Options for obtaining software updates

[rscho]

Hi Forum,

I've recently been placed in charge of a number of Cisco ASA5510 firewalls which don't have support contracts.

Unfortunately without a support contract I don't have access to any ASA or ASDM patches/updates.

I obtained a quote from a local Cisco partner for what I've been told is the rock-bottom most basic support option ( CON-SNT-AS1BUNK9 ). This includes 24x7x365 support and next day hardware replacement and is more than half the cost of replacing a unit. We have redundancies and backups in place and our networks will survive the loss of an ASA without any issues. We really can live without 24x7x365 Cisco support and hardware replacement, but we can't justify maintaining unpatchable ASA's, especially given some of the recent vulnerabilities.

So my question is, what options are available to me if all I want is to be able to download ASA and ASDM patches (which I'll note are provided free-for-life from a number of alternative firewall vendors :-)?

Thanks for any advice you may have.

[Jetsy Mathew]

Hello Team,

To avail the software download you need the contract or a valid CCOID for downloading the images. Without that you wont be able to get the images from the Cisco softwares section. If you have a valid CCOId and even if you dont have enough permissions with the entitlement contact , Cisco TAC can publish the image for you. Only to receive the image is , you need a valid Cisco Customer ID. Without that you have to contact the vendor who provided this or you have to be in touch with the accounts team for this.

Rat if this answer helps you

Regards

Jetsy 

[Donna Enke]

Don't feel bad. I DO have a support contract and am having difficulty getting updates. I'm trying to get the URL to set up the Auto Update server. So far it has been 3 hours and 3 different Cisco support personnel. I've included screenshots of exactly what I need and have been given incorrect answers.

My company didn't purchase the support contract on our old appliance and it was cheaper to buy a new appliance than to get the old one updated. Instead of trying 24 x 7 x 365 support, it will be cheaper to get 8 x 5 Next Business day support. You really do need the support contract. They are worth it!!!

[rscho]

We have a similar situation where we have relatively new equipment without a service contract and the cost of a contract is a significant fraction of the cost of new equipment. However, we've decided that buying new Cisco gear will only continue the cycle and we'd effectively be locked-in to Cisco indefinitely.

We've done the calculations for our organization and we just can't justify the TCO of maintaining Cisco equipment when compared to that of their major competitors. Also, some of the recent ASA vulnerabilities have highlighted that Cisco software (which very device specific and fragmented) is just as vulnerable as anyone elses.

It's a shame because we're all familiar with configuring and using Cisco. But we're professionals and we can adapt to use the best tools at our disposal.