Aruba ClearPass
Aruba ClearPass is a comprehensive network access control solution providing secure visibility, policy enforcement, and automated device profiling across wired, wireless, and virtual private network infrastructures for your organization.
Tenable Nessus
Nessus is a vulnerability assessment solution providing deep-point-in-time scans to identify security flaws, misconfigurations, and malware across your modern IT infrastructure, including cloud, containers, and traditional assets.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Aruba ClearPass | Tenable Nessus |
|---|---|---|
| Website | arubanetworks.com | tenable.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 7 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2002 | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, USA | Columbia, USA |
Overview
Aruba ClearPass
Aruba ClearPass gives you complete control over who and what connects to your network. You can automatically identify every device—from smartphones and laptops to specialized IoT hardware—and apply precise security policies based on user roles or device types. This ensures that only authorized users access sensitive data while guest users remain safely isolated.
You can simplify your security operations by replacing manual configuration with automated workflows. The platform works across any vendor's networking hardware, allowing you to maintain consistent security standards without being locked into specific brands. Whether you are managing a single office or a global enterprise, you can monitor connection health and remediate non-compliant devices in real-time to prevent potential breaches.
Tenable Nessus
Nessus helps you identify and fix security vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. You can scan your entire environment—including cloud instances, web applications, and traditional network hardware—to find missing patches, software flaws, and configuration errors. It provides a clear view of your attack surface so you can prioritize the most critical risks to your business.
You can choose between different versions depending on your needs, ranging from a free version for educators and students to professional and expert versions for security consultants. It simplifies the complex task of vulnerability assessment with pre-built templates and automated reporting. Whether you are securing a small office or a complex hybrid-cloud environment, you can rely on its extensive plugin library to stay protected against the latest threats.
Overview
Aruba ClearPass Features
- Device Profiling Identify and categorize every device on your network automatically so you can see exactly what is connecting in real-time.
- Guest Access Management Create secure portals for visitors and contractors to access the internet without compromising your internal corporate data or systems.
- Role-Based Access Control Assign specific permissions to users based on their job function to ensure they only access the resources they actually need.
- Automated Remediation Quarantine unhealthy or non-compliant devices automatically and provide clear instructions to users on how to fix security issues.
- Onboard Configuration Enable your employees to securely configure their own personal devices for network use through a simple, automated self-service portal.
- Security Exchange Share contextual data with your firewalls and endpoint security tools to create a coordinated defense across your entire infrastructure.
Tenable Nessus Features
- Pre-Built Scan Templates. Start scanning immediately using over 450 pre-configured templates for common audits like PCI-DSS and HIPAA compliance.
- Live Results. Perform offline vulnerability analysis against your scan history to find new threats without running a new scan.
- Cloud Infrastructure Scanning. Assess your cloud-native assets and identify misconfigurations in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments easily.
- Customizable Reporting. Create tailored reports in multiple formats like HTML or PDF to share critical security findings with your stakeholders.
- Web Application Scanning. Identify vulnerabilities in your web applications and APIs to prevent common attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
- External Surface Discovery. Find and map your internet-facing assets to understand what an attacker sees when looking at your organization.
Pricing Comparison
Aruba ClearPass Pricing
Tenable Nessus Pricing
- Scan up to 16 IP addresses
- High-speed accurate scanning
- Community support access
- Standard vulnerability assessment
- Free for educators and students
- Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Unlimited IP address scanning
- Advanced support access
- Configuration audits
- Live Results analysis
- Customizable reporting
Pros & Cons
Aruba ClearPass
Pros
- Unmatched visibility into IoT and unmanaged devices
- Works seamlessly across multi-vendor networking hardware
- Highly granular policy creation for complex environments
- Reliable performance in high-density enterprise deployments
Cons
- Initial setup and configuration require specialized expertise
- Interface can feel overwhelming for novice administrators
- Licensing structure is complex and difficult to track
Tenable Nessus
Pros
- Extremely high accuracy with very low false-positive rates
- Massive library of plugins updated daily for new threats
- Easy to set up and run your first scan quickly
- Detailed remediation instructions help you fix issues faster
Cons
- Annual subscription cost is high for small businesses
- Interface can feel dated compared to newer cloud platforms
- Reporting customization requires a learning curve to master