Palo Alto Networks: Private 5G Security Solutions With Partner Ecosystem Launched

By Amit Chowdhry • Feb 27, 2024

Palo Alto Networks announced end-to-end private 5G security solutions and services in collaboration with leading Private 5G partners. Combining Palo Alto Networks enterprise-grade 5G Security and Private 5G partner integrations and services allows organizations to easily deploy, manage, and secure networks throughout the entire 5G journey.

This launch addresses the need and desire for validated 5G integrations and furthers Palo Alto Networks’ strategic vision of an integrated ecosystem approach to safeguard 5G deployments.

The speed, reliability, and flexibility of 5G networks are essential to national infrastructure and mission-critical environments. However, the massive amounts of data transmitted across 5G networks provide a target for threat actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities.

C-Level executives agree that in a recent Palo Alto Networks study, almost 70% of executives identified 5G-connected devices as a growing threat vector in operational technology (OT). And with 5G also expected to contribute $1 trillion to the global economy in 20302, there is urgency to protect better today’s more complex networks, cloud-native solutions, and distributed environments to facilitate this growth.

Driven by a convergence of AI, Zero Trust, regulatory, and compliance mandates, Palo Alto Networks 5G Security helps organizations protect themselves against the latest threats, ensuring comprehensive security across evolving network landscapes. And combining industry-leading security solutions with disruptive Private 5G partner technologies and services enables customers to build security into their networks from the ground up, protecting the entire 5G infrastructure and mission-critical traffic it carries.

Palo Alto Networks’ Private 5G partners are vetted through lab testing and have proven success with customers with Private 5G networks. Initial Private 5G partners include Celona, Druid, Ataya, NETSCOUT, NVIDIA, and NTT DATA.

— Celona, Druid, Ataya – Organizations building new private 5G networks with these partners can easily secure radio networks through integrations with Palo Alto Networks 5G Security.

— NETSCOUT – Pervasive, packet-level network visibility will combine at scale with Palo Alto Networks 5G Security, helping security teams gain deep visibility to make intelligent policy decisions.

— NVIDIA – Scalable 5G security ensures that AI-powered applications are optimized for speed, security, traffic accuracy, and data isolation to maintain data sovereignty and achieve multi-terabit, cost-effective security for mobile networks.

— NTT DATA – An innovative and complete technology stack, network infrastructure capabilities, and trusted IT consulting and global system integration services help customers quickly and easily deploy, manage, and secure their private 5G networks.

Private 5G partners highlighted how (together with Palo Alto Networks), they will help organizations safeguard the backbone of the future digital economy:

KEY QUOTES:

“5G holds boundless potential to revolutionize our future. At the same time deploying these networks is complex and presents significant security risks. True digital transformation requires a robust cross-platform ecosystem where comprehensive solutions and innovative partner integrations ensure strong 5G security. Our best-in-class platforms and strategic coalition of trusted Private 5G partners create a holistic offering to help customers realize the benefits of 5G.”

– Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Palo Alto Networks

“As private 5G networks become imperative for mission-critical applications and handling of their sensitive data, they are prime targets for cyber attacks. Our unique integration with Palo Alto Networks provides comprehensive visibility and secure access for enterprise devices connected over private 5G cellular wireless infrastructure. We are thrilled to join Palo Alto Networks Private 5G partners to continue delivering solutions that secure customer networks in the 5G space.”

— Rajeev Shah, CEO and Founder, Celona

“Zero Trust security is key to securing private 5G traffic, but without visibility into all applications, services, subscribers, and devices, a Zero Trust solution isn’t possible. Our integration with Palo Alto Networks provides customers with elevated security posture, unparalleled visibility, policy enforcement, mobile user control, and threat detection for all IoT and user devices connecting to their cellular networks. We are pleased to join the Private 5G partners, further advancing the mission of providing comprehensive private 5G networks.”

— Liam Kenny, CEO, Druid Software

“Together with Palo Alto Networks, we can address 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. We’re thrilled to further our collaboration as a Private 5G partner, enabling customers to realize simplified management, robust security, and application-awareness by unifying their multiple networks.”

— Rajesh Pazhyannur, CEO and Co-Founder, Ataya

“5G networks can potentially transform the world as we know it, but given their complexity, enterprises need help. Ensuring end-through-end service visibility is critical to assuring an exceptional customer experience and monetizing device and end-user behavior. NETSCOUT has expansive visibility across the world’s largest IP networks. We help enterprises combat cyber threats through our pervasive, packet-level network visibility at scale and our open data model. This Visibility without Borders is exactly what we provide through our integrations with Palo Alto Networks and look forward to extending them to include 5G.”

— Bruce Kelley, CTO and SVP, Service Provider, NETSCOUT

“Private 5G enables enterprises to collect, transfer and analyze massive amounts of data from the prevalent connected sensors and edge devices in today’s enterprise networks. NVIDIA technologies accelerate Palo Alto P5G ecosystem solutions to help create a fast, secure and AI-ready private 5G infrastructure for modern enterprises.”

— Ash Bhalgat, Senior Director of Cloud, Telco and Cybersecurity Market Development, NVIDIA

“The computational demands of Generative AI applications deployed at the edge have made private 5G networks more critical than ever. To fully tap into the potential of private 5G, a key enabler of Industry 5.0, organizations need complete, fully managed solutions as well as trusted advisors with the right capabilities to facilitate the deployment, management, and security of private 5G networks. We look forward to building on our collaboration with Palo Alto Networks and delivering the power of private 5G to our clients’ current and future business.”

— Shahid Ahmed, Group EVP, New Ventures and Innovation, NTT Ltd.