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Cisco's PIX security appliances and Cisco ASA Series adaptive security appliances integrate comprehensive firewall, intrusion defense, and Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies in an affordable, one-cabinet package. Both product families offer robust user and program policy enforcement, mutlivector attack defense, and secure connectivity features. The increased knowledge sharing of consolidated protection features in a single package offers users deploying these integrated solutions the advanced of enhanced security, reduced COI, and less operational costs.

PIX security appliances and Cisco's ASA 5500 family join Cisco IOS Firewall, the FWSM for Cisco Catalyst 6500 family switches, and Cisco 7600 family routers as components of Cisco's flexible, self-contained firewall product. Engineered with a scalable, modular approach, each offering is equipped with a specific array of options to provide more efficient protection to different network situations. These solutions can be individually deployed to secure specific facets of the connectivity infrastructure, or can be combined for a layered, defense-in-depth strategy based on the architecture best practices outlined in the Cisco SAFE Blueprint. Completing the integrated firewall solutions, Cisco has developed a complete security management offering, spanning Cisco security device and Cisco IOS security features and embedded appliance managers, to self-contained management programs, helping to make sure that businesses can productively use their Cisco security infrastructure purchases.

Cisco PIX Firewall Appliances
The popular PIX firewalls offer robust user and application policy support, multivector invasion protection, and safe networking services in cost-effective, easy-to-deploy solutions. These purpose-built devices offer a broad range of integrated security and connectivity services such as state-of-the=art process-aware firewall features, market-leading VoIP and multimedia security, reliable multi-site and remote-access IP Security (IPSec) Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity, excellent resiliency, smart networking features, and versatile administration solutions. The PIX firewall family ranges from compact plug-and-play appliances for small or at home offices to modular gigabit appliances with superior investment protection for enterprise and ISP environments, Cisco PIX firewall appliances provide dependable security, performance, and reliability for networks of any size.

Cisco PIX firewalls offer a wealth of setup, monitoring, and analysis features, giving businesses the versatility to utilize the techniques that best meet their requirements. Administrative solutions cover the gamut from centralized, policy-based administration utilities to integrated Web-based management to compatibility with remote-tracking protocols like Simple Network Management Protocol and syslog. The integrated Cisco Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) interface provides a world-class Web-accessible control solution that significantly simplifies the deployment, in-place configuration, and monitoring of a specific Cisco PIX firewall appliance without the need of any extra utility beyond a standard Web browser and Java plug-in to be running on a manager's computer. IT managers can also remotely configure, monitor, and troubleshoot Cisco PIX firewall appliances via a command-line interface (CLI). Protected command-line interface access is possible through several techniques, including SSHv2 Protocol, Telnet over IPSec, and out-of-band via a console port. PIX firewalls also include dependable automatic-update features, a set of advanced protected remote-administration services that make sure that firewall settings and software images are always current. In addition, PIX firewall appliances are compatible with several setup and tracking utilities available from Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data) partners.

Cisco ASA Firewalls
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances Firewalls are purpose-built devices that incorporate market-proven, industry-leading security and Virtual Private Network support with a new generation, flexible design. The result is a robust, multifunction network security solution better suited to protect small and midsize business and enterprise networks and, at the same time, lower the total deployment and maintenance expenses associated with this unprecedented level of protection.

Cisco ASA firewalls provide a high-level of application security through intelligent, application-aware inspection engines that examine traffic at Layers 4-7. The result is a safer network including Web, voice, and mobile wireless connectivity. To protect networks against application-layer attacks and to give organizations more control over the programs and protocols used in their environments, these inspection engines incorporate extensive application and protocol knowledge and employ protection enforcement technologies such as anomaly detection and application and protocol state monitoring. Also incorporated are attack sensing and remediation technology such as application and protocol command filtering and URL deobfuscation. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewall inspection engines also provide management of IM and tunneling applications, enabling businesses to police usage policies and preserve bandwidth for critical business processes.

While increasing network security, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewalls also decrease deployment and support expenses. By providing extensive Virtual Private Network and security services, the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewall can be a single device for many environments, allowing platform commonality. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewall can be deployed as a converged threat-protection appliance at the datacenter by leveraging its access control, application inspection, and malicious assault mitigation technologies. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewall can also be used as a dedicated remote access solution utilizing its VPN features. As an Alternative, the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewall performs capably in the network interior for interdepartmental access management and to guard against worms, viruses, and other malicious code internal users may unknowingly introduce into the environment. For small company and branch office environments, the Cisco ASA firewall serves as a total solution platform providing complete intrusion prevention and VPN functionality while fitting within the cost structure and operational models of such deployments. This versatile single-platform, multiple-solution approach lowers the amount of platforms that need to be deployed and maintained while providing a standard functional and administrative system across all deployments. This approach simplifies the training of setup, tracking, troubleshooting, and protection personnel. To further minimize operations expenses, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewalls are also exceptionally network conscious, allowing these devices to integrate gracefully into the network without disrupting legitimate traffic and applications.

How Progent's Cisco Certified Experts Can Help Your Business with Cisco PIX and ASA Security Appliances
Cisco's PIX family security appliances and Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewalls provide an array of setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting options which offer you the flexibility to configure these security appliances to meet your company's requirements. Progent's CISM and CISA certified network security experts can assist you to create a security policy that makes sense for your situation and can set up your PIX or ASA firewall to support your security policy. Progent's CISA-qualified information security auditing professionals and GIAC-qualified IT security consultants can assess the strength of your existing firewall deployment and audit the security of your entire IS network. Progent also can troubleshoot your PIX or ASA firewall both remotely or on premise, and can educate your existing IT support group to configure and maintain your firewalls.

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