Palo Alto Networks Extends Scope and Reach of SASE Platform
Palo Alto Networks this week revealed it will update its secure access service edge (SASE) platform that adds an ability to identify and neutralize malware in real time as end users employ an enterprise-grade browser that is integrated into the platform.
Prisma SASE 4.0 also adds more than 140 pre-trained machine learning classifiers and customizable models that cybersecurity teams can more easily implement to protect, for example, sensitive information such as source code, patents and contract information.
Finally, a Private App Security capability makes it possible to automatically adapt cybersecurity policies as applications are continuously updated. As those changes are made, Prisma SASE 4.0 will surface recommendations to changes in policies that should be made to better protect an application.
Navneet Singh, vice president of marketing for network security at Palo Alto Networks, said the ability to neutralize attacks as they become more sophisticated is critical because the latest iterations of malware are much more capable of evading protections commonly found in consumer-grade browsers and secure web gateways. As such, organizations will need to deploy more secure browsers to maintain cybersecurity, he added.
Additionally, many organizations are increasingly migrating away from virtual private networks (VPNs) toward SASE platforms that have enterprise-class browsers to better protect applications deployed in their own data centers, said Singh.
It’s not clear at what rate organizations are migrating to SASE platforms but Palo Alto Networks reports its annual recurring revenue for its SASE platform has reached $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2025, a 35% year-over-year increase. In total, Palo Alto Networks now has more than 6,000 SASE customers.
Despite challenging macroeconomic conditions, a Futurum Group report projects cybersecurity spending will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6% from 2024 to 2029 to reach $287.6 billion, with investments being spread across multiple classes of technologies and solutions.
The issue organizations are now wrestling with is identifying which cybersecurity technologies are required to secure business processes over a multiyear lifespan versus simply trying to assess the cost of switching from a VPN to a SASE platform, said Singh.
In the meantime, the management of cybersecurity and networking continues to converge in a way that should reduce total costs, he added. In addition, the overall management of IT will continue to become more seamless as interoperability between artificial intelligence (AI) agents being developed by Palo Alto Networks and providers of third-party platforms continues to evolve, noted Singh.
Unfortunately, it still usually requires a major breach or a change in leadership before organizations revisit their cybersecurity strategy. The challenge in the absence of such events is that cybersecurity teams often find themselves making a case for additional funding without necessarily being able to show a definitive return on investment (ROI).
Hopefully, more organizations will be paying attention to how other organizations have responded to successful cyberattacks by investing more in SASE platforms versus waiting to learn the same lesson the hardest way possible.
