The Encrypted Visibility Engine (EVE) is a machine learning-powered feature that allows Cisco Firewalls to detect and block malware within encrypted traffic without the need for decryption. By analyzing the header of packets, EVE can identify malicious patterns and take action without compromising performance, thus maintaining visibility in a landscape where over 95% of traffic is encrypted.

The multi-instance capability allows a single physical firewall to host multiple logical or virtual firewalls. This enables organizations to separate environments for different departments or testing purposes without needing additional hardware. For instance, you can run a production firewall alongside a test environment on the same device, which can streamline operations and reduce costs.

The AI Assistant automates and assists in various aspects of firewall management. It can provide contextual responses to configuration queries, identify unused rules within a large policy set, and generate performance reports. This capability significantly reduces the time required for tasks that would typically take engineers hours or days, thereby improving operational efficiency.