Security

Review: Cisco ASA 5512-X Boosts Protection

Firewall supports flexible policies and reputation management.

David Strom is the author of two books on computer networking, along with thousands of articles on various IT topics. Follow him on Twitter: @dstrom

To better protect the enterprise network, organizations need stronger firewalls. Cisco Systems’ Adaptive Security Appliance 5512-X delivers a solid set of features to address those needs: Zero-day malware protection, application-aware software and integration with endpoint device control for end-to-end security.

Advantages

Cisco added three important innovations to the 5512-X and the rest of the ASA product line. First, the application detection portfolio includes more than a thousand applications that are recognized by the ASA, making it easy to set up a specific blocking rule in a matter of minutes. This saves administrators from having to figure out a particular app’s behavioral characteristics or cobble together a firewall rule to allow or deny apps across the network.

The ASA also taps the concept of objects to embolden rule and policy creation. Almost anything can become an object. For example, a security manager can create two policies in which anyone on Windows PC can view customer relationship management data, but anyone on an Android device cannot. This makes the product more flexible than its previous version.

Finally, Cisco integrated its reputation management service, called Security Intelligence and Operations (SIO), into the ASA. Actual Cisco customer networks around the world can volunteer to serve as an early warning system for new exploits. A number of other manufacturers have such operations, but Cisco has arguably the widest global customer research and has adeptly integrated this research into the 5512-X itself.

Why It Works for IT

Gone are the days when event viewers and log dumps were the only tools that a security professional could use. Cisco has nicely integrated actionable and graphical reports into its Prime Security Manager interface used to manage the ASA firewall.

With these screens, managers can drill down from the main dashboard user by user, as well as examine particular applications or destinations, all inside a web browser.

Another plus for IT: The 5512-X offers up to 1.2 gigabits per second of throughput and boasts solid-state hard disks that allow for speedy logging, reporting and storage of URLs and other data that support the next-generation features.

Disadvantages

While the Prime Security Manager web interface can handle basic policies, administrators with specific firewall operational needs may need to turn to the Cisco command line. Organizations seeking ASA firewall functionality and intrusion prevention will need to purchase two separate 5512-X appliances. Finally, the advanced features add about 30 percent in processing overhead compared with traditional firewalls. High-traffic environments may need to deploy a more expensive box than the ASA to handle that overhead.