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Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs ThreatLocker Protect comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Identity Services Eng...
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
139
Ranking in other categories
Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)
ThreatLocker Protect
Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)
5th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (13th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (8th), Application Control (4th), ZTNA (8th), Ransomware Protection (6th)
 

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.
Roy Richardson - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 28, 2023
Integration is simple, deployment is straightforward, and extensive well-written documentation is available online
We use ThreatLocker's Allowlisting to whitelist specific applications and prevent unauthorized software from running. We utilize Ringfencing to establish guardrails around implementations, ensuring that applications operate within defined boundaries. We leverage network access control to granularly control interactions between computer systems and servers. This enables us to restrict communication between specific applications, even within a locked-down environment. We employ storage control to impose additional security measures on data storage. This includes controlling access to network shares, network files, and folders, as well as USB storage devices. We can whitelist specific devices based on their serial numbers or allow access based on predefined conditions. We rely on ThreatLocker's Cyber Hero support, which provides exceptional assistance and responsiveness. At any time, we can initiate a chat session and receive immediate support. If the issue requires escalation, it is promptly handled. Cyber Hero support also plays a crucial role in vetting application updates. When a user attempts to install or update an application, and the update has not been approved from a security standpoint, it is blocked by ThreatLocker. A notification is presented to the user, informing them of the block and providing an option to justify the application's need. These requests are then reviewed by ThreatLocker's Cyber Hero support team, who evaluate them against our security criteria and make an informed decision to allow or deny the application. We utilize ThreatLocker's elevated control feature for applications that require administrator-level access. We avoid granting full administrative privileges to end users, as this elevates the risk of compromise if the device is infiltrated. Instead, elevated control allows us to precisely define the execution conditions for specific applications, such as QuickBooks updates. By verifying the application's signature and certificate, we can enable the update to run with administrative privileges while restricting the user's overall administrative access. Integrating ThreatLocker with other products is simple and only requires a few clicks. ThreatLocker's deployment is also very straightforward. The company provides extensive and well-written online documentation, which is continuously being improved. They also offer a variety of training resources, including university courses, training videos, webinars, and conferences. I have no complaints about the level of support and knowledge transfer provided by the company. ThreatLocker is also developing a new reporting tool, which I had the opportunity to beta test. The company has also been showcasing the new reporting tool at conferences. The new reporting tool provides a level of detail that is unmatched by any other product on the market.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The way the ISE works is you can get into defining. Let's say, in my case, I've got a Windows laptop and I've got an Apple product and those have unique identifiers, unique back addresses. It would say that this in my profile so I could get to those apps with either device, 24/seven. That's how granular the ISE or these NAC Solutions can get."
"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."
"I like that Cisco ISE is easy to use."
"Technical support is okay."
"The product is stable."
"There are a lot of integrations available with multiple vendors. This has made the solution easier to work with."
"One of the most important features is the authentication security for the individual connection to the network through their computer or laptop."
"For my use cases, the in-depth troubleshooting into why a client can't connect or why they failed, is very valuable. I can go back to someone and say, 'Hey, it's not my network. It's their certificates or user error,' or something else."
"Application control, ring-fencing, and storage control are the most important features, followed closely by elevation."
"The sandbox functionality is fantastic."
"Every single feature has been invaluable."
"Feature-wise, the learning mode and the fact that it's blocking everything are the most valuable. I don't see why more companies don't use the type of product."
"The interface is clean and well-organized, making it simple to navigate and find what we need."
"The unified alerts are useful."
"While it can be frustrating at times, we appreciate the low-level security provided by the application whitelist."
"The great thing is that if you get a malicious email and you try to run something, ThreatLocker is not going to let it do anything. It is not going to let anything infect your network."
 

Cons

"Some of the reporting could be improved."
"In order to make it a ten, it should be more user-friendly. You need somebody who is knowledgeable about it to use it. It's not easy to use. We have to rely heavily on technical support."
"I don't like the fact that we can see the logs only for 24 hours. Maybe that happens because of the way we set it up."
"The customer server was great but it would have been better for me if they had support in other languages such as Spanish."
"The intuitiveness of the user interface could be improved."
"A lot of people tell you the hardware requirements for ISE are pretty substantial. If you're running a virtual environment, you're going to be dedicating quite a bit of resources to an ISE VM. That is something that could be worked on."
"The web interface needs improvement. The new web interface that they have is not as easy to manage and we find it to be very slow."
"The learning curve is steep and the initial setup is complex."
"The portal can be a little overwhelming at times from an administration point of view. It displays a lot of information, and it's all useful. However, sometimes there is too much on the screen to sift through, especially if you're trying to diagnose a client's problem with a piece of software. Maybe something has stopped working since they updated it, and we need to see if ThreatLocker is blocking a component of that software."
"It would be beneficial to have a tighter integration into PSA systems so that approvals can be done directly without having to leave the PSA."
"ThreatLocker Allowlisting needs to improve its user interface and overall workflow."
"Adding applications to the allowlist can sometimes feel overwhelming."
"The snapshots used in the ThreatLocker University portal are outdated snippets and have not been updated in conjunction with the portal itself."
"ThreatLocker could offer more flexible training, like online or offline classes after hours. The fact that they even provide weekly training makes it seem silly to suggest, but some people can't do it during the day, so they want to train after work. They could also start a podcast about issues they see frequently and what requires attention. A podcast would be helpful to keep us all apprised about what's going on and/or offline training for those people who can't train during the week."
"A valuable addition to ThreatLocker would be a column in the audit page displaying a VirusTotal score for each file."
"If you have a thousand computers with ThreatLocker agents on them, when you approve or create a new policy saying that Adobe Reader that matches this hashtag and meets certain criteria is allowed to be installed, it applies at the top level or the organization level. It applies to every computer in the company. When you make that new policy and push it out and it goes out and updates all of the clients. Unfortunately, at this time, it does not look like they stagger the push-out."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"The recent changes in the licensing model have caused some issues with the team."
"The pricing is fair for what it does."
"The price is a bit on the high side."
"The pricing is complicated."
"The price of the solution is price fair for the features you receive."
"Standard licensing gives backup access and very few features, and then there's VM licensing - each VM we use needs to be licensed."
"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."
"Considering what this product does, ThreatLocker is very well-priced, if not too nicely priced for the customer."
"The price is very reasonable, and we have been able to integrate ThreatLocker with all of our clients."
"Its price is fair. They have added some additional things to it beyond allowlisting. They are up-charging for them, but in terms of the value we get and the way it impacts us, we get a bang for our buck with ThreatLocker than a lot of our other security tools."
"Although the pricing seems good, there have been inconsistencies in contract negotiations."
"The pricing is fair and there is no hard sell."
"Others say ThreatLocker is too expensive, and I tell them they're dreaming. It's well-priced for what it does."
"The price of ThreatLocker Allowlisting is reasonable in the market, but it is not fantastic."
"The pricing works fine for me. It's very reasonably priced."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
26%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
37%
Retailer
7%
Government
5%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

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 ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
The interface is clean and well-organized, making it simple to navigate and find what we need.
What needs improvement with ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
I'm not sure if I'm using it wrong; however, I find that I have to babysit it too much. I've found that if a user opens a file from another location, it might trigger an approval process. The same ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco ISE
ThreatLocker Allowlisting, ThreatLocker Network Control, ThreatLocker Ringfencing
 

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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Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. ThreatLocker Protect and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.