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

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Harmony SASE
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Check 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)
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
The 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
Check Point 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
Check Point Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
Features
Check Point Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
Identity Management
Comparison of Identity Management features of Product A and Product B
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 Product A and Product B
Check Point Harmony SASE
9.8
1 Ratings
11% 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
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User Ratings
Check Point Harmony SASECisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(2 ratings)
8.8
(118 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(3 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(3 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.3
(3 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(6 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.3
(3 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.6
(3 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
Check Point 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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 .
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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.
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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.
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ScreenShots

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Screenshots

Screenshot of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)