Network Security
Rather than jump directly into what you need to know for the Cisco Securing Networks
with PIX and ASA (642-522) examination, this chapter presents some background
information about network security and its integral role in business today. You need to
understand this information because it is the basis for CCSP Certification and is a
common theme throughout the five CCSP certification exams.
The term network security defines an extremely broad range of very complex subjects.
To understand the individual subjects and how they relate to each other, it is important
for you first to look at the “big picture” and get an understanding of the importance of
the entire concept. Much of an organization’s assets consist of data and computer
resources that are interconnected and must be protected from unauthorized access. There
are many different ways to ensure that network assets are adequately protected. The key
is to correctly balance the business need with the requirement for security.
How to Best Use This Chapter
This chapter will give you an understanding of the general principles of network security.
It will give you the foundation to understand the specifics of how the Cisco Security
Appliance family of firewalls is incorporated into a network architecture.
“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz
The purpose of the “Do I Know This Already?” quiz is to help you decide if you really
need to read the entire chapter. If you already intend to read the entire chapter, you do
not necessarily need to answer these questions now.
The ten-question quiz, derived from the major sections in the “Foundation and
Supplemental Topics” portion of the chapter, helps you determine how to spend your
limited study time.
Table 1-1 outlines the major topics discussed in this chapter and the “Do I Know This
Already?” quiz questions that correspond to those topics.