ZTNA, SASE, and microsegmentation tools often focus on app access or east-west traffic. Cisco ISE acts as the network identity control plane, using user, device, posture, and location context to govern access across wired, wireless, VPN, cloud, and IoT/OT.
Trusted identity control at global scale
Endpoints authenticated to date.
Concurrent active endpoints supported per deployment.
Of market maturity and leadership.
Move from access control to network control
Cisco ISE unifies identity, visibility, and enforcement so teams can verify trust, segment access, and contain threats across hybrid networks.
See every connection
Discover and profile managed, unmanaged IoT and OT endpoints across wired, wireless, VPN, and cloud-connected environments.
Know the context
Use identity, posture, device, behavior, and ecosystem signals to make more accurate access decisions.
Control communication
Apply least-privilege access and segmentation so users and devices communicate only with what they should.
Automatically contain threats
Use policy automation and integrations to quarantine risky endpoints and contain threats faster.
Beyond static network admission control (NAC)
Replace network location-based rules with identity-driven policy that follows users and devices across all environments.
Beyond zero trust network access (ZTNA)
Control all user and device communication within the network, not just during access but even before and after access is granted.
Beyond visibility and detection
Turn context into enforcement. ISE shares identity context across your ecosystem so security signals can influence policies across domains.
ISE software
Stay current with Cisco ISE software releases, patch guidance, upgrade considerations, and evaluation options.
ISE 3.5 Release
Use the latest patch in Cisco ISE 3.5 release-train to experience new features, and fixes.
Try ISE free for up to 90 days
Every new Cisco ISE installation includes a 90-day evaluation license for up to 100 endpoints so teams can test before purchase.
ISE licensing
Compare Cisco ISE license tiers based on the capabilities needed for your network.
ISE Essentials
Provides basic visibility into users, devices, and endpoints across the network, along with essential network access control features.
ISE Advantage
Secures diverse users and devices using identity-based segmentation features, and share identity context with Cisco and non-Cisco solutions.
ISE Premier
Offers continuous device trust, compliance enforcement, and automated threat containment features.
ISE across every environment
Across enterprise, branch, cloud, and IIoT, ISE gives teams a consistent way to verify trust and enforce policy.
Enterprise, campus, and branch
Enforce consistent identity-based access across wired, wireless, and VPN users while segmenting sensitive resources.
Data center and cloud
Extend identity-based segmentation and consistent policy across application environments and critical resources.
Industrial IoT
Discover, classify, and control devices that cannot support agents, including operational and specialized endpoints.
ISE integrations
Connect ISE identity and endpoint context across Cisco products, Cisco management platforms, and partner ecosystems to automate response.
ISE integration with Cisco products and solutions
Use ISE context across Cisco networking and security infrastructure for identity-aware access, segmentation, and response.
ISE integration with partners
Share context with more than 70 third-party security, identity, mobility, asset, and operations tools through pxGrid and open APIs.
ISE reviews
Read independent peer perspectives on how IT and security teams evaluate Cisco ISE for access control, visibility, segmentation, and policy enforcement.
Gartner Peer Insights Reviews
Read peer reviews and perspectives from customers evaluating Cisco ISE for network access control.
PeerSpot Reviews
Read practitioner reviews, product comparisons, and implementation perspectives from IT and security teams.
Related architecture and solutions
Cisco Secure Networking
Make the network identity-aware with consistent ISE-driven policy across campus, branch, IoT, cloud, and hybrid work environments.
Cisco Hybrid Mesh Firewall
Strengthen segmentation by using ISE identity context to help define, enforce, and adapt policy across data center, cloud, and campus environments.
Cisco Zero Trust Access
Build trust-based access with ISE, Cisco Secure Access and Duo to help verify users, devices, and application experiences before access is granted.
Customer stories and insights
Cisco ISE frequently asked questions
ISE combines authentication, authorization, profiling, policy, and segmentation context. Teams can move from allow/deny access to least-privilege communication using Security Group Tags, VLANs, downloadable ACLs, and integrations.
Before access is granted, ISE evaluates identity, device type, posture, location, and other context. After connection, it shares context with network and security tools to update policy, segment access, or contain risk.
Yes. ISE discovers and profiles managed, unmanaged, IoT, and OT endpoints without endpoint software, then applies identity- and context-based policies through the network for more consistent control.
ISE integrates with Cisco networking, security, identity, and management platforms, plus third-party tools through pxGrid and open APIs. Teams can use shared context for access, segmentation, investigation, and response.