Cisco® ASA 5500 and ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls integrate the world's most proven stateful inspection firewall with a comprehensive suite of highly integrated next-generation firewall services for networks of all sizes - small and midsize businesses with one or a few locations, large enterprises, service providers, and mission-critical data centers. The Cisco ASA 5500 and ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls deliver MultiScale™ performance with unprecedented services flexibility, including next-generation firewall capabilities, modular scalability, feature extensibility, and lower deployment and operations costs.

Midsize businesses protecting the Internet edge require the same level of protection as large enterprise networks. You require enterprise-strength security, but purchasing a firewall that was built to handle the performance needs and budget of a large enterprise would be unnecessary and a waste of company resources. You need a firewall that provides the performance you need at a price you can afford, along with the visibility and control you need to take advantage of new applications and devices without compromising security.

Features and Benefits
Cisco ASA 5500 and ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls are available in a wide range of sizes and performance levels to fit your network and budget while offering the same proven level of security that protects some of the largest networks at some of the most security-conscious companies in the world. The ASA 5500 and ASA 5500-X Next-Generation Series Firewalls scale to meet the performance and security requirements of a wide range of network applications, to correspond with your changing needs.

Like their enterprise counterparts, Cisco ASA 5500 and ASA 5500-X Series Next-Generation Firewalls for the Internet edge protect critical assets through:

- Exceptional next-generation firewall services that provide the visibility and control your enterprise needs to safely take advantage of new applications and devices1
- Application Visibility and Control (AVC) to control specific behaviors within allowed micro-applications
- Web Security Essentials (WSE) to restrict web and web application usage based on reputation of the site
- Broad and deep network security through an array of integrated cloud- and software-based next-generation firewall services backed by Cisco Security Intelligence Operations (SIO)
- Highly effective intrusion prevention system (IPS) with Cisco Global Correlation
- High-performance VPN and always-on remote access
- The ability to enable additional security services quickly and easily in response to changing needs

Cisco ASA 5525-X, 5545-X, and 5555-X

The Cisco ASA 5525-X, 5545-X, and 5555-X are next-generation firewalls that combine the most widely deployed stateful inspection firewall in the industry with a comprehensive suite of next-generation network security services - for comprehensive security without compromise. They help meet evolving security needs by delivering multiple next-generation security services, multigigabit performance, flexible interface options, and redundant power supplies, all in a compact 1-RU form factor. These firewalls optionally provide broad and deep network security services through an array of integrated cloud- and software-based security services, including Application Visibility and Control (AVC), Web Security Essentials (WSE), Cisco Cloud Web Security (CWS), and the only context-aware IPS - with no need for additional hardware modules.

The ASA 5525-X, 5545-X, and 5555-X Next-Generation Firewalls are part of the ASA 5500-X Series, which is built on the same proven security platform as the rest of the ASA family of firewalls and delivers superior performance for exceptional operational efficiency. These models are designed to meet evolving security needs by providing, among other things, innovative next-generation firewall services that make it possible to take advantage of new applications and devices without compromising security. Unlike other next-generation firewalls, the Cisco ASA 5500-X Series keeps pace with rapidly evolving needs by offering end-to-end network intelligence gained from combining the visibility from local traffic with in-depth global network intelligence through:

- Cisco TrustSec® technology
- Cisco AnyConnect® Secure Mobility Solution for unique mobile client insight
- Cisco Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) for near-real-time threat information and proactive protection
- Cisco ASA Next-Generation Firewall Services

With up to 4 Gbps of firewall throughput, 1,000,000 concurrent firewall connections, 50,000 connections per second, and 6 integrated Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, the ASA 5525-X, 5545-X, and 5555-X are excellent choices for businesses requiring high performance, cost effectiveness, exceptional application visibility and control, and an extensible security solution that can grow with their changing needs.

Cisco ASA 5520, 5540, and 5550
The Cisco ASA 5520, 5540, and 5550 are modular, high-performance firewalls that deliver security services with Active/Active high availability and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity for medium-sized enterprise networks. With Gigabit Ethernet interfaces and support for up to 200 VLANs, businesses can easily deploy the Cisco ASA 5520, 5540, and 5550 into multiple zones within their network. The Cisco ASA 5520, 5540, and 5550 scale with businesses as their network security requirements grow, delivering solid investment protection.

Businesses can extend their SSL and IPsec VPN capacity to support a larger number of mobile workers, remote sites, and business partners. Up to 5000 Cisco AnyConnect and/or clientless VPN peers can be supported. VPN capacity and resiliency can be increased by taking advantage of integrated VPN clustering and load-balancing capabilities. The Cisco ASA 5520, 5540, and 5550 support up to 10 firewalls in a cluster, offering a maximum of 50,000 AnyConnect and/or clientless VPN peers or 50,000 IPsec VPN peers per cluster. For business continuity and event planning, the Cisco ASA 5520, 5540, and 5550 can also benefit from Cisco VPN Flex licenses, which enable administrators to react to or plan for short-term "bursts" of concurrent Premium VPN remote-access users for up to two months.

The advanced application-layer security and content security defenses provided by these firewalls can be extended by deploying the high-performance intrusion prevention and worm mitigation capabilities of the Advanced Inspection and Prevention Security Services Module (AIP SSM) or the comprehensive malware protection of the Content Security and Control Security Services Module (CSC SSM). Using these optional security context capabilities, businesses can deploy up to 100 virtual firewalls within a physical appliance to enable compartmentalized control of security policies on a departmental level. This virtualization strengthens security and reduces overall management and support costs while consolidating multiple security devices into a single appliance.