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Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Ruckus Cloudpath comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
Cisco Identity Services Engine enhances security, simplifies operations, and reduces costs while boosting productivity and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Sentiment score
3.7
Ruckus Cloudpath offers strong ROI for universities, though cost challenges exist for smaller organizations and certain deployment scenarios.
Direct comparisons with Forescout reveal up to 30% to 40% difference in cost savings.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
We also save money because we increased security, stopped incidents, and reduced breaches and security breaches.
Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions
For a big organization, there is a high level of ROI with Ruckus Cloudpath, but when it comes to smaller organizations, it yields less ROI as it takes some time because it's not cheap, and there are customers for whom it isn't a great fit.
Engineer at NewLogics
With on-premises and cloud options, certain scenarios make cloud more expensive while on-premises becomes cheaper.
Area Manager at Alpha Media Pte Ltd
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Cisco ISE support is highly rated for knowledge and responsiveness but struggles with response times and communication challenges.
Sentiment score
5.7
Ruckus Cloudpath support is efficient and responsive, praised for technical assistance and accessibility across time zones despite some dissatisfaction.
I rate the technical support as one out of ten.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Cisco support has pretty good teams for support and every time we had good answers and we could somehow solve the issues we had.
Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis
TAC support from Cisco is a notable feature; it provides very professional support.
Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions
We have been using their products for more than ten years, and I have direct access to the Ruckus Turkey manager and also the Middle East region manager, Mr. Olivia.
IT Director at Hillside
Ruckus customer service is very good and helpful.
IT-Architect infrastructure at SDC
I would rate the technical support from Ruckus as eight out of ten.
Technical Consultant - Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan at Redington Distribution Pte Ltd.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Cisco ISE supports smooth scalability for diverse enterprises, but virtualization and hardware challenges may require strategic solutions.
Sentiment score
6.1
Ruckus Cloudpath is rated highly for scalability and supports user growth effectively, despite some calls for improvements.
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.
Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions
Factors like architecture, business nature, and legal limitations such as GDPR affect it.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
However, you can have some latency issues depending on where your devices are.
Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis
Ruckus Cloudpath is a scalable service, and I would rate its scalability as eight on a scale of one to ten.
IT-Architect infrastructure at SDC
Ruckus Cloudpath is a scalable product.
Technical Consultant - Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan at Redington Distribution Pte Ltd.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Cisco ISE is stable and reliable, but large deployments may face challenges, requiring proper configuration and effective support.
Sentiment score
7.1
Users find Ruckus Cloudpath stable and reliable, with frequent upgrades, minor SSL bugs, and high stability ratings.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is considered very reliable and stable.
Solution Architect, Presales Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The stability of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is poor for certain use cases, like authentication.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Sometimes when we have upgrades or failovers with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), we had some minor issues.
Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis
Ruckus Cloudpath is very stable.
IT-Architect infrastructure at SDC
I would rate the stability as nine out of ten.
Technical Consultant - Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan at Redington Distribution Pte Ltd.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco ISE is hindered by complexity, compatibility issues, costly licensing, and needs improvements in usability, support, and performance.
Ruckus Cloudpath needs enhancements in management, integration, scalability, and support, addressing pricing, commitment, and regional promotion issues.
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).
Technical Services Lead at Telenet Solutions
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.
Solution Architect, Presales Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
They are very poor in asset classification and should focus on improving the preauthentication profiling, especially for NAC use cases.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
I would like to improve the automation aspect, ensuring that if any issues arise or alerts are detected, the cloud platform can respond and troubleshoot more effectively.
Technical Consultant - Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan at Redington Distribution Pte Ltd.
There is room for improvement in deployment.
IT-Architect infrastructure at SDC
The user interface of Ruckus Cloudpath needs some enhancement along with the support process, requiring more qualified engineers to support this product.
Engineer at NewLogics
 

Setup Cost

Cisco ISE pricing is complex and costly, with strong vendor partnerships needed for discounts, favoring large enterprises over smaller businesses.
Ruckus Cloudpath licensing is user-based, moderately expensive, with costs decreasing as deployment size increases, and discounts available.
Compared to other solutions like HPE ClearPass, Cisco is more costly, and the conversation suggests a possible forty percent price gap compared to competitors.
Solution Architect, Presales Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
The license costs can range between $50,000 to $100,000 per year for enterprises.
Technical Services Lead at Telenet Solutions
Cloud solutions are expensive, while on-prem setups with shared environments are cheaper but not effective.
Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
The pricing of Ruckus Cloudpath is on the expensive side.
Technical Consultant - Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan at Redington Distribution Pte Ltd.
Ruckus Cloudpath is a bit above medium in terms of pricing.
IT-Architect infrastructure at SDC
 

Valuable Features

Cisco ISE excels in security, network access control, and integration, offering adaptability, scalability, and centralized management for organizations.
Ruckus Cloudpath provides secure, user-friendly network access with advanced AI features, automation, and comprehensive policy management tools.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers authentication using RADIUS, enhancing network security by separating and segregating networks.
Technical Services Lead at Telenet Solutions
There is value because it helps us secure the network and prevents certain things from happening which could cause financial loss.
Ag Systems & Networks Head at UNBS
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.
Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis
The solution provides powerful encryption, a secure wireless network connection through WPA enterprise connection, and advanced security tools.
Technical Consultant - Bangladesh, Nepal & Bhutan at Redington Distribution Pte Ltd.
The MMS portion is the best feature in Ruckus Cloudpath, as they can monitor the entire network intelligently with AI features that simplify the troubleshooting processes.
Area Manager at Alpha Media Pte Ltd
The wireless devices are used to control access, transmit messages, and integrate with the main system.
Senior Electrical Engineer at Khatib & Alami
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Identity Services Eng...
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
145
Ranking in other categories
Cisco Security Portfolio (4th)
Ruckus Cloudpath
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
8th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is 22.4%, down from 28.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ruckus Cloudpath is 2.0%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Network Access Control (NAC) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)22.4%
Ruckus Cloudpath2.0%
Other75.6%
Network Access Control (NAC)
 

Featured Reviews

NF
Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis
Has improved authentication management and simplified visitor network access
The log capacity in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could be enhanced because today natively on the ISE can only have a look at the logs from the day before. You cannot search into the oldest logs; you have to use another tool for that. This can be blocking if you don't have any log consolidation solution. To do a search for an issue or something that happened two days ago, you cannot search directly in there. The capacity of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could be enhanced. Something between one week and one month for the log capacity would be nice.
Gary Koh - PeerSpot reviewer
Area Manager at Alpha Media Pte Ltd
Has improved network monitoring through intelligent features and simplified onboarding
I am using the certificate-based security feature in the product. The certificate-based security feature helps clients understand what Ruckus Cloudpath can do. Whether cloud or on-premises is used is defined by the clients. They are knowledgeable about the products, so minimal explanation is required. Policy management tools in Ruckus Cloudpath are performing adequately. The integration of Ruckus Cloudpath with our infrastructure is very user-friendly, as the software is becoming more intelligent. It is becoming more intelligent because it is easier to install and implement. Managing IoT devices within a network environment has improved compared to previous versions. The software is more intelligent now, with AI features integrated into their management system. The MMS portion is the best feature in Ruckus Cloudpath, as they can monitor the entire network intelligently with AI features that simplify the troubleshooting processes.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
15%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business44
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise91
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise2
 

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 Ruckus Cloudpath?
The tool's most valuable features include the phenomenal functionality of DPSK. The ease of use, particularly when it is correctly set up, is remarkably simple. Tracking users is straightforward an...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Ruckus Cloudpath?
The pricing of Ruckus Cloudpath is on the expensive side. I would rate the pricing as an eight out of ten, with ten being very expensive.
What needs improvement with Ruckus Cloudpath?
The main disadvantage is the price, as it is primarily a cost issue. The new version coming out, R1, is yet to be seen, though currently, it is running very efficiently. The biggest challenges are ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco ISE
No data available
 

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
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. Ruckus Cloudpath and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,036 professionals have used our research since 2012.