Networking juggernaut Cisco Systems Inc. will unveil their newest offering in the world of networking technology during Cisco CEO John Chambers’ keynote address at Interop this morning. The ASA 5500 combines many new features in a sleek new device for organizations that like to one stop shop.
The Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) 5500 crams up to 18 networking management and security options into one device and will allow businesses to consolidate many functions traditionally requiring their own devices into one machine that takes up less space. The functions range from keeping tabs on an employee downloads through smacking around hackers digging through your hard drives.
The ASA 5500 should be available in May and will run anywhere between $3,000 and $17,000 depending on packet speed. Customer will also have the option to add features as they go along.
“We put a lot of hooks into it, the ability to run multiple processes and have enough storage and memory,” Jayshree Ullal, senior vice president of Cisco’s security and technology group told Forbes. “Nobody has integrated this many security functions–from virtual private networks, firewalls and intrusion prevention and VoIP [voice-over-Internet Protocol. For example, Internet phone calls] security–in one form factor, on one platform.” From here on, point product companies “will have to move to the next generation” of security software, she predicted.
This should throw some security competitors like Symantec and Juniper for a bit of a loop. This is one of the first systems any company has offered integrating so many different security features into one all-purpose system.
This is just the latest in a host of new devices Cisco has thrown out the Interop crowds. These include new integrated services routers for small businesses, wireless interactivity for their platforms, and making it all part of Cisco’s Self Defending Network.
John Stith is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business.
