Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Reviews

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) version 1.3 has improved it's GUI margin and much easier to navigate than the previous versions. 

This technology pride itself with Trust Sec and 802.1x  feature. Trust Sec can be an advantage when an environment is nothing but a Cisco workshop.

This technology is based upon utilizing other Cisco products such as IDS, IPS, ASA and Catalyst switches. It provides the RADIUS feature for Active Directory so that 802.1x (EAP over LAN) is properly utilized for User Authentication.  

It also does MAC Address Bypass (MAB) for MAC Address verification and authentication.  

Cisco will integrate the TACACS+ feature into ISE version 2.0 and enterprises no longer need Cisco ACS for this reason.  

Many organizations and large enterprises are faced with the daunting task of keeping their security issues at bay. They also need to be in compliant with the Cyber Security's strict guidelines and orders.  

While there are many cyber attacks from the outside of the edge routers, cyber attacks can also be implemented within the organization whether it is either intentional or unintentional.  Cisco ISE can mitigate many attacks such as MAC spoofing, VLAN hopping, DHCP Starvation and ARP Snooping.

By implementing ISE, it can lighten the overhead of the Cisco Catalyst Switches by not implementing port security, Dynamic Arp Inspection, DHCP Snooping. This will also improve the switch's performance since the ISE server takes over the duty of posturing with its Policy Service Node persona.  

Cisco ISE has improved performances on Access Switches and closely monitored the daily suspicious or rogue activities within the organization.  

We've had no issues with deployment.

We've had no issues with stability.

We've been able to scale it for our needs.

• I'ts compatibility with 802.1X
• Posture
• Profiling
• Guest Portal

As an integrator, I can tell that this product is mostly used for implementing wireless 802.1X with Active Directory and guest portals. It can be integrated with Active Directory and an external SMS gateway, can be used to track user authentications with Cisco WLC, can be therefore used to completely implement BYOD (considering the tight integration with leading MDM vendors). The product can be bought as a physical appliance as well a virtual appliance.

We are waiting for TACACS integration to completely replace the Cisco ACS line of products.

I've used it for about four years.

Being a product relatively young the product seems incredibly stable and not prone to system outages.

Having a Cisco consolidated experience with this type of products, the product encounters very little of no scalability problem.

Cisco has implemented a special ATC partner program to help partners and customers to have a smooth deployment. As far as I know there is also a dedicated TAC area for this product, Cisco commitment on the ISE line of product is really at a top level. I can say this with an high degree of certainty being a Cisco Gold Partner.

We use this product because we mainly sell this as a premier class NAC solution, compared to other similar products.

The initial setup is very straightforwardly done by following the product’s document guides.

I work for a vendor/system integrator.

The main advice is to seek for an accredited ATC system integrator with a large ISE portfolio.

The solution is being used for authentication purposes and for sharing assessments. 

Cisco ISE has helped improve our security. 

It helps ensure that you are working in accordance with the organizational policy before you join the network. Also, the solution is very reliable. 

I would like to see better management. Integration with other platforms can also be improved. 

Cisco ISE does not recognize devices and that is an issue we faced during its integration with our existing devices.

I have been working with Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) for ten years. 

The stability of the solution is average. I would rate the stability of the solution a seven out of ten. 

The solution's scalability is average. I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten. 

The initial setup of Cisco ISE is complex. For the deployment, the solution needs to be installed and then it needs to be integrated with the network and certificates to get to the endpoints. 

I would like to advice that Cisco ISE is a reliable and stable solution although it is not very easy to use. They should work on integrating the solution with other platforms.

Overall, I will rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

We mainly use it for authenticating devices on our network.

It's our way to track people who are authenticating onto our network, whenever they log on to our switches, et cetera. It's good for security purposes.

The interface is pretty easy to use.

Whenever we see the authentication logs, we can't see what device we're logging into. It shows us the main server, but we don't see details like, "It's in building 200," or that kind of thing. We can't see the IP address. We can see who logged in, but we can't see the IP address of the device.

I'm sure that's available. We just haven't figured out how to properly deploy it.

I've been using Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) for about a year. I'm only using a small portion of it, so I don't know all the capabilities of the program.

The stability is good. I haven't had any issues with downtime or anything going out.

We use it enterprise-wide, around the world. That would indicate it's pretty scalable.

I haven't had to contact technical support.

It's a good product.