Cisco Raises Security To Next LevelCisco Raises Security To Next Level

Cisco Systems last week added several security capabilities to its Catalyst 6500 Ethernet switches, helping customers run more functions on their switching hardware. But some think the products' direction may rub network security specialists the wrong way.

Cisco unveiled hardware modules for the Catalyst 6500 Ethernet switches that add firewalls, virtual private networks, and Secure Sockets Layer security, plus two network-analysis modules.

In general, large business customers want vendors to integrate more service functions, such as caching and load balancing, into their networking infrastructure products, says Zeus Kerravala, a VP at the Yankee Group. In a just-completed survey of IT and networking executives at 200 large companies, the research firm found that 60% of the respondents want hardware with built-in services, Kerravala says.

But those sentiments may not extend to high-level security functions. "The thought of having security mixed in with networking products will be unappealing to the security-minded," because it potentially takes administration of sensitive security matters out of the hands of specialists, he says.

"Putting security into an Ethernet switch and sharing it with the networking folks isn't particularly attractive," says David Passmore, a research director at Burton Group. However, Cisco seems to have taken the potential conflict into account by also offering a separate, security-specific version of the Catalyst 6500, he says.

As Cisco adds functions that had been on separate hardware devices to the Catalyst 6500s, it's getting closer to a concept of virtual services, which offer customers a variety of service choices on a single device.

With its latest launch, Cisco has added some of the hardware capabilities to the Catalyst 6500, although it's not as far along in integrating the associated management software, Passmore says. Customers will still need separate management software for each function.

"It's going to take a while for the software to catch up with the hardware integration," Passmore says, although Cisco plans to fully integrate the management software at a later date.