Palo Alto Networks Uses Machine Learning to Reduce SASE Costs
Palo Alto Networks today revealed it is using artificial intelligence to automate the management of its secure access service edge (SASE) platform.
In addition, the company is adding a Prisma command center infused with machine learning algorithms to monitor the software-defined wide area networks (SD-WANs) that the company’s SASE platform employs. Palo Alto Networks is extending the reach of Prisma SD-WAN to provide support for internet-of-things (IoT) devices.
Finally, there is now an option to deploy the controller for Prisma SD-WAS in an on-premises IT environment rather than in the cloud. That capability is intended to meet the needs of organizations in highly regulated industries that are not able to take advantage of the cloud to manage SD-WANs for compliance reasons.
Kumar Ramachandran, senior vice president for SASE products for Palo Alto Networks, said machine learning algorithms are being used to automate IT operations in addition to being used to provide better security. The goal is to make SASE more accessible to a wider range of organizations by embracing artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps) in a way that reduces the total cost of operations (TCO), he said.
Interest in SASE as an alternative to virtual private networks has grown sharply since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last six quarters, Palo Alto Networks has gained more than 4,000 SASE customers, with bookings exceeding $1 billion. Gartner predicted that, by 2025 5, 80% of enterprises will have adopted a strategy to unify web, cloud services and private application access that is based on an integrated SASE and secure services edge (SSE) architecture.
However, many organizations continue to rely on VPNs because deploying and managing a distributed SASE environment is challenging. Increased reliance on AIOps should make SASE platforms more accessible to a wider range of organizations.
While more workers have returned to the office, there are still more employees working from home either on a full-time or part-time basis. Most employees will be working both remotely and in the office, so in most cases, the workplace has become a hybrid environment that IT teams need to be able to consistently secure, said Ramachandran. Most organizations are now embracing zero-trust principles based on identity to achieve that goal—something legacy VPN platforms are not able to achieve, he noted.
During uncertain economic times, a SASE platform also provides the added benefit of elastically expanding and contracting as employees are hired and/or leave an organization, added Ramachandran.
It’s not clear how quickly organizations will modernize the way they provide remote access but as cybersecurity threats continue to increase in both volume and sophistication, it’s clear VPNs are more easily compromised than SASE/SSE platforms. The reason more organizations have not already made the transition is the cost of implementing an integrated SASE/SSE is considerably higher. AIOps may go a long way toward reducing the total cost of operating those environments, but compared to legacy platforms, higher levels of security will always come at a premium.
