Cisco Updates Series (Part 3): Firewall Management & Platform Enhancements – 2026

Welcome to Part 3 of our Cisco Security Cloud Control 2026 Updates Series!

In the first email, we explored AI Defense 2026.1.1, including the new AI Threat Taxonomy, MCP Server Catalog, and Hybrid Azure deployment, focusing on securing AI systems at scale.

In the second email, we highlighted Multi-Organization Enhancements, showing how Security Cloud Control now helps Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and large enterprises manage thousands of organizations efficiently, with advanced RBAC, multi-subscription support, and improved automation.

Now, in Part 3, we cover updates to:

1. Security Cloud Control Firewall Management – Simplifying firewall policy management across multiple tenants.

2. Security Cloud Control Platform – Core platform enhancements, Talos threat intelligence integration, new APIs, and improved user interface

These updates continue Cisco’s strategy to centralize security management, enhance visibility, and streamline operations across all integrated products.

Security Cloud Control Firewall Management

Security Cloud Control Firewall Management (formerly Cisco Defense Orchestrator) is a cloud-based security policy manager that simplifies and unifies policy management across Cisco firewalls and other devices.

January 30, 2026 – Key Updates

Multitenant Device Upgrades in MSSP Portal

MSPs can now bulk upgrade Secure Firewall Threat Defense devices managed by the Cloud-Delivered Firewall Management Center (cdFMC) across multiple tenants.

This update improves efficiency for MSSPs managing large-scale deployments, reducing manual steps and ensuring consistent security across multiple clients.

Security Cloud Control Platform

The Security Cloud Control platform provides core services across all integrated products, ensuring a unified management experience.

February 19, 2026 –

Talos Threat Intelligence Integration

Cisco has embedded Talos threat intelligence directly into the Security Cloud Control dashboard. This provides:

• Access to the latest public Talos blog posts with timely threat analysis and security insights
• Customer-exclusive Talos Intelligence Bulletins downloadable directly from the dashboard
• Direct link to request Talos emergency incident response services

This brings Cisco Talos expertise closer to where security teams already manage their environments, enabling faster understanding of emerging threats and their impact.

January 29, 2026 – Security Cloud Control API Enhancements

New Security Cloud Control APIs are now available on Cisco DevNet, providing automation capabilities for standalone, manager, and managed organizations.

Key API capabilities include:

• Organizations: Create, view, and update manager, managed, and standalone organizations.

• Subscriptions: Manage software subscriptions including activation, deactivation, and claim code validation.

• Users: List users, manage user access, reset passwords and MFA, resend invitations.

• Admin Groups & Roles: Manage admin groups, assign roles, and refresh access tokens.

The API uses REST with JSON and is described via the OpenAPI 3.x specification, enabling integration with automation tools and custom workflows.

Security Cloud Control User Interface Improvements

Several updates were made to enhance the user experience:

• Changed default homepage behavior: Users are no longer automatically redirected to product-specific landing pages; a default can still be set manually.

• Removed redundant shared objects menu: Simplifies navigation by removing unused menu items.

• Hiding non-applicable Firewall Management features: Users without Firewall Management subscriptions no longer see irrelevant search boxes or device icons.

These changes streamline platform navigation, reduce clutter, and ensure the UI reflects only relevant options for each user.

Why These Updates Matter

Together, the Firewall Management and Platform enhancements:

• Improve operational efficiency for MSPs and enterprises.

• Provide integrated threat intelligence from Cisco Talos.

• Expand automation capabilities through APIs.

• Simplify and streamline the user experience.

These updates continue Cisco’s strategy of centralizing management, enhancing visibility, and scaling security operations across multi-product environments.

Next in the Series:

In our next email, we’ll cover updates to the Mesh Policy Engine, completing the first wave of 2026 Security Cloud Control feature releases.

Stay tuned!