G2

Yadel B.

Senior Network Engineer

Information Technology and Services

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

9/8/2026

Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.

"Cisco ISE: Robust NAC with Best-in-Class Policies, Profiling, and Integrations"

5/5

What do you like best about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)?

Cisco ISE is one of the best Network Access Control solutions available. It’s robust and well maintained.

What I like most is the policy rule set. The way you can write rules is above everything else, and the overall workflow is better than any other NAC I’ve used.

Profiling is also among the best. It includes a lot of entries you can use to profile a device, and it lets you combine a huge number of conditions to do whatever you need.

802.1X is extremely mature and stable, and it supports basically every type of authentication that exists.

Guest access is another strong area: self-registration, portals, guest accounts—every workflow is helpful, impressive, and very mature compared with other solutions.

One area where it really stands out is BYOD. The BYOD workflow is excellent.

Another highlight is TrustSec/SGT. Although it’s Cisco-only, it’s one of the best microsegmentation solutions out there. The closest alternative I’ve seen is Arista’s new MSS solution. And when it integrates with Cisco Catalyst Center for a full software-defined solution, it becomes, in my view, the best solution currently on the market.

Its integration with other solutions via pxGrid is also amazing. We’ve integrated it with Firepower, Fortinet firewalls, and Nessus vulnerability scanning, and it worked without any problems.

TACACS is another advantage. Even though some GUI-based controllers are moving away from it, we use it for device administration on our FTD devices as well as some switches, and I can’t say enough about how good it is. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)?

The main thing I dislike about ISE is how complicated it can be. It’s very powerful, but at the same time it feels overly complex, so you really have to know what you’re doing to get it working properly.

Another issue for me is the licensing. Even though it’s better now with essentials, advantage, premier, etc., I still think it could be improved.

Finally, the price is a concern. It isn’t cheap, and it definitely sits on the expensive side. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solving and how is that benefiting you?

The microsegmentation features using SGT, the BYOD workflows, and the mature 802.1X and MAB capabilities with posture assessments stand out to me. I also like the guest workflows with sponsored accounts, the network visibility it provides, and the integration using pxGrid for adaptive network access control. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.