

Portnox and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) are competing in the network security space. Portnox is favored for its pricing and support, while Cisco ISE is recognized for advanced features that justify its higher cost.
Features: Portnox is distinguished by its cloud-native architecture, enabling remote work and providing network visibility across devices. Cisco ISE supports comprehensive security policies and integrations, offering support for a variety of network devices and applications.
Room for Improvement: Portnox could enhance integration capabilities and add advanced security features. Improvement in user interface customization and broader device support could be beneficial. Cisco ISE may benefit from streamlined deployment processes, improved customer experience, and reduced complexity in feature utilization.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Portnox offers straightforward deployment, often completed quickly with responsive customer service. Cisco ISE involves more complex deployment processes demanding expert assistance, though solid customer support is provided to navigate these challenges.
Pricing and ROI: Portnox is cost-effective with lower initial costs and strong ROI, beneficial for small to medium enterprises. Cisco ISE, despite higher setup costs, provides substantial ROI through its robust feature set valued by large enterprises for network security and policy enforcement.
Direct comparisons with Forescout reveal up to 30% to 40% difference in cost savings.
We also save money because we increased security, stopped incidents, and reduced breaches and security breaches.
If you were moving from a traditional on-premise NAC that was 100% managed by the IT department, there would be great savings in going to a cloud-based NAC with Portnox.
I rate the technical support as one out of ten.
Cisco support has pretty good teams for support and every time we had good answers and we could somehow solve the issues we had.
TAC support from Cisco is a notable feature; it provides very professional support.
The main area needing improvement is the technical knowledge of support staff.
They respond very immediately and provide detailed, amazing support.
I was seeing weird things, and they were able to explain things to me and help me quickly find a resolution.
You can run an all-in-one deployment and switch to distributed mode as your company grows, relying on Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) to support your scalability needs.
Factors like architecture, business nature, and legal limitations such as GDPR affect it.
However, you can have some latency issues depending on where your devices are.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is considered very reliable and stable.
The stability of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is poor for certain use cases, like authentication.
Sometimes when we have upgrades or failovers with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), we had some minor issues.
The product itself is available and its uptime is 100%.
In the four years that I used Portnox, if it crashed or the server crashed, that would not have been more than once.
If there is a version one and another version, the communication between the organization using it and Portnox should be firm so they can coordinate effectively.
The whole setup works well with Cisco access points and Cisco switches, but when you have multiple vendors in the environment, such as HP switches or access points like Aruba, you'll find they will not work well with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE).
Pricing can be more expensive compared to other vendors, and there is a significant price gap observed, which doesn't seem justified by some specific features.
They are very poor in asset classification and should focus on improving the preauthentication profiling, especially for NAC use cases.
Ideally, we should be able to search for any MAC address in the database, regardless of its authentication status, to see all its associated groups and potential conflicts.
When I'm doing filtering at times, it doesn't filter the items properly.
They don't have much support during Asia Pacific hours.
Compared to other solutions like HPE ClearPass, Cisco is more costly, and the conversation suggests a possible forty percent price gap compared to competitors.
The license costs can range between $50,000 to $100,000 per year for enterprises.
Cloud solutions are expensive, while on-prem setups with shared environments are cheaper but not effective.
If you compare Portnox with all other well-known standard products, it is the cheapest.
The pricing is a bit high, possibly due to the cloud features and running instances across regions like the US, Asia, and Europe.
You are charged according to the number of users.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers authentication using RADIUS, enhancing network security by separating and segregating networks.
There is value because it helps us secure the network and prevents certain things from happening which could cause financial loss.
The adaptability of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) policy enforcement can fit to the site we have depending on which kind of devices we have on site and then the needs for authentication, granting access and then assigning each device into its correct network for segmentation.
It's notable how Portnox has improved operational efficiency.
It is a very robust application because three teams use that part: the network team, the security team, and the support people.
It is very easy to implement on our current network hardware.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) | 22.4% |
| Portnox | 5.5% |
| Other | 72.1% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 44 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 32 |
| Large Enterprise | 91 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 12 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
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?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.
Portnox provides advanced network visibility and proactive security without complexity, ensuring easy setup and scalability. Its agentless nature and intuitive design enable seamless device management and system integration, promoting efficient network operations and endpoint security.
Portnox is known for offering comprehensive network access control, providing firms with vital tools for managing authentication and securing endpoint devices. It's praised for ease of use in integrating with systems such as RADIUS servers and offering detailed analytical capabilities to ensure compliance and control unauthorized access. While users appreciate the intuitive interface and device management, improvements have been suggested in the areas of better GUI, integration with firewalls, and enhanced configuration methods. Portnox aids in handling dynamic VLAN assignments and securing access in both wired and wireless networks, proving particularly valuable for on-premises and remote environments.
What are the key features of Portnox?In industries where network security is paramount, such as finance and healthcare, Portnox is implemented to fortify access control and manage endpoint connections effectively. Its ability to secure both on-premises and remote environments makes it a versatile choice across sectors that require stringent access management, particularly where unauthorized device connections pose significant risks.
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