Senior Proposal Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
It's useful for network separation
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a great solution with multi-vendor support. That's always useful."
  • "I would like to see better integration with the firewall for zeroing out blacklisted users."

What is our primary use case?

I mostly use ClearPass for network separation.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see better integration with the firewall for zeroing out blacklisted users.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Aruba solutions for almost 20 years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

When working with a virtual solution, it's always the same image when you do the initial installation, but you need to have a picture of the scale you want to achieve. 

For example, let's say you are switching from a medium-sized solution to a larger-scale solution. Suppose you overestimate and wind up with too many endpoints. In that case, you'll need to reinstall the solution because it reserves resources of your virtual infrastructure, depending on the type of installation that you do. 

Say, for instance, I want my next solution to service 5,000 endpoints, and in the end, you have 12,000. That means you needed the bigger version. The license is the same, but the installation reserves the resources of the virtual infrastructure.

Buyer's Guide
Aruba ClearPass
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Aruba ClearPass. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
769,662 professionals have used our research since 2012.

How are customer service and support?

We handle all our support in-house. Our engineers have the highest certifications.

How was the initial setup?

Generally speaking, setting up a network access control solution is complex. You have to integrate the use cases.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Aruba ClearPass eight out of 10. It's a great solution with multi-vendor support. That's always useful. My advice is to take advantage of Aruba's identification solution called ClearPass Insight in addition to the network access control.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Network Administrator at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
It has a customizable captive portal for quick and easy BYOD access for students.

Valuable Features

  • 802.1x quick, easy, and secure wireless access for our staff machines
  • Customizable captive portal for quick and easy BYOD access for students
  • Quick and easy ability to allow guests to use the wireless network

Improvements to My Organization

Bringing mobile devices on to the network has been simplified and secured at the same time.

Room for Improvement

Installation can be time-consuming, so Hire an Aruba consultant to do the install and save yourself a lot of time. There will be plenty of time for you to learn the product later. Plus, the consultant can pass on some valuable information during the process.

Use of Solution

I've used it for two years.

Deployment Issues

There were no issues with the deployment.

Stability Issues

There have been no issues with the stability.

Scalability Issues

There have been no issues with the scalability.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Aruba Support is fast and accurate. I never have problems getting someone on the line that can find a resolution the problem we are having.

Initial Setup

The initial set-up was straightforward.

Implementation Team

We had a vendor team on site which helped accelerate the process.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Aruba ClearPass
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about Aruba ClearPass. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
769,662 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Project Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
A flexible solution with multi-vendor support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is flexibility as it supports solutions from multiple vendors."
  • "The interface could be made easier and more intuitive."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and this is one of the products that we implement for our clients.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is flexibility as it supports solutions from multiple vendors.

What needs improvement?

The interface could be made easier and more intuitive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Aruba ClearPass for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very good. When you have an issue they respond very, very quickly.

What about the implementation team?

We have qualified and certified engineers who implement and deploy this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is not an issue for us.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, Aruba ClearPass is a very good product, we feel very confident using it, and it is a product that I would recommend. That said, it is not perfect.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
IT Division at Lais s.r.l.
Consultant
ClearPass Guest allows us to build a structured external captive portal with customized landing page for each customer.

Valuable Features:

There are several valuable features, and the two most valuable to use are--

  • ClearPass Policy Manager 
  • ClearPass Guest

Improvements to My Organization:

ClearPass Guest allows us to build a structured external captive portal with customized landing page for each customer.

Room for Improvement:

ClearPass Policy Manager has to be easier to configure. Now, it is very powerful but very complex when you want to set some “profile enforcement” only for some type of guests or a disconnection policy with Radius COA.

Deployment Issues:

We've had no issues with deploying this solution.

Stability Issues:

It's a very stable product and we haven't had any issues with instability.

Scalability Issues:

It's scaled for our needs.

Other Advice:

Plan very carefully your final configuration or you can lose yourself in the configurations phase.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user347781 - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Manager - Solution Design at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
MSP
It has improved WiFi security and guest on-boarding to our networks, but it needs to be more vendor independent.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the guest on-boarding (BYOD provisioning, centralized access policies, posture assessment, etc.)

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved WiFi security and guest on-boarding to our networks.

What needs improvement?

It could be more vendor independent.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used it for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have had issues in regards to the stability.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is satisfactory. However, there is a room for improvement.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I did not use any other similar product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was quite complex because of the lack of detailed documentation.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented it in-house. My advice is to first set up the pilot for a small environment and then go all out.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user375078 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user375078Senior Network Engineer/Mobility Specialist at CCSI - Contemporary Computer Services, Inc.
Real User

I have found technical support to be excellent, but do not be afraid to escalate if you feel you are as proficient or more so than the intial tech.

See all 2 comments
Assistant Lead Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Straightforward to deploy, easy to use, and the support is quick
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is very easy to use and the workflow is quite straightforward."
  • "The licensing model could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use is network access control at the endpoints.

What is most valuable?

The interface is very easy to use and the workflow is quite straightforward.

What needs improvement?

The licensing model could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with ClearPass for about two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very reliable and robust product and we plan to continue using it

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not yet had to scale or add features, but I think that it's going to be easy. We currently have about 10,000 endpoints.

How are customer service and technical support?

The support is good and they are quite fast. We have not had many issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have experience with Cisco ISE and ClearPass is much easier to use. Because it is so complicated, we were having a lot of issues with it.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and easy to do. It took less than a week to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We purchased this solution together with the Professional Services, so the vendor set it up for us.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is not bad and everything is included.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, this is a good product and I can recommend it. There is really nothing bad that I can say about it, although I do think that they should work on changing the licensing model.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user377457 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
This product has provided us a tool to create authentication requirements that users have to meet in order to perform 802.1x authentication.

Valuable Features:

The most valuable feature for us is its ability to provide clear authentication mechanisms to support multiple authentication requirements.

Improvements to My Organization:

This product has provided us a tool to create authentication requirements that users have to meet in order to perform 802.1x authentication.

Room for Improvement:

The update process is very intense and I believe Aruba should find a way to make this process smoother and easier to administer.

Use of Solution:

I've used it for two years.

Deployment Issues:

We have not run into issues with the deployment.

Stability Issues:

We have not run into issues with the stability.

Scalability Issues:

We have not run into issues with the scalability

Initial Setup:

It was hard at first because I didn’t have any training and was trying to figure out the best way for us to use this product with deploying 802.1x.

Implementation Team:

It was originally put in with a vendor team and was only set up for access to the appliances.

ROI:

Our ROI has been good and solid.

Cost and Licensing Advice:

The pricing/licensing is very competitive with other products out there.

Other Solutions Considered:

We chose this product because we are using Aruba in other areas today.

Other Advice:

Make sure you take a look at all the types of authentication you want to do and evaluate if you have enough appliances to handle the load. Keep in mind resiliency for failover as well.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user377490 - PeerSpot reviewer
Wireless Network Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Consultant
The policy manager is the most valuable feature for us because it allows us to manage every client request in the way we want.

Valuable Features:

The policy manager is the most valuable feature for us because it allows us to manage every client request in the way we want.

Improvements to My Organization:

For an international big Italian fashion customer, we have deployed the WiFi network worldwide, including the hotspot network for serving the customer’s demand of a free connection in its stores.

Room for Improvement:

I would like for Aruba to make it easier to configure. They could integrate the different engines (Policy Manager, Guest, Onboard) into one single product.

Deployment Issues:

We've had no problems with deployment.

Stability Issues:

It's been stable for us.

Scalability Issues:

It's scaled for our needs.

Other Advice:

Attend first a ClearPass course as it’s very important in order to understand the product deeply.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Aruba ClearPass Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Aruba ClearPass Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.