HPE ClearPass

HPE ClearPass, part of HPE Aruba Networking, provides network access control for employees, guests, and connected devices. Choosing an HPE ClearPass license means matching platform requirements with the right application capacity. An Aruba ClearPass license for access control does not automatically cover every onboarding or endpoint-health workflow, so define the services you need before comparing quotations.

Quick Benefits

• Apply identity-aware wired and wireless access policies.
• Support controlled guest and BYOD access.
• Provision device certificates with optional Onboard licensing.
• Assess endpoint health with applicable OnGuard licensing.

At a Glance

• Vendor: HPE Aruba Networking
• Product family: HP Software
• Core platform: ClearPass Policy Manager
• Deployment: Supported hardware or virtual appliances
• Sizing: Application-specific consumption metrics
• Buyer inputs: Peak sessions, onboarding users, posture devices, and nodes

Features & Benefits

Identity-Aware Access and Device Context

Policy Manager evaluates authentication and available context to determine network access. Supported workflows include 802.1X and MAC authentication, with richer capabilities under Access licensing. Profiling helps identify connected devices where supported and licensed, giving administrators more useful context than a username alone.

Guest Access and Certificate Onboarding

ClearPass supports controlled visitor-access workflows, while Onboard adds certificate-based device provisioning. These solve different tasks: guest registration manages visitor access, whereas onboarding helps prepare devices for subsequent authentication. Plan certificate ownership and user lifecycle alongside the enrollment experience.

Endpoint Health and Policy Enforcement

OnGuard evaluates supported endpoint health conditions and supplies posture information to policy decisions. Network equipment applies the resulting enforcement action. Validate operating-system coverage, agent requirements, and switch or wireless integration before promising a particular quarantine or remediation experience.

License Overview

Separate the Policy Manager platform entitlement for each node from application licensing. Entry and Access address network-access functions; Access supports the broader feature set, including TACACS+ and profiling. Onboard and OnGuard have their own consumption rules. Existing licenses, upgrade paths, and support coverage should be reviewed within the broader HP License portfolio.

Access sizing uses active endpoint sessions rather than simply counting employees. Missing accounting information can affect consumption calculations. Onboard counts users with issued device certificates, while OnGuard consumption is device-based over a documented 24-hour period. Confirm the applicable release and offering before ordering; the same numeric quantity can represent very different coverage across these components.

Product Overview

ClearPass is a policy decision platform that works with compatible network access devices and identity sources. It can support wired, wireless, and guest environments without requiring every access device to share one vendor. Compatibility still depends on protocols, enforcement attributes, and the specific integration. Appliance sizing and resilience architecture must accommodate authentication load independently of purchased application capacity.

Core Technical Flow

An endpoint connects through a switch, wireless controller, or another supported access device. That device sends an authentication request to ClearPass. Policy Manager evaluates credentials, context, and configured services, then returns an authorization result. The network device enforces the result; accounting and monitoring records help administrators verify the session and troubleshoot policy behavior.

Options & Licensing Models

Choose the required functions, then size each component separately. The table is a selection guide; final SKUs, commercial terms, and dependencies require confirmation.

Compatibility & Requirements

Check the proposed ClearPass release against appliance resources, hypervisor support, endpoint operating systems, and required integrations. Plan trusted certificates, DNS, time synchronization, identity-source connectivity, and authentication/accounting communication. Review the vendor’s port matrix for your services. License capacity cannot compensate for insufficient compute resources or unsupported enforcement behavior.

Activation & Deployment

Collect order and confirmation details, arrange authorized support-portal access, and back up existing keys and configuration. Redeem the appropriate entitlement through the documented licensing workflow, preserving the complete generated key. Add and activate platform and application licenses as required for your release. Verify status and capacity, then test authentication, accounting, and the intended authorization result before expanding rollout.

Pricing & Quote

HPE ClearPass pricing depends on application mix, capacity, appliance architecture, and support. Provide peak concurrent endpoints, certificate-enrollment users, posture-device counts, current keys, and growth expectations. Identify new deployment, expansion, or migration requirements. Request an HPE ClearPass quote with platform entitlements, application quantities, applicable duration, support, and implementation responsibilities itemized.