Palo Alto Networks invests in Asia-Pacific cloud security

Palo Alto Networks has announced an investment in cloud infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific and Japan regions, aiming to fortify its presence and support regional customers with data residency requirements through the integration of the Prisma Access Browser.

The new cloud infrastructure will be established in strategic markets including Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore. This initiative is designed to offer customers enhanced access and security features, ensuring that organisations can navigate data residency challenges without compromising on performance or security standards.

As part of this initiative, Palo Alto Networks is responding to the shift in workplace dynamics, where enterprise browsers are becoming pivotal tools for productivity and security. According to Gartner, by 2030, browsers will be the main platform for workforce productivity and security software across devices, both managed and unmanaged. The vulnerabilities of traditional internet browsers to cyber threats such as phishing and malware underscore the need for improved security measures.

Anupam Upadhyaya, Vice President Product for Prisma SASE at Palo Alto Networks, highlighted the security risks associated with unmanaged devices, noting that they are often weak links in a company's security framework. 

"Unmanaged devices are often the weakest link in an organisation's security posture, especially as organisations increasingly embrace a distributed workforce model. Many organisations have reported significant gaps in their ability to decrypt network traffic for security purposes; on average, 64% of web traffic is left encrypted, and is therefore unavailable for security," he said.

"With our new cloud locations in the region, we're bringing secure connectivity to these workplace devices - managed and unmanaged - helping ensure critical information stays protected while enabling organisations to improve their overall security posture in the face of modern cyber threats."

Simon Green, President, Asia-Pacific and Japan at Palo Alto Networks, emphasised the importance of cloud adoption in the region. "Organisations across the Asia-Pacific and Japan region are increasingly moving their workloads to the cloud. Expanding our cloud security presence to Asia-Pacific and Japan is part of our ongoing commitment to provide customers with localised access to best-in-class cybersecurity offerings that help meet their data residency needs," he stated.

The availability of regionally hosted services is indicative of Palo Alto Networks' dedication to delivering comprehensive security services within Asia Pacific and Japan. This allows customers to balance local data residency requirements with the capability to identify emerging threats effectively, ensuring streamlined security operations within the region's specific context.