Cisco devices are the backbone of most enterprise networks, and the largest single source of privileged-access workflows. Innovexus brokers SSH, Telnet, and console sessions to every Cisco platform that exposes a CLI — no agent installs on the device, no Cisco-side software changes beyond standard AAA configuration. Sessions are recorded, credentials rotate on schedule, configurations are baselined and diffed.
Innovexus is agentless from the Cisco device perspective — we connect via standard SSH (preferred), Telnet (where SSH is unavailable), and serial-over-IP for console. Anything that authenticates against TACACS+, RADIUS, or local AAA is in scope.
Most Cisco fleets are running through Innovexus within 1–2 business days. The integration uses standard AAA primitives — there is nothing Cisco-side that the platform requires you to change beyond what your existing operations team already manages.
Pull the current local admin credential from one device per group (most fleets have 1–3 distinct credentials, not one per device). Vault them. The Innovexus pod is now the source of truth for those credentials going forward.
Add the per-tenant pod's outbound IP to your management ACLs as an authorised SSH source. Existing TACACS+ / RADIUS continues to handle AAA at the device level; Innovexus is added as the brokered-session source, not a replacement for AAA.
Import device inventory from your existing source (NetBox, ServiceNow, CSV). Group devices by class — perimeter, core, distribution, edge, OOB — so polling cadence and severity rules can be set per group.
Session recording starts at session open by default. Configuration drift collection runs on a schedule (default 4 hours, configurable per device class). The first collection establishes the baseline; subsequent collections diff against it.
Engineers log into Innovexus with their FIDO2 hardware key, see only the devices their role permits, click into a session. The pod opens SSH to the Cisco device using the vaulted credential. Recording, audit, and command-level accounting all happen automatically.
Every SSH, Telnet, and console session captured frame-perfect. Searchable text across all sessions. Cryptographically signed audit. Compliant with SOC 2 CC7.2, NERC CIP-007-6 R5.7, and IEC 62443-3-3 FR 2.10.
Local admin credentials, TACACS+ shared secrets, and RADIUS keys rotate on schedule (default daily) without service interruption. The pod pushes the new secret to the device and the AAA server simultaneously.
Cisco devices accept management connections only from the Innovexus pod's allowlisted IP. Lost laptops or compromised engineer endpoints cannot connect directly — the pod is the only authorised path.
Continuous baseline collection across the fleet. Drift detected outside an approved Innovexus session fires an alert. Approved-change baseline promotion via the brokered-session workflow.
Same console, same audit trail. Network monitoring (link state, device health, configuration drift) and security operations (threat detection, anomaly alerting, compliance evidence) run alongside PAM at one tier price.
ISE remains the AAA decision point at the device level. Innovexus adds the brokered-session layer above it: hardware-rooted identity, full session video, atomic credential lifecycle, and unified audit. The two are designed to run together.
Direct, sourced answers about how Innovexus integrates with this vendor's platforms.
No. The integration is agentless. The Innovexus pod is an authorised SSH/Telnet/console source from the device perspective — no software installs on IOS, NX-OS, IOS-XR, or any Cisco platform. This matters because most network operators cannot install third-party agents on production Cisco gear without violating vendor support agreements.
No. Cisco ISE handles the AAA decision (which user, which command, which device); Innovexus handles the brokered-session layer (who authenticated at the platform, full session recording, credential lifecycle, audit). Most environments run both: ISE for AAA at the device level, Innovexus for hardware-rooted identity, full session evidence, and credential vaulting at the platform level.
DNAC is a Cisco-only network management platform with its own credential management and assurance layer. Innovexus and DNAC are complementary: DNAC orchestrates Cisco-specific workflows (SD-Access, Catalyst Center provisioning, network assurance), while Innovexus handles privileged human and vendor access across multi-vendor environments. Many teams run DNAC for Cisco automation and Innovexus for the unified PAM/NOC/SOC layer that includes non-Cisco devices.
Yes, with caveats. Meraki devices are managed through the Meraki Dashboard via API — there's no traditional SSH session to broker. Innovexus integrates with the Meraki API for credential rotation (admin user passwords, API keys), inventory sync, and audit forwarding. Session recording in the SSH/CLI sense doesn't apply to Meraki because Meraki doesn't expose a CLI session to record. We treat Meraki integration as a different integration class and document it separately.
Yes. The TACACS+ shared secret is vaulted in Innovexus and rotated on schedule (default daily). Rotation is atomic across the device and the TACACS+ server (Cisco ISE supports secondary-key windows during rotation, so existing sessions stay open). See our dedicated solution page on TACACS+ credential vault for the full workflow.
IOS-XR's admin-plane / SDR separation is respected. Innovexus authenticates with appropriate role mapping per VRF or per SDR, and brokered sessions land in the correct admin-plane context based on the engineer's assigned role. Configuration drift collection runs against the active config in the appropriate context.
CLI access to ASA, FTD, and Firepower devices via SSH is a first-class integration with full feature parity. FMC web administration is supported via SAML SSO — engineers authenticate to FMC through the Innovexus identity layer. ASDM (the Java-based GUI) is end-of-life from Cisco and Innovexus does not specifically support it; SSH and FMC are the recommended paths.
Provision a per-tenant pod, vault credentials for one device class, allowlist the pod IP. The first session is recorded within an hour. Trial is 5 days, no card required, runs against your real fleet.