Item: Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
Rating: 8
Author: Brian Munn

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco ASA

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use the Cisco ASA as our public ingress and egress entry points across our organization. We have been using Cisco ASA for many years securing our users when accessing the internet and securing our network from users on the internet accessing websites we host. We also use Cisco ASA for VPN access. We have multiple site to site VPNs along with Cisco AnyConnect VPN for users accessing corporate resources when out of the office.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The Cisco AnyConnect VPN is used by our users and is a very easy and secure method for employees to access corporate resources.
The Cisco ASA 5585 can be configured in a cluster for larger throughput and high availability.
When purchased with FirePOWER the Cisco ASA can be configured to inspect the application layer of the packets for better threat detection.

Cons

The Cisco ASA can be configured via command line and with a GUI interface. The GUI interface needs work. It uses Java and depending on Java version you can have issues launching the application.
The Cisco ASA needs better logging for troubleshooting. When trying to narrow down an issue the logging needs more information.
Licensing can be difficult to understand and there are many options. Make sure you fully understand your needs before ordering.

Return on Investment

Once fully configured and implemented the product is very solid and provides great security. Little administration is needed unless changes are needed.
Tech support is the best in the industry with great response times.
Client VPN access is the best in the industry making it very easy with little to no IT involvement.

Alternatives Considered

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series

We currently have both products running in our environment. The ASA has a more mature product line and we have had create success with implementing and administering the ASA for the years. Solid product with great features.

Likelihood to Recommend

For companies that want more granular security when it comes to internet access both external and internal the Cisco ASA can be configured in many ways. The AnyConnect VPN client is rock solid and very easy for users to initiate a VPN session.

For smaller companies the Cisco ASA may not be good fit as someone with network experience needs to administer the ASA. Other firewalls can be setup for use out of box.

Comments

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From Small Business to Enterprise Level the Cisco ASA is a great Firewall for any Business