SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - February 16, 2011) - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) continues to invest in addressing the rapidly changing security needs of businesses today with the announcement of new context-aware security enforcement across its security portfolio.

The new borderless organizations have dramatically changed the definition of how, when and where people work, causing a need to redefine the way security solutions are built and deployed. Driving this change is a new wave of mobility, virtualization and cloud technologies that have forced IT security administrators to deal with a multidimensional problem and to rethink how security must be implemented and enforced.

To enable companies to conduct business without borders, Cisco is introducing a new highly distributed security architecture that manages enforcement elements like firewalls, Web proxies and intrusion-prevention sensors with a higher-level policy language that is context-aware to accommodate business needs. These next-generation scanning elements are independent of the physical infrastructure and can be deployed as appliances, modules and cloud services. Better suited to address today's security challenges, they are designed to know exactly who a user is, what role that user plays in the organization, and whether that user should be allowed access.

Highlights of this announcement

• Cisco® SecureX Architecture: This next-generation security architecture includes
  • Context-aware security enforcement elements that are independent of the physical infrastructure and can be deployed in a highly distributed way.
  • A new context-aware policy language that helps manage the context-aware enforcement elements.
  • Cisco AnyConnect, which tethers any device, anytime, from anywhere, into the security enforcement fabric.
  • Virtual and cloud platforms that attach to Cisco's virtual data center switching capabilities.
  • Cisco Security Intelligence Operations, a cloud-based service that provides global context and threat intelligence.
  • Comprehensive, extensible APIs (application programming interfaces) that allow Cisco's own management systems and partners to plug in and complete the security ecosystem.

• New Context-Aware Capabilities for the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA): The Cisco ASA will be the first to offer full context-aware firewalling and policy enforcement. By combining local context using Cisco TrustSec, global context from Cisco Security Intelligence Operations, and mobile insight from Cisco AnyConnect, the Cisco ASA allows businesses to gain visibility into their network infrastructure, provide better security, and create streamlined policies that correspond to business rules. Users, applications, data, reputation, devices, posture, threats, destinations, sources and locations are some of the components of the multifaceted context that the Cisco ASA will deliver. These will allow customers to extend their existing trusted firewall infrastructure to be consistent with the dynamic needs of their businesses and employees.

• Cisco AnyConnect Client Telemetry for Cisco Security Intelligence Operations: AnyConnect 3.0 adds real-time client-based threat telemetry to Cisco Security Intelligence Operations to bolster an existing footprint of more than 700,000 network and content security appliances. Telemetry from existing Cisco security services for e-mail, Web, intrusion prevention, firewall and cloud security services enable powerful global context and threat intelligence, ensuring fast and focused protection against a full range of malicious activity. With a footprint of more than 150 million AnyConnect and legacy VPN clients, this represents a huge step forward in the visibility and actionable threat intelligence that Cisco Security Intelligence Operations can provide.

• Other AnyConnect 3.0 Highlights: Cisco AnyConnect 3.0 now supports Web security services delivered via Cisco IronPort™ Web Security Appliances and Cisco ScanSafe, the industry's leading cloud security service. Cisco customers can now enable hybrid secure mobility enforcement so that the most optimal on-premises or cloud location can be used for enforcing corporate security policies.

Supporting Quote:
Tom Gillis, vice president and general manager, Security Technology business unit, Cisco:
"Today's business environment requires proactive, context-aware security that provides deep insight, control and operational efficiency. Cisco SecureX Architecture and the Cisco ASA with context-aware firewalling represent a significant leap forward in allowing businesses to better embrace increasing mobility, virtualization and collaboration across business boundaries."

Video:

• Cisco Senior Director Ambika Gadre on the company's announcements at the RSA Conference 2011
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vIjOvI71qE

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco at RSA Conference 2011
• Keynote address by Tom Gillis, vice president and general manager of Cisco's Security Technology business unit. "Secure This: Every Device, Every Cloud, Every Moment," presented Wednesday, February 16, at 4:10 p.m. Pacific time. Additional details at http://www.rsaconference.com/2011/usa/agenda/keynotes.htm
• Cisco Security Intelligence Operations
• Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA)
• Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility
• Securing the Borderless Network an interview with Tom Gillis
• Visit the Cisco Security Blog -- http://blogs.cisco.com/security
• Follow Cisco Security on Twitter -- http://twitter.com/ciscosecurity

Technorati Tags: Cisco, Context-Aware, Network Security Architecture, Adaptive Security Appliances Software, ScanSafe, virtual private networks, AnyConnect, secure mobility, secure desktop, network security, security manager, developers, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, IPS, Extranet, VPN, IPv4, IPv6, spam, virus, malware, software-as-a-service, SaaS, cloud, security as a service, enterprise security, security appliance.

About Cisco Systems
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

For direct RSS Feeds of all Cisco news, please visit "News@Cisco" at the following link:

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html

Contact Information:

Cisco Press Contact:
David Oro
Cisco
707-558-8585
daoro@cisco.com

Industry Analyst Contact:
Todd Hanson
Cisco
408-489-0692
todhanso@cisco.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Dan Ferguson
Cisco
978-863-2119
danfergu@cisco.com