ClearPass Policy Manager integrates with Aruba wireless access points to define and enforce policies for wireless clients.

Non-AAA enforcement (often called Web-based authentication or MAC-based profiling without 802.1X ) is chosen for ease of deployment. 802.1X is highly secure but requires a "Supplicant" (software) configuration on every client device. By using a non-AAA method, the engineer can secure the network using the device's MAC address and a redirect to a web portal, which works on any device with a browser without needing to touch the client's internal network settings.

Active Directory should be prioritized because it allows ClearPass to efficiently validate user credentials and retrieve rich contextual information such as group membership, organizational roles, and user attributes. This enhances both authentication accuracy and policy-based access control.

The reusability of role elements in ClearPass allows administrators to define a single configuration and apply it across multiple roles. This streamlines setup, reduces configuration time, and minimizes errors by ensuring consistency in role-based access definitions across the network.