Cisco PIX family firewalls and ASA 5500 Series adaptive security appliances integrate next-generation firewall, intrusion defense, and Virtual Private Network technologies in an affordable, one-box format. Both of these product lines have been superseded by the ASA 5500-X family of firewalls with Firepower Services. (Refer to integration and debugging expertise for Cisco AA 5500-X firewalls with Firepower Services.) Still, both PIX and previous-generation ASA 5500 model adaptive security appliances are extensively deployed and continue to offer small and mid-size companies a viable security solution.

PIX and legacy ASA 5500 firewalls deliver robust user and application policy support, mutlivector attack protection, and secure connectivity features. The increased knowledge sharing of integrated security features in a single platform provides users deploying these aggregated solutions the advantages of enhanced protection, lower cost of ownership, and smaller management costs. Cisco PIX security appliances and Cisco's ASA 5500 Series join IOS Firewall, the Firewall Services Module (FWSM) for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches, and Cisco 7600 family routers as components of Cisco's versatile, integrated firewall line. Based on an expandable, building-block platform, each offering is equipped with a particular feature set to provide more efficient protection to a variety of network situations. These solutions can be independently deployed to secure certain areas of the connectivity infrastructure, or can be combined for a systematic, protection-in-depth strategy following the design leading practices outlined in the Cisco SAFE Blueprint. Rounding out the integrated firewall solutions, Cisco has developed a complete security management product portfolio, ranging from Cisco security device and IOS security features and built-in appliance managers, to standalone management programs, moving to ensure that customers can effectively manage their Cisco security infrastructure investments. Cisco PIX Firewall Appliances
PIX firewalls deliver robust user and application policy support, multivector attack defense, and safe connectivity services in cost-effective, simple-to-configure modules. These specialized appliances provide a wealth of integrated security and connectivity capabilities including application-aware firewall features, Voice over IP and multimedia security, robust site-to-site and remote-connectivity IP Security (IPsec) VPN connectivity, excellent resiliency, intelligent networking features, and versatile management solutions. The Cisco PIX firewall family ranges from compact plug-and-go appliances for small and at home offices to stackable high-bandwidth products with ROI for large business and ISP environments, PIX firewalls deliver dependable protection, speed, and reliability for networks of any size.

Cisco PIX Security Experts
Built around a hardened, specialized software platform that offers a wealth of protection services, PIX firewall appliances offer excellent security and have earned Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4 status and ICSA Firewall and IPsec qualification. PIX security appliances offer protection for a wide range of Voice over IP and additional mixed-media conventions including H.323 v. 4, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), SCCP, Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), enabling organizations to safeguard deployments of a broad array of contemporary and upcoming IP voice and multimedia applications. PIX security appliances feature a wealth of configuration, tracking, and analysis features, giving businesses the versatility to utilize the methods that most closely match their requirements. Administrative options include centralized, policy-based administration tools, integrated web-based administration, and support for remote-tracking protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol and syslog. The integrated ASDM system offers a powerful web-based control solution that greatly streamlines the installation, in-place configuration, and tracking of a specific PIX security appliance without the need of any additional software other than a standard web browser and Java applet to be installed on a manager's computer.

IT managers can furthermore remotely set up, track, and analyze Cisco PIX firewalls via a CLI interface. Secure command-line interface (CLI) access is available using several techniques such as Secure Shell Protocol, Telnet through IPsec, and out-of-band through a console port. Cisco PIX security appliances also include robust auto-update capabilities, a collection advanced protected remote-administration services that ensure security settings and software images are always current. Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewalls
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series Firewalls are purpose-built solutions that incorporate advanced, best-of-breed protection and VPN support with a flexible architecture. The end product is a powerful, versatile network security appliance better suited to defend small and midsize business and enterprise networks and, at the same time, reduce the overall installation and maintenance costs previously associated with this high level of security.

Cisco ASA Firewalls Consulting Firm
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series Firewalls build on engineering behind the PIX 500 Security Appliance, Cisco's IPS 4200 sensor, and Cisco's VPN 3000 model concentrator. These technologies enable the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series Firewall product line to offer a platform that stops a broad range of threats. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series Firewalls deliver program security, local containment, and clean VPN functionality throughout Cisco's product line. This breadth of protection allows defense of any network section, including the most typical threat vectors such as remote locations, LAN-attached inside users, and remote connected VPNs. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewalls deliver a high-level of application protection through intelligent, application-aware inspection processes that analyze traffic at Layers 4-7. This results in a better protected network covering web, voice, and mobile wireless connectivity. To defend environments against application-layer attacks and to give businesses greater policing of the programs and protocols utilized in their networks, Cisco's inspection engines integrate extensive application and protocol knowledgebases and rely on protection enforcement technologies such as anomaly detection and application and protocol state tracking. Also included are assault sensing and mitigation technology such as application and protocol command filters and URL deobfuscation. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series firewall inspection engines also deliver control over IM and tunneling applications, allowing organizations to enforce usage policies and recover bandwidth for important business applications. At the same time as increasing network security, Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewalls also decrease deployment and support costs. By providing broad VPN and protection functions, the Cisco ASA firewall can be a the only platform for a multitude of environments, allowing platform commonality. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) firewall can be used as a consolidated attack-protection appliance at a central location by taking advantage of its connectivity control, application inspection, and malware remediation technologies. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) firewall can also be used as a dedicated remote access device utilizing its VPN capabilities. As an alternative, the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series firewall operates equally well inside the network for inter-office connectivity control and to defend against worms, viruses, and other malicious code inside users may inadvertently introduce into the network. For small business and branch office environments, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewall acts as an all-in-one device providing comprehensive intrusion defense and Virtual Private Network functionality while suiting the budgets and performance models of these deployments.

This versatile one-device, multiple-solution design reduces the total number of devices that must be installed and maintained while providing a standard operating and administrative system across all deployments. This architecture streamlines the training of configuration, monitoring, support, and security staff. To further reduce maintenance expenses, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewalls are also highly network aware, enabling them to insert gracefully into the network without interfering with authorized data flow and processes. How Progent Can Assist You with Cisco PIX and ASA Security Appliances
Cisco ASA Series adaptive security appliances and PIX family security appliances incorporate an array of setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting features that give you the flexibility to configure these firewalls to match your company's requirements. Progent's CCIE authorized network experts can help you to maintain your current infrastructure that includes Cisco ASA or PIX firewall technology and that offers protection, resilience, performance, and manageability. Progent's firewall experts can also help you to migrate to ASA 5500-X firewalls with Firepower Services.

Progent's GISA and CISM-certified IS security professionals can assist you to create a security policy that makes sense for your situation and can configure your PIX or ASA firewall to support your security strategy. Progent's security assessment experts can assess the strength of your existing firewall deployment and validate the overall security of your entire IS environment. Progent's Help Desk support team can provide urgent remote troubleshooting for Cisco technology and can give you fast access to a Cisco expert. To find out more information concerning Progent's consulting assistance for Cisco technology, pick a subject:

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