Among the best values in PIX Firewalls is the PIX 520-E, with unrestricted license, and with AES/3DES security, VPN, and Failover options enabled. The PIX 520 is the most ruggedly built of the PIX line. It includes a floppy drive for external storage, and the enhanced version adds a Pentium 4 processor with 256MB DRAM that eclipses the performance of the P2 basic PIX 520. It is about six times as fast as a PIX 515, and outperforms that PIX 525 as well, for far less money. Pictured at right is a PIX 520 with 4 fast ethernet ports (6 at capacity). 

Cisco's available PIX bundles and components are listed below.

Cisco also offers the ASA5500 Security Appliance Series, which adds and combines a number of features (Click here for Cisco's overview of this line and available models). The ASA5500 line provides a variety of advanced security features, including security over phishing, spam, hacking, spyware, and viruses. The entry level ASA5505 can have limited as well as unrestricted user versions, while higher level models (5510, 5520, 5540, and others) are unlimited user versions. Higher level models provide greater throughput capabilities as well as enhanced features - refer to Cisco for differences among the models. As shown in the ASA5520 at left, the ASA lines sport newer features, including compact flash modules, USB ports, 10/100/1000 gigabit interfaces, and expansion slots which can be provisioned with modules adding highly sophisticated security features in addition to those built-in.

Cisco has two types of SSM expansion modules, the ASA-SSM-CSC (Content Security and Control Security Services Module) and the ASA-SSM-AIP (Advanced Inspection and Prevention Security Services Module) . Cisco describes the CSC-SSM module as follows: "The Cisco ASA 5500 Series Content Security and Control Security Services Module (CSC-SSM) delivers industry-leading threat protection and content control at the Internet edge providing comprehensive antivirus, anti-spyware, file blocking, anti-spam, anti-phishing, URL blocking and filtering, and content filtering, all available in a comprehensive easy-to-manage solution delivered by industry leaders. The CSC-SSM bolsters the Cisco ASA 5500 Series' strong security capabilities providing customers with additional protection and control over the content of their business communications. The service module provides additional flexibility and choice over the functionality and deployment of Cisco's award-winning Cisco ASA 5500 Series Family of appliances." The  ASA-SSM-AIP is described as follows: "The Cisco® Advanced Inspection and Prevention Security Services Module (AIP-SSM) for the Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliance provides proactive, full-featured intrusion prevention services to stop malicious traffic, including worms and network viruses, before they can affect your network." 

ASA550 models and expansion modules are listed below:

Many businesses have multiple locations or staff at different locations that need secure access to a company’s network. Cisco’s CVPN3000 series of IPsec VPNs offer the security and encryption features necessary to protect enterprise data, IP voice, and video traffic as it traverses the Internet. Because IPsec can be deployed across any IP network, it is an attractive option for customers needing VPN services and has become the de-facto standard in remote access. CVPN3000s can be installed so that (1) authorized users can connect in using a VPN client to access a secure network and (2) multiple networks in different locations can be connected to function as one network using CVPN3000s in each location. This allows users to access network resources in multiple locations. 

The Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator Model Comparison (CVPN3030, CVPN3060, CVPN3080)

Click here for Cisco's VPN 3000 product information at cisco.com. 

The CVPN3000 can be provisioned with SEP-200U encryption modules (supporting DES/3DES) or SEP-E modules (supporting DES/3DES/AES). Access can be clientless, by using CVPN3000s to bridge networks in different locations, or by using Cisco’s VPN client (included with each CVPN3000), or by using a VPN 3002 hardware client – a small VPN router designed to connect a small office network to the main network. ISPTrader recently purchased the brand-new CVPN3000 stock of a distributor with the following pricing:

CVPN3000 Bundles with SEP-200U encryption modules, dual AC
CVPN3030-NR-BUN $1,900
CVPN3030-RED-BUN $2,500
CVPN3060-NR-BUN $2,500
CVPN3060-RED-BUN $4,990
CVPN3080-RED-BUN $5,990

CVPN3000 Bundles with SEP-E encryption modules, dual AC
CVPN3030E-NR-BUN $3,900
CVPN3030E-RED-BUN $6,250
CVPN3060E-NR-BUN $6,250
CVPN3060E-RED-BUN $9,990
CVPN3080E-RED-BUN $10,750

CVPN3000 chassis with dual AC $995
CVPN3000 chassis spare - no power $750
SEP-200U $1,495
SEP-E $2,750
CVPN3000 AC power supplies $195
CVPN3000 rackmounts $25