Accelerate 5G with AI-Powered Cybersecurity

It’s no secret that we’re experiencing a transformational moment in history, characterized by the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and cloud-native paradigms along with the emergence of 5G. This transformative era presents an unprecedented opportunity for businesses of all sizes to supercharge their business models. This is why we’re so excited about the growing enterprise adoption of private 5G networks.

5G is becoming increasingly crucial for unlocking the full potential of emerging technologies, with benefits extending across various industries. For example, workers equipped with AI-enhanced wearables connected to a private 5G network could detect hazardous gasses in real time and leverage connected data to enhance their well-being. Or, a factory where 5G-powered robots effortlessly handle a myriad of tasks across manufacturing plants, warehouses, mining operations and energy facilities, could free human workers to focus on other endeavors.

While the promise of private 5G networks can bring tremendous efficiency, protecting private 5G networks can be challenging to organizations of all sizes. This is because network architecture gets increasingly complex (and effective) the more it connects with devices, networks and services (i.e., IT, OT, IoT). This in turn increases the attack surface, introducing new threat vectors and requiring new end-to-end security management systems to provide holistic solutions.

Businesses need confidence that 5G is secure for 5G to live up to its promise of transforming industries.

At Palo Alto Networks, we imagine a world where every day is safer. Adopting an end-to-end Zero Trust approach with comprehensive and context-rich visibility is critical to deliver enterprise-grade security for 5G. True digital transformation also requires a robust cross-platform ecosystem where comprehensive solutions and innovative partner integrations ensure strong 5G Security. To achieve that, we must collaborate across the industry to integrate our best-of-breed security platforms with trusted 5G partners who can help accelerate 5G digital transformation. It takes a whole ecosystem to bring out true digital transformation.

That’s why Palo Alto Networks announced private 5G security solutions and services in collaboration with leading private 5G partners. Our global ecosystem partners help us provide integrated 5G enterprise solutions that allow easy deployment, management and security in a holistic offering. Together, we take the complexity out of your private 5G network transformation journey, helping organizations realize their full potential.

Here are just a few examples of how Palo Alto Networks is thinking about protecting private 5G from cyberattacks through our partner ecosystem:

• Celona: The recently announced partnership with Celona, an innovator of secure 5G-LAN solutions for the enterprise, extends Zero Trust security to private 4G and 5G wireless networks. Through our unique integration, we provide comprehensive visibility and secure access for enterprise devices connected over private 5G cellular infrastructure. Through the Palo Alto Networks network security platform, Enterprise IoT Security and Cortex XSOAR, this partnership provides enterprise customers, especially those in industrial sectors, with end-to-end Zero Trust security. The solutions offer comprehensive visibility, policy enforcement, threat detection and remediation capabilities for IoT and OT devices operating on private 5G networks.
• NVIDIA: Palo Alto Networks has created a scalable private 5G security solution, in collaboration with NVIDIA, that ensures AI-powered applications are optimized for speed, latency, security and efficiency. Our Intelligent Traffic Offload (ITO) solution accelerates Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) with the NVIDIA BlueField data processing unit (DPU) to significantly improve the volume of threat inspection while substantially reducing infrastructure costs. Our upcoming 5G security gateway solution provides security at scale by encrypting traffic between many connected things and data center networks. NVIDIA technologies accelerate Palo Alto Networks P5G ecosystem solutions to help create a fast, secure and AI-ready private 5G infrastructure for modern enterprises.
• NETSCOUT: Palo Alto Networks and NETSCOUT, a leader in 5G monitoring, have partnered to ensure end-through-end service visibility, which is critical to assuring customer experience, while monetizing device and end-user behavior. Today, we have multiple integrations with Cortex, NGFW and Panorama solutions for enterprise and service provider customers. Together, we will continue to develop integrations that allow Palo Alto Networks solutions’ unparalleled visibility in support of our 5G and P5G offerings.
• NTT DATA: Palo Alto Networks has a long collaboration with NTT DATA, a leading integrator driving innovation in enterprise networks. NTT DATA delivers a complete technology stack, network infrastructure capabilities, and trusted IT consulting and global system integration services that help customers quickly and easily deploy, manage, and secure their private 5G networks.
• Druid: Palo Alto Networks integration with the Druid Software core network platform, Raemis, provides customers with an elevated security posture, unparalleled visibility, policy enforcement, mobile user control and threat detection for all IoT and user devices connecting to our 5G and P5G networks.
• Ataya: Palo Alto Networks integration with Ataya addresses a broad spectrum of security concerns ranging from 5G network-specific scenarios to advanced threat detection scenarios, leveraging device intelligence to optimize Zero Trust postures. Network teams can create a single network fabric across different access technologies, including Private 5G, and legacy connectivity infrastructure. Security teams can now extend a single security solution across the entire mixed access technology network to deliver true Zero Trust security.

Enterprise digital transformation by nature, disrupts the status quo. Designing and deploying an enterprise 5G or private 5G network is complex and requires organizations to typically work with managed service providers or partners to realize its full potential. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, it's essential for 5G-connected enterprises to prioritize and deliver comprehensive Zero Trust security of their users, devices, applications and data.

According to the Gartner SASE forecast report for 2023, it is projected that more than 25% of SASE revenue will be delivered as managed services. This presents a significant opportunity for service providers to offer Managed SASE solutions to enterprises. True enterprise digital transformation requires SASE vendors to apply innovations like SASE to 5G as part of this holistic ecosystem to empower work from any location with comprehensive security posture and optimal performance.

With the Palo Alto Networks product portfolio, service providers can easily leverage Prisma SASE and comprehensively apply unified Zero Trust security policies to ensure security posture with Autonomous Digital Experience Management (ADEM) for their managed enterprise network and 5G Mobile network. Together with service providers and partners, Palo Alto Networks helps streamline and accelerate 5G adoption with comprehensive Zero Trust security for enterprises, enable faster time to value, and achieve cyber resilience.

Is your enterprise preparing for 5G adoption? We’re happy to showcase how our platform makes a 5G security strategy possible or answer any other cybersecurity questions you may have. Come see us at Mobile World Congress in Hall 4, Stand #4D55.

See what else Palo Alto Networks is doing at Mobile World Congress this year and read our other MWC 2024 blogs.

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