Network access control software: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank network access control software by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured monthly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Network access control software used to authenticate devices, enforce endpoint posture, segment access, and secure enterprise wired and wireless networks. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 11, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
Portnox leads the network access control software category with a composite score of 22.5 and a citation rate of 75.0%, compared to the category average citation rate of 11.2%. The next closest brand, FortiNAC, sits at 37.5% citation, meaning Portnox is cited twice as often. This gap is significant because it positions Portnox as the default reference point in AI-generated responses, giving it disproportionate influence over buyer perception in AI Mode outputs.
Visibility is uniformly zero across all 20 brands in this category, meaning no brand is being surfaced in unprompted AI overviews. Citation and visibility have fully decoupled here. Portnox, Cisco ISE, Forescout, and SecureW2 are all cited at meaningful rates despite having zero visibility scores. This pattern suggests AI Mode is drawing on these brands as supporting references within answers, rather than featuring them as standalone recommended products.
The top cited sources anchoring AI responses include portnox.com, gartner.com, g2.com, and trustradius.com, which indicates the AI is leaning on a mix of vendor-owned content and third-party review or analyst platforms. Aruba ClearPass is the sharpest faller in the dataset, dropping 10 rank positions with a visibility delta of minus 25.0 and a citation delta of minus 12.5. All engine activity in this category is concentrated entirely within Google AI Mode, with no signal from alternative engines.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility fallers
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Aruba ClearPass 25% → 0% · rank #2 → #12-25pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
portnox.com
|
0% | 75% | Google AI Mode |
Portnox holds a 75.0% citation rate, more than double FortiNAC at 37.5%, making it the dominant AI reference point despite a zero visibility score like all peers. |
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| 2 |
fortinet.com
|
0% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
FortiNAC sits at 37.5% citation, well above the 11.2% category average, but trails Portnox by 37.5 percentage points and holds no visibility score advantage over lower-ranked brands. |
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| 3 |
cisco.com
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
Cisco ISE matches Forescout and SecureW2 exactly at 25.0% citation and a composite score of 7.5, offering no differentiation from those two brands in current AI Mode outputs. |
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| 4 |
forescout.com
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
Forescout and its related product CounterACT (rank 6) both appear in the data sharing the same domain, splitting citation presence and diluting the brand's effective AI footprint. |
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| 5 |
securew2.com
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
SecureW2 achieves a 25.0% citation rate equal to Cisco ISE and Forescout, notable given it is a smaller brand competing against enterprise-scale vendors in the same citation tier. |
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| 6 |
forescout.com
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
opswat.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
networkradius.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
netwrix.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
auconetbics.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
nacview.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
hpe.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
ivanti.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
juniper.net
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
trustbuilder.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
macmon.eu
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
packetfence.org
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
extremenetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
safectrl.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
ruckusnetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on network access control software, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer.
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence — different from being named.
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps.
Rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 30 days and refresh this page automatically.
Get your own network access control software brand audited
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about network access control software AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in network access control software?
Portnox leads with a composite score of 22.5 and a 75.0% citation rate, far ahead of FortiNAC at 37.5% and the category average of 11.2%.
What sources does AI cite most for network access control software research?
The top cited sources are portnox.com, gartner.com, twingate.com, g2.com, and fortinet.com, indicating a mix of vendor content and third-party analyst or review platforms.
Why do all brands show zero visibility if some have high citation rates?
Visibility and citation have fully decoupled in this category, meaning brands are referenced within AI-generated answers but none are being featured as standalone recommended products in unprompted overviews.
Which brand has fallen most sharply in AI visibility for network access control software?
Aruba ClearPass dropped 10 rank positions (from rank 2 to rank 12) with a visibility delta of minus 25.0 and a citation delta of minus 12.5, the steepest decline in the dataset.
Which AI engine is driving visibility in the network access control software category?
All engine activity recorded in this audit is concentrated entirely within Google AI Mode, with no signal from any other engine across the 20 brands tracked.
How does Forescout's AI presence compare to expectations given its enterprise footprint?
Forescout and its product CounterACT share the same domain (forescout.com) and each hold a 25.0% citation rate, suggesting the brand's AI footprint is divided rather than consolidated under a single entry.