Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs Ping Identity Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco ISE (Identity Service...
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
138
Ranking in other categories
Network Access Control (NAC) (1st), Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)
Ping Identity Platform
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (3rd), Authentication Systems (5th), Data Governance (6th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (5th), Access Management (3rd), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (3rd), Directory Servers (1st)
 

Featured Reviews

Adarge Ekholt - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 3, 2023
The ability to see what devices are online for a particular user helps a lot with our troubleshooting
Another big benefit for us is definitely security in terms of wireless user activity. We spent a lot of time looking at live logs and user logs to figure out where they've been in the network and in which buildings. We can get rogue granular with locations of where people are and where they're experiencing issues. We have definitely saved time since using ISE when it comes to building some of the policies around the types of users, like library users versus student union or even admin users. The policy building is complicated, but after a while, it's pretty straightforward in terms of repeatability of staff turnover, and things like that. It's not the learning curve that's hard for continuous maintenance.
PB
May 23, 2023
A robust cloud-based multi-factor solution with a good customer support team
I wonder if there are multi factors in improving. It's always a deterrent to productivity, naturally. Since I've been on this journey for three years, I've seen the product improve in the sense that it's less impact on productivity. In the beginning days, we had challenges with paying, finding the network, and signing its back-end service in the cloud. However, that's been drastically improved over the years. The other thing we did was allow users to manage their device profiles. So they can either go in and register on Ubiquiti or a phone directly with the user interface now or web interface, and they can also set their default device which they want to use. So they, like Ubiqui working with PingID, tend to be the default of choice. So they set their Ubiquiti to the default device. And then whenever MFA is prompted, they have the Ubiquiti or default device. So that was a great improvement. And the way we implemented PingID, it's the same user interface regardless if you're getting into VPN, the vault applications, or a laptop or desktop. So it's the same user interface to manage profiles centrally on a server. Hence if they change it for one use case, they change it for another.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature that I most like is that it can notify me whenever someone plugs in their device, which is not allowed. I get notifications for new laptop devices. I think the user interface looks good compared to previous versions."
"The product is stable."
"For me, the TACACS feature is the most valuable. I have also used Cisco ISE with LDAP, not with Active Directory. That works for me because I prefer LDAP versus Active Directory."
"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 we can trust this solution is the most valuable. We have no issue with this product. It is a competitive product. You need to have a very good and deep knowledge of the product to take the full benefits of all the features, but it is a good product."
"Assisting a larger number of users in gaining access and guiding them through the process of getting on Cisco ISE has been seamless."
"For my use cases, the in-depth troubleshooting into why a client can't connect or why they failed, is very valuable. I can go back to someone and say, 'Hey, it's not my network. It's their certificates or user error,' or something else."
"It's keeping our company safe from rogue devices connecting to our network. From a security standpoint, there's peace of mind knowing that every device that connects is a good one."
"We use the product to run different reports."
"PingFederate is very flexible. We can do many customizations, and it also provides an SDK to tailor it to our specific requirements. There are also numerous plugins available. I've worked with tools like ForgeRock and Okta, but I find PingFederate to be the most customizable."
"It provides ease of connecting all our devices."
"The solution has a smooth and configurable user interface for single sign-on capabilities."
"It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The mobile biometric authentication option improved user experience. It's always about security because, with two-factor authentication, it's always a separate device verifying the actual user logging in."
"This is a user-friendly solution."
"It's pretty stable as a product."
 

Cons

"It is too complex. It should be easy to use. We are not such a big team. We only have three engineers to work with this, and we don't use all of the functionality of the product. Its range of functionality is too wide for us, and this is the reason why we are thinking of switching to a more simple product. We have shortlisted a Microsoft solution. We have a big footprint for Microsoft products, especially in security. As a global strategy, we try to leverage to the maximum what is possible around Microsoft."
"Cisco ISE is complex. The deployment and design of networks with it is so complex. If it could change it would be better."
"I would like the product to include support for OSVS version three."
"They could incorporate some AI features."
"One of the issues that we used to have was with profiling because we're working with a service provider that uses a lot of bring your own devices."
"The area where things could be improved is education. It's complicated to deploy initially because you have to know what you're getting into."
"Sometimes some of Cisco ISE's graphical interfaces could be a little bit smoother. However, with the different versions, the product is getting better and better."
"Migration could be better. Right now, we back up with the new version, and it requires a lot of licensing and other things. Whenever we choose a product, it's very difficult because we have to meet the requirements of each feature. There is no standard feature, so the best system that we bought may not fit the solution. We have to look at every feature that the customer uses. If you compare it with other products like Aruba, it's not the same. With Cisco, I have to read all about the features on this version and the licensing required for the product. In Aruba, that thing is covered when you get one license because it covers almost everything. It could also be more scalable."
"In the beginning, the initial setup was very complex."
"The timing of the token validity, if it could be extended, would be great. I'm not sure if there is even an option to configure these types of settings."
"They could use some bio-certification. It's just more user-friendly and more convenient than entering the one time passes. That would be an improvement."
"The solution should allow for better integration with other platforms and the UBT."
"Notifications and monitoring are two areas with shortcomings in the solution that need improvement."
"PingFederate's UI could be streamlined. They have recently made several improvements, but it's still too complex. It's a common complaint. The configuration should be simplified because the learning curve is too steep."
"The management console needs to be improved. PingID should revise it."
"Currently, the main integration is SAML-based, but other integration methodologies need to be supported."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are three levels of pricing: basic, plus, and apex. Basic satisfied our needs."
"Cybersecurity resilience has been very important to our organization and has been a big factor. We've had issues in the past, but one of the things I like about ISE is its logging features. Security wise or information wise, it really has been a powerful tool."
"I believe I have paid around $1,000 in licensing fees. The license is annual."
"The pricing is fair for what it does."
"Cisco ISE is not inexpensive, but the solution is well-built and worth the expense."
"The licensing can be confusing, but it is still pretty good."
"It is not that pricey."
"The price is okay."
"Ping offers flexible pricing that's not standardized."
"PingID's pricing is pretty competitive."
"The product is costly."
"The pricing is neither too expensive nor too cheap."
"PingID pricing is a ten out of ten because it's a little bit cheaper than other tools, such as Okta and ForgeRock, and supports multiple tools."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
23%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
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...
What do you like most about PingID?
The mobile biometric authentication option improved user experience. It's always about security because, with two-factor authentication, it's always a separate device verifying the actual user logg...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PingID?
The pricing is neither too expensive nor too cheap.
What needs improvement with PingID?
The management console needs to be improved. PingID should revise it.
 

Also Known As

Cisco ISE
Ping Identity (ID), PingFederate, PingAccess, PingOne, PingDataGovernance, PingDirectory, OpenDJ
 

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
Equinix, Land O'Lakes, CDPHP, Box, International SOS, Opower, VSP, Chevron, Truist, Academy of Art University, Northern Air Cargo, Repsol
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