Cisco Security

Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

Promote Highly Secure Connectivity for People and Offices

Improve security and maintain productivity with Cisco VPN technology. Cisco VPNs help securely connect offices, remote users, and business partners. VPNs have become the primary solution for remote connectivity for organizations of all sizes, using affordable, third-party Internet access.

Enhance Productivity and Cut Costs

Cisco VPN solutions provide exceptional security through encryption and authentication technologies that protect data in transit from unauthorized access and attacks. A Cisco VPN helps you:

• Use highly secure communications, with access rights tailored to individual users

• Quickly add new sites or users, without significantly expanding your existing infrastructure

• Improve productivity by extending corporate networks, applications, and collaboration tools

• Reduce communications costs while increasing flexibility

Two VPN technologies are currently in use: site-to-site VPNs and remote access VPNs.

Site-to-Site VPNs

Site-to-site VPNs provide an Internet-based WAN infrastructure to extend network resources to branch offices, home offices, and business partner sites. All traffic between sites is encrypted using IPsec protocol and integrates network features such as routing, quality of service, and multicast support. Cisco VPNs also offer:

• Reliable and high-quality transport of complex, mission-critical traffic, such as voice and client server applications

• Simplified provisioning and reduced operational tasks for network designs

Remote Access VPNs

Remote access VPNs extend almost any data, voice, or video application to the remote desktop, emulating the main office desktop. With this VPN, you can provide highly secure, customizable remote access to anyone, anytime, anywhere, with almost any device. Cisco remote access VPNs:

• Create a remote user experience that emulates working on the main office desktop

• Deliver VPN access safely and easily to a wide range of users and devices

• Support a wide range of connectivity options, endpoints, and platforms to meet your dynamic remote access needs

Firewalls

Network Firewall: Keep Intruders Out

A reliable network firewall helps your company keep unauthorized visitors from accessing valuable business resources. Instead of providing only point products that set a base level of security, Cisco embeds network firewall security throughout the network and integrates security services in all its products. As a result, network firewall security becomes a transparent, scalable, and manageable aspect of the business infrastructure.

Network Firewall: An Integrated Approach

Cisco offers several integrated network firewall solutions to help secure various network environments:

ASA 5500 Series: Controls network access at the WAN edge or within the LAN

Cisco IOS Firewall: Helps control application traffic

Firewall Services Module (FWSM) for Catalyst 6500 Series Switches and 7600 Series Routers: Allows a port to act as a firewall and protect traffic within the LAN or at the network perimeter

Embedded Firewall Services in the ASR 1000 Series Routers: Adds firewall functions at the network perimeter to protect network services

Web Application Firewall: Helps XML-based application traffic securely reach its destination

You can deploy these firewalls separately or combine them for a layered, defense-in-depth approach. Each network firewall is designed in accordance with the best practices and guid-ance developed for real-world solutions in the Cisco SAFE Architecture.

Managing a Network Firewall

To help you manage your network firewall solutions. Cisco provides:

• Integrated device managers

• Security Manager

• Security Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (MARS)