Cisco launches network armour

Cisco Systems has taken another step in developing self-defending networks, rolling out products, software enhancements and services aimed at addressing threats at multiple network layers.

John Chambers, chief executive at Cisco, unveiled products targeting desktop-level to switch-level security at a conference in the US.

The offerings shared a common framework, called Adaptive Threat Defense, that simplifies architectural designs and more tightly controls security devices in the Cisco line.

"Whatever you do has to be self-defending and cannot require human intervention," Chambers said. "It has to be one that focuses as much on process change as it does on IT change and it has to anticipate where the IT industry is going three or five years down the road."

One new product, Cisco IPS 5.0, is part of the vendor's IPS 4200 series of appliances.

The product, which competes with offerings from antivirus vendors Symantec and McAfee, delivers in-line prevention services with new network antivirus, antispyware and worm-mitigation capabilities.

The vendor also unveiled its Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (CS-MARS), which incorporates technology from Cisco's acquisition of Protego in December 2004.

Jayshree Ullal, Cisco senior vice-president of security technology, said the CS-MARS tool worked with the new Cisco Security Auditor to examine configurations on routers and switches.

It also let customers validate the security of their infrastructure against pre-defined criteria.

Channel partners said the new products would bring technology closer to an ultimate goal of networks that could automatically defend themselves.

"These offerings maintain Cisco products with the best-of-breed status and put Cisco out in front of other security vendors in terms of product capabilities," said Tim Carney, chief executive of Cisco partner Network Guys in the US.

"They confirm the capability to integrate the products, which allows resellers to offer a complete security solution."

Other new products introduced by Cisco included PIX Security Appliance Software  7.0, which had better VoIP protection, and Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator 4.7, which had  technology from Cisco's acquisition of Twingo Systems in March 2004.

VPN 3000 Concentrator 4.7 had a new SSL VPN tunnelling client for secure access to applications, with appropriate end-point and malware protection, Cisco said.