Cisco Reduces Development Costs for Next-Generation Firewall-IPS Devices

Network equipment leader replaces multiple testing systems with BreakingPoint CTM to cut QA costs and validate superior performance for Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) products.

Challenge: Reduce Time-to-Test and Cut QA Costs

Intense competition in global IT markets forces device manufacturers to introduce superior products with the shortest possible development cycles. Cisco’s development team needed to test its flagship ASA 5585-X firewall/intrusion prevention system (IPS) for performance, security, and stability under the many unique conditions it will see in the real world, while eliminating the complexity of older testing approaches.

Solution: Create Real-World Conditions to Develop Better Products Faster

Using the BreakingPoint CTM, the team quickly creates the real-world application, attack, and malformed traffic required to validate its enterprise-class products—without needing to configure tests across multiple platforms, purchase separate licenses for application and attack traffic, or spend hours piecing together disparate reports. Using BreakingPoint, Cisco’s ASA team saves time and money while bringing new products to market faster and adhering to strict QA standards.

“We rely on BreakingPoint to make quality assurance processes simpler and more accurate, which allows us to quickly harden and optimize our expansive ASA product line under any scenario we can dream up.”

—Cisco ASA Product Line Manager

The BreakingPoint CTM creates application, attack, and malformed traffic at massive scale to validate the capabilities of the Cisco ASA 5585-X.

Results: Ensure Rapid and Accurate Development for Next-Generation Security Devices

The unique capabilities of BreakingPoint products allow Cisco to develop and validate the advanced features required of today’s application-aware security equipment. Cisco uses BreakingPoint products throughout the development and commercialization of the ASA 5585-X:

• Product Development: Validate ASA performance, scalability, failover, security, and other functionality under the most extreme enterprise and telecommunications network conditions.
• Quality Assurance (QA): Reduce time-to-test during rigorous QA processes.
• Proof-of-concept: Help win business by convincingly demonstrating advanced features during customer engagements.
• Product Innovation: Develop advanced application-aware functionality by using customized blends of authentic application traffic mixed with live security attacks.
• Marketing: Publish product data sheets that communicate valid performance and security claims.
• Competitive Intelligence: Hone competitive advantages by performing detailed head-to-head analyses of competitors’ products.

Schedule an Evaluation Today

Find out why the world’s leading makers of network and security devices rely on BreakingPoint to simulate the toughest real-world conditions throughout development and QA cycles. Schedule a personalized demo today.