Cisco

When we tested next-generation firewalls last May, at least one important security vendor wasn't there: Cisco, because they weren't ready to be tested. Now that the ASA CX next-generation firewall has had a year to mature, we put the product through its paces, using the same methodology as our last NGFW test.

The Cisco CSR 1000V router is designed for enterprise network managers who want to have a little piece of their Cisco infrastructure in the cloud.

The Cisco Ironport is an appliance that is deployed into an existing mail infrastructure. All emails are sent to the IronPort and the IronPort is either the last point out (most common configuration) or it can process email and then send it back to the mail server where it is sent out.

Cisco's AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution is a two-box enterprise play that poses some problems for small and midsized businesses.

There are two ways to look at the Cisco SA 520 network security appliance. On one hand, it offers a solid array of features: 65Mbps IPSec VPN throughput, 100Mbps overall throughput, integrated firewall (limited to 100 rules), built-in filtering for common services like IM and P2P networking, SSL VPN, IPS, DDNS, and multi-WAN support. On the other hand, it has nearly no relation to the rest of Cisco's security solutions.

While Cisco's overall NAC strategy is in flux, a NAC Appliance investment is likely to come with substantial purchase protection — just be sure to keep your SMARTnet contract up to date.

Long distance VMotion via Cisco Overlay Transport Virtualization, or how to succeed at data center extension without really trying.