Extend Network Services Securely

As your organization extends its unified communications deployments beyond the boundaries of the campus and branch networks, it must depend on secure remote access and mobility. With Cisco Virtual Office and the Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance, you can take advantage of a range of services that support secure remote access and mobility deployments.

The Cisco Virtual Office is designed to:

• Provide secure, rich network services to staff working beyond the traditional corporate office, including teleworkers, full- and part-time home office users, mobile contractors, and executives
• Create a comprehensive office environment for employees wherever they are by providing extensible network services that include data, voice, video, and wireless mobility

The Cisco ASA 5500 Adaptive Security Appliance provides a rich set of solutions that support a range of mobile and casual teleworking scenarios:

• Phone Proxy lets employees use their Cisco IP Phones in remote or telecommuting environments, combining ease of use with simplicity of deployment.
• Mobility Proxy provides a secure gateway that allows Cisco Unified Mobility clients to integrate smartphones transparently into Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

White Papers

• Top Five Considerations for Unified Communications Teleworking

Related Solutions

• Cisco Virtual Office

Related Products

• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances
• Cisco IOS Security for Integrated Services Routers and Gateways

Protect Your Campus Infrastructure

Comprehensive defense capabilities form the cornerstone of a secure unified communications campus. Your organization can mitigate threats and risks by applying security within:

• Endpoints
• Applications
• Call control
• Network infrastructure

Network security functions such as switch security features and firewalls can be the first layer of defense.

The Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance and Firewall Services Module (FWSM) are unified communications aware firewalls that can apply a range of security services to protect critical infrastructure such as Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

Through their awareness and understanding of unified communications protocols and applications, these products apply effective security services to unified communications deployments:

• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances combine protocol and application inspection to provide a range of policy-control and threat-prevention mechanisms.
• Advanced integration features such as Transport Layer Security (TLS) Proxy simplify interworking of voice encryption and firewalling to provide your organization with a range of options for securing unified communications deployments.

White Paper

• Top 10 Reasons to Firewall Your Cisco Unified Communications Manager Deployment

Related Products

• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance
• Cisco Firewall Services Module

Related Technology

• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance Transport Layer Security Proxy
• Firewall Positioning Guide

Secure the Empowered Branch

Unified communications and security are two essential services of the modern branch office environment. Find out how Cisco empowered branch solutions help you deliver integrated, best-in-class services for the branch office.

Webcast

• Security in Today's Empowered Branch

White Paper

• Confidential Unified Communications over WAN and Internet Links (PDF - 419 KB)

Related Products

• Cisco IOS Security for Integrated Services Routers and Gateways

Cisco ASA 5500 for Secure Unified Communications

Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances are designed to secure real-time unified communications applications such as voice and video. These appliances protect all of the critical elements of your unified communications deployment: network infrastructure, call-control platforms, IP endpoints, and unified communications applications. They deliver several security features that complement the embedded security within the unified communications system, providing additional layers of protection.

At-a-Glance

• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances (PDF - 318 KB)

Data Sheet

• Cisco ASA 5500 Series Unified Communications Deployments

Configuration Guide

• Configuring Cisco Unified Communications Support

Unified Communications Security Bundles

Cisco ASA 5500 Series deployments in Unified Communications architectures can now be ordered as a bundle with Cisco Unified Communication Manager appliances. The Secure Cisco Unified Communications Manager bundles simplify ordering and provide recommendations based on extensive solution interoperability testing.

With the new Cisco ASA 8.0.4 software release, a range of new security functions are available to support secure remote access and mobility deployments. The new Unified Communications Proxy licenses that enable key features such as Phone Proxy, Mobility Proxy and Presence Proxy can be ordered as a complete bundle, including the necessary hardware, software and license configuration.

> More details (PDF - 105 KB)

Cisco IOS Security for Unified Communications

The Cisco IOS Firewall, an essential piece of the Cisco Unified Communications solution, is a software feature set available for Cisco integrated services routers. It provides industry-certified firewall functions in an integrated form factor. For unified communications, the IOS firewall:

• Is ideally suited to protect branch office deployments, small offices using Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express, and Cisco Unified Communications gateways
• Integrates unified communications and security services in a single platform

The Cisco IOS Firewall lets you extend firewall protection beyond the campus.

Related Solutions

• Cisco Virtual Office

Cisco Firewall Services Module for Secure Unified Communications

Cisco Firewall Services Module (FWSM)-a high-speed, integrated firewall module for Cisco Catalyst 6500 switches and Cisco 7600 Series routers-provides the fastest firewall data rates in the industry: 5-Gbps throughput, 100,000 CPS, and 1M concurrent connections. Up to four FWSMs can be installed in a single chassis, providing scalability to 20 Gbps per chassis. Based on Cisco PIX Firewall technology, the Cisco FWSM offers large enterprises and service providers unmatched security, reliability, and performance.

For Unified Communications deployments, the Cisco FWSM provides a range of access control services to provide protection for unified communications infrastructure through intelligent content inspection. In converged data center environments that protect both IP voice and data, the FWSM can be deployed as an integrated unified communications aware firewall.

Data Sheets

• Cisco Firewall Services Module for Cisco Catalyst 6500 and Cisco 7600 Series

Related Products

• Installing Cisco Security Agent for Cisco Unified Communications Manager