. Part of our Cisco ISE is integrated with the Cisco DNS center. The Cisco DNS center saves time in terms of configuration, integration, upgrading, and adding other switches to the fabric. You can deploy the features in Cisco ISE using manual techniques.

Cisco ISE was already deployed in my organization when I joined. However, I know that Cisco ISE replaced ACS.

I work in the banking industry. Our main concern is securing our network from either remote or on-site access. When you get physical access to the site and connect your device, you might risk the security of the network on purpose or unknowingly. Deploying Cisco ISE has helped improve the security of our organization.

Overall, I rate Cisco ISE a nine out of ten because I have a very good experience with the solution and hear the same from other vendors.

Cisco ISE is on the back end, and all our policies and security are on it. DNS centers and all our network backbone is integrated into Cisco ISE. So, the solution is pretty critical for us.

Cisco ISE has helped improve our organization security-wise.

Cisco ISE integrates with everything else. It forms our security and identity backbone, and all our authentication goes through Cisco ISE. That's why the solution is so important to us.

Troubleshooting and multi-ISE can be challenging with the solution.

My organization has been using Cisco ISE since 2018.

Once configured properly, Cisco ISE shows good stability.

Cisco's TAC is good. Cisco support, in general, is too layered these days. Often we have to repeat the same thing over and over to the TAC guys, which is a bit frustrating. Cisco's TAC needs to be a bit better.

Neutral

Cisco ISE's deployment can take weeks, months, or years depending on how rigidly you adhere to the guidelines and how good your existing infrastructure is.

We have seen a return on investment with Cisco ISE from a security point of view.

Cisco ISE's licensing can get pricey.

Sometimes, the Cisco guys disagree about it, but other than that, the Cisco guidelines are clear and concise enough.

Cisco ISE helps to secure our infrastructure from end to end so we can detect and remediate threats. The solution does what it's supposed to do.

Cisco ISE has saved a little time for our organization.

Since Cisco ISE is a more robust solution, it has helped our organization improve its cybersecurity resilience.

Before implementing Cisco ISE, you should look into it in-depth on how it can be used, how it can be integrated with existing tools, and how your staff can be trained to troubleshoot it. The solution has its pitfalls, and when it breaks, it can break heavily. So be aware before you deploy it.

Overall, I rate Cisco ISE a seven out of ten.

We are on-prem at twelve separate sites with one main node.

We utilize Cisco ISE for authenticating both our employees and residents at our senior care center. We authenticate them either against LDAP or our network.

Cisco ISE provides us with enhanced network access control, allowing us to manage the VLAN assignments for both our residents and employees. Additionally, Cisco ISE enables us to exercise control over the devices permitted to connect to our network.

I am not aware of the extent to which we leverage Cisco ISE to remediate threats, but it serves as our first line of defense for access. It has been extremely beneficial. Our clientele consists of senior residents, and having some level of control over the devices they connect to the network has had a significant impact. 

Cisco ISE has helped to free up the time of our IT team for other projects.

Sometimes, there are instances when Cisco ISE simply fails to function without any apparent reason, and regardless of the investigation we undertake, the logs indicate that everything is functioning properly, making it somewhat inexplicable. However, after a while, it spontaneously begins functioning again. Therefore, I believe it is not a widespread problem, but when it does occur, it can be quite frustrating.

The support specifically for Cisco ISE has room for improvement.

I have been using Cisco ISE for two years, and the company has been utilizing the solution for ten years.

For the most part, Cisco ISE is stable, good, and functional. However, when it fails, we are left clueless as to the reason behind it, and that's the frustrating aspect.

Cisco ISE scales exceptionally well. However, we have encountered issues while updating to the latest version. It is a significant endeavor due to the extensive scope of our deployment. Nevertheless, I believe this challenge is not unique to us; it appears to be primarily related to the scale of the deployment. Currently, we have nearly 15,000 devices.

The times I've had to contact technical support for Cisco ISE, the experience has been somewhat unsatisfactory. I get the feeling that, at least on the surface, they perform tasks that I can do myself, such as reviewing the logs and identifying the issues. Moreover, given the integration of Cisco ISE with various network components, it's difficult to confine troubleshooting solely to that aspect. Therefore, I desire improved support specifically for Cisco ISE. I would rate the support for Cisco ISE as a six out of ten, whereas for other products in their portfolio, it would receive a nine out of ten.

Neutral

I am not aware of the current price for Cisco ISE, but considering it is a Cisco product, it is likely to be quite high. However, I do not have control over the checkbook.

We evaluated Aruba ClearPass, which was something we considered. However, since we are committed to Cisco throughout our infrastructure, we didn't believe it was worthwhile to replace it with another solution without being certain that it would be better than Cisco ISE.

Aruba ClearPass had a slightly better reputation among the people we surveyed in our industry. We frequently compared it to how college campuses manage their systems because our use case is very similar. In terms of functionality, I believe it was mostly the same. The key difference seemed to be the level of stability.

I give Cisco ISE an eight out of ten. Without knowledge of how the other implementations or competing offerings function, I believe Cisco ISE performs admirably in its intended role. Moreover, I am aware that without it, we would encounter significantly greater challenges. Therefore, I consider it to be great.

Our organization utilizes Cisco products extensively, which, in my opinion, is the reason behind the organization's decision to choose Cisco ISE.

I believe we would have a much more open network if it weren't for Cisco ISE. We would be restricted to only using PSKs, and we wouldn't have a true understanding of what our residents are connecting to the network. I think that's likely the most significant aspect of the implementation.

I often use Cisco ISE for guest portals to onboard devices. For example, if a company wants to allow their employees to bring their own devices, there's a large security risk. Cisco ISE can help with onboarding those devices and check whether they're up-to-date with security patches and whether they fit the criteria to join the network.

There's so much stress involved with the pressures of trying to make it easy for customers to use the product without constantly having to jump over security hurdles. On the other hand, there is the constant threat of cyber attacks. Balancing the two can be quite stressful for developers, engineers, and consultants.

Our main goal, as an intermediary between Cisco and our clients, is to help IT managers, IT engineers, and administrators have better days. There is a lot of pressure on IT staff, and by giving them the right tools and solutions, we can help them feel more empowered to do their job much more effectively and, therefore, feel proud of their work.

In terms of features, the best feedback I've received has to do with guest portals. The guest portals and sponsor portals are where a company can customize their appearance. As people join the guest network, they're presented with the branding of the company that they're in.

A lot of customers use a third party to manage their guest Wi-Fi. Cisco ISE presents the ability to bring that in-house so that customers can have full control over it, change the branding, and get extra telemetry from it and the user data. It works really well for our customers.

I first started working with ISE at version 1.2, which was quite a few years ago. Over the years, the user interface has become a lot easier. The way the different parts of ISE come together and the connections between the different sections are a lot easier to follow. The interface gives you a much clearer picture of how the different policies and standards that you are building are brought together.

I don't see as many customers as I should adopting the onboarding feature. I think Cisco should make that process a lot easier and less intrusive on the end users' devices.

I've worked with Cisco solutions since 2007.

We offer the entire suite, with SecureX, Umbrella, and Cisco ISE being the main headlines. We work a lot in developing the orchestration and automation of new security systems in line with Cisco.

The various licencing levels allow increased functionality as your requirement increases.

When it's time to generate a TAC case, it means that things have gone very wrong and that my colleagues and I have run out of ideas and are desperate. Cisco's technical support staff are very much aware of that and know that by the time an issue comes to them that all the obvious roots of troubleshooting have already been explored. It's great that they comprehend this and that they understand the urgency as well. 

I'm always thankful for their help and would rate technical support at ten out of ten.

Positive

I have previously used other portals to provide guest user access. Cisco ISE provides many more options in functionality. Also when troubleshooting ISE provides detailed logs to pinpoint the problem. I have been unable to get this detailed information from other portals.

A benefit to using Cisco ISE as far as deployments are concerned is the fact that because it's software-based, everything can be tested before deployment. You can then be confident that everything is going to work when it's deployed in the real world.

Our ROI is that once clients have a Cisco system installed, they tend to stick with Cisco. They'll upgrade to the latest Cisco product rather than looking at any other vendors.

In general, licensing can be quite complex with Cisco products. It would be nice if it was a bit more intuitive and had fewer "gotchas" in there.

I've worked with customers who have used Purple Portal, for example, for their guest wireless access. In comparison to using Cisco ISE, Purple Portal adds an extra layer of complexity on all their guest networks running through a third party. This means that the customer will not have as much visibility into their guest users or control over what their guests see when they join the Wi-Fi network.

With Cisco ISE and the way the policies are built, it gives you a lot of freedom. It covers a wide range of potential solutions. Because each bit can be built together modularly, you can build anything with it. Therefore, Cisco ISE applies to so many different applications.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Cisco ISE at eight because it is a complex product and requires more technical ability to deploy it, though it fits many more solution requirements.

Cisco is the main player in networking and security. Having that backing behind our company gives us credence. We're proud to sell the products and to recommend them. Cisco's portfolio is what I would sell by choice. It just makes my job a lot easier.