Why is it important to upgrade the IOS code on my firewall?
Cisco has always been strong in the security field with the ASA series firewalls. However, as with any device, the software code must be updated as needed to keep up with changing technology and security vulnerabilities. Cisco has upgraded the Cisco ASA IOS code over the years from 6.3, 7.1, 7.4, 8.0, and now 8.3.
What is new with the latest code 8.3 and why should administrators upgrade their firewalls?
With this release many new features have been added such as NAT redesign with network objects, Real IP use in the access-lists, full IPv6 support, failover cluster license enhancements, threat defense optimization, and botnet traffic filter. With so many changes and enhancements a memory upgrade is required to run the new code. Cisco SmartNet customers are strongly advised to upgrade to this latest code to continue use of the full Cisco ASA feature set.
Caleb Oosterhouse, Sr. Network Engineer
