Palo Alto Networks moves to secure the cloud

• Comprehensive firewall security measures to protect assets in private, public or hybrid cloud
• Next-generation firewall for automated protection, deep integration with cloud architecture

AS MALAYSIA poises to launch itself into a digital future with the recent launch of the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), cyber resilience is crucial for every enterprise looking to stay competitive within the digital economy.

Part of this drive to flourish in the digital economy is the migration of IT architecture from traditional networks and data centres to private and public or hybrid cloud deployments.

As organisations embrace multi-cloud deployment architecture, security company Palo Alto Networks said it is gearing up to assist its customers with the introduction of new advancements to its platform operating system PAN-OS 8.0, Aperture SaaS security service and new VM-Series virtual firewall models.

“The digital age of today has the potential to transform our lives with plenty of new opportunities but it brings with it, new risks. Our mantra is that we want to protect our digital way of life by stopping hackers from achieving their objective,” said Palo Alto Networks’ regional systems engineering director for Asean Vincent Oh during a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur.

Oh spoke of how the company’s next-generation security platform was ready for the cloud as it combined network and endpoint security with threat intelligence to provide automated protection and prevent cyber breaches

“One needs to able to apply a consistent security strategy along with integration with native cloud services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure,” he said.

He adds that the solution’s cloud capabilities would enable secure, scalable and resilient cloud-centric architectures with easy orchestration and management for operational agility.

The addition of Software as a Service (SaaS) application usage to the mix means that there is a need secure all these architectures against sophisticated threats.

Oh goes on to say that Palo Network’s PAN-OS 8.0 will have new SaaS application security capabilities that include enhanced visibility, new reporting and automated features like instant quarantine and data sharing limitations.

“Regardless if a user is on-site or working remotely half way across the world, our solution will offer the same level of protection as it will route traffic from a remote laptop through our firewall to provide us with visibility and better enforcement,” he said.

Oh talked about how Palo Alto Networks’ expanded security for public and private clouds include optimising workflow automation features.

“By taking IT security personnel out of the loop of handling mundane stuff, we let them focus on more strategic areas of security. Leave the tactical decisions to the machine” said Oh.

He explained that Palo Alto Networks’ automated security action would be able to automatically tag a compromised host and enforce a multi-factor authentication that would require the user to enter a code sent to their mobile phone, something a remote hacker would not be able to do.

Regional head for Malaysia and Singapore, Alvin Tan describes how the cyber security threat landscape has gotten more automated. How even hackers have their own help desks as they have become more organised.

“As they become more automated, we as defenders must do the same,” he said.

Adding to that Palo Alto Networks has added new VM-Series firewall models to its existing virtual firewall family. The VM-Series now includes the VM-50, VM-500 and VM-700, that the company claims to deliver performance options ranging from 200 Mbps up to 16 Gbps of firewall throughput.

This is said to enable them to deliver predictable performance in cloud deployments and scalable to address a variety of cases from virtualised branch offices to data centres and service provider deployments.

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