Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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

"The biggest value of ISE is that it can get so granular with gaming systems, versus IoT and BYOD."
"The core point is that Cisco ISE is the same globally compared to FortiAuthenticator. Whether I deploy in China, the US, South Africa, or wherever, I'm can get all the capabilities. It allows me to directly integrate with 365, and from a communications point of view, that is a good capability."
"The RADIUS Server holds the most value."
"[One of the most valuable features] is just the ease of use. It's pretty simple to set up certs that we can add to our clients to make sure that they connect properly, [as is] whitelisting Mac addresses."
"The most important feature for us is visibility in terms of user connections. It's the ability to see what devices are online for a particular user that helps a lot with our troubleshooting."
"RADIUS is the best feature because it supplies authentication to our entire campus."
"There are a lot of integrations available with multiple vendors. This has made the solution easier to work with."
"It's flexible and stable. It's been good as a standard environment to run."
"Good device management and good integration with third parties."
"VMware Workspace ONE is a platform that's really good at monitoring and managing mobile endpoints. It can be set up quickly and implemented easily. Technical support for this solution has always been good."
"It's all about centralizing your data and making sure that your data is centralized and secure."
"We used to have a system before, Mac OS Open Directory server and this open directory became obsolete because Apple decided to stop the enterprise market, so there was no other alternative for us to use. We chose this to replace the open directory and we found that it has many more features than the previous solution. We totally rely on it right now to manage all the devices on campus."
"The solution has very good documentation."
"Remote management is most valuable. It allows you to manage multiple types of devices. It is not just limited to laptops or desktops. You can also manage IoT devices. If a device is lost or stolen, you can easily take control of the device without letting any information get leaked."
"We've found the solution to be easy to use."
"The initial setup is easy and the deployment doesn't take too long."
 

Cons

"Sometimes, there are instances when Cisco ISE simply fails to function without any apparent reason, and regardless of the investigation we undertake, the logs indicate that everything is functioning properly, making it somewhat inexplicable."
"The licensing scheme is complex and could use enhancement to provide more options."
"I would like to see the product simplified more, especially with the configuration."
"Cisco ISE has almost all the features we are looking for now, but sometimes the configuration, such as the conditions, is a little difficult to understand and not so easy to navigate."
"The one main thing that it can improve on is the GUI. As the newest addition to the team, I struggle a little bit to get around it just because it has so many features."
"This product doesn't work in isolation."
"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."
"Cisco ISE's real-time data analytics for database logging could be improved."
"I would like to see some integration with native Microsoft products such as Anti-value."
"Pricing is the only challenge right now. The licensing fee should be simplified a little bit. They have kept too many products as add ons. These need to be bundled with the low-cost, standard version. This will help customers in adopting this technology at a faster pace."
"Setup is not too complex."
"From an improvement perspective, there is a need for discounts to be offered by the solution since it is something that any organization can expect from the product."
"The reverse proxy is not intuitive and it takes time to get it right, so this is something that can be improved."
"We'd like more useful support."
"We have experienced some connectivity issues."
"There is no Apple zero-day support for updates."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you consider money only, Cisco ISE is not a cheap solution."
"Hardware appliances are expensive...Now moving to DNA-styled licensing, we have subscription-based licensing for everything. I hope it will continue to be fair, but we will have to wait and see."
"Standard licensing gives backup access and very few features, and then there's VM licensing - each VM we use needs to be licensed."
"Over the years, licensing has been confusing and complicated because there are so many different licenses for each different product and each different iteration of the product."
"The price for Cisco ISE is high."
"It is difficult to measure security breaches, but since we have not been attacked so far, it has paid for itself over the years."
"The licensing can be confusing, but it is still pretty good."
"ISE has always been expensive compared to other products in terms of what it does on a user level."
"We've purchased various licenses for VMware Workspace ONE, including premium and gold tiers. These licenses include security measures and support for managing telecom expenses like data and voice usage."
"I have no opinion about the pricing of the product."
"Depending on the requirements of users, there is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"The price of VMware Workspace ONE is reasonable."
"Its pricing was okay for our company."
"For big users, it's around $500."
"The pricing currently is higher than the competition."
"All licenses from VMware are only yearly. They start with a yearly license and look for a three-year commitment and yearly PO."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Access Control (NAC) solutions are best for your needs.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

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.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.