Palo Alto Networks, the network security company, today
announced several new products that extend its lead in next-generation network
security by addressing today’s mixed virtualized and physical enterprise
networks and, for the first time, enabling enterprises to not only detect but
also prevent modern
malware.
Today’s announcement marks the largest product launch in the history of Palo
Alto Networks, which includes first-ever releases of four new products:
- The launch of the VM-Series – a virtualized next-generation firewall
platform that brings next-generation network security into the virtualized data center environment
- The launch of the WildFire modern malware prevention subscription which sets
the bar for the market which until now has only been focused on detection
- The launch of the PA-3000 Series – a new, midrange next-generation firewall
hardware platform
- The launch of the M-100 appliance – a dedicated high-performance management
appliance
All of these newly unveiled products are supported by the release of PAN-OS
5.0, which also introduces 60 new features focusing on solving unique network
security problems in cloud environments, scaling and simplifying network
security management in large enterprise environments, enhanced IPv6 capabilities
and increased control for managing the growing amount of SSL traffic in the
enterprise.
“Enterprises are struggling with major changes in the infrastructures they
must secure, and what they must protect those infrastructures from,” said Lee
Klarich, vice president of product management, Palo Alto Networks. “With this
release, we enable next-generation firewalls to help
organizations with securing traditional and private cloud infrastructures from a
growing array of threats, including unique, modern malware.”
Next-Generation Security in the Virtualized Data Center and
Cloud
The new Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is a key component in a
comprehensive approach to network security in the virtualized data center.
Using application-, user-, and content-based next-generation firewall
technology, it offers intra-host safe enablement of data center applications
regardless of port or protocol. PAN-OS 5.0 adds significant management
capabilities to the virtualized data center solution, such as allowing
enterprises to tie user and app-based policies to virtual machine or server
deployments via cloud automation or orchestration tools. Furthermore, a new
feature, dynamic objects, allows security policies to follow virtual machines
even when live-migration technologies move those VMs between hosts. PAN-OS 5.0
and the VM-Series enable IT to efficiently secure the infrastructure, both
physical and virtual with a common policy and management approach.
Safe enablement of applications in the virtualized data center, combined with
the ability to secure intra-host traffic, integration with migration
technologies and orchestration and automation tools, all under one policy and
management approach gives Palo Alto Networks customers a comprehensive and
flexible solution to securing their virtualized data centers and private cloud
infrastructures.
“We are pleased to be working with Palo Alto Networks to deliver on the
vision of the software-defined data center,” said Hatem Naguib, vice president,
Networking and Security, VMware. “Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall
VM-series integrated with VMware vSphere® helps our shared customers accelerate
their adoption of virtualization while addressing their security and compliance
needs.”
New Threat Prevention Updates
Today, Palo Alto Networks begins
offering a subscription service for WildFire, the company’s cloud-based modern
malware prevention service. The new service gives subscribers one-hour response
times for the delivery of modern malware signatures, and integrated, on-box
logging and reporting. The enhanced response time will ensure that the damage
caused by “zero-day” malware and targeted attacks are mitigated for Palo Alto
Networks customers.
The analysis and notification portion of WildFire will continue to be offered
as a free service to all Palo Alto Networks customers. WildFire uses the
inherent advantages of Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls to find
modern, never-before-seen malware across all applications, not just web and
email. To date, WildFire has discovered more than 70,000 new malware files that
had not been identified by existing anti-malware solutions.
“The modern malware landscape is very challenging for legacy threat
prevention solutions,” said Nir Zuk, founder and chief technology officer, Palo
Alto Networks. “Data collected by WildFire shows that new malware spreads fast,
uses evasive techniques to hide from traditional security solutions and is often
used in the early stages of a persistent attack. Providing industry-leading
response times, combined with our control over applications, users, and content,
is an innovative approach that gives our customers a much more comprehensive
level of protection from targeted attacks.”
New Midrange Next-Generation Firewall
The new PA-3000 Series
Next-Generation Firewall expands the options for enterprise customers looking
for a mid-range next-generation firewall that has the same level of
application-, user-, and content-based control as existing data center and
remote office solutions from Palo Alto Networks. The PA-3000 Series is comprised
of the PA-3020 and PA-3050 Next-Generation Firewalls, and delivers full
next-generation firewall capabilities at up to 4 Gbps of App-ID throughput.
New High-Performance Management Appliance
On the management front,
the new M-100 management appliance offers an easy to deploy, high-performance,
dedicated appliance for the Palo Alto Networks Panorama management system, which
offers global, centralized control over a network of Palo Alto Networks
Next-Generation Firewalls. The M-100 also introduces distributed log collection
capability for large-scale enterprise deployments.
"So-called 'advanced attackers' are only as advanced as they need to be. If
you leave the front door open, they don't need to sneak in through the
ventilation ducts," said Mike Rothman, analyst and president, Securosis. "You
need to take a different and more creative view of defensive tactics, while
ensuring you execute flawlessly — because even the slightest opening provides
opportunity for attackers."
Availability
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, PA-3000 Series, M-100,
and WildFire subscription are all available for order immediately. PAN-OS 5.0 is
a free upgrade for customers on maintenance. For more information on pricing for
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, PA-3000 Series, M-100 and WildFire, contact your
local reseller or visit http://www.paloaltonetworks.com/.