The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series/7600 Series ASA Services Module delivers superior technology that seamlessly integrates with Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches and Cisco 7600 Series routers to provide unmatched security, reliability, and performance. Based on the Cisco ASA platform, the most widely deployed firewall in the industry, the ASA Services Module supports the highest throughput, five times the concurrent connections, and twice as many connections per second as competitive network security modules, to meet the growing needs of today's most dynamic organizations - all in a single blade architecture.

The ASA Services Module makes it easy to add full firewall capabilities to an existing infrastructure by sliding a blade into an empty slot in an existing Catalyst 6500 Series switch or Cisco 7600 Series router - no additional rack space, cabling, power, or physical interface is required. It also works in tandem with other modules in the chassis to deliver robust security throughout the entire chassis, effectively making every port a security port. By using the data center's existing infrastructure to deliver network security services, the ASA Services Module delivers superior return on investment (ROI) and greatly simplifies maintenance and management.

Features and Benefits

The ASA Services Module helps data centers increase effectiveness and efficiency in protecting their networks and applications. The module delivers exceptional protection of a Cisco Catalyst 6500 or Cisco 7600 Series investment and helps to reduce the total cost of network ownership - all while lowering operating costs and addressing intangible opportunity costs. This is accomplished through the following elements:

• Seamless integration. The ASA Services Module seamlessly integrates with Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches and Cisco 7600 Series routers. Full firewall capabilities are added by simply sliding the ASA Services Module into an empty slot in the existing Catalyst 6500 Series switch or Cisco 7600 Series router. No rack space is required; since the module populates an empty slot within the existing switch or router; all interfaces are virtual, eliminating the need to manage physical interfaces. And because the module uses the existing switch or router connections, no re-cabling is required. As a result, the time required for installation and configuration is dramatically reduced, greatly simplifying the addition of security services. In contrast, adding a dedicated appliance for firewall services in an established data center requires significant effort, with corresponding human resources and costs.

• Simplified maintenance and management. & nbsp ; The ASA Services Module integrates easily with the Catalyst 6500 or Cisco 7600 Series chassis, using the same connections and management software as the rest of the switch or router. In effect, the module becomes part of the switch or router, with almost no increase in the time, effort, and cost of managing and maintaining the network device. Essentially, high-performance network security services are added to an existing infrastructure at a fraction of the maintenance and management required by a standalone security appliance.

• Minimal environmental costs. As a fully integrated component of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switch or Cisco 7600 Series router, the ASA Services Module utilizes the power and cooling from the switch or router. Moreover, it consumes far less power than competitive modules, and a fraction of what is required by standalone appliances. Redundant ASA Services Modules can run on the smallest power supply, and will only consume a maximum of 352.8W or 8.4A at 42V.

• Full site-to-site and SSL VPN. Businesses can extend their SSL and IPsec VPN capacity to support a larger number of mobile workers, remote sites, and business partners. Up to 10,000 Cisco AnyConnect ^® and/or clientless VPN peers can be supported. VPN capacity and resiliency can be increased by taking advantage of integrated VPN load-balancing capabilities. The Cisco ASA Services Module supports up to 10 blades in a VPN cluster, offering a maximum of 100,000 AnyConnect and/or clientless VPN peers or 100,000 IPsec VPN peers. For business continuity and event planning, the Cisco ASA Services Module 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.