Impressions
If you need to deploy a Cisco ASA then this book will help you do that with simple step by step instructions. I’ll give you a warning though, if you have previous experience with ASAs then this book will be a waste of time and money for you.
There wont be any steps on configuring your firewall using command line. There is only room for the ASDM. My version of the ASDM was slightly different from what is in the book but that is because Cisco has released newer versions since the book was last published.
A few features were clarified for me because I am new to Cisco ASA firewalls. The book helped in completing my basic knowledge of the firewall features. But if I had a spare ASA at hand I probably could have figured everything out with the wizards built into ASDM.
Topics Covered
It’s not as in depth as a certification guide but you get the run down on ASA and PIX firewalls. Here are the table of contents:
- Internet Security
- Principles of Network Defense
- Getting Started with the ASA/PIX Security Appliance
- Exploring the Adaptive Security Device Manager
- Deploying Secure Internet Connectivity
- Deploying Web and Mail Services
- Deploying Authentication
- Deploying Perimeter Protection
- Deploying Network Intrusion Prevention
- Deploying Host Intrusion Prevention
- Deploying VPNs
The book did a good job of briefly going over security concerns and how to deploy the ASA in regards to that.
Conclusion
The book is very simple and not very indepth if you’re looking to increase your skills to become an expert in security and firewall configuration. It’s basically an extended manual that should be included with the purchase of an ASA.
If you’re looking for more information then the CCNP Security track might prove to be more useful of your time. This book would be useful for the sysadmin or entry level network engineer tasked with implementing security.
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