The Firewall Services Module (FWSM) is an integrated security module for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches & 7600 Series routers that provides stateful Layer 7 filtering capabilities. The Self-Defending Network is Cisco Systems long-term strategy to allow organizations to identify, prevent, & adapt to threats using security that is integrated into all aspects of their connected business processes-incorporating secure connectivity, threat defense, & trust & identity technologies. The FWSM is a critical element of the Cisco Threat Defense System
- its unique integration of robust security services with network intelligence offers scalable, resilient protection from threats. Investment protection is the primary metric by which all next-generation switches are judged. No longer are CEOs & CIOs seeking to perform wholesale equipment replacements for performance upgrades within their networks. Equipment vendors will be required to perform upgrades to equipment by simply changing switch fabrics & adding additional higher-performance line modules. The FWSM helps to preserve a companys existing investment in Cisco Catalyst switches by adding to the existing devices, rather than rebuilding the entire network for security purposes. Network virtualization blends the economics & efficiencies of shared systems with the integrity, performance, & security of independent systems. The virtualized FWSM delivers multiple firewalls on one physical hardware platform. Network administrators can configure, deploy, & manage these firewalls as if they were separate devices. They can also partition & manage resources independently, & allocate different quantities to specific applications. Network virtualization technology allows corporations to not only increase network resource usage & exert more control over resources & their allocation, but also to gain flexibility & speed in scaling the resources. Using virtualization to reduce the number of physical devices in a network significantly reduces the cost & complexity of managing a network infrastructure.