Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs ExtremeControl comparison

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. ExtremeControl

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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...

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

142

Ranking in other categories

Cisco Security Portfolio (1st)

ExtremeControl

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is 26.3%, down from 31.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExtremeControl is 1.9%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Access Control (NAC)

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.

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Jose Mota

IT specialist at FERCAM SpA

Has a simple setup process, but it could be affordable

We have noticed similarities between Extreme and Ubiquiti, particularly in their functionality, like how they operate wirelessly and can be managed from the cloud or locally. Based on our experience, Ubiquiti's system may be more user-friendly and capable of handling heavy loads. Still, Extreme could be more reliable, although you have yet to compare them side by side directly. For instance, we have observed Extreme performing well in a warehouse environment, which might have a different level of network traffic than a convention center.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The live logs and live sessions for troubleshooting are the most valuable features because they provide a detailed report of any issues."

"Using this solution gives us the ability to allow proper access to the network."

"We found all the features of the product to be valuable."

"The endpoint profiling feature is among the most valuable because it keeps me from having to manually maintain a MAC address bypass list to track endpoints. I can have ISE profile them for me and then put them in the right bucket."

"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."

"Cisco ISE is a comprehensive solution that allows you to control access to network resources granularly based on policies."

"My team has gained a lot from Cisco ISE as it does also provide automation, which is a big asset in the eighth hour. After setting it up, it took a lot of the weight off in many ways. We have a co-worker, who we call the ISE Master because he's in charge of the ISE configurations. He's able to save a lot of time by being able to monitor everything from there. So it did take off a lot of time that we would waste by going individually to that different device and trying to figure out what was wrong."

"The profiling model included is the most valuable feature."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"I can know which end users are using which features."

"The solution is easy to use."

"There is information on migrating most of the cloud system's features."

"The company also uses Cisco ISE in other places. I have been told that ExtremeControl is easier to use than ISE. The other reason we prefer ExtremeControl is stability. That's why they chose it for this big hospital in Oslo."

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

Cons

"They should improve the documentation. There tends to be a lot of old text, or the new things aren't always up to what's been released on the code, and sometimes the documentation is inconsistent."

"The primary issue is the slowness of the application and the web interface. We have multiple admin nodes and app nodes. So when I need to get some information about a particular user, the GUI would take ten to fifteen seconds in loading when we need to know right away."

"There should be a single button that can be pressed to dismiss all of the alarms at once."

"The solution can lag somewhat as we have a large database."

"Also, the menus could have been much simpler. There are many redundant things. That's a problem with all Cisco solutions. There are too many menus and redundant things on all of them."

"The area where things could be improved is education. It's complicated to deploy initially because you have to know what you're getting into."

"There is room for improvement in its ability to allow end users to self-enroll their devices. Instead, you should be able to assign that permission by AD group, which is currently not available."

"I would like the product to include support for OSVS version three."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"The installation is easy, it can take between five minutes to four hours depending on the complexity of the environment. The speed of the installation could improve for more complex environments."

"The initial setup was not easy. It requires an experienced person to deploy ExtremeControl, and deployment can take from days to weeks depending on the complexity of the network."

"There isn't enough development for the on-premises controller."

"I'd like to have access to more information on the traffic passing through."

"One improvement could be better clarification, namely that the system only works optimally with all components purchased together."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, one being cheap and ten being expensive."

"Licensing is a disaster. It's a mess and I hope they fix it soon."

"It would be beneficial to have a single license that included all of the features."

"Our customers pay for the license of Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine). They have an annual subscription, rather than a monthly subscription."

"The price is okay."

"Being fully honest, the Cisco licensing model right now is really confusing. We don't know what licenses we have where. We have Smart licensing, but the different levels are way confusing."

"The solution’s pricing is okay."

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

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

"ExtremeControl can be expensive compared to other options in the market."

See which vendors are best for you

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

26%

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Healthcare Company

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 ExtremeControl?

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

What needs improvement with ExtremeControl?

Sometimes the performance with a high number of devices can be an area of concern. We rely more on the cloud for analytics rather than on-premise, and some customers prefer relying on an on-premise...

What is your primary use case for ExtremeControl?

I have already installed ExtremeControl for some of my clients. My clients use ExtremeControl for BYOD, device authentication, network security and control, and network automation.

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Comparisons

Compared 24% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 22% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 11% of the time

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

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 1% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Aruba ClearPass vs ExtremeControl

Compared 45% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs ExtremeControl

Compared 14% of the time

Forescout Platform vs ExtremeControl

Compared 9% of the time

More ExtremeControl Competitors

Product Reports

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Network Access Control (NAC)

Download ExtremeControl product report

Also Known As

Cisco ISE

Extreme Access Control, Enterasys NAC

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

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

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

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. ExtremeControl