SAN JOSE, Calif., April 10, 2000 - Cisco Systems, Inc. today unveiled a powerful portfolio of intelligent broadband solutions for both remote access and site-to-site enterprise virtual private networks (VPNs).
Through the recently completed acquisition of Altiga Networks, Cisco now provides enterprise customers with an integrated, leadership solution to address remote access VPN requirements. The solution is anchored by the new Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator series, providing scalable aggregation for enterprise-class deployment and central site aggregation of single user and remote office connections. It also includes an integrated VPN client, bringing secure, end-to-end encrypted traffic capabilities to the Concentrator series. An extensive Web-based management architecture rounds out the solution by providing tools for simplifying installation, configuration and monitoring of the Cisco 3000 Concentrator series.
"Cisco has clearly raised the stakes with its intelligent broadband VPN strategy," said Michael Howard, principal analyst for Infonetics Research. "Cisco's internetworking presence, channel strength, VPN solutions, and recent VPN acquisitions strongly position the company for market leadership."
Cisco now provides the industry's most comprehensive suite of enterprise- and service provider-managed solutions for remote access and site-to-site VPN applications. Specific new products in the Cisco VPN solution include the:
Cisco VPN 3005 Concentrator solution for small businesses and branch office customer requirements. Broadening the 3000 Concentrator series, the Cisco VPN 3005 Concentrator is ideal for customers requiring a smaller number of remote access sessions and for service providers offering customer-premises-equipment (CPE) managed services.
Cisco VPN 3000 monitor, a software application for centralized monitoring, alert and data collection on multiple concentrators.
Cisco Secure PIX Firewall 506 (see separate release), an enterprise-class security appliance for small business and small branch offices. The PIX 506 firewall extends the market leading PIX firewall family, providing the same performance and reliability as its sister products but at an entry level price.
Cisco Secure Policy Manager 2.0, a powerful, VPN-optimized security policy management system for the enterprise.
VPN module for Cisco 1700 series access routers (see separate release), providing accelerated VPN services. The VPN module is aimed at small branch offices.
"The marriage of Cisco's internetworking expertise and Altiga's technological expertise makes a lot of sense for this market, and I'm sure it's going to provide a real boost for VPN adoption in the enterprise," said Craig Darling, network analyst for IDEXX. "IDEXX has been a customer of Altiga and Cisco, and we look forward to the ongoing integration of Altiga's offerings into the Cisco product portfolio."
The Cisco product portfolio builds upon the company's lead in the site-to-site VPN market, where the company has an established line of dedicated and optimized VPN routers, including the Cisco 7100 and 1700 series routers. Cisco is also the worldwide leader in the firewall market with its Cisco Secure PIX Firewall family. Altiga's product suite now provides Cisco with a strong presence in the remote access VPN market as well.
"Through the acquisition and quick integration of Altiga's product line, Cisco is delivering solutions for almost any enterprise customer requirement," said Richard Palmer, vice president and general manager of the Cisco VPN and security solutions group. "Companies are now leveraging the Internet for business advantage and are demanding comprehensive VPN solutions to address business-critical needs."
Remote Access VPNs
VPNs have become the logical solution for remote access to corporate enterprises by helping companies reduce expenses while allowing mobile workers, telecommuters and day extenders to take full advantage of improved broadband connectivity.
The new Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator series makes all of this possible by providing a best-of-breed, remote access VPN solution for enterprise-class deployment. It includes an easy-to-use VPN client, scalable VPN tunnel termination devices and a management system that enables corporations to easily install, configure and monitor their remote access VPNs. Based on a purpose-built remote access architecture, the Cisco VPN Concentrator series allows corporations to build high-performance, scalable and robust VPN infrastructures for mission-critical remote access applications.
There are four models in the Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator series: the new 3005 Concentrator; the upgradable 3015 Concentrator, targeted at small- to mid-sized companies; the 3030 Concentrator, which is designed for mid-sized companies, and the 3060 Concentrator for large organizations.
In support of the Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator series, Cisco also introduced the Cisco VPN 3000 monitor. This new utility collects statistics, displays high level status information and allows administrators to collect more granular detail about each device on the VPN.
New Firewall and Policy Management Software
Attention to network security, one of the most commonly cited concerns among customers considering VPN implementation, is a key benefit of the Cisco portfolio. The market leading Cisco Secure PIX Firewall family delivers the highest levels of security and performance while offering reliable VPN capabilities.
The PIX family now includes the Cisco Secure PIX 506 Firewall, which is specifically designed for small branch offices and the small business market. Fully IPsec compliant, the new PIX appliance delivers enterprise-class security, performance and VPN capabilities at an entry-level price: less than $2,000. The Cisco Secure PIX Firewall family also includes the PIX 515 firewall for small-to-medium sized businesses and the PIX 520 firewall for large enterprises.
Customers can define, distribute, enforce and audit network security policies for PIX firewalls using Cisco Secure Policy Manager 2.0. Now available for $7,500, the latest version of this powerful security utility adds support for Cisco routers and firewalls, IPsec VPN configuration capabilities and enhanced scalability making it particularly appropriate for the enterprise.
Pricing and Availability
The Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator series is available immediately. The Cisco VPN 3005 is $4,000 USD list; the Cisco VPN 3015 lists for $10,000 USD; the Cisco VPN 3030 is available for $22,000 USD; and the Cisco VPN 3060 lists for $40,000 USD. The Cisco VPN 3000 monitor is available immediately for $5,000 USD. The Cisco VPN module for the Cisco 1700 series broadband access routers are currently shipping for $1,000 USD.
