{"slug": "miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access", "title": "Miercom validates Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers for direct internet access", "summary": "Independent testing by Miercom found that Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers sustain throughput from 1.0 Gbps to 9.5 Gbps while running integrated security services, and the Cisco 8235 Secure Router blocked 98.3% of attack strikes with about 2 Gbps bidirectional throughput, validating high-performance direct internet access (DIA) with security for AI-driven enterprises.", "body_md": "What happens when internet connectivity is interrupted at a hospital in the middle of running live diagnostics? What about a retailer processing thousands of transactions? Or a global conference streaming live to millions? In each scenario, business stops. Internet access becomes the single point of failure for the applications and services that keep the business running.\n\nWhen the internet is the primary path to your applications, a connection failure isn’t just an IT issue. As the standard for connecting branch users and applications, direct internet access (DIA) requires resilient connectivity and robust security to ensure uninterrupted productivity and uptime.\n\nAI-driven workloads, cloud services, and distributed teams are pushing more business-critical traffic directly onto the internet. As that traffic grows, the demand for performance and resilience accelerates.\n\nBringing networking and security together at the edge, Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers are built to meet this demand. Independent validation from Miercom confirms that the 8000 series delivers, providing high-performance DIA with integrated security services in a single platform.\n\n## Validating DIA with integrated security\n\nMiercom evaluated Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers on two fronts: how much traffic they can handle and how well they stop threats while doing it. Miercom tested the routers across simulated small, medium, and large branch environments that mimicked real-world enterprise architectures, including cloud applications and SD-WAN controllers.\n\nAcross the portfolio, the platforms sustained throughput ranging from 1.0 Gbps to 9.5 Gbps while running next-generation firewall, intrusion prevention, URL filtering, application control, advanced malware protection, and network address translation (NAT) simultaneously. These results demonstrate that high-performance connectivity and comprehensive security can coexist as enterprises scale AI, cloud, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.\n\nMiercom also validated the platform’s integrated security capabilities. The Cisco 8235 Secure Router blocked 98.3% of evaluated attack strikes while sustaining approximately 2 Gbps of bidirectional throughput under load. Combined with identity-based microsegmentation, these capabilities help enterprises securely scale AI and cloud connectivity without sacrificing performance.\n\nFigure 1. Cisco 8235 Secure Router results from Miercom’s independent testing\n\n## Make DIA your foundation\n\nIncreasing volumes of internet-bound application traffic are reshaping enterprise networks, making DIA a foundational service for modern branches. Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers combine high-performance routing, integrated security, embedded visibility, and built-in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) in a single platform, simplifying operations and helping organizations securely scale.\n\n**High-performance DIA:** Enables secure access for cloud and bandwidth-intensive applications**Converged networking and security****:** Simplifies operations with one integrated platform**Greater cyber resilience:** Protects users with advanced security and PQC-ready encryption**Operational efficiency:** Accelerates troubleshooting with embedded visibility**End-to-end visibility and resiliency**: Reduces hardware complexity with embedded ThousandEyes application-aware monitoring and automated cellular failover\n\n** **The next step\n\nAs internet traffic becomes more distributed, bandwidth-intensive, and security-sensitive, enterprises need more than fast connectivity. Edge operations demand high-performance routing, consistent security, and end-to-end visibility. Integrating these capabilities in a single platform makes this manageable. Miercom’s testing confirms that Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers deliver everything the AI-driven enterprise needs, providing a trusted foundation for secure DIA while helping organizations simplify operations and prepare for future traffic demands.\n\n[Read the full Miercom report on Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers]", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access", "canonical_source": "https://blogs.cisco.com/networking/miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access", "published_at": "2026-08-20 15:00:04+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-20 15:13:37.359806+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Miercom", "Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers", "Cisco 8235 Secure Router", "Cisco"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/miercom-validates-cisco-8000-series-secure-routers-for-direct-internet-access.jsonld"}}