Today’s organizations face a world of remote work, BYOD, IoT, and multi-vendor environments. Firewalls and VPNs aren’t enough anymore. The challenge: securing users and devices everywhere—without losing visibility or flexibility. This is why many businesses are moving to Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), a model that assumes nothing can be trusted until it’s verified. HPE Aruba ClearPass provides the control and visibility needed for true Zero Trust, supporting complex networks across healthcare, education, hospitality, and more.
Why Zero Trust—Why Now?
As highlighted in our recent UDT and HPE Aruba ClearPass webinar, modern threats demand a new approach.
“For years we kind of had a permit IP, any, any, right? We let just about any user or device access anything. With Zero Trust, we flip that on its head. Nothing is allowed to access anything by default. We provide incremental access for users, devices, IoT—only to access resources that they’re supposed to.” – Matt Scala, Systems Engineer at HPE Aruba Networking
Key reasons driving Zero Trust adoption:
- Hybrid and remote workforces accessing wireless networks and Wi-Fi from anywhere
- The explosion of IoT and new devices across corporate and campus environments
- Shadow IT, unsanctioned apps, and unmanaged endpoints
- Evolving cyber threats requiring policy enforcement and rapid response
“Traditional perimeter defenses can’t secure what they can’t see,” Scala noted. “With ClearPass, you start by gaining real visibility into what’s on your network, whether it’s remote, in your campus, or in your data center.”
What Makes ClearPass Different?
ClearPass stands out as a next-generation network access control (NAC) platform, fully aligned with modern cybersecurity demands.
“ClearPass is a vendor-agnostic solution. So you have many players out there… but the ability to level up your security infrastructure, provide network access control, do certificate distribution, posture checking—without having to be locked in to a specific vendor—is something that we’ve been doing for over a decade today.” – Matt Scala, Systems Engineer at HPE Aruba Networking
Why is Aruba ClearPass Trusted by Leading Organizations?
Works with Your Environment
Aruba ClearPass is designed for true multi-vendor environments, making it an ideal choice whether your network is Cisco-based, Juniper, Dell, or a combination of different platforms. It integrates seamlessly with Active Directory, LDAP, and other identity providers to ensure robust authentication and authorization across your wired and wireless networks. This flexibility protects your investment and supports evolving infrastructure needs.
Provides Deep Visibility
ClearPass delivers comprehensive visibility and device profiling for every endpoint on your network—whether it connects via Wi-Fi, switch port, VPN, or remotely. With automated onboarding and continuous profiling, organizations gain control over all device types, including BYOD, IoT, and guest access. This full-spectrum approach means every new device is quickly identified and assessed before it can communicate on your network.
Enables Granular, Role-Based Access
Instead of relying on static VLANs or constantly updating ACLs, ClearPass empowers you to enforce policy based on user roles, device type, and real-time posture assessments. Thousands of users can share the same VLAN while remaining fully segmented and isolated, reducing risk and simplifying management. Dynamic policy enforcement ensures every connection meets your organization’s cybersecurity standards.
Automates Enforcement and Response
ClearPass excels at automating both policy enforcement and incident response. When a potential threat or compliance issue is detected, the system can immediately isolate, remediate, or triage the affected device or user—without waiting for manual intervention. Deep integrations with SIEM, firewalls, and ClearPass Exchange streamline troubleshooting and enable your IT team to resolve issues in real-time.
Fits Any Deployment Model
Whether you prefer on-premises physical hardware, virtual appliances, or cloud deployments in AWS or Azure, Aruba ClearPass adapts to your needs. Its flexible pricing and deployment options make it easy for IT teams of any size to implement robust network access control (NAC) without compromise.
Get Real-World Results with ClearPass
ClearPass isn’t just a checkbox for compliance—it delivers measurable outcomes. Here’s how UDT customers are using Aruba ClearPass and ClearPass Policy Manager today:
Healthcare Provider
APPLICATION: A national healthcare group with thousands of mobile devices integrated ClearPass with MDM for secure onboarding and endpoint management.
IMPACT: Role-based, API-driven access that reduced compliance risk and made BYOD scalable and secure.
“They faced the challenge of needing to manage an explosion of non-traditional mobile devices… but the problem was, at their current iteration, they were either on or off. There was no logic built behind it. With ClearPass, we could classify which devices should have access to which resources and only allow certain devices to access certain resources within their environment.” – Josh Gibbar, Director of Solution Architects, UDT
Public School District
APPLICATION: Over 350,000 devices in 300+ schools are now securely onboarded and managed through wireless networks and dynamic VLAN assignment.
IMPACT: Secure learning environments, dynamic authentication using EAP, and control over what devices can connect.
“They allowed us to create a ClearPass environment from scratch for them that would help embrace their aspect of a wireless-first infrastructure… managing the onboarding, BYOD strategy, guest access, and dynamic authentication of over 350,000 unique endpoints daily.” – Josh Gibbar, Director of Solution Architects, UDT
Private University
APPLICATION: Paired ClearPass with endpoint tools like CrowdStrike and JAMF for posture-aware access, integrating posture assessments with NAC for full compliance.
IMPACT: Non-compliant devices are blocked or remediated immediately, keeping the network safe for all users.
Hospitality Brand
APPLICATION: Automated onboarding and Zero Touch Provisioning for 5,000+ staff and guest devices across multiple locations.
IMPACT: Reduced IT workload, seamless guest access, and improved experience for both staff and guests.
Key Capabilities of Aruba ClearPass
- Easy Guest and BYOD OnboardingAruba ClearPass makes onboarding new users and devices simple, secure, and fully customizable. Organizations can create branded guest portals with sponsor approval, leverage RADIUS and TACACS+ for flexible authentication, and support a wide range of multi-vendor environments. Whether you want open guest access or a pay-per-use model, ClearPass adapts to your needs.
- Continuous Compliance ChecksBefore granting network access, ClearPass OnGuard conducts posture assessments to verify that every endpoint complies with your security requirements—checking antivirus status, OS patching, and firewall settings. Administrators can set highly specific criteria for what is allowed on the network, strengthening policy enforcement.
- Powerful IntegrationsClearPass connects seamlessly with Microsoft, Active Directory, LDAP, MDM platforms, SIEM, firewalls, Aruba Networking, and more. These integrations streamline authentication, device profiling, and incident response across your IT ecosystem.
“We can also integrate with other security products. You have Microsoft Intune, VMware Airwatch, Carbon Black—we can actually import this context to use in our policy-based decisions.” – Matt Scala, Systems Engineer at HPE Aruba Networking
- Always ImprovingAruba ClearPass evolves alongside your network, with regular updates supporting the latest operating systems and new device types. The development team actively collaborates with customers and technology partners to ensure ongoing compatibility and reliability.
“ClearPass is continuously updated… As new operating systems or devices come out, we work directly with partners and customers to update support and reference architectures.” – Matt Scala, Systems Engineer at HPE Aruba Networking
- Support for Modern AuthenticationClearPass supports advanced protocols like EAP, TLS, and SAML to deliver secure authentication and encrypted communications for any device type, providing robust network security in even the most complex enterprise environments.
Getting Started: How to Deploy ClearPass
- Find the Right ProviderPartner with experienced teams like UDT for secure, functional deployments that maximize the value of Aruba ClearPass for your organization.
- Assess Your NetworkBegin by inventorying users and devices for complete visibility and profiling. Many organizations start by running ClearPass passively to discover what’s on their network and build a comprehensive asset inventory.
- Define PoliciesDevelop access rules based on user roles, device type, operating system, and location to enforce least-privilege access.
- Pilot FirstImplement your ClearPass deployment in a single department or location before expanding to the entire organization.
- Integrate Across Your StackConnect ClearPass to your ITSM, firewalls, Active Directory, SIEM, and other security tools using ClearPass Exchange for maximum interoperability and automated policy enforcement.
- Automate and MonitorUtilize ClearPass dashboards and workflows to continually optimize policy enforcement, streamline onboarding, and reduce troubleshooting for your IT team.
What’s Next for Secure Network Access…
ZTNA and adaptive access control are becoming essential requirements for cybersecurity, compliance, and digital transformation. Aruba ClearPass remains a core part of the security framework for many organizations, offering options and flexibility for how solutions are consumed—whether on-premises, in the cloud, or across hybrid environments.
“ClearPass will remain a consistent theme for your security framework and architecture… and customers have more options, more choices, more flexibility in how they consume the solution.” – Matt Scala, Systems Engineer at HPE Aruba Networking
With strong support for cloud-managed NAC, multi-vendor environments, and the latest device types, Aruba ClearPass is positioned as the foundation for secure, scalable, and adaptive network access in the modern enterprise.
Ready to Secure Your Network?
Learn more about how Aruba ClearPass can help your organization achieve Zero Trust Network Access—no matter your size or industry. Schedule a consultation with UDT today and let our experts design a ClearPass solution tailored to your needs.
Aruba ClearPass FAQs with Matt Scala, Systems Engineer at HPE Aruba Networking
How does ClearPass compare to Cisco ISE or FortiNAC?
“Even though Cisco represents a majority of the market share with ICE… the feedback we see in the field is that in addition to ICE being primarily a Cisco-based solution, third-party integrations are limited in their feature set compared to ClearPass.”
Can ClearPass run in the cloud?
“Yes. If you want to spin up something within AWS or Azure, you can do that too. Cloud-managed options via Aruba Central provide flexibility for every IT team.”
Does ClearPass support the latest devices and OS?
“ClearPass is continually updated to support new operating systems and device types.”
What authentication methods does ClearPass support?
“ClearPass supports EAP, TLS, RADIUS, TACACS+, and more for secure authentication across wired and wireless networks.”
How does ClearPass help with troubleshooting?
“With real-time profiling and posture assessments, IT can quickly identify, isolate, and resolve access issues—reducing helpdesk tickets and downtime.”
