Palo Alto Networks and VMware announced a jointly-developed solution that uses the VMware NSX network virtualisation platform to automate provisioning and distribution of Palo Alto Networks next-generation network security in their software-defined data centers.
The companies said the combined solution will enable customers to use the network services insertion capabilities of VMware NSX to deploy, move, scale and protect applications. Key features include:
- Automated provisioning of advanced network services
- A consistent network security model that protects against cyber threats – known and unknown – across both physical and virtual workloads
- Native segmentation of virtual machines into virtual networks
- Transparent traffic steering and enforcement at the virtual interface
- Fine-grained visibility into applications, users and content associated with virtual machine context
- Context-sharing across virtual infrastructure and security management platforms
- Separation of duties between server, network and security IT administrators.
“The cloud introduces new security challenges, and legacy security systems based on physical attributes such as port and protocol just aren’t adequate to secure these highly dynamic environments,” said Jon Oltsik, senior principal analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group. “A next-generation security approach that eases operational challenges through integration with network virtualisation is a requirement for customers to confidently extend their deployments to cloud.”