Converging On-Premises & Cloud Network Security Into a Unified Hybrid Strategy

Bridging On-Premises and Cloud Security with Cisco’s Latest Innovations

Today, nearly every Cisco customer—regardless of industry or size—has embraced the cloud in some form. While each organization follows its own unique path with distinct infrastructure and security setups, one question consistently arises:

“How can we better integrate our on-premises and cloud security?”

At Cisco Live US 2023, we introduced the Cisco Security Cloud—an AI-driven, cloud-delivered security platform designed to safeguard hybrid and multicloud environments while delivering seamless user experiences. Now, at Cisco Live EMEA 2024, we’re taking another step forward by unveiling new capabilities that unify data center and multicloud security, providing end-to-end protection from the ground to the cloud.

Two key innovations—hybrid cloud connectivity and network object sharing—simplify security management across environments, streamline policy creation, reduce operational complexity, and minimize risks when sharing infrastructure between on-premises and cloud deployments.

Hybrid Cloud Connectivity: Secure Ground-to-Cloud Links

Consider a scenario where a cloud-based application needs to communicate securely with an on-premises system or another cloud. Traditionally, businesses relied on costly, limited-availability direct connections (like AWS Direct Connect or Azure ExpressRoute), often requiring third-party intermediaries.

Cisco’s hybrid cloud connectivity eliminates these challenges by integrating Cisco Multicloud Defense, Cisco Secure Firewall, and Cisco Defense Orchestrator. Here’s how it works:

• Multicloud Defense Gateways and Secure Firewall (both hardware and virtual) establish secure endpoints for the connection.

• Cisco Defense Orchestrator then automates the setup of IPsec tunnels, enabling seamless site-to-cloud and cloud-to-cloud connectivity.

This solution is ideal for organizations that:
✔ Lack access to dedicated cloud provider connections
✔ Prefer in-house control over operations
✔ Want to reduce risk by managing their own secure links

Network Object Sharing: Unified Policy Management

Managing security across on-premises and cloud environments often leads to siloed operations—such as maintaining separate firewall policies for on-prem infrastructure and cloud security controls. This duplication increases complexity and administrative overhead.

Cisco’s network object sharing eliminates these inefficiencies by allowing security teams to:

• Share predefined network objects across Secure Firewall Threat Defense (via Firewall Management Center), Secure Firewall ASA, and Multicloud Defense.

• Reduce redundant tasks by leveraging Cisco Defense Orchestrator’s centralized object management.

The result? Faster policy creation, simplified maintenance, and a more cohesive security posture across hybrid environments.

Streamlining Security Policies with Shared Network Objects

With Cisco’s new network object sharing, organizations no longer need to recreate the same network objects across different security solutions. For example, if an object has already been defined in Secure Firewall Threat Defense, it can now be reused directly in Multicloud Defense when configuring security policies. This capability delivers significant benefits:

• Efficiency Boost – Eliminates redundant tasks, reducing operational overhead and costs.

• Risk Reduction – Simplifies policy creation, minimizing configuration errors.

• Simplified Management – Consolidates objects into a single, unified set for easier maintenance.

• Greater Flexibility – Enables organizations to choose the best security solutions for their needs without compatibility concerns.

A Unified Approach to Hybrid Cloud Security

Today’s announcement reinforces Cisco’s commitment to bridging the gap between data center and multicloud security, ensuring seamless protection from on-premises to cloud environments. By introducing hybrid cloud connectivity and network object sharing, Cisco empowers businesses with a simpler, more cohesive security experience across hybrid infrastructures.

To explore how these innovations can help unify your on-premises and cloud security, contact your Networkl Warehouse or Cisco sales representative today.