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Aruba ClearPass

Aruba ClearPass

Overview

What is Aruba ClearPass?

Aruba ClearPass is network access control (NAC) technology from HPE company Aruba Networks. Aruba acquired Avenda and its eTips NAC in 2011.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

This product is a versatile network access control system that is used in wired and wireless networks for information security purposes. …
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Aruba Clearpass

10 out of 10
September 08, 2020
Incentivized
This is the network access control system used for the organization. This system allows several different types of devices to easily …
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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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What is Aruba ClearPass?

Aruba ClearPass is network access control (NAC) technology from HPE company Aruba Networks. Aruba acquired Avenda and its eTips NAC in 2011.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Demos

Aruba Clearpass - Employee Device OnGuard Demo

YouTube

ClearPass 6.6 Multi-factor authentication: demo network access with ImageWare GoVerifyID biometrics

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Aruba Clearpass - Wired 802.1x Demo

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[ATM16 Demo] Connect and Protect Building IoT with Aruba ClearPass

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Aruba Clearpass - Sponsored Guest Access Demo

YouTube

ClearPass 6.6 Multi-factor authentication: demo Onboarding with SMS confirmation

YouTube
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Product Details

What is Aruba ClearPass?

Aruba ClearPass Video

Aruba ClearPass: Get a crystal-clear view of your networks

Aruba ClearPass Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba ClearPass is network access control (NAC) technology from HPE company Aruba Networks. Aruba acquired Avenda and its eTips NAC in 2011.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 9.1.

The most common users of Aruba ClearPass are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(43)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

This product is a versatile network access control system that is used in wired and wireless networks for information security purposes. It offers features such as NAC, RADIUS, and TACACS to ensure the security of network connections. With its ability to dynamically assign devices with certificates to VLAN groups in wired networks and restrict their authority with DACL, it provides a robust solution for controlling network access.

One key use case of this product is user authentication. It can be utilized for authenticating users in connection to various network and security products through the TACACS feature. This not only enhances the overall security of the network but also simplifies the authentication process for users. Additionally, it serves as a primary authentication platform for organizations, like universities, providing TACACS for management and RADIUS services for 802.1X authentication.

Another important use case is guest and BYOD network security in wireless networks. By authenticating wireless devices and assigning users to appropriate VLANs based on their membership in AD security groups, this product ensures the security of guest and BYOD networks. Moreover, it creates guest accounts for visitors, granting them access to the internet while restricting access to internal systems.

In addition to these use cases, the product also addresses wireless authentication problems in a reliable and scalable manner. By managing devices on wireless networks and providing a registration portal page for guest users, it simplifies the process of managing network access for both employees and visitors. Furthermore, it reduces management overhead for IT staff while enhancing convenience for users.

Overall, this product serves as an essential network access control system that addresses various security needs in both wired and wireless networks. Its user-friendly features and robust functionality make it a valuable tool for organizations seeking to enhance their information security measures while simplifying network management tasks.

Wide range of compatible devices: Many users have found the wide range of compatible devices in ClearPass to be helpful, as it allows for easy integration with various systems. This flexibility enables users to seamlessly connect and manage their network infrastructure without any compatibility issues.

Easy-to-understand rule-writing structure: The hierarchical and easy-to-understand rule-writing structure in ClearPass has been appreciated by several users. This feature simplifies the process of configuring access for different devices and purposes, making it convenient for users to set up and manage user authentication rules.

Seamless integration with Microsoft Active Directory: Users have praised the seamless integration of ClearPass with Microsoft Active Directory. This functionality allows for efficient user authentication and eliminates the need for multiple SSIDs, streamlining the user experience while ensuring secure network access.

Difficult Rule Editing: Users have found it challenging to edit and save rules in ClearPass, particularly when navigating to the end of the page. They have expressed difficulty in making rule modifications and successfully saving them.

Limited OR Operations: Reviewers have mentioned that ClearPass does not allow performing an OR operation within a rule. As a result, they are required to write multiple rules instead, which can be time-consuming and cumbersome.

Complex License Structure: Users have reported confusion and difficulty understanding the license structure of ClearPass. The complex nature of the licensing system makes it hard for users to grasp and manage effectively.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-3 of 3)
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Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I'm using this software to manage devices on my wireless network including a portal registration page for guest users. I also plan to use 802.1x for wired authentication.
  • Reliable
  • Informative dashboards
  • Priced well
  • Integrates into non-aruba platforms
  • Easy to install patches
  • Little downtime
  • The user interface is outdated
  • Support is not as responsive as it used to be
  • I'd like to be able to build dashboards
For mid/large organizations I think this is a great product, system requirements aren't too high, after the product is up and running it requires little maintenance except for patches and there is a large talent pool for resources. Clearpass is agnostic to vendors so whatever your wireless solution is this platform should be able to integrate with it.

It may not be needed for smaller organizations as set up does take a lot of time and may not provide much value in return.
  • Guest management
  • Functions as a NAC
  • Reporting
  • Support for a large number of users/scaling
  • Reliability
  • Portal page is easy for users to understand
Much easier to use, FortiNAC which used to be owned by Bradford was difficult to use. Unintuitive menus made it difficult to use and support was almost nonexistent. It may be different now, but we haven't looked back since using Clearpass. Licensing and support costs aren't bad compared to other solutions. Clearpass licensing is also perpetual which very important to me.
September 08, 2020

Aruba Clearpass

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
This is the network access control system used for the organization. This system allows several different types of devices to easily connect to the network and get the proper access required for that individual or appliance. This solves a security issue that many organizations may face, properly restricting users or devices to only the resources they need.
  • Network access control
  • Guest network access
  • Network segmentation
  • More intuitive upgrade process.
  • Add in-service software upgrades.
  • Use common syntax across the various systems within Clearpass. For instance, monitoring view and guest view use different syntax's.
Aruba Clearpass is well suited for organizations that require diverse network segmentation. This system provides the ability to lock down user access to only the resources one needs. The initial setup of a system like this is resource-intensive and may require outside consulting, but once in place, day to day system management is minimal and network visibility is increased.
  • Positive ROI based on stronger network security
  • Initial upfront large expense, but lower yearly expense.
  • Lower hours required long term for administrative network tasks.
Personally. I haven't used other NAC solutions. There are a few I've researched, but have stayed with Clearpass as my solution based on the features and use case for my organization. One large reason for staying with Clearpass is being an Aruba wireless network customer. Having one vendor end to end makes solving issues easier, especially if an Aruba TAC call is required.
This product has consistently provided the results needed from it and when issues arose, Aruba TAC was able to provide support effectively. In the previous question, I stated that Aruba Wireless is used as well. With those systems in place with ClearPass troubleshooting becomes much easier. I am sure other issues may arise if calling support while using another vendor for wireless such as Cisco, Juniper, etc.
Aruba Clearpass is straight forward in terms of day to day use for monitoring and basic user connectivity issues. The system is very robust on the back end, therefore some larger configuration changes may not be the most intuitive. System upgrades and license management are not the most intuitive either.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
ClearPass is being used company-wide. Every person's device is authenticated through ClearPass and depending on what department they are they are put into a VLAN that gives them access to the systems they need. I love that ClearPass can grant or deny access to certain systems based on the user because it saves time not having to build that manually. We also use ClearPass to create guest accounts for visitors that come to our campus. These guest accounts grant access to the internet but not to our internal systems. ClearPass solves the problem of having multiple departments with different needs and being able to grant them access to what they need while keeping the network secure. ClearPass allows us to use 802.1x so we can put a base config on our network devices and not have to configure each port specific to each person or device.
  • You can use ClearPass authenticate using wired and wireless network devices. This is helpful that you don't have to have multiple systems to accomplish this.
  • Because devices can have different purposes Clearpass can configure groups that will specify what access they have. You can use parameters such as vendor or mac address so clearpass know what group to push them to.
  • It is very easy to view device logs. This is really helpful to troubleshoot auth issues. Once you find the device Clearpass provides more than enough info to know what the issue is and to fix it.
  • Getting data out of ClearPass is difficult. You can get some with SNMP but he API is lacking. There is only a limited amount of info that you can get from it. Even some data that shows up in ClearPass Insight is not available to import into a 3rd party application.
  • In the past, if you have hardware/software issues you could troubleshoot them yourself through the CLI in a Linux type interface but now they have locked everything down and it makes troubleshooting difficult. You have to rely on them for everything. As a person who likes to understand the ins and outs of the systems I manage it is somewhat frustrating.
  • Steep learning curve, although support can assist and their forums like airheads can be helpful. This is a complex system and can take a while to grasp how everything works and integrates.
We have quite a few visitors to our campus and we don't want to have a set PSK for the wireless so we have configured a guest network where visitors can create an account and gain access to the internet and we don't have to "manage" it since the accounts will expire after a certain time. We have RF scanners in our warehouses and we want them to be allowed on the network and be put into its own VLAN. ClearPass can do this flawlessly by keying off of the MAC address when it comes online and putting it into the correct VLAN. This makes it so we don't have to add each device individually to the system. The only time ClearPass would not be appropriate is in a small deployment where the cost to value wouldn't make sense.
  • ClearPass has streamlined everything so we don't have to have as many people managing our device auth systems.
  • Our Security team loves that ClearPass can deny unauthorized users and devices from the network. This alone has probably saved us a lot of money and headaches.
  • Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE)
ClearPass by far is a more versatile system it seems that it has more features and can configure how you want it. Cisco ISE is extremely complicated to deploy where I felt that ClearPass was more straight forward and user-friendly. Clearpass does what Cisco ISE can do and more. ClearPass hands down has a better ability to create policies to create your own process for each type of device or for a specific function.
Aruba tier 1 support is not that great if your issue is more complex. For simple issues, the first contact is usually fine but if I know the issue is more complex I ask them from the start to escalate the issue which they are always happy to do. From there, their support have been great and I have had confidence that they know what they are talking about and there is a quick resolve. Airhead forum support is pretty good since it's community-based and I can find many answers to question there.
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