Business Benefits
The Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Edition provides the security and connectivity services that helps your business with:

• Controlled access to corporate resources-Prevents unauthorized access to applications or information assets by providing businesses with fine-grain identity- or network-based access control. Integrates with popular user authentication services such as Microsoft Active Directory, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Kerberos, and RSA SecurID.
• Secure deployment of new applications-Enables businesses to safely deploy new applications by providing advanced application-layer security services for a wide range of popular applications, including Web-based applications, e-mail, voice over IP (VoIP), video, and multimedia applications. Hides corporate network addresses from the Internet for an additional layer of protection from attack.
• Secure remote access to corporate network-Provides both SSL- and IPsec-based methods of threat-protected VPN connectivity to remote sites, business partners, and mobile workers.
• Business resiliency-Prevents disruption of mission-critical applications and services due to security breaches by implementing world-class firewall, VPN, and networking technologies.

Architecture
The Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Edition is the focal point of a complete solution for secure network access. Tight integration with Cisco management and monitoring systems enables organizations to deploy and maintain a security solution that protects mission-critical applications and information assets

Primary Components
Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Edition
Provides a wide range of security and networking services at locations across the enterprise.

Management
Cisco Security Manager provides an enterprise-grade management infrastructure for large-scale deployments of Cisco security technologies.

Monitoring
Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis, and Response System (Cisco Security MARS) provides real-time monitoring and incident response capabilities, enabling businesses to get the most value from the security and networking services of the Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Edition.

Complementary Solutions
The Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance is a modular platform that provides the next generation of security and VPN services for small and medium-sized business and enterprise applications. The comprehensive portfolio of services within the Cisco ASA 5500 Series enables customization for location-specific needs through its four tailored package product editions: the Firewall, VPN, IPS, and Content Security Editions.

These packages enable superior protection by providing the right services for the right location. At the same time, they enable standardization on the Cisco ASA 5500 Series platform to reduce costs in management, training, and sparing. Finally, each Edition simplifies design and deployment by providing pre-packaged location-specific security solutions.