m_introduction

Introduction to Cisco ISE
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is an identity-based network access control and policy enforcement
system. It functions as a common policy engine that enables endpoint access control and network device
administration for enterprises.
You can leverage Cisco ISE to ensure compliance, enhance infrastructure security, and streamline service
operations.
A Cisco ISE administrator can gather real-time contextual data for a network, including users and user groups
(who?), device type (what?), access time (when?), access location (where?), access type (wired, wireless, or
VPN) (how?), and network threats and vulnerabilities.
As a Cisco ISE administrator, you can use this information to make network governance decisions. You can
also tie identity data to various network elements to create policies that govern network access and usage.
• Cisco ISE Features, on page 2

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Cisco ISE Features
Cisco ISE Features

Cisco ISE software must be installed as is. You cannot install any other third-party applications at the underlying
operating system level.
Cisco ISE empowers you with the following capabilities:
• Device Administration: Cisco ISE uses the TACACS+ security protocol to control and audit the
configuration of network devices. It facilitates granular control of who can access which network device
and change the associated network settings. Network devices can be configured to query Cisco ISE for
authentication and authorization of device administrator actions. These devices also send accounting
messages to Cisco ISE to log such actions.
• Guest and Secure Wireless: Cisco ISE enables you to provide secure network access to visitors,
contractors, consultants, and customers. You can use web-based and mobile portals to on-board guests
to your company’s network and internal resources. You can define access privileges for different types
of guests, and assign sponsors to create and manage guest accounts.
• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Cisco ISE allows your employees and guests to securely use their
personal devices on your enterprise network. BYOD feature end users can use configured pathways to
add their devices, and provision predefined authentications and levels of network access.
• Asset Visibility: Cisco ISE gives you visibility and control over who and what is on your network
consistently, across wireless, wired, and VPN connections. Cisco ISE uses probes and device sensors to
listen to the way devices connect to the network. The Cisco ISE profile database, which is extensive,
then classifies the device. This gives the visibility and context you need to grant the right level of network
access.
• Secure Access: Cisco ISE uses a wide range of authentication protocols to provide network devices and
endpoints with a secure network access. These include, but are not limited to, 802.1X, RADIUS, MAB,
web-based, EasyConnect, and external agent-enabled authentication methods.
• Segmentation: Cisco ISE uses contextual data about network devices and endpoints to facilitate network
segmentation. Security group tags, access control lists, network access protocols, and policy sets that
define authorization, access, and authentication, are some ways in which Cisco ISE enables secure
network segmentation.
• Posture or Compliance: Cisco ISE allows you to check for compliance, also known as posture, of
endpoints, before allowing them to connect to your network. You can ensure that endpoints receive the
appropriate posture agents for posturing services.
• Threat Containment: If Cisco ISE detects threat or vulnerability attributes from an endpoint, adaptive
network control policies are sent to dynamically change the access levels of the endpoint. After the threat
or vulnerability is evaluated and addressed, the endpoint is given back its original access policy.
• Security Ecosystem Integrations: The pxGrid feature allows Cisco ISE to securely share context-sensitive
information, policy and configuration data, and so on, with connected network devices, third-party
vendors, or Cisco partner systems.

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Introduction to Cisco ISE

Introduction to Cisco ISE

Cisco ISE Features

Introduction to Cisco ISE

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