Cisco Security Cloud Vision Comes to Life, Transforming Enterprise Defenses

News Summary:

• Industry-first Cisco Hypershield bolsters hardware acceleration to analyze and respond to anomalies in application and network behavior, now supporting AMD Pensando Data Processing Units (DPUs) to be available from Cisco's Unified Computing System (UCS) servers and other leading vendors, and in future service-accelerated switching platforms.
• Best-in-class Cisco Secure Firewall introduces the new Firewall 1200 Series, delivering up to three times the performance of comparable firewalls and eliminating the need to have multiple appliances for switches, routers and firewalls at enterprise branch locations.
• New, AI-native management architecture, Security Cloud Control, will configure, manage and monitor the entire Cisco Security Cloud, beginning now with Cisco's network security solutions.
• New sources of Cisco telemetry through technical add-ons for Splunk will deliver unparalleled visibility to power the SOC of the Future.

CISCO LIVE US 2024, LAS VEGAS, June 4, 2024 — Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), the leader in enterprise networking and security, today announced new capabilities across the Cisco Security Cloud that extend its security architecture in the age of AI. With Cisco's unified, AI-driven, cross-domain security platform, customers will experience the balance of power tipping in favor of the defenders.

The Best Next Generation Firewall is Now Even Better

For the second year running, SE Labs named the Cisco Secure Firewall the best next generation firewall. Today, Cisco is advancing its market leadership with the introduction of the Cisco Firewall 1200 Series, delivering up to three times the performance of comparable competitive firewalls. The 1200 Series is a new family of SD-WAN enabled, high-performing, compact firewall security appliances that eliminate the need to have multiple appliances for switches, routers and firewalls at enterprise branch locations. The first models in the series are targeted for availability in October 2024.

Cisco is also announcing the new software 7.6 version of Firewall Threat Defense (FTD), available for all of Cisco's physical and virtual firewalls. FTD 7.6 not only enhances security by using AI to prevent zero-day threats and extends application control to over 70 generative AI apps to secure sensitive information but also streamlines branch network rollouts with pre-built SD-WAN and firewall templates and supports zero-touch provisioning.

Taking another giant leap, Cisco is introducing Cisco Security Cloud Control to unify management for the Cisco Security Cloud, beginning with its network security fabric including Cisco Secure Firewall. Going beyond AI assistants, Security Cloud Control delivers an AI-native approach to proactively surface actionable insights and automate resolution across hybrid environments. Customers benefit from simpler, more streamlined policies while getting the most out of their Cisco Security investment with optimal configuration. Unified management with Security Cloud Control is targeted for initial availability in September 2024 with support for Secure Firewall Threat Defense, Secure Firewall ASA, Multicloud Defense, and Hypershield.  

"We are very excited about the platform level innovation Cisco is bringing to market with the Security Cloud. Where security meets the network is a massive opportunity for our customers," said Chris Konrad, Vice President, Global Cyber, World Wide Technology. "The promise of what Cisco Hypershield will deliver is a game-changer for how our customers will be able to close the exploit gap and achieve segmentation that adapts and learns. Along with new AI-powered management through Security Cloud Control and the quality innovation we continue to see in Cisco's firewall portfolio, we are able to deliver an unparalleled customer outcome coupled with our services capabilities and expertise."