Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
Network access control software
Network security software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
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- Market presence
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What is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a network access control (NAC) and policy platform that authenticates users and devices and enforces access rules across wired, wireless, and VPN connections. It is used by enterprise IT and security teams to control who and what can connect to the network, apply segmentation, and support guest and BYOD onboarding. ISE commonly integrates with Cisco network infrastructure and security tooling and supports RADIUS/TACACS+ for AAA workflows. It also provides posture and profiling capabilities to inform access decisions based on device identity and compliance state.
Broad NAC policy coverage
ISE supports centralized policy for wired, wireless, and remote access scenarios using standard AAA protocols such as RADIUS and TACACS+. It can apply role-based access and segmentation controls that map to common enterprise network designs. This breadth makes it suitable for organizations that need consistent access enforcement across multiple connection types.
Strong enterprise integrations
ISE integrates with directory services (for example, Active Directory) and certificate-based authentication workflows to support enterprise identity requirements. It also integrates with network infrastructure components to push or coordinate enforcement actions such as VLAN assignment and security group-based segmentation. These integrations reduce the need to build custom enforcement logic in each network domain.
Device profiling and posture options
ISE includes device profiling to classify endpoints based on network behavior and attributes, which helps apply differentiated access policies. It also offers posture assessment options to evaluate endpoint compliance before granting access. This supports use cases such as BYOD onboarding, contractor access, and restricting unmanaged devices.
Complex deployment and operations
ISE deployments often require careful design of policy sets, identity sources, certificates, and network enforcement points. Troubleshooting authentication and authorization flows can be time-consuming due to the number of moving parts. Organizations typically need specialized skills to implement and maintain it effectively.
Best fit in Cisco-heavy networks
While ISE supports standards-based AAA, many advanced enforcement and segmentation capabilities are most straightforward when paired with Cisco switching and wireless infrastructure. In mixed-vendor environments, feature parity and operational simplicity can vary depending on supported integrations. This can increase integration effort compared with environments standardized on a single networking stack.
Licensing and feature packaging
Capabilities such as advanced posture, profiling, and certain integrations may depend on specific license tiers and add-ons. This can make total cost and scope harder to estimate during evaluation. Buyers often need to map requirements carefully to license editions to avoid gaps.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Not published on Cisco site — contact Cisco or authorized partner for pricing | Core AAA and 802.1X, Guest (hotspot, self-reg, sponsored), Easy Connect (Passive ID), basic enforcement. |
| Advantage | Not published on Cisco site — contact Cisco or authorized partner for pricing | Includes all Essentials features plus Profiling, BYOD, pxGrid integration, TrustSec (Group-Based Policy), Endpoint Analytics, Rapid Threat Containment. |
| Premier | Not published on Cisco site — contact Cisco or authorized partner for pricing | Includes all Advantage features plus Posture/compliance, MDM compliance, Threat-Centric NAC (TC-NAC) and the full feature set. |
Additional ordering information (no public prices listed):
- Cisco also documents perpetual/session-based Base licenses (part numbers such as L-ISE-BSE-100=, L-ISE-BSE-250=, L-ISE-BSE-500=, L-ISE-BSE-1K=, ... L-ISE-BSE-25K=) where pricing is not published on Cisco.com and must be obtained through ordering/quoting.
- Cisco notes a single subscription SKU (ISE-SEC-SUB) is used and pricing is determined when product SKUs and terms are configured in Cisco Commerce/ordering tools.
Notes: Prices are not published on Cisco's public product/licensing pages — customers are directed to contact Cisco or authorized partners/ordering channels for quotes.
Seller details
Cisco Systems, Inc.
San Jose, California, USA
1984
Public
https://www.cisco.com/
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