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Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Workspace ONE UEM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
6.7
Number of Reviews
142
Ranking in other categories
Network Access Control (NAC) (1st), Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)
Workspace ONE UEM
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
100
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (3rd), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (7th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (3rd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (8th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Workspace ONE UEM 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 25.8%, down 31.3% compared to last year.
Workspace ONE UEM, on the other hand, focuses on Unified Endpoint Management (UEM), holds 15.9% mindshare, down 19.0% since last year.
Network Access Control (NAC)
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
 

Featured Reviews

SunilkumarNaganuri - PeerSpot reviewer
Enhanced device administration hindered by complex deployment and security limitations
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) needs to improve the profiling preauthentication. They are very poor in asset classification and should focus on improving the preauthentication profiling, especially for NAC use cases. This will give them a roadmap for software-defined access (SDA) use cases and network segmentation. Threat detection capabilities are very weak. Additionally, the product is vulnerable and has many bugs.
Joel Amate - PeerSpot reviewer
The solution is stable, scalable, and offers single sign-on
I give the solution a nine out of ten. I suggest if a person wants to start using Workspace ONE, they should make use of the cloud instance instead of the on-premise instance. There is an on-premise instance available, but the cloud instance is a better option now. I advise them to make use of the cloud instance. This is because management-wise, there is no need to manage a server. For example, we don't need to buy a server, and we don't need to buy network switches, which are required for the on-premise. At the same time, I can advise setting up all the functionalities or whatever functionalities are available for the trial version. We need to check if the Workspace ONE integration includes Azure AD or other identity providers. A lot of applications are using these providers for authentication, such as Ping, Okta, and others. If the Workspace ONE integration doesn't include these providers, the company might have to find a different solution. Security projects should also be considered. Specifically, if the solution can integrate with local security solutions to secure mobile devices.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In terms of features, I think they've done a lot of improvement on the graphical user interface — it looks really good right now."
"The most valuable feature is AnyConnect Posture because it scans all the programs on the workstation and checks if the antivirus is up to date, as well as the cryptographic keys on our SSD."
"The way the ISE works is you can get into defining. Let's say, in my case, I've got a Windows laptop and I've got an Apple product and those have unique identifiers, unique back addresses. It would say that this in my profile so I could get to those apps with either device, 24/seven. That's how granular the ISE or these NAC Solutions can get."
"It is stable and easy to use."
"Being able to authenticate wired users through 802.1X is valuable as it enhances our security."
"I like that Cisco ISE is easy to use."
"There are a lot of integrations available with multiple vendors. This has made the solution easier to work with."
"So far, we have had no issues with the stability."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it enables us to remotely manage the devices, which is its purpose, and to push applications to the mobile devices from the portal."
"The solution has proven to be very stable."
"The platform makes the mobile device management process straightforward to handle."
"The most valuable feature is policy-driven control of the devices."
"The product enables us to access our internal applications from anywhere in the world."
"The solution has very good documentation."
"It seems highly stable and scalable."
"A very easy to use solution."
 

Cons

"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."
"Cisco ISE requires a lot of time-consuming administration."
"I would like the product to include support for OSVS version three."
"The interface is a little bit complex."
"The Guest Network verification needs to add a QR code option."
"The support could be faster and the pricing could be reduced."
"The solution could be more secure."
"The user interface could be improved to make it more user-friendly."
"I would like to see more service notifications."
"It's not accurate enough when it comes to sending items to end-users."
"It's a costly product. It would help if they could offer it at a discount."
"I would like better integration for deploying programs with binary files."
"The license could be better."
"VMware Workspace ONE should allow certain common settings and restrictions across multiple operating systems."
"I would like to see improvements made to both the support, and the pricing."
"VMware Workspace ONE can improve in virtual reality. Customers are now looking toward virtual reality devices. Though it supports virtual reality, it's treated as an Android device. Customers want to deal with VR devices, they want a specific VR tool. Not an Android device VR tool."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is fair."
"I get very good pricing from Cisco, so I don't have a problem with that. I also don't have a problem with licensing because we get enterprise or global licensing."
"The recent changes in the licensing model have caused some issues with the team."
"ISE has always been expensive compared to other products in terms of what it does on a user level."
"The pricing is fair for what it does."
"Cisco ISE's licensing can get pricey."
"Cisco has actually transitioned to a lot of subscription models, fees, and licenses."
"I think the price is okay."
"I have no opinion about the pricing of the product."
"VMware Workspace ONE is not cheap; it's quite expensive. However, in the end, they gave us a reasonable price."
"You should take out a dedicated license agreement of your MDM fleet and invest heavily in innovating in this space."
"The solution is more expensive than Intune."
"The pricing currently is higher than the competition."
"The license is paid annually."
"It's definitely a bit on the expensive side. It is more for smaller organizations and not large, massive enterprises. I am not sure about any additional costs. As far as we could tell, the billing was what the billing was."
"Workspace ONE is on the higher end of the pricing band when compared to other players in the market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
24%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 ...
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, ...
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...
How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes it easy to control security and manage the usage of mobile apps when you have a ...
How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial setup is easy, and the product is very stable and reliable. I think the fact th...
What do you like most about VMware Workspace ONE?
The platform provides a stable environment for operations and quickly creates new environments. Additionally, it offers efficient flexibility.
 

Also Known As

Cisco ISE
VMware Workspace ONE, VMware AirWatch, Workspace ONE Assist, VMware Identity Manager, Workspace ONE Access, VMware Horizon Air
 

Overview

 

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
Australian Sports Commission, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Lomond School, Merck, United Bank, Medical College of Wisconsin, Latymer Upper School, 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, Dowling Aaron Inc., Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Harrogate Grammar School, Duke University Football, Delta Air Lines, Adventist Health System, Giochi Preziosi, Cramlington Learning Village, Intermountain Healthcare, Safexpress, TAG Aviation
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Access Control (NAC). Updated: April 2025.
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