

Fortinet FortiNAC and Cisco Identity Services Engine compete in the network access control solutions category. Based on comparative analysis, Cisco ISE is often favored due to its robust security measures and comprehensive integration capabilities, though it tends to be more complex. Fortinet FortiNAC, however, is valued for its user-friendliness and seamless operation in diverse environments.
Features: Fortinet FortiNAC provides significant visibility and a user-friendly interface, making it easy for administrators to manage network access. It is versatile, supporting operations across cloud and on-premises environments, and offers seamless integration with other Fortinet products. Cisco ISE is distinguished by its comprehensive security features, compliance checks, and integration capabilities, making it suitable for environments that leverage Cisco's broader suite of solutions. Its scalability supports large enterprises with diverse needs.
Room for Improvement: Fortinet FortiNAC could enhance its third-party integration and improve documentation and support responsiveness. Users have also noted the performance of its Java-based interface could be improved. Cisco ISE faces criticism for its complex licensing structure and cumbersome upgrade process. The user interface and documentation have also drawn complaints, with suggestions for simplification and enhanced usability.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortinet FortiNAC is noted for a straightforward deployment process across various environments, though its customer service receives criticism for slow response and varying product knowledge. Cisco ISE, while widely deployed, presents a steep learning curve with complex setup procedures. Its customer service is generally responsive but reported to have issues with case resolution efficiency.
Pricing and ROI: Fortinet FortiNAC is perceived as a cost-effective solution, offering competitive pricing and significant returns through reduced operational expenses. Its fair pricing is advantageous for those focusing on security cost management. Cisco ISE is considered expensive, justified by its comprehensive security offerings. The shift to subscription-based licensing has raised concerns about continuous cost increases, though users find value in its extensive functionalities.
Direct comparisons with Forescout reveal up to 30% to 40% difference in cost savings.
We also save money because we increased security, stopped incidents, and reduced breaches and security breaches.
I rate the technical support as one out of ten.
Cisco support has pretty good teams for support and every time we had good answers and we could somehow solve the issues we had.
TAC support from Cisco is a notable feature; it provides very professional support.
They provide sessions to help with various questions.
They could do more to improve, not because of the product itself but because of the support they provide.
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.
Factors like architecture, business nature, and legal limitations such as GDPR affect it.
However, you can have some latency issues depending on where your devices are.
The pricing model makes it challenging as the cost is substantial due to the per-node licensing model.
Fortinet FortiNAC's scalability is great.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is considered very reliable and stable.
The stability of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is poor for certain use cases, like authentication.
Sometimes when we have upgrades or failovers with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), we had some minor 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).
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.
They are very poor in asset classification and should focus on improving the preauthentication profiling, especially for NAC use cases.
Improvement in the interface design would make FortiNAC a better solution.
The graphical user interface (GUI) of Fortinet FortiNAC is very poor compared to competitors like Forcepoint and Cisco ISE.
Real-time use cases for implementing Fortinet FortiNAC will be useful for all customers.
Compared to other solutions like HPE ClearPass, Cisco is more costly, and the conversation suggests a possible forty percent price gap compared to competitors.
The license costs can range between $50,000 to $100,000 per year for enterprises.
Cloud solutions are expensive, while on-prem setups with shared environments are cheaper but not effective.
Fortinet FortiNAC is relatively cheap compared to other solutions.
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been wonderful from Fortinet FortiNAC.
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers authentication using RADIUS, enhancing network security by separating and segregating networks.
There is value because it helps us secure the network and prevents certain things from happening which could cause financial loss.
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.
Implementing zero trust with Fortinet FortiNAC has improved security metrics and enhanced security for our infrastructure.
I appreciate the feature where it can connect with different vendor equipment, regardless of the network devices from other vendors.
The main advantage of Fortinet FortiNAC is its integration with the entire Fortinet product portfolio.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) | 22.4% |
| Fortinet FortiNAC | 16.1% |
| Other | 61.5% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 44 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 32 |
| Large Enterprise | 91 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 30 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 14 |
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?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.
Fortinet's FortiNAC is a network access control solution that provides visibility, control, and automated response for everything that connects to the network, enhancing the security fabric. FortiNAC protects against Internet of Things (IoT) threats, extends control to third-party devices, and orchestrates automated responses to a variety of networking events.
Using many information and behavior sources, FortiNAC delivers extensive profiling of even headless devices on your network, allowing you to precisely identify what's on your network.
You can change the configurations of switches and wireless equipment from more than 70 vendors to implement micro-segmentation regulations. You can also extend the security fabric's reach in diverse contexts.
With FortiNac, you can respond in seconds to events in your network to stop attacks from spreading. When the relevant behavior is seen, FortiNAC offers a rich and customized set of automation policies that can rapidly trigger configuration changes.
Fortinet FortiNAC Features
Fortinet FortiNAC has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
Fortinet FortiNAC Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing DX Spectrum. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
Fortinet FortiNAC stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust network segmentation and its device visibility. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:
A Senior Proposal Manager at a tech services company writes of the solution, “The network segmentation is the most important part of the solution. The integration with the Zero Trust Access solution is a crucial part of segmenting your network.”
Eranjaya K., Security Engineer at Eguardian lanka, notes, “We use Fortinet FortiNAC to receive excellent visibility of our network for traffic and what devices are connected to prevent attacks.” He adds, “I have found Fortinet FortiNAC to be scalable.”
We monitor all Network Access Control (NAC) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.