Cisco PIX security appliances and Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewalls combine comprehensive firewall, intrusion defense, and Virtual Private Network functionality in a cost-effective, one-box format. Both product families have been replaced by Cisco's ASA 5500-X series of firewalls with Firepower. (See integration and debugging expertise for Cisco AA 5500-X firewalls with Firepower Services.) Still, PIX and first-generation Cisco ASA 5500 Series adaptive security appliances are widely deployed and continue to provide small and mid-size organizations a viable security solution.

PIX and legacy ASA 5500 firewalls offer robust user and application policy enforcement, mutlivector assault defense, and secure connectivity features. The enhanced intelligence sharing of consolidated protection services in a single platform provides customers deploying these aggregated firewalls the advantages of advanced protection, reduced cost of ownership, and smaller management expense. Cisco PIX security appliances and Cisco's ASA 5500 product line combine with Cisco IOS Firewall, the Firewall Services Module (FWSM) for Catalyst 6500 family switches, and Cisco 7600 Series routers as components of Cisco's versatile, integrated firewall solutions. Based on a scalable, building-block platform, every device is equipped with a specific feature set to deliver better protection to different networking environments. These solutions can be independently deployed to protect specific facets of a connectivity infrastructure, or can be combined for a systematic, protection-in-depth strategy following the architecture best practices outlined in the Cisco SAFE framework. Completing the integrated firewall solutions, Cisco provides a comprehensive security management catalog, ranging from Cisco security device and Cisco IOS security features and embedded device controllers, to self-contained management programs, moving to make sure that businesses can effectively use their Cisco security infrastructure purchases. PIX Firewalls
PIX firewall appliances offer reliable user and application policy enforcement, multi-source invasion defense, and safe connectivity features in affordable, simple-to-configure modules. These purpose-built devices offer a wealth of built-in protection and networking capabilities such as application-aware firewall features, Voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia security, robust site-to-site and remote-connectivity IP Security (IPsec) VPN networking, fault tolerance, intelligent networking services, and flexible management solutions. The PIX firewall product line ranges from compact plug-and-play devices for small offices or at home offices to modular high-bandwidth appliances with ROI for enterprise and ISP customers, PIX firewall appliances provide dependable security, speed, and reliability for network environments of all sizes.

Cisco PIX Firewalls Consulting Firm
Based around a hardened, purpose-built software platform that offers a wealth of protection features, Cisco PIX firewalls offer excellent security and have earned Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 status and ICSA Firewall and IPsec qualification. Cisco PIX security appliances provide security for a wide range of VoIP and other multimedia conventions such as H.323 v. 4, Session Initiation Protocol, SCCP, Real-Time Streaming Protocol, and MGCP, enabling organizations to protect installations of a broad range of contemporary and next-generation VoIP and multimedia applications. Cisco PIX security appliances offer a variety of configuration, tracking, and troubleshooting options, providing businesses the versatility to use the methods that most closely meet their requirements. Administrative options include centralized, policy-based administration utilities, integrated web-based management, and support for remote-tracking protocols like Simple Network Management Protocol and syslog. The integrated Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) interface offers a world-class web-based management solution that greatly streamlines the installation, ongoing configuration, and tracking of a single PIX firewall appliance without the need of any additional utility beyond a standard browser and Java plug-in to be running on an administrator's PC.

IT managers can furthermore remotely set up, track, and analyze PIX security appliances using a CLI interface. Secure command-line interface access is available through several techniques such as Secure Shell (SSHv2) Protocol, Telnet through IP Security (IPsec), and out-of-band through a console port. PIX security appliances also have robust automatic-update features, a set of protected remote-management services that make sure that security configurations and software images are kept current. Cisco ASA Firewalls
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) Firewalls are specially engineered devices that bring together market-proven, best-of-breed security and VPN support plus an adaptive architecture. The end product is a robust, versatile network protection appliance better able to defend small and medium business and enterprise networks and, simultaneously, lower the total installation and maintenance costs previously associated with this high level of security.

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) Firewalls Experts
Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewalls leverage engineering behind Cisco's PIX 500 family Security Appliance, the Cisco IPS 4200 Series sensor, and Cisco's VPN 3000 family concentrator. These solutions enable the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances Firewall product line to deliver a platform that stops a broad range of attacks. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series Firewalls provide program security, local containment, and safe VPN functionality throughout Cisco's product line. This broad scope of security allows the guarding of any network section, including the most typical attack conduits like remote sites, LAN-attached inside users, and remote connected Virtual Private Networks. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewalls provide strong application protection via smart, application-aware inspection engines that examine network flows at Layers 4-7. The result is a safer network covering web, voice, and mobile wireless services. To defend environments against application-layer assaults and to offer businesses greater control over the applications and protocols used in their environments, Cisco's inspection engines integrate extensive application and protocol knowledgebases and employ protection enforcement technologies that include anomaly sensing and application and protocol state monitoring. Also incorporated are attack sensing and mitigation techniques including application and protocol command filters and content verification. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewall inspection engines also deliver control over instant messaging and peer-to-peer file sharing, enabling organizations to enforce usage policies and free up network bandwidth for critical business processes. While improving network protection, Cisco ASA firewalls also decrease deployment and operational costs. By providing extensive VPN and security services, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewall can be used as the the only platform for a multitude of environments, allowing product standardization. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) firewall can be deployed as a consolidated threat-prevention device at the datacenter by taking advantage of its connectivity control, application inspection, and worm, virus, and other malware remediation capabilities. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewall can also be used as a specialized remote connectivity solution using its VPN capabilities. As another option, the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewall operates capably inside the network for interdepartmental access management and to guard against malware internal users might unknowingly introduce into the environment. For small company and satellite office environments, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewall serves as a total solution device providing complete intrusion prevention and Virtual Private Network services while suiting the budgets and operational demands of such deployments.

This adaptive single-platform, many-use approach reduces the total number of devices that must be deployed and managed while providing a standard functional and management environment across all those installations. This architecture simplifies the training of setup, tracking, support, and protection staff. To further minimize operations costs, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewalls are also highly network aware, enabling them to insert gracefully into the environment without disrupting authorized data flow and applications. How Progent Can Help You with Cisco Firewalls
Cisco ASA Series adaptive security appliances and PIX family security appliances incorporate an array of configuration, tracking, and analysis options that give you the flexibility to configure these firewalls to match your business requirements. Progent's CCIE certified network experts can show you how to maintain your current network infrastructure that includes Cisco ASA and/or PIX firewalls and that offers security, fault tolerance, throughput, and recoverability. Progent can also help your organization to upgrade to Cisco ASA 5500-X firewalls with Firepower Services.

Progent's GISA and CISSP-ISSP-certified IS security professionals can assist you to develop a security policy appropriate for your business and can set up your PIX or ASA firewall to support your security strategy. Progent's security assessment engineers can assess the strength of your existing firewall solution and audit the overall security of your entire IT environment. Progent's Technical Response Center (TRC) can provide emergency remote technical support for Cisco products and offer fast access to a Cisco expert. For more details concerning Progent's engineering help for Cisco solutions, select a topic:

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