Big Refresh For Cisco's 'Self-Defending' Network - Page 2

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MARS 6.0 isn't just for Cisco devices either.

"One of the key advancements we've made with MARS is being able to open it up with a support framework that allows for fast integration of third party devices," Russell explained.

Cisco competitors Juniper and Nortel now both are in the market with what they hope is a competitive solution to MARS. Juniper and Nortel are both using QRadar as the basis of their attack, though Russell isn't at all concerned. Russell claimed that he has yet to see Juniper or Nortel's QRadar based solutions in competitive bids against MARS.

One of the most hyped elements of the self-defending network portfolio has been Cisco's Network Access Control (NAC) technology, though NAC is only a constituent of a greater whole. While NAC specifically is not updated in this particular refresh, Cisco has been busy with NAC updates recently including guest access and profiling updates.

The Self-Defending Network itself is now entering its fourth year of availability and continues to evolve.

"We're now expanding the scope of what is its {Self-Defending Network} role and what it is trying to achieve," Russell said. "It's more than just tying together CSA, MARS with IPS, it's about tying UC, Wireless, storage and datacenter with security as well and it is really taking on new meaning in a broader definition."