Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs WSO2 Identity Server comparison

The compared Cisco and WSO2 solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #1 in NAC , with an average rating of 8.1, and holds a 25.1% mindshare in the category. WSO2 is ranked #13 in CIaA , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of WSO2 users who would recommend it.

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Read 143 Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) reviews

19,737 Views
12,829 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

WSO2 Identity Server

Read 11 WSO2 Identity Server reviews

917 Views
229 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

WSO2 Identity Server

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and WSO2 Identity Server based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Access Control (NAC).

To learn more, read our detailed Network Access Control (NAC) Report (Updated: June 2025).

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Network Access Control (NAC)

June 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

143

Ranking in other categories

Network Access Control (NAC) (1st), Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)

WSO2 Identity Server

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (13th)

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and WSO2 Identity Server aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is designed for Network Access Control (NAC) and holds a mindshare of 25.1%, down 30.7% compared to last year.
WSO2 Identity Server, on the other hand, focuses on Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM), holds 1.9% mindshare, down 3.1% since last year.

Network Access Control (NAC)

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)

Featured Reviews

SunilkumarNaganuri

Service Line Manager (Service Operations Expert) - Network Access Control at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

Enhanced device administration hindered by complex deployment and security limitations

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) needs to improve the profiling preauthentication. They are very poor in asset classification and should focus on improving the preauthentication profiling, especially for NAC use cases. This will give them a roadmap for software-defined access (SDA) use cases and network segmentation. Threat detection capabilities are very weak. Additionally, the product is vulnerable and has many bugs.

Read full review

Ritesh_Shah

Senior Solution Architect at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Utilizing key management and seamless single sign-on integration for enhanced user profile management

WSO2 Identity Server's key management feature stands out as a particularly impactful feature for enhancing security. Additionally, from a user perspective, the self-user portal and user profile management capabilities are highly valuable. It allows users to manage their profiles, change passwords, and offers a self-care portal type of functionality. The single sign-on capability integrates seamlessly with various platforms, including Google, Facebook, LDAP, and Active Directory, which supports rapid product launches.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"The posture assessment is a valuable feature because of the ability to do assessments on the clients before they connect to the network."

"The valuable feature of the solution lies in its integration capabilities with other applications."

"The most valuable feature is AnyConnect Posture because it scans all the programs on the workstation and checks if the antivirus is up to date, as well as the cryptographic keys on our SSD."

"Cisco ISE's integration with other external identity servers like Duende is very simple and easy."

"It is a good product for what it does...So, it is one of the most critical systems that we have."

"The most valuable feature is the integration with StealthWatch and DNA as one fabric."

"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."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"The single sign-on procedure itself, as well as the ability to connect to external user sources such as Microsoft Active Directory and LDAP servers, are the solution's most valuable features."

"The product's initial setup phase is easy."

"It's very easy to implement everything."

"The keystore feature has been most valuable for us."

"The solution gets the job done, and we don't have to do the main configuration."

"Some of the valuable features of the solution are the easy integration with processes, such as Single Sign-On. Overall WSO2 is straightforward and does not need customization."

"We use the solution for customer identity management, authenticating customers coming in through a web portal."

"The product provides easy integration between API manager and IT server components."

More WSO2 Identity Server pros

Cons

"Cisco ISE does not recognize devices and that is an issue we faced during its integration with our existing devices."

"ISE is a little clunky. The front-end feels like it is from the 1980s."

"The opinion of my coworkers, and it's mine as well, is that the user interface could use some tender loving care. It seems counterintuitive sometimes. If you go to the logs, it's hard to figure out which one you need to look at."

"Cisco could improve the GUIs on their hardware."

"I don't see as many customers as I should adopting the onboarding feature. I think Cisco should make that process a lot easier and less intrusive on the end users' devices."

"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."

"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."

"Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) needs to improve the profiling preauthentication."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"The high availability architecture has to be improved."

"Sometimes working with the code is difficult because I search for documentation about the code and how to work with the code, which is where I believe they should improve, by providing some documentation on how to work with the code."

"This solution does not have BPM workflows already integrated, we had to integrate the BPM module externally. They do not provide full-featured auditing and certification modules out of the box."

"The solution could improve its development from a user perspective."

"This solution requires extensive knowledge to be used effectively as certain areas of its use are not user friendly."

"The solution's licensing model could be more flexible, and pricing could be improved."

"I found the initial setup to be very complex."

"The price of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."

More WSO2 Identity Server cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cisco is moving towards a subscription service, which would mean additional costs."

"The solution is not that cheap."

"The licensing is subscription-based and based on the user account."

"This solution requires an annual license and it is a bit expensive than competitors."

"Over the years, licensing has been confusing and complicated because there are so many different licenses for each different product and each different iteration of the product."

"The pricing is good. The last time we purchased four new appliances the price was doable for any organization of our size."

"It's damn expensive and the licensing is terrible... If you have perpetual licenses on 2.7 and you upgrade to 3, you are forced to go with Essentials. That is one of the issues that I'm seeing with my clients now."

"Cisco ISE is not inexpensive, but the solution is well-built and worth the expense."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pricing and cost advice

"We have to take their support, but that is a minimal charge if I'm comparing it to other identity managers."

"I have found the solutions license is priced competitively compared to others."

"They should bring in some good pricing models to host the marketplace."

"At this time we are working with the open-source version."

"WSO2 Identity Server is not an expensive solution."

"I rate the product price an eight out of ten. There is a need to pay more for the extra features provided by the solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Educational Organization

12%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Financial Services Firm

19%

Computer Software Company

11%

University

Comms Service Provider

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 ...

See all answers

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, ...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about WSO2 Identity Server?

The product provides easy integration between API manager and IT server components.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WSO2 Identity Server?

The pricing is currently the same as the API Manager, so it's not surprising. Since we used it primarily for SSO and the self portal, there were no additional pricing concerns.

See all answers

What needs improvement with WSO2 Identity Server?

Currently, all required features are supported. If new use cases for artificial intelligence arise, it could be beneficial to incorporate those. However, for our current projects, WSO2 Identity Ser...

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 25% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 21% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 9% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 4% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 45% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 22% of the time

Auth0 vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 19% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs WSO2 Identity Server

Compared 15% of the time

More WSO2 Identity Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

July 2025

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Buyer's Guide

WSO2 Identity Server

June 2025

Download WSO2 Identity Server product report

Also Known As

Cisco ISE

No data available

Overview

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?

802.1X Authentication: Supports network security for authorized device access.
Profiling: Identifies devices for accurate policy enforcement.
Posturing: Evaluates device compliance for access decisions.
TACACS: Streamlines network device authentication and authorization.
Guest Access: Provides secure access to visitors.
Microsoft Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft environments.

What benefits and ROI should be considered?

Security Enhancement: Offers strong network security policies.
Operational Efficiency: Centralized management improves operational aspects.
Improved Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry standards.
Scalability: Supports growing network demands effectively.

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.

Cisco

WSO2 Identity Server can be used to simplify identity and access management (IAM) related activities in the enterprise. The product is based on open standards and open source principles. WSO2 Identity Server comes with seamless, easy to use integration capabilities that help connect applications, user stores, directories and identity management systems.

WSO2

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

Nutanix, ELM, AlmavivA, BDigital, StubHub, M-creations, MedVision360

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

June 2025

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