Cisco Broadens SD-WAN Security to the Cloud

When enterprises move or expand to the cloud, they need to start thinking about the architecture of their WAN, and that quickly leads to analysis about the security of their WAN, said David Goeckeler, executive vice president of networking and security at Cisco, during a keynote at Cisco Live. “We have to rethink how we deliver security in this cloud-first world,” he said, repeating a theme from his day one keynote at the event. Cisco is striving to deliver a powerful, simple, and secure experience to its entire portfolio of networking technology, including SD-WAN, Goeckeler explained. “We know that when you’re considering your SD-WAN strategy, security is top of mind,” said Gee Rittenhouse, senior vice president of Cisco’s security business. “The last thing we want to do is force you to bolt on various security technologies” that add complexity and require more maintenance of an organization’s network, he added. Cisco previously integrated its portfolio of security technologies to on-premise SD-WAN appliances and is now extending that approach to Umbrella, its cloud-based secure internet gateway. “Whether you choose to secure your SD-WAN with appliances or in the cloud, we’ve got you covered,” Rittenhouse said. Cisco also updated its security policy management tool to allow enterprises to set and manage policy across environments and devices.