Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) vs NetIQ Identity Manager 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)
NetIQ Identity Manager
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (8th), Identity Management (IM) (15th)
 

Featured Reviews

Rohit-Joshi - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 3, 2023
Enables us to ensure that any machine that comes into the network is patched and secure
Posturing is the most valuable feature. There are other tools available that can do some of their other features, like network authentication. The posturing was something because of the nature of the industry that we are in. There are people who go outside for work. Their machines are at times not in the network, and not patched properly. We don't know when they're going to come back, whether it is in a good state, whether it has antivirus, whether it's installed on those machines. Posturing is something that we have made our baseline policy that whenever a machine comes back to our network, it should have a certain level of the operating system and a level of security and antivirus installed. We couldn't have done this posturing without Cisco ISE. This is its greatest feature. It does help me to detect and remediate my network. It enables me to detect any external threat that comes to my network and remediate. If a machine comes into my network that does not qualify per my baseline policy, I have a policy that the machine gets redirected to where it can be patched and remediated. I can ensure that it is fully patched and secure. The entire idea of having ISE is to enhance cybersecurity resilience. The zero trust architecture was coined by the cybersecurity team itself. It was a task given to us in the infrastructure space to see how we can bring resilience into the cybersecurity network and ISE was the solution.
MS
Mar 5, 2024
Offers self-service for both access request management and password management but issues with customer support
From an Identity Manager perspective, we do have role-based access control for a portion of our users. However, the capability is not as mature as what you'd find in other products. It lacks advanced features like the ability to mine tools or make decisions based on the roles assigned to others, offering very basic role management capabilities. The solution architecture is somewhat complex. For some components, the necessary resilience is not inherent. Introducing artificial intelligence to assist people and line managers in understanding what they are requesting or approving would be beneficial, enhancing the capabilities that are currently not as advanced as those in more popular products.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"When you push out the policy, it is able to populate the entire network at one time."
"It does a good job of establishing trust for each access request, no matter the source. It's also very effective at helping with the distributed network and at securing access."
"I found the CMDB Direct Connect in Cisco ISE 3.2 the most promising feature for my use case."
"One of the most important features is the authentication security for the individual connection to the network through their computer or laptop."
"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 have seen ROI. It has done its job. It has protected us when we needed it to."
"The best feature of the Cisco ISE platform is that it is compatible with Microsoft products."
"They provide you multiple ways to achieve security, not only on-prem, but also when you have remote and guest workers. Especially post-pandemic, a lot of our customers have remote workers. So, it has been really helpful."
"It's a very flexible tool, so you can synchronize multiple sources of data and you have multiple connections to various kinds of systems."
"The most valuable feature of this solution has been the ability for us to integrate a lot of external systems, and the automatic transfer of a lot of identity information. Additionally, the customization is very good."
"The product is easy to use."
"I like the eDirectory feature."
"The most valuable features of NetIQ Identity Manager are the synchronization of different directories, such as Active Directory. We have many Active Directory systems, not only one."
"The access request management has improved significantly in terms of its user interface. What sets it apart from competitors like SailPoint is that it's an event-based solution rather than schedule-based. That's a key differentiator."
"The main value lies in the simplicity of implementation, as well as its customized look and feel."
"The most valuable features are Password Reset Alerts, Password Sync, and SQL connectors."
 

Cons

"The user interface could be improved to make it more user-friendly."
"In an upcoming release, it would be nice to have NAC already standard in the solution."
"If I was going to improve anything, it would be the ease of migration. It's really difficult at the moment if you're looking to upgrade ISE 2.1 and you want to go to ISE 3.1 or 3.2, that whole upgrade path and, particularly, the licensing is quite a minefield to sort out."
"The solution could be more secure."
"There is room for improvement in CLI. Most things are done through the GUI, and there aren't many commands or troubleshooting options available compared to other Cisco products like switches and routers."
"It could be more intuitive in terms of how to configure the policies."
"Segmentation can be improved."
"Cisco ISE requires a lot of time-consuming administration."
"There's no huge thing missing, because it's already comprehensive. Now and then, however, there might be a minor issue."
"The interface is old and outdated, and the design software seems archaic."
"The solution architecture is somewhat complex. For some components, the necessary resilience is not inherent."
"Areas for improvement are further enhancing the access granting process to reduce time and improve accuracy."
"The integrations must be made easier."
"It needs some modern features. They should improve and modernize their management interface. It has been created over years and by different persons. You can see different applications, different management consoles for different things. There should be an integrated interface."
"If it could be operated in such a way that anybody could use it, with just the user interface, and there's no need for programming, then that would be a great improvement."
"We have another system that is using the SAML system, and we also integrate with Active Directory only. If NetIQ Identity Manager can integrate directly, we would not need to use the Active Directory directory."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I am not aware of the current price for Cisco ISE, but considering it is a Cisco product, it is likely to be quite high."
"I don't know too much about the actual pricing on it. The licensing part is pretty straightforward. It's a lot more simple than some of the other Cisco licensing models. In that aspect, it's great."
"The pricing is fair for what it does."
"The price for Cisco ISE is high."
"There are three levels of pricing: basic, plus, and apex. Basic satisfied our needs."
"There is a license to use this solution and the price is reasonable."
"The licensing is subscription-based and based on the user account."
"It's an expensive solution when compared to other vendors."
"You just need to be aware that the more systems you connect, the more license fees you have to pay."
"The solution is quite affordable."
"The price of the solution is a bit high and could be reduced."
"Micro Focus is flexible when it comes to price. The cost varies from customer to customer. There are no additional costs, though. Everything is included."
"It would easily help them in getting more market and more customers if more consultants knew about their software. If they could keep it free for schools for teaching purposes, it would be good. I had to pay myself to get it and use it for training. Their competitors are giving it for free. I had to pay for it myself. They are losing market to their competitors."
"I would rate the pricing a two out of ten, with one being low price and ten being high price. It is significantly more cost-effective than the major players in the market."
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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
14%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
9%
Manufacturing 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 NetIQ Identity Manager?
The most valuable feature of NetIQ Identity Manager for identity synchronization is the ability to provide users with all necessary access on day one through automated provisioning, facilitated by ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetIQ Identity Manager?
Identity Manager is more cost-effective for my company. It's a better option compared to more popular products that might require expensive upgrades. I would rate the pricing a two out of ten, with...
What needs improvement with NetIQ Identity Manager?
Areas for improvement are further enhancing the access granting process to reduce time and improve accuracy, as well as ensuring consistency of user information across integrated applications.
 

Also Known As

Cisco ISE
Novell Identity Manager
 

Learn More

 

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
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