Cisco Fortifies Mobile Enterprise Security

Unveils Secure Services Client 4.0 - Provides Enterprises with Single Authentication for Multiple Devices to Access Wired and Wireless Networks

SAN JOSE, Calif. - October 17, 2006 - Building on the recent acquisition of Meetinghouse Data Communications, Cisco® today unveiled the Cisco Secure Services Client 4.0 - advanced security software that provides enterprises with a single authentication framework for multiple devices to securely access wired and wireless networks.

For enterprise administrators, the Cisco Secure Services Client provides unparalleled client security while easing the complexity of deploying and managing a large number of networked devices. Similarly, users now have a uniform client interface, irrespective of whether they connect at home, on the road, or in the office over a wired or wireless network. This solves one of the greater challenges facing administrators - managing authentication and interoperation of multiple, disparate clients across wired and wireless networks.

“Network security must be comprehensive and effective, but at the same time easy to use,” said Craig Mathias, a principal with the wireless and mobile advisory firm Farpoint Group. “With networks becoming more complex and users demanding improved ease of use, administrators need an extensible means of managing security policies that can scale and can adapt to individuals’ needs regardless of location, time or device.”

Cisco Secure Services Client 4.0 - First Line Defense for Network Security

Designed for conformance with the IEEE 802.1X authentication standard, the Cisco Secure Services Client 4.0 makes access control decisions before any client device is given an IP address. This provides a front line of defense, which helps to protect the network at its first point of exposure.

Through a simplified and scalable deployment mechanism, administrators can deploy and manage Cisco Secure Services Clients on a variety of networked devices. The client application manages user and device identities, as well as network access protocols, to optimize highly secure network access from a single source. This reduces redundancies and dual complexities found in separate wired and wireless security schemes, thus giving administrators a single source to secure and manage multiple networked devices.

Optimized for use within a Cisco Unified Wireless Network and packed with a panoply of access security and management features, the Cisco Secure Services Client 4.0 integrates the latest standards and technologies available to meet enterprise security requirements. Highlights include:

* Support for Cisco security solutions including the Cisco Secure Access Control Server and the Cisco Self Defending Network via Network Admission Control (NAC);

* Support for all major Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) protocols;

* Support for Wi-Fi encryption modes: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Dynamic WEP (802.1X), TKIP and AES;

* Support for industry standards, including Wi-Fi Protected Access-personal mode (WPA-personal mode), WPA2-personal mode, WPA2-enterprise mode;

* and compatibility with Wi-Fi certified devices.

“We have hundreds of users on our wired and wireless networks,” said Don Williams, director of IT, for the Auburn-Washburn Unified School District in Topeka, Kansas. “As people access our network from school or home, we aim to ensure that regardless of the device or location, access is secure and seamless. The Cisco Secure Services Client gives us a solution that is so easy to use that even our preschoolers can use it.”

Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437 shares many of the same network security concerns found in Fortune 500 enterprises. Comprising nine schools and more than 5,000 students, Auburn-Washburn needs to allow seamless and highly secure network access from a combination of 1,650 laptops and desktops. By utilizing the Cisco Secure Services Client supplicant on its devices, the school district has been able to simplify security policies while fortifying network security.

“As the number of networked devices skyrockets, deploying a common security solution for greater ease of management will become a priority for administrators,” said Ben Gibson, director of Mobility Solutions at Cisco. “Today, Cisco raises the bar and sets a new standard for securing and managing a diverse number of devices, making it easier, more cost effective and more secure than ever before.”

The public is invited to a live, online video seminar entitled, “Simple, Scalable, Safe: An End-to-End Approach to Securing the Wireless Client,” which begins at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Cisco executives and an industry analyst will present information and answer online questions. To register, go to: http://www.cisco.com/go/semreg/mobilitytvoct06/139357_11

Cisco Secure Service Client is an integral part of Cisco’s NAC solution. More information about the Cisco Secure Services Client 4.0 can be found at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps7034/index.html.
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