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Check Point Harmony SASE vs. Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Harmony SASE

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ACheck Point Harmony SASE, based on Perimeter 81 which was acquired by Check Point in late 2023, is designed to simplify secure network, cloud and application access for the modern and distributed workforce.

    $10

    per month per user

    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/AThe Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) offers a network-based approach for adaptable, trusted access everywhere, based on context. It gives the user intelligent, integrated protection through intent-based policy and compliance solutions.N/A
    Pricing
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Editions & Modules
    Essentials
    $10
    per month per user
    Premium
    $15
    per month per user
    Premium Plus
    $20
    per month per user
    Enterprise
    Custom
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details+$50 per month per gateway. Discounts available for annual pricing.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Considered Both Products
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answer on this topic
    Cisco
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Would buy again
    109 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    98 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    108 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    74 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    85%
    Implementation went as expected
    92 Answers
    Features
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Identity Management
    Comparison of Identity Management features of Check Point Harmony SASE and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Feature
    Check Point Harmony SASE
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-Factor Authentication10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Zero Trust Security
    Comparison of Zero Trust Security features of Check Point Harmony SASE and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Feature
    Check Point Harmony SASE
    9.8
    1 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    -
    Ratings
    Continuous Verification10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Secure Web Gateways10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Segmentation Leveraging9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Admin Access Control10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    FireMon
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Zscaler Internet Access
    Score8.8 out of 10
    FireMon
    Score7.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.9
    (2 ratings)
    8.6
    (89 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (3 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (6 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.9
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Check Point Software Technologies
    I'd suggest that Perimeter81 is recommended when you want something that is easy to administrate, with little maintenance, unlike a VPN/secure network that you host and manage internally. We've had incidents when there has been downtime at Perimeter81, which has effectively locked us out of some of our secure services (anything locked down via IP). They have made improvements to their infrastructure and it seems to have improved in recent months, but this is something to keep in mind for critical connections
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    Cisco ISE integrates will with a Cisco solution such as firewalls, network switches and routers. It does an incredible job of granting access based on the role that an individual or groups have, and the ability to remove access to that individual or group is also east. In our environment ISE is used to authenticate external users that have access by vpn, and also to manage access to the large network infrastructure
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Check Point Software Technologies
    • Simple easy to read icon.
    • You can hover over and see if you are logged in via the systems tray on your computer.
    • Easy to switch between regions around the world.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • The most beneficial thing that I love about it, there are tons of things that I love about ISE and that it does well, but the most fascinating that I feel about is its integration with DNA center or Catalyst Center using PX Grid as the protocol wherein ISE acts as a policy server for the entire campus hand in hand with Catalyst Center to make sure that the policy policy follows the user and also in the background hand in hand with DNA Center or Catalyst Center makes sure microsegmentation is implemented so that east west traffic is blocked and takes care of the campus.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Check Point Software Technologies
    • Customer support was lacking before, now seems better.
    • Had much difficulty using Chrome as my browser to install the app.
    • Increase the throughput speeds at time would be nicer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cisco
    • Trustsec needs more documentation and configuration best practice examples
    • The licensing model can be difficult to explain and understand for customers
    • Difficult to get an accurate benchmark to know exactly how many Cisco Identity Services Engine nodes and the size of the deployment should be
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    We are so very reliant on Cisco Identity Services Engine at this point that finding another solution would be a big hassle for us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    For us the solution is very easily useable on its own. Perhaps that has to do because we started using ISE in the 1.2 days and have seen it grow during the years. Policy creation, etc. is all very visible and thus easy to use. Deployment of multiple nodes is also incredibly easy and flexible. You can easily add or remove nodes as you wish.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    We do have to occasionally reboot the servers when they get low on memory, but we're also a few versions behind. Availability has generally been pretty good though with no major outages in the time that we've had it implemented.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    yes it does. depending on where you coming from. Logs are pretty busy same as report. it also depending on devices count and design.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Cisco support is second to none, both in terms of how you access support but also the knowledge of the individual support teams. If you focus on one technology and provide "manufacturer support" then you can rest assured that you are accessing Cisco's top individuals. I feel like this is a USP for Cisco support.
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Training can only cover certain areas, there are a lot of areas training just can't cover. You have to learn by doing it.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    I did participate in the implementation of Cisco ISE and while there were times when it was confusing and we had a lot of trial and error, overall the experience was fine.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Check Point Software Technologies
    In the beginning, it was a bit rough getting it to work and getting any kind of quality support from customer service. But recently they really improved their service and customer service. I believe they raise 100M in new funding which provides them the resources to make a better product with better tools and a better help desk.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    I think all give some visibility of device monitoring and management, but Cisco Identity Services Engine gives a good way to manage more details about the device in a centralized way that gives a wider range of monitoring and control than the other softwares individually. I don't think Cisco Identity Services Engine eliminates the need for these other software as of now, but there is potential for Cisco Identity Services Engine to be able to take over more of these roles.
    Incentivized
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    Cisco ISE was competitively priced and Cisco was able to leverage some of our existing contracts to help ease the purchase.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Check Point Software Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Cisco
    It's fully customised and comprehensive. only thing is you need to know what you want. Proper research and planning would save lots of time and effort .
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Check Point Software Technologies
    • I think it is just a cost of doing business.
    • I don't think the cost is too prohibitive.
    • We also use it as an example of what a small cost can provide big protection for your security.
    Incentivized
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    Cisco
    • I don't know about negatives because we haven't seen it right now, but positive impact is one is the roadmap we have. And now since we are going ahead with doing the deployment of Cisco ISE, we see that we are getting closure to, so at the end of the day, we have to make sure that operationally we stay excellent. So that's where operational excellence comes in. Cisco ISE is basically addressing that for us. Right now we are in a situation if there is a WIFI issue or if there is an authentication issue, it gets really difficult to isolate the problem. But with Cisco ISE , this functionality is going to come in. So we believe that it would be a good ROI.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Screenshots

    Screenshot of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)