NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Feb 25, 2016) - Light Reading has published the results of a groundbreaking independent evaluation of virtualized security tools and functions developed by Cisco Systems. The independent test was conducted by leading networking technology test company EANTC, and paid for by Light Reading, to ensure impartial and authoritative results.

EANTC evaluated multiple security products, most virtualized but some hardware-based, to determine how emerging network topologies can be secured, defended and recovered before, during and after attacks of various kinds.

The EANTC test team simulated multiple real-world scenarios, including threat detection, attack visibility and mitigation and security platform performance. Its evaluation also included a test case dedicated to the verification of the provisioning process for security-as-a-service virtual network functions (VNFs), something that will be of particular interest to communications service providers keen to build a business case around next-generation security functionality.

"Network security is a major concern for communications service providers, especially now that the evolution of cloud architectures and services, and the introduction of virtualization, needs more than just a traditional perimeter-based security strategies," noted Light Reading Editor-in-Chief Ray Le Maistre.

"Following a robust set of tests and evaluations, the EANTC team found Cisco's suite of capabilities more than capable of meeting the needs of today's progressive enterprises and service providers," added Le Maistre.

"Cisco's NFV security solution demonstrated a wide range of advanced functionality to detect and protect against selected threats, including concealed attacks," said Carsten Rossenhoevel, co-founder and managing director of the EANTC. "The EANTC team was impressed with how Cisco has integrated many building blocks into an easy-to-manage solution that addresses the key requirements of communications service providers."

You can find the full report, "Validating Cisco's Threat-Centric Security Solutions," on Light Reading at http://www.lightreading.com/ciscosecurityevaluation.

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About Light Reading
Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) helps the global communications industry make informed decisions. The Lightreading.com site is the definitive source for next-generation communications analysis for more than 450,000 users each month, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content and reputation. Light Reading also produces live events for executives charged with monetizing cable, New IP, optical, Ethernet, mobile, gigabit cities, security, virtualization, components, communications drones, next-gen analytics, Internet of Things and wireline networks.

About EANTC
EANTC (European Advanced Networking Test Center -- www.eantc.de/) is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading independent test centers for telecommunication technologies. Based in Berlin, Germany, the company offers vendor-neutral consultancy and realistic, reproducible, high-quality testing services since 1991. Customers include leading network equipment manufacturers, Tier 1 service providers, large enterprises and governments worldwide. EANTC's proof of concept, acceptance tests and network audits cover established and next-generation fixed and mobile network technologies.