SAN JOSE, Calif., September 24, 2002 - Cisco Systems Inc., today announced extensions to its security management offerings with the availability of the CiscoWorks VPN/Security Management Solution (VMS) Version 2.1 and wireless LAN enhancements to Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) Version 3.1. Together they offer customers comprehensive, integrated security management easing the administrative complexities of business-critical infrastructure.

Specifically designed to support the SAFE security blueprint for Cisco AVVID -- the Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data - CiscoWorks VMS 2.1 includes a Management Center for PIX Firewalls, Intrusion Detection (IDS) Sensors, support for Virtual Private Network (VPN) Routers, and a Monitoring Center for Security.

Both the Management and Monitoring Centers make CiscoWorks VMS 2.1 a powerful, integrated solution, addressing the growing administrative requirements of today's integrated network. It now combines commonly separate network and security administrative tasks into a single solution for a consistent user experience offering configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Cisco PIX Firewalls, VPNs, network- and host-based IDS products.

The CiscoWorks VMS 2.1 also offers:

• Multi-faceted scalability -- Demand for broad security service management is becoming critical to business success, and customers with typically small IT staffs are being tasked with supporting multiple large-scale security deployments. VMS 2.1 eases these administrative complexities through Auto Update Server, a scaleable policy management tool for updating remote and home office locations. It allows administrators to automate updates to all remote or local firewalls with new security policies, reducing management time and effort while improving service uptime.
• Centralized management -- Provides an easy-to-use centralized management tool, allowing administrative control of privileges per device group, the ability to manage remote dynamically addressed devices, and the ability to easily update common rules for multiple devices.
• Security monitoring -- Offers comprehensive surveillance of Cisco PIX firewalls, network IDS, host IDS and VPN routers, giving customers an at-a-glance view of security events. It allows the administrator to easily detect potential attacks from different locations and time periods and by using different methods
• Advanced change management -- Addressing the requirements of customers with both network and security operations groups, this capability offers a process for generating, approving and deploying configurations. It allows security operations personnel to define and approve new policies in a systematic and timely fashion and network personnel to deploy them. This work-flow model supports consistent policy enforcement and verification of updates in a timely fashion for a large number of devices

"As customers increasingly integrate security throughout the network, there are associated management challenges," said Zeus Kerravala, vice president of Enterprise Computing and Networking Application Infrastructure and Software Platforms at The Yankee Group. "CiscoWorks VMS 2.1 offers a welcomed approach, providing customers with a scaleable and centralized management solution for their evolving network-integrated security infrastructures."

Cisco Secure Access Control Server Goes Mobile

Cisco also announced today updates to its identity and access control solution, the Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) 3.1. ACS 3.1 now includes new Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) support for Protected EAP (PEAP) for use in wireless LAN deployments. PEAP, a new IETF EAP protocol based on the IEEE 802.1x security architecture for wireless authentication, retains the security benefits of LEAP while providing support for one-time token authentication, password change and expire support and database extensibility to support LDAP/NDS directories.

Pricing and Availability

CiscoWorksVMS 2.1 is currently available for a list price starting at $ 7,995 USD. CiscoWorksACS 3.1 is available now for the list price of $ 5,995 USD.