Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs RSA SecurID comparison

The compared Cisco and RSA solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #2 in NAC , with an average rating of 7.9, and holds a 22.4% mindshare in the category. RSA is ranked #10 in AS , and holds a 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of RSA users who would recommend it.

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Read 145 Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) reviews

15,135 Views
9,838 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

RSA SecurID

Read 9 RSA SecurID reviews

2,931 Views
2,609 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

RSA SecurID

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and RSA SecurID based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco, Fortinet and others in Network Access Control (NAC).

To learn more, read our detailed Network Access Control (NAC) Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

January 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

145

Ranking in other categories

Network Access Control (NAC) (2nd), Cisco Security Portfolio (4th)

RSA SecurID

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Authentication Systems (10th), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (4th)

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and RSA SecurID aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is designed for Network Access Control (NAC) and holds a mindshare of 22.4%, down 28.3% compared to last year.
RSA SecurID, on the other hand, focuses on Authentication Systems, holds 4.0% mindshare, down 7.4% since last year.

Network Access Control (NAC) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)	22.4%
Aruba ClearPass	21.6%
Fortinet FortiNAC	16.1%
Other	39.9%

Network Access Control (NAC)

Authentication Systems Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
RSA SecurID	4.0%
Microsoft Entra ID	8.2%
Cisco Duo	5.3%
Other	82.5%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

NicolasFigaro

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

Has improved authentication management and simplified visitor network access

The log capacity in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could be enhanced because today natively on the ISE can only have a look at the logs from the day before. You cannot search into the oldest logs; you have to use another tool for that. This can be blocking if you don't have any log consolidation solution. To do a search for an issue or something that happened two days ago, you cannot search directly in there. The capacity of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could be enhanced. Something between one week and one month for the log capacity would be nice.

Read full review

Santhosh Rajamanickam

Senior Consultant - Principal SOC Security at Royal Technology Solutions LLC

Enhanced security, reliable, helpful technical support, and easy to install

RSA SecurID Access is a scalable solution. I would rate the scalability of RSA SecurID Access a nine out of ten. Initially, our organization had around 250 users for whom we were aware of the usage of the solution. However, there were certain users for whom we were not notified due to the nature of their job, and hence we were not aware of their usage. Eventually, we decided to scale the solution for all our 4,000 users. Currently, we are using it for 250 users only. There is a high likelihood that we will expand our usage in the future.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution offers automation and real-time visibility, which aids in monitoring and troubleshooting issues with endpoints."

"I've had no issues with scalability. I started using it on two campuses, and now I'm using it across the country and scaling it across subsidiaries in other countries."

"The solution is great for establishing trust for every access request no matter where it comes from."

"The profiling model included is the most valuable feature."

"The interface is pretty easy to use."

"Cisco ISE's integration with other external identity servers like Duende is very simple and easy."

"RADIUS is the best feature because it supplies authentication to our entire campus."

"The integration with Active Directory is the most valuable feature for us."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"It is a scalable solution."

"I think it is really good when it comes to the hard token side of things."

"The most valuable features of RSA SecurID Access are push notifications, multifactor authentication, and ease of integration and deployment."

"One of the most valuable feature is the ID soft token and hard token."

"I would say that the two-factor authentication and the ease of installation and configuration are the most valuable features of this solution."

Cons

"The installation is not straightforward, it took us approximately one month."

"ISE is a little clunky. The front-end feels like it is from the 1980s."

"In a future release, I would like to see network access control. That is something that customers seem to be looking for."

"Since we have started, we struggled a lot to implement this solution into our network, and we opened a case a couple of times. Up until this point, nothing else needs to be improved with this product."

"The software is a little bit complicated to understand in the beginning, meaning the implementation. It needs proper documentation so that we can understand the options more easily."

"The licensing documentation needs to be better."

"I'm frustrated by the resource consumption and how many resources it needs to run. It takes a lot of RAM. It takes a lot of space and a lot of IO power. It's frustrating to do upgrades because it takes a long time."

"The UI and UX could be more seamless and easier to use."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"The interface needs to improve a lot. It should be easier to manage and navigate."

"There are different compliances across the globe; RSA SecurID Access could be more complaint-based."

"It doesn't offer an agent-based or reverse-proxy-based approach to integration, which could enhance its flexibility."

"Sometimes, we encounter issues with other applications that are not compatible with RSA SecurID Access and require expert troubleshooting. At those times, we need additional support from an implementation perspective. This is an area where Oracle can improve as there is no substitute for reliable and efficient support."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is fair."

"Our customers pay for the license of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine). They have an annual subscription, rather than a monthly subscription."

"Pricing is not a problem for Cisco because it has a lot of features and not much competition, although it's more expensive than other products. But if I do a cost-benefit analysis, Cisco provides high quality."

"Licensing is a disaster. It's a mess and I hope they fix it soon."

"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."

"In general, licensing can be quite complex with Cisco products. It would be nice if it was a bit more intuitive and had fewer "gotchas" in there."

"The pricing is complicated."

"The price can be lower, especially for subscriptions. It should be a lot cheaper to have a wide range of customers. The price should be comparable to competitive products like Forescout or Fortinet FortiNAC. Forescout is cheaper for customers looking for a cloud solution."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pricing and cost advice

"I think the price of this solution is reasonable compared to YubiKey and Duo given that it offers the same similar features."

"RSA SecurID Access is expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

13%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	91

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Aruba Clearpass or Cisco ISE?

Aruba ClearPass is a Network Access Control tool that gives secure network access to multiple device types. You can adapt the policies to VPN access, wired, or wireless access. You can securely ...

See all answers

What are the main differences between Cisco ISE and Forescout Platform?

OK, so Cisco ISE uses 802.1X to secure switchports against unauthorized access. The drawback of this is that ISE cannot secure the port if a device does not support 802.1x. Cameras, badge readers, ...

See all answers

How does Cisco ISE compare with Fortinet FortiNAC?

Cisco ISE uses AI endpoint analytics to identify new devices based on their behavior. It will also notify you if someone plugs in with a device that is not allowed and will block it. The user exper...

See all answers

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Comparisons

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 24% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 20% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 8% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 3% of the time

Portnox vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Yubico YubiKey vs RSA SecurID

Compared 43% of the time

Cisco Duo vs RSA SecurID

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs RSA SecurID

Compared 7% of the time

RSA Authentication Manager vs RSA SecurID

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs RSA SecurID

Compared 4% of the time

More RSA SecurID Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

January 2026

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Buyer's Guide

Authentication Systems

January 2026

Download RSA SecurID product report

Also Known As

Cisco ISE

RSA SecurID Access, RSA Access Manager

Overview

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers comprehensive network access control and visibility, supporting features like 802.1X authentication, profiling, and posturing. It integrates with Microsoft and other Cisco products, facilitating robust security policies across distributed networks.

Cisco Identity Services Engine is a key player in network access control, offering centralized management and a user-friendly interface. It supports zero trust principles and provides strong authentication for wired and wireless networks. ISE's capabilities include granular security policies, enhanced device posturing, and seamless integration, bolstering security infrastructure. Users benefit from its dual authentication through EAP, simplifying access management across networks.

What are the key features of Cisco ISE?

802.1X Authentication: Supports network security for authorized device access.
Profiling: Identifies devices for accurate policy enforcement.
Posturing: Evaluates device compliance for access decisions.
TACACS: Streamlines network device authentication and authorization.
Guest Access: Provides secure access to visitors.
Microsoft Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft environments.

What benefits and ROI should be considered?

Security Enhancement: Offers strong network security policies.
Operational Efficiency: Centralized management improves operational aspects.
Improved Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry standards.
Scalability: Supports growing network demands effectively.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and education, Cisco ISE is pivotal for securing wired and wireless networks, implementing BYOD policies, and managing user access. Organizations leverage ISE for effective authentication and authorization, while maintaining compliance with industry security standards.

Cisco

The RSA SecurID Suite combines the separate disciplines of access management and authentication with identity governance and user lifecycle management into one comprehensive suite. It goes way beyond the capabilities of traditional identity and access management systems by using risk analytics to provide identity and access assurance. This helps organizations solve two fundamental challenges:

Verifying that their users are who they say they are.
Providing their users with the right level of access.

RSA

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, BC Hydro, Beachbody, Bucks County Intermediate Unit , Cisco IT, Derby City Council, Global Banking Customer, Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha, Houston Methodist, Linz AG, London Hydro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Molina Healthcare, MST Systems, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Reykjavik University, Wildau University

Milliman, Geisinger Health System, Advanced Micro Devices

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

January 2026

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