What does Cisco ISE do?

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a network access control (NAC) platform that enforces who and what can connect to your network. It authenticates users and devices, checks device compliance, assigns network access based on policy, and provides detailed access logging.

How long does a Cisco ISE deployment take?

A typical ISE deployment takes 4 to 12 weeks depending on network size, number of locations, and policy complexity. ExColo uses a phased approach — starting in monitor mode — to reduce risk and avoid disrupting production access.

Does my organization need Cisco ISE?

If you need to control which devices can access your network, enforce compliance before granting access, or meet regulatory requirements that mandate network access control (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, CMMC), ISE is worth evaluating. ExColo can assess your environment and recommend whether ISE is the right fit.

Can ExColo upgrade or migrate an existing ISE deployment?

Yes. We handle ISE upgrades, migrations to new hardware, policy audits and cleanups, and integration expansions. If your ISE deployment has grown messy over the years, we can help rationalize the policy set and bring it back under control.

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Services

Jan 27, 2016 | Tomasz J | Cisco ISE, network security, Identity Services Engine

We provide Cisco ISE Support on the entire Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) product portfolio including Guest Services, Profiling, Wired and Wireless, BYOD, Policies, Posture Assessments, NAC integration etc.

Cisco ISE Consulting Services at your fingertips.

The Cisco Identity Services Engine is a next-generation identity and access control policy platform that enables enterprises to enforce compliance, enhance infrastructure security, and streamline service operations. Its unique architecture allows enterprises to gather real-time contextual information from networks, users, and devices to make proactive governance decisions by enforcing policy across the network infrastructure - wired, wireless and remote.

Our Cisco ISE consulting services include:

Design & Re-Design
Configuration Reviews
Configuration Set-Ups / Changes
Troubleshooting & Problem Resolution
Software and Hardware Maintenance
End of Life, End of Sale, End of Support Advisory
Cisco ISE support

A core part of what we do here at ExColo

ExColo is proud to partner with Cisco to offer this unique and truly-encompassing solution that we believe will put any network security and access concerns to rest. No matter how large or mobile your workforce, ensure protection from endpoint to endpoint and know exactly what is going on in your Network with Cisco ISE.

ISE is an amazingly simple, yet efficient solution that helps you keep your network safe. Great for mobile, large and/or intricate workforces, ISE’s top features include:

Central management.
Automated actions based on previously-dictated policies.
Regular database updates so that there are no gaps in visibility.
Taking care of BYOD devices and guest onboarding.
Ensuring endpoint-to-endpoint security across your network.

Professional Cisco ISE Services

Cisco ISE Deployment in Five Steps:

1. High-Level Design Guide
2. Low-Level Design Guide.
3. Pre-Deployment/Testing for Functionality.
4. Actual Full-Scale Deployment.
5. Knowledge transfer

Real Problems Cisco ISE Solves

If you've ever had an unauthorized device show up on your network, struggled to enforce VLAN policies consistently, or failed an audit because you couldn't prove what was connected where — ISE is the answer. Here's what we see it fix most often in Chicago-area deployments:

Unauthorized devices — ISE enforces who and what can connect. BYOD, IoT, contractor laptops — all controlled by policy, not hope.
Flat networks — ISE dynamically assigns devices to VLANs based on identity, device type, and compliance state. It's the foundation of network segmentation without a rip-and-replace.
Guest access chaos — ISE provides a clean, auditable guest portal with time-limited access, bandwidth controls, and logging.
Compliance gaps — ISE generates the access logs auditors want. For PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and CMMC, that visibility is non-negotiable.

ISE Integration Points

ISE doesn't work in isolation — its power comes from integrating with the rest of your stack. We regularly deploy ISE alongside:

Active Directory / Azure AD — Identity-based policies tied to your existing directory. Users get access based on their role, not just their IP address.
MDM Platforms — Device compliance checks before granting network access. Unpatched or non-compliant devices get quarantined automatically.
Cisco Switches & Wireless — 802.1X enforcement at the port level across your entire wired and wireless infrastructure.
Cisco Firepower / Sourcefire — ISE provides identity context to Sourcefire, enabling user-aware firewall policies and faster incident investigation.

The ExColo ISE Deployment Process

ISE is powerful, but it's also complex. A failed ISE deployment can lock users out of the network or generate so many exceptions that the policy becomes meaningless. We've seen both. Our process is designed to avoid that:

Discovery — Network audit, device inventory, and current authentication flow mapping
High-Level Design (HLD) — Architecture decisions: deployment model, redundancy, integration points, policy framework
Low-Level Design (LLD) — Detailed configuration guide used for lab validation and production deployment
Lab Validation — All policies tested in a controlled environment before touching production
Phased Production Rollout — Monitor mode first, then enforcement — reducing risk at every step
Training & Handoff — Your team understands how to manage ISE day-to-day, not just how to call us when something breaks

Want to understand whether ISE is the right fit for your organization? Start with a network security evaluation — or contact us to talk through your environment.