Cisco FirePOWER Consulting Services
Posted on: Jan 26, 2015
What is Cisco FirePOWER / Sourcefire?
Sourcefire, or FirePOWER, is a cybersecurity technology suite trusted for over a decade. It epitomizes security innovation, intelligence, and agile end-to-end protection. With solutions ranging from a next-generation network security platform to advanced malware protection, Sourcefire provides customers with Agile Security™ that is as dynamic as the real world it protects and the attackers it defends against.
Cisco and Sourcefire Product Naming
Below is a table clarifying the new product names for Cisco Sourcefire products.
| Sourcefire Product Names | New Cisco Names |
|---|---|
| FirePOWER (ASA w/FP pre-installed) or FirePOWER (FP add-on to ASA) | Cisco ASA with FirePOWER Services |
| Sourcefire Defense Center Series | Cisco FireSIGHT Management Center |
| FirePOWER Appliance | Cisco FirePOWER Appliance |
| FirePOWER 7K Series (NGIPS) | Cisco FirePOWER 7000 Series Appliances |
| FirePOWER 8K Series (NGIPS) | Cisco FirePOWER 8000 Series Appliances |
| AMP for FirePOWER | Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Networks |
| FireAMP (for endpoints, Mac, PC, mobile, virtual) | Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Endpoints |
Professional Consulting Services
As part of our full-service approach, ExColo provides both consulting and professional services for the Sourcefire products within our portfolio. Consulting engagements are staffed by engineers who can assess, identify, and plan the proper Sourcefire solution for your business.
Our Cisco Sourcefire consulting services include:
- ASSESS: ExColo will meet with your Network Management Team to discuss your current environment and your needs.
- IDENTIFY: We will identify the Sourcefire solutions that meet your goals to ensure what you purchase indeed supports your intent.
- PLAN: Our team will engage to develop a plan that implements, functionally tests, and optimizes the solution for your environment. We’ll schedule all tasks to fit around your schedule.
- DEPLOYMENT: Deploy your Sourcefire solution quickly and effectively. Our experts will configure and tune devices according to proven best practices.
- OPTIMIZATION: We ensure your implementation is optimized with your current network topology.
- ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW: We can quickly assess the deployment of your current Sourcefire installation, including network traffic and interface feeds.
- KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER: We take the time to go over the basic functionality, operation, and maintenance of your solution.
Contact Us
Contact us today. We'll be happy to talk about your projects and Professional Services needs for Cisco Sourcefire.
Why IDS/IPS Still Matters in 2026
There's a narrative floating around that says the perimeter is dead and that IDS/IPS is obsolete. I disagree — and so do most compliance frameworks. PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and CMMC all either require or strongly recommend intrusion detection capabilities. Beyond compliance, the reality is that attackers still try to exploit known vulnerabilities, and Sourcefire is exceptionally good at catching those attempts in real time.
What has changed is where you deploy it. In a modern hybrid environment, you need visibility at multiple choke points — not just the internet edge. Sourcefire deployed thoughtfully, with policies tuned to your specific traffic, catches things that endpoint agents and firewalls miss entirely.
ExColo's Sourcefire Deployment Process
We've deployed Sourcefire in environments ranging from single-site SMBs to multi-location enterprises. Here's how we approach it:
- Environment Assessment — We review your current network topology, existing security controls, and traffic volumes to determine the right sensor placement and sizing.
- Policy Design — We build detection policies tuned to your environment. Out-of-the-box Sourcefire generates a lot of noise; proper tuning is the difference between a useful tool and one that gets ignored.
- Deployment — Sensors deployed at key network segments. We integrate with your SIEM if you have one, and with Cisco ISE for automated response capabilities.
- Baseline & Tune — First 2–4 weeks are critical for tuning. We work with your team to suppress false positives and validate true positives.
- Ongoing Support — We offer continued management, rule updates, and periodic policy reviews to keep detections current as your network evolves.
Sourcefire and Compliance
If your organization is working toward PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or CMMC compliance, IDS/IPS isn't optional — it's a requirement. Sourcefire addresses several key controls across these frameworks:
- PCI-DSS 10.x / 11.x — Logging, monitoring, and intrusion detection for cardholder data environments
- HIPAA Security Rule — Monitoring of information system activity and malicious software protection
- CMMC Level 2+ — Audit and accountability, incident response, system protection controls
We can help you map your Sourcefire deployment to specific compliance requirements and generate the documentation auditors actually want to see. Start with a security evaluation to understand your current posture, or contact us directly to discuss your compliance timeline.