Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Fortinet FortiToken comparison

The compared Cisco and Fortinet solutions aren't in the same category. Cisco is ranked #1 in NAC , with an average rating of 8.3, and holds a 26.3% mindshare in the category. Fortinet is ranked #3 in AS , with an average rating of 8.6, and holds a 6.5% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Fortinet users who would recommend it.

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Read 142 Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) reviews

15,693 Views
10,251 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Fortinet FortiToken

Read 29 Fortinet FortiToken reviews

3,905 Views
2,808 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Fortinet FortiToken

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Fortinet FortiToken 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: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

March 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 845,485 peers since 2012

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

142

Ranking in other categories

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

Fortinet FortiToken

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Authentication Systems (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Fortinet FortiToken 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 26.3%, down 31.4% compared to last year.
Fortinet FortiToken, on the other hand, focuses on Authentication Systems, holds 6.5% mindshare, down 7.2% since last year.

Network Access Control (NAC)

Authentication Systems

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

Sachin Vinay

Assistant Manager-Networks at Amrita

Facilitates secure 2FA for admins, facilitates OTP generation, and enhances security

One suggestion is to develop a more user-friendly solution that is cost-effective so that a hardware-based solution can be provided to all users using VPN services or any configuration service requiring confidentiality. This would allow for broader distribution among a larger number of system admins and software engineers, which is currently not feasible with the existing hardware-only approach.

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 us and our clients, the most valuable features of Identity Services Engine are really around the rich contact sharing that ISE gives you."

"Our clients like Cisco ISE because they already use various Cisco solutions. It's easy for them to use this solution because they have an engineer with Cisco certifications."

"The most valuable features are authentication, we have more granular control on the access policies for the administrators. The solution is easy to use, has a center point administration, and has a good GUI."

"One of the advantages is that you can easily find rogue endpoints. For example, if you don't want to allow any endpoints where you don't know the people plugging into what kind of devices, ISE can give you a big, clear picture, e.g., what kind of endpoints are getting connected to your network. That is one of the advantages."

"The core point is that Cisco ISE is the same globally compared to FortiAuthenticator. Whether I deploy in China, the US, South Africa, or wherever, I'm can get all the capabilities. It allows me to directly integrate with 365, and from a communications point of view, that is a good capability."

"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."

"I really enjoy the live log section. Sometimes, you will have someone who is having issues connecting to the network, and then you have to ask them the dreaded question of, "Did you type a password wrong?" They will probably tell you, "No," but the live log can help sort that out. It gives us that extra ability to assist the end user and make sure that we are making them happy."

"I like the logging feature."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"The solution is unique in catering to Fortinet, making it very useful and secure."

"Overall, I give the product a nine out of ten."

"One of the product's most valuable features is its ease of use."

"The initial setup is easy. You receive a QR code via email, scan it, and add it. No complicated procedures involved."

"I would rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. The solution is a smart product that anyone can easily access and manage. The solution is a good product for multi-factor authentication and to secure remote authentication in the corporate environment."

"Fortinet FortiToken provides security and authenticates that the right external people are working with a company's system."

"The solution offers push notifications. When you try to connect to the VPN, FortiToken sends a push notification to our customer's device."

"The integrated Fortinet security with the app that allows you to easily do the two-factor authentication is most valuable."

More Fortinet FortiToken pros

Cons

"This product doesn't work in isolation."

"It is a good product, but in order to use all of the functions of the product, you must have a good understanding of the product. You must know how to use and manage it. It is a little bit complicated to configure and manage. It must be simplified to make it easy to manage for end users. In the initial stage, we found ISE complicated for end users. It was not easy to manage it or to write authentication and authorization protocol. They must improve its management and make it easy for end users. The monitoring and reporting capabilities can be improved because end users want to quickly see what is happening in their network. There were some restrictions in working with other vendors. It should also have a better and easy integration with other vendors."

"Third-party integration is important, as well as the continuous adaptation feature which is the AIOps. It would be helpful to include the AIOps."

"Documentation is probably the worst part of the software."

"The knocks I have against the product are the number of bugs that we encounter, constantly, and the amount of upgrading that we have to do."

"The ISE software needs to be improved so that it is easier to administer."

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

"The interface is a little bit complex."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"I do not have any notes for improvement."

"They need to develop a more user-friendly solution that is cost-effective so that a hardware-based solution can be provided to all users using VPN services or any configuration service requiring confidentiality."

"The solution comes with two firewalls as a bundle. In that bundle, most of the individual users can be assigned to mobile users. However, in cases of technical difficulties, users may accidentally remove the mobile application. In normal scenarios, we get back to the activation key and assign it again."

"The Fortinet FortiToken server doesn't have centralized integration with other Fortinet tools and third-party tools."

"FortiToken should provide enhanced SMS services for those users who do not have smartphones."

"Fortinet FortiToken could be lower for some markets."

"Configuration can be confusing due to the lack of community and context-sensitive help. We've had to rely on technical support, which slows down the setup process."

"I'm not sure if it's already available, however, I wonder if there's an option to have it sent to my email address instead of having it on the mobile app."

More Fortinet FortiToken cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is price fair for the features you receive."

"The price is okay."

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

"There are other cheaper options available."

"It costs around 50,000 baht in the first year, but I'm unsure about the second year."

"The SMARTnet technical support is available at an additional cost."

"We are running Version 2.9 because Version 2.9 of the ISE has a persistent license — it's a one-time payment. The latest version (3.1) is only available if you do a yearly subscription."

"The solution is not that cheap."

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

"From an Indian perspective, it's definitely costlier."

"The solution’s price is good."

"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."

"Fortinet FortiToken is not an expensive solution."

"It is included as part of our firewall license."

"The platform's licensing cost is reasonable for our organization."

"The solution’s pricing is moderate and reasonable."

More Fortinet FortiToken pricing and cost advice

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.

See recommendations

845,485 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

27%

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Government

University

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 Fortinet FortiToken?

The solution is simple and similar to Google Authenticator. It follows time-based authentication. We use it for hardware and software in one environment. The tool offers simple and fast authenticat...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiToken?

I do not have any notes for improvement.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Fortinet FortiToken?

I am using FortiToken for logging into the Fortinet hardware. I have four FortiGate hardware units. I am connected through a simulator on FortiToken.

See all answers

Comparisons

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

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

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Fortinet FortiToken

Compared 27% of the time

Cisco Duo vs Fortinet FortiToken

Compared 23% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Fortinet FortiToken

Compared 18% of the time

Yubico YubiKey vs Fortinet FortiToken

Compared 17% of the time

Thales Authenticators vs Fortinet FortiToken

Compared 2% of the time

More Fortinet FortiToken Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

April 2025

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiToken

April 2025

Download Fortinet FortiToken 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

As we've seen, passwords alone don't keep unwanted guests out of your network. Password-only authentication has led to security breaches, malware infections, and policy violations. With two-factor authentication, a password is used along with a security token and authentication server to provide far better security. Authorized employees can remotely access company resources safely using a variety of devices, ranging from lpatops to mobile phones.

Fortinet

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

Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

March 2025

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Fortinet and others in Network Access Control (NAC). Updated: March 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

845,485 professionals have used our research since 2012.

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.