--- title: Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Reviews meta\_title: 'Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta\_description: Filter 52 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) works for a business like yours. aggregate\_rating: rating\_value: 4.5 review\_count: 52 scale: '5' date\_modified: '2026-08-09' parent\_category: name: Network Security url: https://www.g2.com/categories/network-security --- # Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Reviews & Product Details Claimed ###### Profile Status This profile is currently managed by Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) but has limited features. Are you part of the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) team? [Upgrade your plan](https://sell.g2.com) to enhance your branding and engage with visitors to your profile! Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a comprehensive network access control (NAC) solution that serves as the cornerstone of a zero-trust security framework. It enables organizations to enforce security policies, manage endpoints, and ensure that only trusted users and devices can access network resources. By integrating intelligence from across the network stack, ISE provides real-time contextual information, allowing for precise control over who and what connects to the network. Key Features and Functionality: - Context-Aware Access Control: ISE gathers detailed information about users, devices, locations, and access methods to enforce policies that grant or restrict network access based on comprehensive contextual data. - Endpoint Compliance: The platform continuously assesses device posture to ensure compliance with security policies, preventing unpatched or non-compliant devices from posing risks to the network. - Automated Threat Containment: ISE can automatically identify and contain threats by leveraging network intelligence, effectively turning the network into a proactive defense mechanism. - Flexible Deployment Options: Supporting both on-premises and multi-cloud environments, ISE offers deployment flexibility to meet diverse organizational needs. - Integration with Security Ecosystem: ISE integrates seamlessly with other security solutions, enhancing overall security posture through coordinated policy enforcement and threat response. Primary Value and Problem Solved: Cisco ISE addresses the critical need for secure and efficient network access control in today's complex IT environments. By providing a centralized platform for policy enforcement and endpoint management, it reduces the risk of unauthorized access and potential security breaches. Organizations benefit from enhanced visibility into network activities, streamlined compliance with security policies, and the agility to adapt to evolving security threats. Ultimately, ISE empowers businesses to maintain a resilient security posture while supporting operational continuity and growth. * * * Seller [Cisco](https://www.g2.com/sellers/cisco) Discussions [Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Community](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/discuss) Solution Type Best-of-Breed Overview by Ross Marchant Show More ## Value at a Glance Averages based on real user reviews. ### Perceived Cost $$$$$ [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/pricing) ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![Ivanti Policy Secure](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ivanti Policy Secure") Ivanti Policy Secure 4.4/5(29) ](https://www.g2.com/products/ivanti-policy-secure/reviews) [ ![FortiNAC](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "FortiNAC") FortiNAC 4.4/5(20) ](https://www.g2.com/products/fortinac/reviews) [ ![Forescout Platform](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Forescout Platform") Forescout Platform 4.5/5(17) ](https://www.g2.com/products/forescout-platform/reviews) [ View All Alternatives ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/competitors/alternatives) ## User Insights Average based on 52 real user reviews. Perceived Cost $$$$$ [Log in to unlock pricing and user insights](/login) ## Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Integrations (4) What do users say about integrations? Integration information sourced from real user reviews. [ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Cisco Duo ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-duo/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Cisco Secure Client ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-secure-client/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) ](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-active-directory-certificate-services-ad-cs/reviews)[ ![Product Avatar Image](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Product Avatar Image") OpenText ArcSight Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) ](https://www.g2.com/products/opentext-arcsight-enterprise-security-manager-esm/reviews) Show More ![Ilham P.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ilham P.") IP Ilham P. Senior Network Security Engineer Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 6/22/2026 "Powerful NAC Solution, Best Leveraged Within the Cisco Ecosystem" 4/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? As an implementer, centralized policy management is the biggest win — defining RADIUS, TACACS+, and 802.1x authorization rules in one place eliminates per-device configuration and makes policy audits straightforward. The deep Cisco ecosystem integration is equally valuable; pxGrid context sharing with Firepower means ISE pushes identity-aware decisions into the broader security stack automatically, something that would otherwise require significant manual correlation." Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? The most frustrating pain point is interoperability with non-Cisco network access devices. CoA and VSA behaviour becomes inconsistent when working with third-party switches and wireless controllers, necessitating significant workarounds and increasing deployment complexity in mixed-vendor environments. The admin GUI is noticeably sluggish, particularly when navigating policy sets or loading live authentication logs on larger deployments. This slows down day-to-day troubleshooting and makes what should be quick configuration changes feel unnecessarily tedious. The upgrade process is also a significant operational burden. ISE upgrades require careful sequencing across PAN, PSN, and MnT nodes, demand long maintenance windows, and carry real risk of service disruption if anything goes wrong mid-process. A more streamlined, rolling upgrade mechanism would greatly reduce the operational overhead. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Before ISE, most of our customers' network access was largely VLAN-based with minimal enforcement — any device could connect with little visibility into what it was or whether it was compliant. Cisco ISE solved this by enabling 802.1x-based network access control across wired and wireless infrastructure, automatically profiling endpoints to classify corporate, BYOD, and IoT devices without manual intervention, and enforcing posture compliance before granting access. The result is significantly improved visibility into what's on the network and a much stronger security baseline — non-compliant or unrecognized devices are now quarantined automatically rather than left unchecked. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Eric Q.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Eric Q.") EQ Eric Q. Administrador de Seguridad TI Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 4/21/2026 "Unify and automate network access with real visibility" 5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? The ability to unify and automate network access through security postures, meeting predefined conditions, allows for real profiling and visibility to identify who and what connects to the company's network. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Particularly, the solution features multiple and extensive configuration options or modules, which at first can be somewhat confusing during the platform management process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Allows ensuring that only authorized users and devices can access resources or equipment on the company's network, complying with the previously defined parameters or conditions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerSource: OrganicAI Translated ![Bisrateab G.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Bisrateab G.") BG Bisrateab G. Cyber Security officer Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 9/19/2025 "3 years of hands-on experience as an administrator managing Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) ." 5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? With 3 years of experience administering Cisco ISE, I find its biggest strengths are centralized access control, strong security enforcement, and clear visibility into network activity. It simplifies managing user, device, and guest access while integrating well with other security tools to strengthen overall network defense. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? he VPN gateway must be properly configured to prompt for and process password changes, since Cisco ISE only validates credentials against the identity source. If this setting is not enabled on the VPN device (such as ASA/FTD with AnyConnect), users won’t see a prompt to update expired passwords, even if Active Directory allows the change. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Cisco ISE solves the challenge of controlling who and what connects to the network by providing centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA). It gives visibility into users and devices, enforces consistent security policies, and streamlines guest and BYOD access. For me as an admin, this means fewer security gaps, easier policy management, and stronger protection of critical resources without having to manage multiple disconnected tools. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic RK Rajesh K. Cloud security Engineer Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 7/17/2025 "Vulnerability enggine" 5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Dynamic and context-aware access policies based on user, device type, time, and location. Profiling and posture assessment for both managed and unmanaged devices. Centralized policy management that scales across large distributed networks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Complexity in Configuration and Policy Design: ISE has a steep learning curve. Setting up policies—especially for large environments with multiple identity sources and posture checks—can become complex and time-consuming. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Unauthorized Access Control It ensures that only authenticated and authorized users/devices can access specific network segments—reducing insider threats and lateral movement. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic Review from User Profile ![Gamil R.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Gamil R.") GR Gamil R. Computer and Collaboration Eng Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 9/9/2024 "Long Successful Journey" 4.5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? All-in-One Solution Central Control Compatibility and scalability Support (Either by Cisco TAC, Community, Wep,...) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? High Cost. Complexity for beginners. Changing the Schema especially for the Licensing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Authorization for Users ( WLAN), Devices and Administrators. Profiling Posturing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic ![ANSHUMAN T.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "ANSHUMAN T.") AT ANSHUMAN T. Technical Lead Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 9/10/2023 "A Comprehensive Cisco ISE Review" 5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? I like Cisco ISE for it's network access control capabilities, centralized policy management, and integration with multivendor support. It helps enhance network security .It can be worked as a Radius server. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? 1st I would say it's a complex set up. It is very costly. And it is not user-friendly. A new user need to take time to understand the set-up.In some cases, Cisco ISE may require significant hardware resources to run efficiently, Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Cisco ISE helps prevent unauthorized devices or users from gaining access to a network, once we configure NAC. Also we can use this as a Radius server for Radius authentication.We can configure Tacas + also. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Ezequiel P.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Ezequiel P.") EP Ezequiel P. Presales Engineer Security Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 1/26/2024 "Network Security Orchestrator" 5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Cisco ISE is Orchestrator of our network, concentrate all users and mitigate attacks & have multiples features. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Maybe many releases and change of license Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Connectivity and checking user before connect to our net. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Prashant B.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Prashant B.") PB Prashant B. Network Security Engineer Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 2/10/2023 "Cisco ISE with Zero Trust Approach" 4/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Cisco ISE is an excellent product in terms of security and service. It has a dot1x feature, which makes it zero trust at an extreme level. Cisco ISE is very useful for network administrators and security engineers to protect their environment. the part I like. 1. dot1x pre-authentication in both wire and wireless. 2. granular policies to control endpoint. 3. complete visibility of endpoint discovery. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Cisco ISE is a good product, but their are some flaw which just need to address, 1. Licensing is very costly 2. you need to upgrade all of your infra. 3. Require dedicated resource for ISE 4. Automation and integration with some more product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? 1. ISE resolves Pre-authentication, which means Zero Trust, which is very useful for Banking and the financial environment. 2. Endpoint network access with compliance help more to protect the network environment in all type of network line wired, wireless and VPN. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![J S.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "J S.") JS J S. Site Reliability Engineer III Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 1/11/2023 "Dynamic Network Security" 5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Cisco ISE is very useful for our firm as it provides a very good and dynamic (automatic) segregation of endpoints connections to their right vlan connection and also the right access to be provided for an endpoint device. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? At the moment the process of IOS upgrade as it is not as straightforward as the other IOS devices that we are using in the firm such as Switches and Routers. If Cisco can improve this to be more simple then that will make our life easier. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Dynamic segmentation of devices for a more secure and controlled environment. Also, the TACACS login to our network devices makes our life easier, with this we are just managing our own AD account for authentication. No more random local passwords to be managed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Marina B.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Marina B.") MB Marina B. Network support analyst Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 2/5/2023 "The best security tool for management and authorization of networked devices" 4.5/5 What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Cisco ISE enables authentication and authorization of users, devices, and applications across the network. Real-time security: It provides real-time protection against network security threats and attacks. And finally is ease to use: Cisco ISE offers an intuitive and easy-to-use user interface, allowing administrators to efficiently deploy and manage the solution. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? It depends on the type of organization that wants to implement it, but I consider the following points as disadvantages: Cost: It can be expensive compared to other similar solutions. Complexity: The solution can be complex to implement and configure, especially for companies with larger or more complex networks. Hardware requirements: Cisco ISE requires specific hardware to operate and can be costly to purchase and maintain. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you? Allows me to control and monitor access to the network and resources, ensuring that only authorized users have access to them. The best feature is that it offers real-time protection against security threats and attacks, helping to prevent possible security compromises. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic Review from User Profile ## Questions about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)? Ask real users or explore answers from the community Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights. [ Ask about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/discussions/new) GU Guest User What is Cisco ISE used for? 0 Upvotes 0 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-cisco-ise-used-for) [ View all Discussions ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/discuss) ##### Pricing Pricing details for this product isn’t currently available. Visit the vendor’s website to learn more. [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/pricing) Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Comparisons ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_bc2a1799b86d85110e1f2c4381c3181c/fortinac.png "Product Avatar Image") FortiNAC 4.4/5(20) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise-vs-fortinac) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_11582b16ed96b1987280a18034b60a09/forescout-platform.png "Product Avatar Image") Forescout Platform 4.5/5(17) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise-vs-forescout-platform) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_0696375930de944824d468916754c288/ivanti-policy-secure.jpg "Product Avatar Image") Ivanti Policy Secure 4.4/5(29) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise-vs-ivanti-policy-secure) ##### ##### Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Features Data Data Protection Remote Access Network Access Network Security Scaling Audit Logistics Processes Blockage IoT [ View More Features ](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-identity-services-engine-ise/features) ##### Categories on G2 [Network Access Control (NAC)](https://www.g2.com/categories/network-access-control-nac) ##### Explore More [Leading ERP systems for software development companies](https://www.g2.com/discussions/leading-erp-systems-for-software-development-companies)[Best bots for startups looking to automate communication](https://www.g2.com/discussions/best-bots-for-startups-looking-to-automate-communication)[Which managed IoT services platforms deliver the fastest time to value for distributed remote teams?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/which-managed-iot-services-platforms-deliver-the-fastest-time-to-value-for-distributed-remote-teams) [What's the best EDI platform for mid-sized enterprises](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-s-the-best-edi-platform-for-mid-sized-enterprises)[Which community association management tools support ACH payments and automated late fee processing?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/which-community-association-management-tools-support-ach-payments-and-automated-late-fee-processing)[What are the most reliable reputation management services solutions based on reviews from users experiencing long-term rollouts?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-are-the-most-reliable-reputation-management-services-solutions-based-on-reviews-from-users-experiencing-long-term-rollouts) [Show MoreShow Less](javascript:void(0);)