Cisco ASA 5500 Adaptive Security Appliances

Benefits of a Cisco Secure Remote Access solution include:

• SSL, DTLS, and IPsec-based full network access-Full network access provides network-layer remote-user connectivity to virtually any application or network resource and is often used to extend access to managed computers such as company-owned laptops. Connectivity is available through the automatically downloaded Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client, the Cisco IPsec VPN Client, and the Microsoft and Mac OS X Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)/IPsec VPN clients. The Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client will automatically adapt its tunneling protocol to the most efficient method based on network constraints, and is the first VPN product to use the DTLS protocol to provide an optimized connection for latency-sensitive traffic, such as voice over IP (VoIP) traffic or TCP-based application access. By supporting SSL, DTLS, and IPsec-based remote-access VPN technologies, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series delivers unsurpassed flexibility to meet the needs of the most diverse deployment scenarios.

• Superior clientless network access-Clientless remote access provides access to network applications and resources, regardless of location, without the need for desktop VPN client software. Using the ubiquity of SSL encryption available in Internet browsers, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series delivers clientless access to any web-based application or resource, terminal services applications such as Citrix, and optimized Microsoft Outlook Web Access and Lotus iNotes, as well as access to common thick-client applications such as email, calendar, instant messaging, FTP, Telnet, and SSH applications. Additionally, the superior content rewriting capabilities of the Cisco ASA 5500 Series help ensure reliable rendering of complex webpages with Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, Flash, and other sophisticated content.
• Network-aware site-to-site VPNs-Secure, high-speed communications are possible between multiple office locations. Support for quality of service (QoS) and routing across the VPN helps ensure reliable, business-quality delivery of latency-sensitive applications such as voice, video, and terminal services.

• Threat-protected VPN-VPNs are a primary source of malware infiltration into networks. Malware includes worms, viruses, spyware, keyloggers, Trojan horses, and rootkits. The Cisco ASA 5500 Series' depth and breadth of intrusion prevention, antivirus, application-aware firewall, and VPN endpoint security capabilities minimizes the risk that a VPN connection will become a conduit for security threats.
• More cost-effective VPN deployment and operations-Scaling and securing VPNs often requires additional load balancing and security equipment, which increases both equipment and operational costs. The Cisco ASA 5500 Series integrates these functions, delivering an unprecedented level of network and security integration among the VPN products available today. And by offering support for flexible tunneling options on a single platform, the Cisco ASA 5500 Series provides customers with cost-effective alternatives to deploying parallel VPN infrastructures.
• Scalability and resiliency-The Cisco ASA 5500 Series can support up to 10,000 simultaneous user sessions per device, with the ability to scale to tens of thousands of simultaneous user sessions through integrated clustering and load-balancing capabilities. Stateful failover features deliver high-availability services for unsurpassed uptime.
• OpenSSL technology-includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit.