SAN FRANCISCO - June 24, 2010 - Building on its Borderless Networks architecture and vision, Cisco today announced that it has partnered with leading vendors to address the evolving security needs of enterprise customers. Working with these partners, Cisco will be able to deliver comprehensive security with validated systems that comprise Cisco's industry-leading platform and third-party technologies via the Cisco® Developer Network and other leading vendors. The validated Secure Borderless Network Systems initiative allows Cisco to simplify the integration and validation of security systems for its customers. In addition, it positions the company as a preferred vendor for addressing complex business challenges, common-use cases and end-to-end security concerns with greater efficiency while taking advantage of the Cisco platform.

Cisco Addresses Challenges of Security Integration and Complexity

Industry analysts at IDC indicate that some of the most prominent security management challenges are a result of difficulties with integration, complexity and the complications associated with managing point solutions. IDC recently reported* that the IT managers it surveyed said some of the top IT security management challenges at their organization consisted of:

• A lack of integration between security solutions – 24 percent
• The complexity of security solutions – 17 percent
• Too many point solutions to manage – 17 percent

Cisco is addressing these challenges head-on with its validated Secure Borderless Network Systems designs. These validated designs provide a blueprint for tightly integrated solutions of Cisco and third-party products that allows IT managers to simplify the task of managing today's security policies. With its validated Secure Borderless Network Systems, Cisco will deliver a comprehensive security architecture, with guides that assist in the integration process and illustrate simplified deployments based on real-world testing scenarios. Announced today are three new validated systems, each of which combines Cisco's platform with technology from leading vendors.

• Secure mobility: Organizations today are embracing workforce mobility for competitive advantage.  But the growing complexity of a mobile, dynamic workforce creates challenges to maintaining security and policy beyond the traditional network borders. Cisco has an installed base of more than 150 million IPsec (Internet Protocol security) customers for highly secure virtual private network connectivity.  Building on this success, the company has recently introduced a next-generation solution - Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility – that provides always-on connectivity coupled with advanced policy enforcement and reporting.  Cisco is now partnering with leading device vendors for interoperability with the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility client.

• Partners: HTC, Nokia, Palm and Samsung.

• Data security: With more distributed networks and an increasingly mobile workforce, there is a need to better protect sensitive data across the network. Cisco's new Data Security Systems solution uses the company's security platform and third-party data security technology to protect against data loss on the network as well as on mobile devices in the case of physical device loss or theft. The solution builds on Cisco's already established data loss prevention (DLP) partnership with RSA, the Security Division of EMC, for network and endpoint DLP. New and existing partnerships and accompanying systems protect against data loss resulting from the theft of laptops, mobile devices and removable media.

• Partners: Validated designs are available for Cisco Data Security Systems from RSA, Lumension and Credant Technologies.

• Security management: Improving management of the Secure Borderless Network environment, Cisco is partnering with leading third-party security information and event management vendors in delivering integrated security management systems. These systems improve visibility into the security environment and address business concerns related to long-term log archiving and forensics, heterogeneous event correlation, advanced compliance reporting and situational awareness.

• Partners: Validated systems are available for tested configurations of Cisco security technology with ArcSight; LogLogic; netForensics; RSA, the Security Division of EMC; and Splunk.

Supporting Quotes:

• Pat Calhoun, general manager, Security Systems Unit, Cisco

"We're entering the next phase of evolution in the maturity of the security market. What began as isolated point products eventually developed into a series of loosely integrated product suites.  Now with Cisco's platform leadership, the security market is moving towards tightly integrated multivendor systems that deliver the best attributes of the earlier stages, but offer simplicity of operation and ease of deployment not yet experienced in the industry. The launch of our Validated Secure Borderless Network initiative will enable us to act as a trusted adviser to our customers, providing enterprises with a comprehensive system to most effectively meet their security challenges, while reducing their costs and the risks involved with integration."

• Ukko Lappalainen, vice president, Business Smartphones, Nokia

"Nokia is the world's leading smartphone manufacturer, enabling intuitive and secure collaboration for workers everywhere. As trusted leaders in our respective industries, we both know that we must embrace, not restrict, the mobile workforce. Cisco's validated systems approach will allow Nokia to deliver best in class secure mobile solutions to the business worker across cellular and WLAN networks by providing enterprise-grade security and policy on our devices."

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco Secure Borderless Networks Technology Partners
• Cisco Developer Network for Security
• Cisco Data Security Solution Guides
• Cisco Security Information and Event Management Solution Guides
• Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility
• Cisco Security Services
• Cisco Security Intelligence Operations
• Cisco security products and services
• Follow us on Twitter @CiscoSecurity and become a fan on Facebook
• Visit the Cisco Security Blog
• Read Cisco Security Strategy Explained: Q&A With Cisco's Tom Gillis

Technorati Tags:

Cisco, validated design, DLP, data loss prevention, hosted, cloud, security, network security, developers, reporting, business intelligence, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, spam, virus, malware, software-as-a-service, SaaS, security as a service, enterprise security, security appliance, validated design, HTC, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, ArcSight, LogLogic, netForensics, RSA, Splunk, Lumension, CREDANT Technologies.

* Source: IDC, Hybrid Security: Leveraging the Best of Both Defenses, Doc #SSE2009_04, Oct 2009.