

Portnox and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) are both network access control solutions. Based on the comparisons, Portnox seems to have an advantage in terms of deployment simplicity and cost-effectiveness, but Cisco ISE excels in robust security features especially when integrated within a Cisco infrastructure.
Features: Portnox offers a cloud-based, agentless solution that is simple to deploy, enhancing operational efficiency through proactive device access control. Its automation reduces maintenance costs by minimizing the need for dedicated personnel. Cisco ISE provides comprehensive network security measures, integrates well with Cisco products, and supports advanced authentication capabilities like RADIUS and TACACS for enhanced security.
Room for Improvement: Portnox users express a need for improved integration, faster response times, and features like reporting and Wi-Fi integration. Challenges include issues with retrieving older data and licensing for unused ports. Cisco ISE users often report complexities in the user interface and policy management, highlight the need for better licensing policies, and mention difficulties with network scaling and troubleshooting.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Portnox is praised for its easy deployment, especially in cloud environments, and responsive technical support, though improvements in regional support are suggested. Cisco ISE, due to its extensive features, is perceived as complex and challenging to deploy, requiring significant configuration effort. User experiences with support vary, with some noting satisfactory responses while others experience delays and difficulties in resolving issues.
Pricing and ROI: Portnox is generally considered cost-effective, offering excellent ROI due to savings on maintenance and staffing. It is more affordable than similar solutions. Conversely, Cisco ISE is regarded as expensive with a complicated licensing structure. It demands a significant investment, particularly suited for large deployments, though it provides strong security features justifying the cost for organizations needing robust security. The shift to a subscription model by Cisco has raised concerns about rising expenses, but both products can offer substantial value depending on the extent of their features utilized.
Direct comparisons with Forescout reveal up to 30% to 40% difference in cost savings.
If I compare this to an on-premises environment using Cisco ISE or Aruba ClearPass, it would require phenomenally large teams for infrastructure management.
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.
Most customers feel value immediately upon deployment.
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.
Sometimes it's challenging to identify which support team is responsible for certain issues, which is a significant concern.
The main area needing improvement is the technical knowledge of support staff.
For very high severity issues where the entire office is non-functional, response time is within 30 minutes.
In terms of support, it is usually quite impressive. I usually get support in a matter of minutes or seconds, depending on the priority of the ticket.
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.
We have never had any challenge based on a customer who has 1,000 devices versus a customer who has 30,000 devices; the feel is the same.
They ensure the backend can support it and do the provisioning while maintaining headroom and elasticity.
I rate scalability a ten; you simply pay and you get more.
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 reach the technical support, they give solutions that do not help me much, so I try to search the internet for other users' experiences to find solutions.
When I'm doing filtering at times, it doesn't filter the items properly.
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 possible to find the MAC address in the switch, but in Portnox, it is very useful to see the status of those ports, and that increases our security.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) | 19.4% |
| Portnox | 6.4% |
| Other | 74.2% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 45 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 32 |
| Large Enterprise | 91 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 17 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 10 |
Cisco Identity Services Engine offers robust authentication, posture profiling, guest and secure access, and dynamic policy management. Known for its seamless integration with Cisco tools and network access control features, it ensures secure device and user authentication across networks.
Cisco Identity Services Engine is renowned for its capabilities in managing authentication, guest access, and policy management through segmentation. Its TrustSec functionality, alongside RADIUS and TACACS+ support, provides enhanced security, further augmented by its ability to operate in diverse environments. Its scalability and integration with Cisco solutions aid in maintaining network visibility and access control. Challenges include the complexity of initial deployments, somewhat cumbersome documentation, and limited integration in multi-vendor environments. While encountering issues in stability and updates, the demand for better analytics and straightforward troubleshooting alongside cost-effective licensing is notable.
What are the key features of Cisco Identity Services Engine?Industries implement Cisco Identity Services Engine primarily for network access control, ensuring secure authentication and segmentation in both wired and wireless environments. Supporting policies like bring-your-own-device and compliance standards, ISE manages identity-based access control, especially beneficial for entities that require detailed user rights management and integration within enterprise networks.
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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