News Release

Cisco Delivers 'Security Without Borders'

Cisco's "Secure Borderless Networks" Architecture Addresses Challenges of Today's Mobile Workforce by Connecting Anyone, Anywhere, Using Any Device with High Levels of Security
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Mar 02, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and HANNOVER, GERMANY – March 2, 2010 – Cisco is tackling today's enterprise security challenges with a new architecture that will help enable business users to access information from any device and any location with a high degree of ease and security. The company announced the Cisco® Secure Borderless Network architecture, which evolves enterprise security by focusing on four critical anchors: enterprise endpoints (mobile or fixed), the Internet edge, the data center, and policy that is context- and location-aware.

As the first proof point of this architecture, Cisco is releasing the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility solution and expanding Cisco TrustSecTM to provide businesses with identity and granular control over policy to maximize persistent security and protection. This is especially important as workforces are increasingly mobile and are using new forms of Web-based collaboration and communication, making traditional security approaches insufficient.

Cisco Secure Borderless Network Architecture Highlights

  • Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility – Integrates functionality across the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, the Cisco IronPort S-Series Web Security Appliance and the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance firewall. The next-generation remote access, advanced Web security and threat-intelligence capabilities of this solution helps allow enterprises to extend their corporate policy and controls to mobile users.
  • Specific enhancements within Cisco AnyConnect include:

    • Seamless, always-on highly secure connectivity
    • Automatic security gateway detection
    • Trusted network detection
    • Highly secure application access for both managed and unmanaged devices

    Specific enhancements within Cisco IronPort Web Security Appliance include:

    • Application visibility and deep control
    • SaaS access controls
    • Enhanced threat defense
    • Unified on-premises and off-premises security policies and reporting

    Future plans call for extending the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility solution to include hybrid enforcement delivered through the Cisco IronPort S-Series appliances and cloud-based security delivered through Cisco ScanSafe. By combining the endpoint, the network and the cloud within one solution, Cisco will provide great flexibility and scalability for enterprises.

    Availability: Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility is scheduled to be available in the second quarter of calendar year 2010.

  • Cisco TrustSec – Helps customers build policy, identity and protection into the network with policy-based access control, identity-aware networking, and data integrity and confidentiality. With Cisco TrustSec, customers can better protect borderless networks by simplifying management of security policy and access control and enabling highly secure collaboration. The Cisco TrustSec solution is now expanded to include Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC) and Cisco Identity-Based Networking Services (IBNS).
  • New Cisco TrustSec features include integrated device profiling and guest access services for 802.1X environments, enhanced 802.1X-based technologies, advanced end-to-end monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, delivery of Security Group Tag (SGT), and SGT Exchange Protocol (SXP) technologies for Cisco Catalyst® and Cisco Nexus® switches.

    Availability: Expanded features within Cisco TrustSec are planned for delivery in the second quarter of calendar year 2010.

Supporting Quotes:

  • Tom Gillis, vice president and general manager, Security Technology business unit, Cisco
  • "The security needs of businesses are changing and becoming more complex, as more employees spend time out of the office accessing the corporate network via their smart phone or laptop.  As a result, enterprises need a solution that will not hamper employee productivity, while helping to ensure that the network is not exposed to hackers, malware and other threats. AnyConnect Secure Mobility is the solution that our customers have been demanding, enabling them to strike that balance between providing consistent security and supporting access from individuals using any device to connect to the network from anywhere in the world."

  • Alec Edworthy, Remote Access Service Manager, Loughborough University
  • "Our mobile workforce has made securing our corporate network extremely challenging, as we have to support multiple brands of laptops and phones, as well as cloud-based applications. These business-critical communications must be as secure as possible no matter how and where our employees connect across the globe.  Cisco clearly recognized that changes in where business takes place significantly expand the network security problems we face. Cisco's AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution gives us the confidence that we can improve our employees' productivity by enabling them to work anywhere at any time, without sacrificing our security policies."

  • Anders Henriksson, networking department manager of TeleComputing
  • "Cisco security technologies complement our focus on architecture and best practices to help secure our networks and data more effectively. Our company offers cloud computing services and our security policy requires 802.1X on LAN switches at customer premises for authentication. Cisco 802.1X technology not only allows us to implement our policy but it further helps us create and deliver the Managed LAN service for our customers."

Supporting Resources:

Technorati Tags:

Cisco, ScanSafe, IronPort, VPN, virtual private networks, AnyConnect, TrustSec, secure mobility, mobility, network security, developers, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, spam, virus, malware, software-as-a-service, SaaS, security as a service, enterprise security, security appliance.