Cisco's John Stewart on the latest security threats … and what enterprises can do to fight back

Freelance writer Susan Perschke recently sat down with Cisco Vice President and Chief Security Officer John N. Stewart for an in-depth discussion of the state of enterprise security.

Stewart leads Cisco's security operations, product security, and government security functions. He is also responsible for overseeing security for Cisco.com, the infrastructure supporting Cisco's $40-plus billion business, WebEx, the collaboration service providing 73 million online meetings per year, among other Cisco functions. Stewart holds a Master of Science degree in computer and information science with honors from Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Stewart describes the most troubling threats facing enterprises today, and talks about how companies can protect themselves by deploying what he calls "composite security." He delivers specific advice and gets into areas like mobility, identity management, and the need for companies to begin planning for IPv6.

With network security threats continuing to evolve, what are Cisco customers reporting as their top security challenge?

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