pxGrid Cloud identity source
The Cisco Identity Services Engine (Cisco ISE) pxGrid Cloud identity source enables you to use subscription and user data from a server or cluster in Secure Firewall Management Center access control rules. Also, the identity source uses constantly changing dynamic objects from in access control policies in the Secure Firewall Management Center.
Integration technologies
The pxGrid Cloud identity source also uses:
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The Cisco Platform Exchange Grid (pxGrid), which enables multivendor, cross-platform network system collaboration in things like security monitoring and detection systems, network policy platforms, asset and configuration management, identity, and access management. pxGrid Cloud is the cloud-based interface to Cisco ISE.
More information about pxGrid is available in resources such as What is PxGrid? on devnet.
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The Cisco Digital Network Architecture (Cisco DNA) delivers automation, security, predictive monitoring, and a policy-driven approach. It provides end-to-end network visibility and uses network insights to optimize network performance and deliver the best user and application experience.
To use the pxGrid Cloud identity source with the Secure Firewall Management Center, you must Create a Cisco Account.
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What is pxGrid? on devnet
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Cisco Platform Exchange Grid Cloud on devnet
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Restrictions for the pxGrid Cloud identity source
Before you set up the pxGrid Cloud identity source, note these restrictions:
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pxGrid Cloud suppports these regions:
us-west-2,eu-central-1, andap-southeast-1. -
For information about Cisco ISE versions and query sizes, see Query limitation in the pxGrid Cloud SDK on GitHub.
How the pxGrid Cloud identity source works
Summary
The key components involved in the pxGrid Cloud identity source are:
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Secure Firewall Management Center: Uses the pxGrid Cloud SDK to programmatically retrieve user information
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Cisco ISE: Provides user information, SGT, endpoint profile, and other details
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pxGrid Cloud: Facilitates secure data exchange between the management center and ISE
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Authentication process: Requires one-time passwords (OTP) to establish trusted communication
Workflow

These stages describe how the pxGrid Cloud identity source works:
- In Cisco ISE, the administrator enables the use of pxGrid Cloud.
- The administrator registers Cisco ISE as a product in pxGrid Cloud, which authenticates Cisco ISE and pxGrid Cloud and enables them to communicate with each other. The authentication process requires you to paste a one-time password (OTP) from pxGrid Cloud into Cisco ISE.
- In pxGrid Cloud, the administrator creates an "app instance" that generates an OTP for use in the Secure Firewall Management Center to authenticate the two with each other.
- After completing all the preceding tasks, the Secure Firewall Management Center (which includes the pxGrid Cloud SDK) can query Cisco ISE using pxGrid Cloud and retrieve sessions containing user information, SGT, endpoint profile, and other details. A Cisco ISE cluster downloads SGT/endpoint profile definition only from the primary node because the definitions are shared across all nodes.
- Many types of dynamic objects can be filtered and sent to the Secure Firewall Management Center as dynamic objects to be used in access control rules. These include: SGT, endpoint profile, posture status, and machine authentication. User information is retrieved from Cisco ISE and group information is retrieved from either Microsoft Active Directory or Azure Active Directory.















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