Cisco unveils new services, ramps up network security

Cisco has announced six new services and cloud-based security solutions built with its threat-centric security architecture to ramp up its network security. The global technology provider claims that its architectural approach is equipped to detect more threats from the network to the endpoint to the cloud, and helps customers on average reduce their time to detection to less than 17 hours — much faster than the industry standard of 100 days. Inorder to make effective security simpler for customers, Cisco has unveiled the following solutions and services:

• Umbrella Roaming: This is a centralized, cloud-delivered protection aimed at removing off-network blind spots and guarding roaming employees wherever they work. With Umbrella Roaming, embedded as a module with Cisco’s VPN solution- AnyConnect, organizations can add a new layer of off-network protection that blocks connections to malicious sites without needing to deploy another agent.
• Umbrella Branch: This cloud-delivered solution gives businesses more control over guest Wi-Fi use with easy content filtering. With Umbrella Branch, businesses can simply upgrade Integrated Services Routers (ISR) for simple, fast and comprehensive security at branch locations.
• Defense Orchestrator: This cloud-based management application enables users to manage a large security infrastructure and policies in distributed locations across thousands of devices through a cloud-based console. It cuts through complexity to manage security policies across Cisco security products from ASA and ASAv firewalls to Cisco Firepower next-generation firewalls and ASA with FirePOWER Services featuring Firepower Threat Defense, and OpenDNS.
• Meraki MX Security Appliances with Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) and Threat Grid: This is a cloud-managed unified threat management (UTM) solution that simplifies advanced threat protection for the distributed enterprise, providing branch offices with malware protection that checks files against its cloud database to identify malicious content, blocking the files before users download them.
• Stealthwatch Learning Network License: This component enables the Cisco ISR to act as a security sensor and enforcer for branch threat protection. It allows businesses to detect and track anomalies in network traffic, analyze suspicious network activity, and identify malicious traffic.
• Security Services for Digital Transformation: This service enables organizations to build a strong security foundation, helping them “examine core security fundamentals that identify their readiness to adopt digital technologies.”

The company is hopeful that with the new services, Cisco’s channel partners can design simple, open and automated solutions for their customers. “Digital business is the most impactful disruption to security in the history of the technology industry. As a result, companies are struggling to manage the security challenges from both large, distributed environments and the active adversaries aggressively targeting these expansive attack surfaces every day,” said David Goeckeler, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Networking and Security Business, Cisco Systems.

Our customers are finding that they need a more integrated approach to security, and Cisco provides them with a threat-centric security architecture that is much more effective in a digital world.

Through this renewed security architecture, the Cisco security portfolio plans to increase capabilities by minimizing complexity. Cisco embeds security into the points of connection that users traverse so that the network, access points or endpoints are safe before a user even logs on.