#1 most frequent
United States of America
63.1%2,913 installations of 4,614
What is Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software?
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software is the core OS for the ASA suite. It provides firewall functionality, as well as integration with context-specific Cisco security modules. It is scaled for enterprise-level traffic and connections.
Categories & Use Cases
Top Performing Features
Policy-based Controls
Firewall policy controls enable administrators to create firewall policies controlling what data is allowed to traverse the firewall
Category average: 8.9
VPN
VPN's implement encryption and anonymize IP addresses
Category average: 9.1
High Availability
Built-in capacity to prevent exposure if primary firewall stops working
Category average: 9.3
Areas for Improvement
Identification Technologies
Policy-based visibility and control over applications, users and content
Category average: 8.5
Visualization Tools
Visualization tools present administrators with data on applications traversing the network, who is using them, and the potential security impact.
Category average: 8.2
Reporting and Logging
Custom and summary reports, and log files enabling analysis of security incidents, application usage and traffic patterns
Category average: 8.3
Who Buys & Uses Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software
#2 most frequent
Canada
5.0%232 installations of 4,614
#3 most frequent
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
4.7%218 installations of 4,614
Choosing Cisco ASA and ASAv for reliable, scalable, and secure VPN
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Our employee count was growing and we wanted to have a scalable, easy to administer and cost effective solution for a VPN concentrator. We wanted to support concurrent connections that was 2x our employee count. We chose Cisco's ASA as our VPN concentrator and that allowed us to scale with low administrative cost and a reasonable license/tooling cost. We also wanted to support 4 different entities, which ASA was able to help us achieve.
Pros
- ASA is our VPN concentrator. The client and server are very stable and very easy to use
- ASA also offers Intrusion Prevention, to an extent. This is also very useful for an improved security posture for a small company
- ASA allowed us to scale very quickly. We could onboard clients, partners, and consultants and give them a great onboarding experience as well
- Administrative costs with ASA are low. It's very easy to administer.
Cons
- For small companies that require DLP, ASA could add a basic DLP system
- ASA has an easy web administration screen. It's look-and-feel could be improved
- ASA could develop and/or promote agentless VPN access
Return on Investment
- Positive: ASA and ASAv allowed us to transition from on-prem to the cloud very easily
- Negative: ASAv's logging is not great. I can't tell which user logged on with which device. To get better logging, we'll need to add identity services to the ASA
- Positive: Our cost of operation went down with the ASAv
- Positive: We added a lot more staff and they were all able to enjoy the benefits of VPN, especially now that telecommuting is common
Alternatives Considered
Fortinet FortiGate and SonicWall VPN Clients
Great and easy way to manage robust Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software devices.
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We are using Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software for connecting to our office network when not in office premises. Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software has great CLI and GUI software options for managing, configuring the device. We normally use CLI to change or create configuration. We are very satisfied with the ease of software in Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software Firewall.
Pros
- Both GUI and CLI options for accessing firewall
- easy to use.
Cons
- There should be an option to convert configuration from older Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software models to newer ones.
Return on Investment
- Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software software is easy to use.
- Once the setup is done, no changes are required and OS has not got corrupted till now.
"An incredibly simple-to-use, enterprise-class firewall and VPN solution"
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) is a powerful software that provides routing, network, and virtual private network (VPN) services. Our organization has implemented it, and our clients have IPSec site-to-site VPN. We use VPN tunnels between locations and use Cisco AnyConnect for VPN connections. For preventing unauthorized access to our managed networks, Cisco ASA devices excel. There are many options in Nat to customize it to our needs. Because it helps us categorize traffic and find problems, we're using it in all departments. ASA is a security device that combines firewall, NAT, intrusion prevention, and virtual private network functionality. It is the best for a firewall, router, and VPN device.
Pros
- Easy to configure and edit Access rules, allowing users to connect to our office network from anywhere.
- NAT rules and network access protection keep our network safe from unauthorized connections from the outside. We can set them up quickly and easily.
- Customer service and technical assistance are top-notch with Cisco for this product. User web and application traffic can be easily accessed and monitored.
Cons
- Infrequent rule/setting changes and an outdated Java plug-in for the Web interface.
- When some appliances and apps don't work, the rules and settings are complex, so GUI-based configuration is not always a better option.
- There is a lack of a learning curve for the full potential of the ASA and Central management features.
Return on Investment
- For our company, Cisco's ASA and VPN capabilities were critical to its survival during the pandemic, and without them, we would not have been able to keep up.
- An excellent Web Console GUI and easy-to-follow documentation make it simple to set up and use. In the DMZ, we can quickly set up port forwarding or use a public IP.
- For troubleshooting an issue, I find Packet Tracer or Packet Capture very helpful. With Cisco's excellent support, problems are resolved more quickly, which has a positive effect.
Alternatives Considered
Checkpoint Halo, Sophos UTM, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series and Juniper SRX
Other Software Used
Cisco Meraki MX, Fortinet FortiGate, Juniper SRX, Cisco Firepower 1000 Series
Cisco ASA for best in class security features
Pros
- High availability
- Stateful inspection
- Remote VPN
- Customizable Nating
Cons
- Layer 7 security is missing
- Lots of issues with policies based routing
Return on Investment
- Best in class Technical Support
- Easy to configure & Web Console GUI is good
- Easy documentation
- Cost effective
Alternatives Considered
pfSense
Other Software Used
Cisco Firepower 1000 Series
Tried and True, but Lacking Features
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use several Cisco ASAs for our egress firewalls and VPN firewalls. We are slowly migrating away from these to Palo Altos, but for the time being, they are still rock-solid and function well, even though they are dated. One Cisco ASA serves about 200 users for VPN services and another is used for our internet egress.
Pros
- Configuring of basic firewall rules is easy
- Easy to use
- Reliability is good for these 5505 and 5545 Cisco ASAs
Cons
- Cisco ASA is aging and Cisco wants you to migrate to FirePower, which I think is still awful
- Java clients are still needed to access [Cisco] ASA functionality
- Hardware is all EOL
Return on Investment
- Having a pair of HA firewalls does let you count on the Cisco ASAs for uptime; this can affect ROI.
Alternatives Considered
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
