Cisco Releases Enhanced Mobile Device Support for the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client

SAN FRANCISCO – Sept. 23, 2010 – Cisco today announced that its Cisco AnyConnect^TM Secure Mobility Solution is now available from the Apple App Store. The solution offers highly secure network connectivity from any Apple iOS 4.1 device, improving the productivity of mobile employees by giving them reliable access to business-critical applications while helping their organizations comply with corporate security policies.

With the AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution, Cisco extends its support for devices that are becoming increasingly prevalent on corporate enterprise networks. According to Apple's financial results for the third quarter of 2010, more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 companies and 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies are deploying or piloting the iPhone.

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution for Apple iOS 4.1 offers:

Seamless User Experience — Building on AnyConnect's existing always-on VPN capability on Windows PCs, the app uses Apple iOS' native capability to provide on-demand VPN connections and initiate a highly secure tunnel automatically when enterprise-level protection is needed.
Enhanced Security — All communication is secured with up to 256-bit AES encryption using SSL or DTLS tunneling. Information technology administrators can also enable corporate resource access on a per-user or a per-group basis and rapidly revoke access for lost, stolen or non-business-use devices.
Persistent Application Access — Highly secure application access is maintained automatically from cellular to Wi-Fi network transitions, and vice versa, through the use of a configurable network-roaming option.
Ease of Configuration — Policies and connection-profile information can be preconfigured and automatically updated from the Cisco® Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA 5500) family, with very little initial end-user involvement.
Enterprise-class Authentication Support — The application supports the full gamut of Cisco ASA authentication capabilities, including multifactor authentication and digital certificates deployed using the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol.
Optimized Performance – Cisco AnyConnect for Apple iOS natively supports DTLS VPN tunneling, which enables the optimal performance of latency-sensitive applications such as voice or video.

Availability

The Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution is available from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 4.1 or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. The app supports iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, as well as second-generation and later iPod touch devices.

Supporting Quotes:

Shalabh Mohan, director, Security Technology Business Unit, Cisco

"At Cisco, our goal is to help enterprises improve the productivity of their employees while enabling them to connect with a high degree of security to the network from anywhere, using any type of device. Cisco's AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution is allowing users to enhance productivity on the go, while giving enterprises the ability to easily manage the security risks inherent to borderless networks. The iPhone has rapidly become a device of choice for consumers around the world, and they are looking for ways to have this single device work for both their personal and business needs. The consumer influence is driving the need for highly secure enterprise mobility solutions like AnyConnect and our new iPhone app."

Christian Christiansen, vice president, Security Products and Services, IDC

"Initially purchased as a consumer device, many iPhone users pushed their companies for access to corporate applications. Not surprisingly, many enterprises balked because iPhones and the apps on iTunes were believed to be insecure and unacceptable for business. However, iPhones and iTunes now offer improved security and device management and higher connectivity speeds. Apple increased its development support for more business-focused apps in its iTunes' App Store. With these improvements, iPhone is becoming increasingly secure and suitable for enterprise use."