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 #3 with an average rating of 7.3, while Ivanti is ranked #14. Cisco holds a 18.6% mindshare in NAC, compared to Ivanti’s 3.0% 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

18,648 Views
12,121 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Read 3 Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) reviews

1,216 Views
1,204 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: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

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

June 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)

3rd

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 June 2026, in the Network Access Control (NAC) category, the mindshare of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is 18.6%, down from 25.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS) is 3.0%, 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)	18.6%
Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)	3.0%
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 solution is integrated with other Cisco devices and can offer automation for an organization, making deployments more dynamic and providing real-time visibility."

"Use ISE if you want to build more resilience within your organization."

"Visitors can be granted access to the wifi network using their cellphones, notebooks or tablets in a very easy way. The ease of accessibility that anyone can have to the network is very quick and is a big improvement in our network."

"The most important feature for us is visibility in terms of user connections. It's the ability to see what devices are online for a particular user that helps a lot with our troubleshooting."

"Having access and being able to add people or change authentication yourself is nice. In the past, we've used other group authentication services, and we always had to go to them and get permissions. Having that control is key."

"This solution can be used to protect one's application."

"Stable network administration solution that can be installed easily, and comes with fast technical support."

"The integration with Active Directory is the most valuable feature for us."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) pros

"Integration with other vendors is possible."

"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."

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

Cons

"The licensing documentation needs to be better."

"One of the main issues in Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) is that it lags excessively."

"It is too complex. It should be easy to use. We are not such a big team. We only have three engineers to work with this, and we don't use all of the functionality of the product. Its range of functionality is too wide for us, and this is the reason why we are thinking of switching to a more simple product. We have shortlisted a Microsoft solution. We have a big footprint for Microsoft products, especially in security. As a global strategy, we try to leverage to the maximum what is possible around Microsoft."

"If I was going to improve anything, it would be the ease of migration. It's really difficult at the moment if you're looking to upgrade ISE 2.1 and you want to go to ISE 3.1 or 3.2, that whole upgrade path and, particularly, the licensing is quite a minefield to sort out."

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

"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 web interface needs improvement. The new web interface that they have is not as easy to manage and we find it to be very slow."

"Migration could be better. Right now, we back up with the new version, and it requires a lot of licensing and other things. Whenever we choose a product, it's very difficult because we have to meet the requirements of each feature. There is no standard feature, so the best system that we bought may not fit the solution. We have to look at every feature that the customer uses. If you compare it with other products like Aruba, it's not the same. With Cisco, I have to read all about the features on this version and the licensing required for the product. In Aruba, that thing is covered when you get one license because it covers almost everything. It could also be more scalable."

More Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) cons

"The product's performance needs improvement."

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

"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

"Pricing and licensing are not my expertise. As far as budgeting is concerned, we run an ELA with Cisco. It's a part of our ELA."

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

"The price is okay."

"Cybersecurity resilience has been very important to our organization and has been a big factor. We've had issues in the past, but one of the things I like about ISE is its logging features. Security wise or information wise, it really has been a powerful tool."

"Standard licensing gives backup access and very few features, and then there's VM licensing - each VM we use needs to be licensed."

"It is fair."

"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."

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

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%

Government

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

15%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

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 27% of the time

Fortinet FortiNAC vs Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

Compared 12% 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

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

Compared 3% 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 11% of the time

Aruba ClearPass vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 11% of the time

Forescout Platform vs Ivanti Policy Secure (IPS)

Compared 8% 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)

June 2026

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) report

Download Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product report

Buyer's Guide

Network Access Control (NAC)

June 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)

June 2026

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