FWSM or ASA

[leelove01]

My company's network has not been very well designed.  I am in the process of

redesigning it.  I am going to do away with the 3 firewalls they currently have and move all the network behind a firewall so that all traffic going through our network will pass through the firewall regardless.  My question is that I'm considering using the FWSM blade in our 6054's or using a ASA external device.  I haven't been able to find much clear information on which might be better.  I'm more of a R&S guy then a Security guy so forgive me if I'm overlooking something obvious.  The main thing I've found so far is that the ASA supports VPN conecentrator like capabilites while the FWSM doesn't.

Is this the biggest difference?  I was wondering what people our in the field might have already done, or what knowledge they may have that might help me with this decision. Thanks!

[mirober2]

Hello,

The decision will depend highly on your network and traffic requirements. You identified VPN termination as one item to consider, but there are others such as budget and required throughput.

If you have a Cisco account team, I would definitely recommend getting in touch with them as they would be able to help you understand your requirements and come up with a design that fits your needs. If not, check out these links which will help you compare the features and performance of both:

ASA:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/vpndevc/ps6032/ps6094/ps6120/product_data_sheet0900aecd802930c5.html

FWSM:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps2706/ps4452/product_data_sheet0900aecd803e69c3.html

Overall, given the different ASA models available, you'll likely be able to find one that meets your sizing and budget criteria.

Hope that helps.

-Mike