Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs ExtremeControl comparison

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. ExtremeControl

December 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:

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

6.4

ExtremeControl's ROI opinions varied, with mixed views on financial returns, Wi-Fi connectivity, security benefits, and cost concerns.

Direct comparisons with Forescout reveal up to 30% to 40% difference in cost savings.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

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.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

Having good connectivity through Wi-Fi is essential for the entire business.

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

Manager, Service Delivery & Support at a consultancy with 51-200 employees

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

6.6

ExtremeControl's support is praised for problem-solving but criticized for upgrade policies, varying satisfaction levels among users.

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

TAC support from Cisco is a notable feature; it provides very professional support.

Mohamed Fouad

Cybersecurity Team Leader at EMAK For Integrated Solutions

If we are out of upgrades or there is a new upgrade, they sometimes require us to upgrade to provide support.

Manager, Service Delivery & Support at a consultancy with 51-200 employees

For technical support of ExtremeControl, I have no doubts that they cope with problems effectively.

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

System Engineer at Poczta FM

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

7.7

Opinions on ExtremeControl's scalability vary, with some praising its capacity while others find it limited across platforms.

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.

Mohamed Fouad

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

For scalability in larger environments, it can be rated a maximum of 10.

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

System Engineer at Poczta FM

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

8.7

ExtremeControl is highly stable, with users consistently rating it 8-9/10, indicating reliable performance meeting expectations.

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is considered very reliable and stable.

reviewer2590572

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

Room For Improvement

Cisco ISE is hindered by complexity, compatibility issues, costly licensing, and needs improvements in usability, support, and performance.

ExtremeControl requires better user control, third-party integration, on-premise enhancements, and clarity on wireless component configuration for optimal performance.

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).

Jeremiah Ngure

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.

reviewer2590572

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

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

We rely more on the cloud for analytics rather than on-premise, and some customers prefer relying on an on-premise solution rather than a cloud solution.

WaelAwni

Engineer at NewLogics

For their wired network, especially with third-party switching, this is where most of the features are lost.

Manager, Service Delivery & Support at a consultancy with 51-200 employees

There is also another product called UZTNA, which is said to have NAC in this solution, but it is not as advanced as our regular ExtremeControl.

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

System Engineer at Poczta FM

Setup Cost

Cisco ISE pricing is complex and costly, with strong vendor partnerships needed for discounts, favoring large enterprises over smaller businesses.

ExtremeControl offers competitive pricing for large enterprises, but may be costly for smaller ones due to minimum user requirements.

Compared to other solutions like HPE ClearPass, Cisco is more costly, and the conversation suggests a possible forty percent price gap compared to competitors.

reviewer2590572

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.

Jeremiah Ngure

Technical Services Lead at Telenet Solutions

Cloud solutions are expensive, while on-prem setups with shared environments are cheaper but not effective.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

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

Compared to other competitors, they have the best pricing.

Manager, Service Delivery & Support at a consultancy with 51-200 employees

The pricing of ExtremeControl is considerable; I would rate it at eight or nine.

WaelAwni

Engineer at NewLogics

For smaller ones, they need to consider that the price for less than 1,000 users is important, as this is the minimum number of users required for a license.

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

System Engineer at Poczta FM

Valuable Features

Cisco ISE excels in security, network access control, and integration, offering adaptability, scalability, and centralized management for organizations.

ExtremeControl provides robust security, seamless integration, and easy use with flexible policies and comprehensive network monitoring.

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers authentication using RADIUS, enhancing network security by separating and segregating networks.

Jeremiah Ngure

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.

John Ntambi

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.

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

The biggest benefits for my customers from ExtremeControl include the ability to integrate third-party devices, integration with user databases like Microsoft Active Directory or other directory software, and it is easy to maintain by customers.

System Engineer at Poczta FM

Integrating ExtremeControl with ExtremeConnect provides an additional layer of security and control over what devices are onboarding to the network, granting full visibility.

WaelAwni

Engineer at NewLogics

The most effective feature of ExtremeControl is that whenever any user is connected through the network, I can really dig down and check exactly what applications they have been using.

For more quotes and insights, download the ExtremeControl report

Manager, Service Delivery & Support at a consultancy with 51-200 employees

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)

ExtremeControl

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

11th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

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 ExtremeControl is 2.2%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Access Control (NAC) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)	22.4%
ExtremeControl	2.2%
Other	75.4%

Network Access Control (NAC)

Featured Reviews

Has improved authentication management and simplified visitor network access

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

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.

Read full review

Features support flexible integration and high compatibility with third-party equipment

System Engineer at Poczta FM

I have a little experience with reporting and analytics tools for network visibility in ExtremeControl, but I am not a specialist. I'm not a big fan of this analytics feature because it is an in-built component, and customers usually don't use it frequently since they often don't measure it. It is not very popular among my customers right now. I would definitely recommend ExtremeControl to customers because we can support many features as they need, and we can provide a demo license for even 80 days for testing all required features, which is not a problem for us. On a scale of 1-10, I rate ExtremeControl a 10.

Read full review

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Network Access Control (NAC) solutions are best for your needs.

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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Healthcare Company

11%

Government

10%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	91

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	3

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 ExtremeControl?

It has effectively enhanced network security and integrated with other security tools to streamline operations.

What needs improvement with ExtremeControl?

Regarding improvements for ExtremeControl, I think it is good as it is; however, some other products can support features like certificate management, which ExtremeControl currently lacks. Adding c...

What is your primary use case for ExtremeControl?

The main use cases for ExtremeControl among my customers are to authenticate the users here for the end systems in their companies and to manage authentication, authorization, and systems, and they...

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Comparisons

Compared 24% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 20% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 8% of the time

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

Compared 3% of the time

ExtremeCloud IQ vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 1% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Aruba ClearPass vs ExtremeControl

Compared 40% of the time

Forescout Platform vs ExtremeControl

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs ExtremeControl

Compared 10% of the time

MetaAccess vs ExtremeControl

Compared 6% of the time

Ruckus Cloudpath vs ExtremeControl

Compared 5% of the time

More ExtremeControl Competitors

Product Reports

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

January 2026

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Network Access Control (NAC)

January 2026

Download ExtremeControl product report

Also Known As

Cisco ISE

Extreme Access Control, Enterasys NAC

Overview

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?

Authentication: Secures user and device access to networks using robust authentication protocols.
Posture Profiling: Provides in-depth analysis of device compliance with security policies.
Guest Access Management: Allows controlled network access for guest users through streamlined processes.
Dynamic Policy Management: Enables automatic adjustment of security policies based on real-time data.
Segmentation via TrustSec: Enhances security levels by segmenting network traffic based on identity.

What benefits or ROI should users expect from Cisco Identity Services Engine?

Comprehensive Security: Ensures enforceable security policies across network access points.
Enhanced Integration: Facilitates seamless collaboration with existing Cisco infrastructures.
Improved Compliance: Helps meet industry security standards for network access and user rights.
Increased Visibility: Provides detailed insights into network traffic and user activities.
Device Management Efficiency: Streamlines the process of managing diverse devices within a single framework.

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.

Cisco

ExtremeControl lets you manage secure and automated access for both, BYOD and IoT devices from one convenient dashboard. It makes it easy to roll out granular policies across your wired and wireless networks to meet industry and company compliance obligations. Identity based network access control keeps unauthorized people and devices from accessing your network.

Extreme Networks

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

Street Crane, Robert Bosch, Molex Chengdu, Weir Valves & Controls UK, Renault, AESSEAL, Ducati, Alexander Dennis, UK Ministry of Defence, Manz