Is the path to Secure Access a thorny one?

And how is Cisco doing with its Secure Access product today, approximately a year and a half after its launch? I will try to convey this to you in the following lines, or in the video about the differences below.

When Secure Access was introduced, partners and customers alike wondered whether it was just another product renaming, or whether it was a newly acquired company, or perhaps a completely new product created internally by Cisco. A frequent question was even, "So Umbrella is ending?" Basically, everyone guessed right.

Cisco Secure Access is now a single product, but its individual components extend into other existing products with which Cisco has many years of experience. Many of these technologies have historically been added to Cisco's portfolio through acquisitions. These include Cisco Umbrella, built on the foundations of OpenDNS, and Cisco Duo. One of the newer acquisitions is ThousandEyes, a product that doesn't seem to have much to do with security, but in practice, it's often exactly what you've been missing for visibility and troubleshooting for users during deployment and operation.

Another product that people often mention in this context is Cisco ASA. Yes, it is true that ASA historically built on PIX technology (which was once an acquisition) and gradually incorporated other features and experience from Cisco's development and acquisitions.But today, most of the market perceives it as a "classic Cisco product."

So why is it necessary to create another product from those that already exist? And what will this ultimately bring to the customer? Could it be integration and "platformization"? Could it be the need to fulfill the recognized SASE concept? Or an effort to simplify security management for users, wherever they are in the world? Yes, once again, the answer is all of the above.

What is Cisco Secure Access?

It is a cloud service that protects users when browsing the web and accessing internal applications. It also helps protect applications and data so that only users with the correct permissions and in the appropriate context can access them.

Secure Access builds on Umbrella's capabilities at the DNS level, as well as at the web inspection (proxy), L7 firewall, and advanced threat detection levels using IPS SNORT. It uses Dua's extended capabilities and the Zero Trust concept, i.e., access control based on identity, device, and policy, to access internal applications. For specific needs, classic VPN access is also available, which Cisco customers are accustomed to and familiar with from Cisco ASA and AnyConnect.

And so that it's not just about security, but also about the reality of operation, ThousandEyes may also be available for troubleshooting for end users. It provides visibility into devices and communication status down to a specific application or server. In short, it's a modern solution for secure remote user access that seeks to combine protection, access control, and insight into what's really happening.

So what is the path to Secure Access?

Yes, it may seem difficult. And that's sometimes the case with new products. It takes time to iron out the initial bugs. To implement the features that the market expects. For adoption to happen and for people to find "their" way of actually using it.

However, Cisco is serious about Secure Access, and this is evident in its attention to detail. The development team focuses on modern concepts and improving existing solutions, offering a preferential price compared to individual products, sales support for partners, a dedicated TAC support team for troubleshooting, and migration tools for an easier transition.

Yes, it is possible to switch from Umbrella to Secure Access using a migration tool. This means you won't lose any data, you won't have to start from scratch, and you'll remain protected. As a result, you'll get more options in a more modern package at a lower price. You can learn more about the transition and the topic in general in the recording of the webinar that took place in January.

Cisco is therefore actively promoting the new product and the transition to it. And I think it is succeeding. We are helping our customers transition from Umbrella to Secure Access, as well as completely new deployments that use modern concepts such as ZTNA. We use migration tools and trial licenses to test the product.

And customer satisfaction?

Even though the journey can sometimes be difficult, we always reach our goals. Come with us on this journey.