Cisco ISE vs Metaswitch Perimeta Comparison: Reviews, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2026

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right solution for your team

Updated Apr 2026 8 min read

Cisco ISE

0.0 (0 reviews)

Cisco Identity Services Engine is a network administration product that enables you to create and enforce security policies for users and devices connecting to your organization's network infrastructure.

Starting at --
Free Trial 90 days
VS

Metaswitch Perimeta

0.0 (0 reviews)

Metaswitch Perimeta is a carrier-grade session border controller providing robust security, interoperability, and service assurance for high-performance Voice over IP and unified communications networks globally.

Starting at --
Free Trial NO FREE TRIAL

Quick Comparison

Feature Cisco ISE Metaswitch Perimeta
Website cisco.com metaswitch.com
Pricing Model Custom Custom
Starting Price Custom Pricing Custom Pricing
FREE Trial ✓ 90 days free trial ✘ No free trial
Free Plan ✘ No free plan ✘ No free plan
Product Demo ✓ Request demo here ✓ Request demo here
Deployment saas on-premise saas on-premise
Integrations Cisco DNA Center Splunk ServiceNow Microsoft Azure AD Okta Check Point Palo Alto Networks Rapid7 Tenable Qualys Microsoft Teams AWS Microsoft Azure Google Cloud VMware OpenStack Red Hat OpenShift Oracle Cisco BroadSoft
Target Users mid-market enterprise mid-market enterprise
Target Industries telecommunications government finance
Customer Count 0 0
Founded Year 1984 1981
Headquarters San Jose, USA London, UK

Overview

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Cisco ISE

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) gives you a centralized way to manage security across your entire network. You can see exactly who and what is connecting to your environment, whether they are using a wired, wireless, or VPN connection. By gathering real-time data from users and devices, you can make informed decisions about who gets access to specific resources and under what conditions.

You can automate your network security by creating granular policies that adapt based on the user's role, device type, and location. This helps you stop threats before they spread by automatically isolating suspicious devices. Whether you are managing a corporate office or a distributed workforce, it provides the visibility you need to maintain a zero-trust security posture without slowing down your team.

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Metaswitch Perimeta

Metaswitch Perimeta gives you a highly scalable, software-based session border controller (SBC) designed for modern IP communications. You can secure your network perimeter against signaling attacks and fraud while ensuring seamless interoperability between different VoIP protocols and vendor equipment. It handles complex media transcoding and signaling translation so your voice and video services remain clear and reliable across diverse network environments.

You can deploy the platform in cloud, virtualized, or hybrid environments to match your specific infrastructure needs. It helps you reduce operational complexity by providing deep visibility into network performance and call quality diagnostics. Whether you are migrating to an all-IP core or expanding your unified communications offerings, Perimeta provides the carrier-grade reliability required to maintain high-volume traffic without service interruptions.

Overview

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Cisco ISE Features

  • AI Endpoint Analytics Identify and profile every device on your network automatically using AI-driven behavioral modeling to eliminate blind spots.
  • Zero Trust Access Enforce software-defined segmentation to ensure you only grant users access to the specific applications they need for work.
  • Automated Containment Block or quarantine compromised devices instantly through integrations with your security tools to prevent lateral movement of threats.
  • Guest Access Management Create custom web portals for your visitors to provide secure, time-limited internet access without compromising your internal data.
  • Compliance Monitoring Check the security posture of every device before it connects to ensure they meet your corporate encryption and antivirus standards.
  • Centralized Policy Management Define your security rules once and push them across your entire global network from a single, unified management console.
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Metaswitch Perimeta Features

  • Security & Protection. Protect your network from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and toll fraud with automated signaling rate limiting.
  • Protocol Interoperability. Connect diverse SIP and H.323 devices effortlessly by translating mismatched signaling protocols in real-time for seamless communication.
  • Media Transcoding. Convert between different audio and video codecs on the fly to ensure high-quality calls across different device types.
  • Cloud-Native Deployment. Deploy your SBC as a virtualized function within AWS, Azure, or private clouds to scale capacity instantly as needed.
  • Service Assurance. Monitor call quality and network health with integrated diagnostics that help you identify and resolve issues before users notice.
  • Admission Control. Manage network congestion by prioritizing critical traffic and limiting session counts to prevent system overloads during peak times.

Pricing Comparison

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Cisco ISE Pricing

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Metaswitch Perimeta Pricing

Pros & Cons

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Cisco ISE

Pros

  • Unmatched visibility into every device connected to your network
  • Granular policy control for complex enterprise environments
  • Seamless integration with the broader Cisco security ecosystem
  • Powerful automation for isolating and remediating infected endpoints
  • Highly scalable for global organizations with thousands of users

Cons

  • Significant learning curve for initial setup and configuration
  • Requires substantial hardware resources for on-premise deployments
  • Licensing structure can be complex to navigate and manage
A

Metaswitch Perimeta

Pros

  • Exceptional scalability for high-volume carrier environments
  • Flexible deployment options across various cloud platforms
  • Robust security features prevent signaling-based attacks
  • Advanced diagnostics simplify complex troubleshooting tasks

Cons

  • Significant technical expertise required for initial configuration
  • Documentation can be dense for non-specialist users
  • Custom pricing makes it inaccessible for small businesses
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