HPE unveils integrated AI security & data protection upgrades
HPE Aruba Networking has announced a major expansion of its cybersecurity and data protection offerings, highlighting increased integration across its networking and security portfolio following its acquisition of Juniper Networks.
Australian organisations are facing a growing wave of sophisticated cyber threats, and the company's latest releases are aimed at strengthening zero-trust capabilities, advanced data protections, and cyber resilience in enterprise environments.
Cybersecurity landscape
Addressing the evolving challenges in cybersecurity, Mark Ablett, Senior Vice President, APJ HPE Networking, commented on the pressures affecting businesses in Australia. He said, "The cybersecurity landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, targeted, and disruptive. More and more Australian businesses are experiencing the increasing risks these attacks bring firsthand. The future of security lies in AI-driven systems that embed resilience and adaptability at their core. Our new expanded solutions demonstrate HPE's commitment to supporting and empowering Australian organisations to not only defend against today's complex threats, but to build a stronger, more proactive security posture for the challenges ahead."
Networking and data security
The core enhancements from HPE include new Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) features, zero trust policy enforcement, and an expanded secure networking lineup. With the introduction of a SASE copilot for HPE Aruba Networking EdgeConnect, enterprises can benefit from artificial intelligence-driven insights on network activities and security vulnerabilities. The expansion of Aruba Networking Central Network Access Control (NAC) enables broader zero trust policies, now including HPE Juniper Networking and third-party devices for granular controls across users and Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints.
David Hughes, Senior Vice President and General Manager, SASE & Security, HPE Networking, stated, "With the rise in both the volume and sophistication of cyber threats, organisations need advanced solutions to mitigate risk, defend against attacks and build resiliency, across their entire IT estate. HPE's security solutions are designed to enable a multi-layered, zero-trust approach to protection, including AI-driven capabilities for continuous validation, anomaly detection, and automated remediation."
The integration of AppEngine with Aruba Networking Central introduces real-time application classification for risk-based policy enforcement and enhanced visibility. New threat defence tools through WebCC and URL filtering provide additional layers of real-time intelligence, aiming to block malicious sites and content within the network perimeter.
Modern data protection
On the data resiliency front, HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 has been announced as the general availability backbone for modern data protection. This all-flash object storage platform is optimised for rapid backup and disaster recovery, delivering performance reportedly reaching up to 1.2 petabytes per hour - positioned as nearly twice as fast as comparable solutions. The system's scale-out architecture allows for increased capacity and performance as enterprise data stores grow.
HPE StoreOnce Catalyst Software enhances storage efficiency, promising up to 60:1 data reduction ratios. Compatibility has been established with major enterprise data protection software, including Commvault Cloud, Cohesity NetBackup, and Veeam Data Platform.
Third-party integration and cyber resiliency
To further expand its cybersecurity ecosystem, HPE Zerto software will launch a new integration hub supporting third-party applications. CrowdStrike is the exclusive initial partner, enabling integration with the CrowdStrike Falcon platform to provide synchronised threat detection and cyber recovery workflows. When Falcon identifies malicious activity, HPE Zerto can restore systems to recovery points moments before an attack, helping minimise disruption and data loss.
"Our partnership with HPE reflects CrowdStrike's commitment to delivering integrated, outcome-driven solutions that keep customers ahead of today's adversaries," said Daniel Bernard, chief business officer, CrowdStrike. "By combining the power of the AI-native Falcon platform with HPE Zerto's recovery capabilities, we're enabling organisations to stop breaches, minimise downtime, and maintain business continuity - even in the face of ransomware and other disruptive threats."
The integration also enhances recovery within the HPE Cyber Resilience Vault, which employs a fully air-gapped, zero-trust architecture for ransomware protection and recovery. HPE has taken additional steps to certify HPE Zerto for regulatory frameworks in the United States, such as CISA, STIG, and FIPS.
Security validation and next-generation firewalls
HPE has established a Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence to validate and monitor its storage systems against ransomware. Testing has included the Alletra Storage MP B10000's built-in detection capabilities against the top 25 ransomware variants.
For the first time since the Juniper Networks acquisition, HPE is presenting a unified portfolio combining AI-enhanced networking and advanced data protection. Among the highlighted products is the Juniper SRX 4700 Next-Generation Firewall, which, according to company data, claims one of the highest throughput rates for firewalls in a single rack unit configuration.
The latest releases underline the company's approach to bringing together network, data, and system security, with a focus on integrating artificial intelligence, zero-trust principles, and third-party interoperability across its solutions portfolio.
