Great news for those of us using Cisco security hardware. Cisco is updating it's entire security portfolio for enhanced product integration. Updates include:
- Adaptive Security Appliance v8.0
- Cisco IPS v6.0
- Cisco Security Agent v5.2
- CS-MARS v4.3
- Cisco Security Manager v3.1
As you can see nearly every product that is part of the "Self-Defending Network" is being enhanced to support this tighter integration. Of big note is the ASA v8 release, with numerous enhancement to the SSL VPN capabilities of the ASAs. SSL VPN is the next generation of secure remote network access. Below are these enhancements. Note that a new VPN client is to be released... known as "AnyConnect." This appears to be the Cisco-supported Vista VPN client that will be used going forward.
- Clientless VPN with enhanced portal design for highly customizable user experience including personalized bookmarks, RSS feeds, and localization support.
- Cisco's next-generation "AnyConnect" VPN client, with broader operating system support for Microsoft Vista and Windows, MAC OS X, and Linux.
- Cisco AnyConnect Mobile VPN client supports Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Edition.
- Optimized network access for voice over IP (VoIP) and other latency-sensitive traffic.
- Ability to create "smart tunnels" that provide policy-driven applications specific access without requiring administrative rights.
- Embedded Certificate Authority (CA) and additional user credential options simplify authentication.
- Direct mapping of Windows Active Directory membership to VPN access simplifies IT's security management by automatically granting users appropriate VPN permissions.
- Posture-assessment extensions adjust users' VPN permissions more efficiently.
- Intuitive management via ASA's Adaptive Security Device Manager, CSM 3.1.
Note that the full press release can be found here. It looks like some exciting changes are happening with Cisco's security portfolio. Make sure to check in for the latest updates as I get them.
