Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) comparison

Cisco and Ivanti are both solutions in the Network Access Control (NAC) category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 7.3, while Ivanti is ranked #14. Cisco holds a 18.4% mindshare in NAC, compared to Ivanti’s 3.2% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Ivanti users who would recommend it.

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Read 144 Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) reviews

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12,964 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Read 3 Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) reviews

1,369 Views
1,355 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Identity Services Eng...

Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 20, 2026

Cisco Identity Services Engine and Ivanti Policy Secure are competing solutions within the network security sphere, focusing on access management and policy enforcement. Cisco generally receives favorable comparisons for its comprehensive security capabilities.

Features: Cisco offers advanced threat defense, extensive network access control, and robust integration capabilities, making it a preferred choice for complex security environments. Ivanti, although feature-rich, emphasizes seamless network access and simple policy management, providing effective endpoint compliance with less complexity. The choice depends on whether advanced integration or straightforward functionality is prioritized.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ivanti is recognized for its relatively straightforward deployment process and solid customer support, appealing to organizations with limited IT resources. Cisco offers a rich set of tools and may require a more intricate setup and specialized skill set for deployment, but provides extensive training resources. Ease of deployment is often an advantage for Ivanti where simplicity is a priority.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco is perceived as having a higher initial setup cost but is often justified by its expansive feature set and scalability. Ivanti, with a more affordable entry point, is attractive for those seeking a cost-effective solution. ROI may favor Cisco in larger deployments due to its comprehensive coverage and sophisticated network protection, whereas Ivanti is suited for businesses requiring efficient cost management without compromising on essential capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

August 2026

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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)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

144

Ranking in other categories

Cisco Security Portfolio (4th)

Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Ranking in Network Access Control (NAC)

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is 18.4%, down from 24.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) is 3.2%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Access Control (NAC) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)	18.4%
Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)	3.2%
Other	78.4%

Network Access Control (NAC)

Featured Reviews

NicolasFigaro

Network and Technology Information Manager at Akkodis

Has improved authentication management and simplified visitor network access

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.

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Le Ban

IT Security Manager & Chief IT Engineer at JVPC

Affordable product with an easy initial setup process

Ivanti NAC's most valuable feature is reasonable pricing The product's performance needs improvement. We are doing the PoC of Ivanti NAC. I rate the platform's stability an eight out of ten. I rate Ivanti NAC's scalability an eight out of ten. We have 150 users for it. I contacted the…

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

"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."

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

"Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) has simplified guest access management for us without compromising security for our organization."

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

"I found the CMDB Direct Connect in Cisco ISE 3.2 the most promising feature for my use case."

"If someone is looking for a concrete solution to control the access, then ISE is a better solution."

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

"It does what it's supposed to. We use a certificate-based authentication method for corporate-managed devices. That means when a user walks in with their managed laptop and plugs it into the network, it chats with Cisco ISE in the background, allows it on the network, and away they go."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"Ivanti NAC's most valuable feature is reasonable pricing."

"The profiler option allows me to see every detail in a systematic manner from a switch. I can choose the switch and I can see the port NAC address and time."

"Integration with other vendors is possible."

Cons

"I would like to see them simplify the dashboard. It's very configurable, but, at the same time, it's not easy to maneuver through it. They should "Merakify" it."

"In an upcoming release, it would be nice to have NAC already standard in the solution."

"The interface is not very user-friendly and it is not simple to use."

"I would say Cisco's support has been getting worse."

"The UI and UX could be more seamless and easier to use."

"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."

"The solution could be more secure."

"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."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"The documentation needs to be improved. There are a lot of details that are missed which makes it confusing."

"The product's performance needs improvement."

"At some point, the server got cached and we faced several issues that impacted our customers. We would like to have this resolved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Hardware appliances are expensive...Now moving to DNA-styled licensing, we have subscription-based licensing for everything. I hope it will continue to be fair, but we will have to wait and see."

"Its licensing could be improved. It used to be perpetual, but now they are moving away from that."

"Cisco ISE's licensing can get pricey."

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

"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 a bit on the high side."

"In general, licensing can be quite complex with Cisco products. It would be nice if it was a bit more intuitive and had fewer "gotchas" in there."

"The solution is not that cheap."

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

"The product is cost-effective."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Government

Comms Service Provider

13%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	45
Midsize Enterprise	32
Large Enterprise	91

No data available

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

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Comparisons

Aruba ClearPass vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 30% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 10% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 6% of the time

Portnox vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 3% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Competitors

Portnox vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 12% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 12% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 10% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 9% of the time

Genian NAC vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 7% of the time

More Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

August 2026

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

July 2026

Download Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) product report

Also Known As

Cisco ISE

Pulse Policy Secure

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

Dynamic endpoint policy enforcement and access control, seamless roaming from VPN to on-premises and more.

Ivanti

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

Entegrus

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs. Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

August 2026

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