Cisco Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv)
Firewall software
Network security software
Business security software
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What is Cisco Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv)
Cisco Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv) is a virtualized firewall based on Cisco ASA software, deployed as a VM in public cloud, private cloud, or virtualized data center environments. It provides stateful firewalling, site-to-site and remote-access VPN, and network segmentation for protecting workloads and interconnecting sites. Typical users include network and security teams that standardize on Cisco ASA policy and want a virtual form factor for cloud or lab/test environments. ASAv is commonly managed alongside other Cisco security and networking tooling and is licensed by throughput/features depending on the platform and deployment model.
Mature ASA firewall feature set
ASAv inherits the long-established ASA policy model for stateful inspection, NAT, and access control. It supports common enterprise VPN use cases such as IPsec site-to-site and remote-access VPN. For organizations already using ASA, it enables consistent rule structure and operational practices across physical and virtual deployments.
Flexible virtual deployment options
ASAv runs as a virtual appliance in common hypervisors and is available for major public cloud marketplaces. This supports use cases such as cloud perimeter security, segmentation between virtual networks, and temporary environments for testing or migrations. Virtual form factor can reduce dependency on dedicated hardware for certain scenarios.
Integrates with Cisco ecosystem
ASAv fits into Cisco-centric environments where teams use Cisco identity, logging, and network management components. It can export logs/events to SIEM tooling and supports standard management interfaces used across Cisco security products. This can simplify operations for organizations that already standardize on Cisco security workflows.
Not a full NGFW stack
ASAv focuses on ASA firewall and VPN capabilities and does not inherently provide the same breadth of next-generation features as platforms that tightly bundle advanced threat prevention, sandboxing, and deep application control. Organizations that require integrated advanced inspection may need additional Cisco components or different product lines. This can increase architectural complexity compared with single-platform approaches.
Performance tied to VM resources
Throughput and concurrent session capacity depend on allocated vCPU, memory, and the underlying hypervisor or cloud instance type. Enabling features such as VPN encryption can significantly affect performance and may require larger instances to meet targets. Capacity planning is therefore more variable than with fixed hardware appliances.
Licensing and management complexity
Cisco licensing can vary by deployment platform (hypervisor vs. cloud marketplace) and by enabled feature tiers and throughput. Managing ASAv at scale typically requires additional management tooling and disciplined configuration practices. This can raise operational overhead for smaller teams compared with simpler cloud-native security services.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| ASAv5 (100 Mbps) | Contact Cisco / authorized reseller (no public list price) | Throughput: 100 Mbps; typical vCPU: 1; memory: 2 GB; licensed via Cisco Smart Software Licensing; no evaluation mode. |
| ASAv10 (1 Gbps) | Contact Cisco / authorized reseller (no public list price) | Throughput: 1 Gbps; typical vCPU: 1; memory: 2 GB; licensed via Cisco Smart Software Licensing; no evaluation mode. |
| ASAv30 (2 Gbps) | Contact Cisco / authorized reseller (no public list price) | Throughput: 2 Gbps; typical vCPU: 4; memory: 8 GB; licensed via Cisco Smart Software Licensing; no evaluation mode. |
| ASAv50 (10 Gbps) | Contact Cisco / authorized reseller (no public list price) | Throughput: 10 Gbps; typical vCPU: 8; memory: 16 GB; licensed via Cisco Smart Software Licensing; no evaluation mode. |
| ASAv100 (20 Gbps) | Contact Cisco / authorized reseller (no public list price) | Throughput: 20 Gbps; typical vCPU: 16; memory: 32 GB; licensed via Cisco Smart Software Licensing; no evaluation mode. |
| ASAv-U (Unlimited / ASAvU) | Contact Cisco / authorized reseller (no public list price) | "Unlimited"/very high throughput (ASAv-U platform); used for highest-performance virtual deployments; licensed via Cisco Smart Software Licensing; no evaluation mode. |
Seller details
Cisco Systems, Inc.
San Jose, California, USA
1984
Public
https://www.cisco.com/
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisco/
