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Cisco PIX family security appliances and Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewalls combine comprehensive firewall, intrusion protection, and VPN functionality in an economical, single-box format. Both of these product lines have been replaced by Cisco's ASA 5500-X family of security appliances with Firepower Services. (Refer to configuration and troubleshooting help with ASA 5500-X firewalls with Firepower Services.) Nevertheless, PIX and first-generation Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewalls are extensively deployed and continue to deliver small and mid-size companies a reliable firewall solution.

Cisco PIC and the original ASA 5500 firewalls deliver powerful user and application policy enforcement, mutlivector attack protection, and secure connectivity services. The increased knowledge sharing of consolidated security features in a single platform offers users implementing these aggregated solutions the advantages of advanced protection, lower cost of ownership, and minimal maintenance expense.

PIX firewalls and the ASA 5500 product line combine with Cisco IOS Firewall, the Firewall Services Module (FWSM) for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches, and 7600 routers as components of Cisco's flexible, integrated firewall product. Based on an expandable, building-block platform, every device is designed with a specific feature set to deliver better security to different network situations. These solutions can be individually deployed to secure certain areas of a network environment, or can be combined for a layered, protection-in-depth strategy based on the design leading practices outlined in the Cisco SAFE framework. Rounding out the modular firewall solutions, Cisco provides a complete security management product portfolio, ranging from Cisco security device and Cisco IOS Software security components and embedded appliance managers, to standalone management applications, helping to make sure that businesses can effectively manage their Cisco protection infrastructure purchases.

PIX Security Appliance Series
PIX firewall appliances deliver reliable policy enforcement, multi-source attack protection, and safe networking services in affordable, simple-to-configure solutions. These specialized devices provide a wealth of built-in protection and connectivity capabilities such as process-aware firewall services, Voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia security, robust multi-site and remote-access IP Security (IPsec) Virtual Private Network (VPN) networking, high availability, smart networking features, and versatile management solutions. The Cisco PIX firewall product line spans compact plug-and-go devices for small offices and at home offices to modular gigabit appliances with investment protection for large business and ISP customers, PIX firewall appliances provide high levels of protection, speed, and availability for networks of any size.

Based upon a tested, purpose-built operating system that offers a wealth of security features, PIX security appliances offer excellent protection and have received Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4 status and ICSA Firewall and IP Security qualification. PIX security appliances offer security for a broad array of VoIP and other multimedia conventions including H.323 v. 4, Session Initiation Protocol, Cisco Skinny Client Control Protocol, RTSP, and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), enabling businesses to safeguard deployments of a broad array of contemporary and next-generation IP voice and video applications.

PIX firewalls feature a wealth of configuration, tracking, and analysis options, giving businesses the flexibility to utilize the techniques that most closely match their requirements. Administrative solutions include common, policy-based management tools, integrated web-based management, and support for remote-monitoring standards like Simple Network Management Protocol and syslog. The integrated Adaptive Security Device Manager interface provides a powerful web-accessible control solution that greatly simplifies the deployment, in-place configuration, and monitoring of a specific Cisco PIX firewall appliance without requiring any extra software beyond a standard web browser and Java applet to be installed on an administrator's PC.

IT managers can furthermore remotely set up, monitor, and troubleshoot PIX firewall appliances via a CLI interface. Secure command-line interface (CLI) access is possible using several techniques such as Secure Shell Protocol, Telnet over IPsec, and out-of-band through a console port. Cisco PIX firewall appliances also have robust auto-update features, a collection advanced secure remote-management services that ensure firewall settings and software images are always up to date.

Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewalls
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances Firewalls are specially engineered solutions that bring together market-proven, best-of-breed protection and VPN support with an adaptive design. The end product is a robust, versatile network protection solution better suited to defend small and medium business and larger networks and, simultaneously, lower the overall deployment and maintenance costs previously required for this enhanced degree of security.

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewalls deliver robust application protection through intelligent, application-aware inspection processes that analyze network flows at Layers 4-7. This produces a safer network covering web, voice, and mobile wireless access. To protect environments against application-layer attacks and to offer organizations greater control over the programs and protocols used in their environments, Cisco's inspection engines integrate broad application and protocol knowledgebases and rely on protection enforcement technologies that include anomaly detection and state monitoring. Also incorporated are attack sensing and mitigation technology such as application/protocol command filtering and URL deobfuscation. Cisco ASA firewall inspection engines also deliver control over instant messaging and peer-to-peer file sharing, enabling businesses to enforce usage policies and recover network bandwidth for critical business processes.

At the same time as improving network protection, Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series firewalls also decrease installation and support costs. By offering broad Virtual Private Network and protection functions, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series firewall can be a the only platform for many environments, enabling platform commonality. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) firewall can be deployed as a consolidated attack-prevention appliance at the datacenter by leveraging its connectivity control, process inspection, and worm, virus, and other malware remediation technologies. The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA) 5500 Series firewall can also be used as a specialized remote connectivity device using its Virtual Private Network capabilities. Alternatively, the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances 5500 Series firewall operates equally well in the network interior for inter-office connectivity management and to guard against worms, viruses, and other malicious code inside workers might inadvertently introduce into the network. For small company and satellite office networks, the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances firewall serves as an all-in-one platform providing complete threat defense and VPN functionality while fitting within the cost structure and operational demands of these situations.

This adaptive one-platform, multiple-use approach minimizes the number of devices that must be deployed and managed while providing a common functional and administrative environment across all those installations. This architecture simplifies the training of configuration, tracking, troubleshooting, and protection staff. To further minimize operations expenses, Cisco ASA firewalls are also exceptionally network aware, allowing these devices to insert seamlessly into the network without disrupting authorized traffic and processes.

How Progent's Cisco Certified Experts Can Assist Your Business with Cisco Firewalls
Cisco ASA Series firewalls and PIX family firewalls incorporate a wealth of setup, monitoring, and analysis options that give you the ability to set up these security appliances to align optimally with your company's requirements. Progent's CCIE certified network experts can help you to support your existing infrastructure that incorporates Cisco ASA or PIX firewalls and that provides protection, resilience, throughput, and recoverability. Progent can also assist your organization to upgrade to Cisco ASA 5500-X firewalls with Firepower Services.

Progent's CISA and CISM-premier information security consultants can assist your business to create a security policy that makes sense for your environment and can set up your firewall to support your security policies. Progent's risk assessment professionals can assess the strength of your existing firewall deployment and validate the overall security of your entire information system environment. Progent's Technical Response Center can provide emergency remote troubleshooting for Cisco technology and can give you fast access to a Cisco network engineer.

To find out more details concerning Progent's professional help for Cisco products, choose a topic:

• Overview of Cisco Expertise
• Fast Online Support from a CCIE Engineer
• Cisco Firepower NGFW Firewalls: Configuration and Troubleshooting Services
• ASA 5500-X Series Firewall with Cisco Firepower: Configuration and Management Services
• ASA 5500 Series Firewall Troubleshooting Help
• Cisco Routers Consulting Support
• Cisco Wireless Consulting Support
• Aironet APs Deployment Support
• Cisco Small Business WiFi Access Points Deployment Services
• Catalyst 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6/6E Wireless APs Planning, Deployment and Troubleshooting Support
• Cisco Wireless Controllers Consulting
• Meraki Wireless APs Deployment Services
• Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM or Unified CM) and CallManager Integration and Troubleshooting
• Cisco Voice over IP Phones and IP Video Desktop Phones Consulting Services and Wireless VoIP Phone Solutions
• Cisco Jabber Consulting and Support Services
• Cisco Catalyst Switches Engineering Services
• Cisco Nexus Switches Configuration and Maintenance Expertise
• Cisco Meraki Switches Support and Troubleshooting Expertise
• Cisco VPN Engineering Expertise
• SIP and CUBE Integration Solutions: SIP Trunking and CUBE Integration Consulting
• Cisco Duo MFA Two-factor Authentication Services for an At-Home Workforce
• Design Expertise for Cisco-powered Datacenters
• Network Design Services for ISPs
• Centralized Cloud-based and Hybrid Network Management Technologies for Cisco Environments