Palo Alto Networks expands its technology partnership with Siemens. The two parties aim to enhance the security of mission-critical networks and prevent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

According to a statement, the two companies will integrate Palo Alto Networks VM series virtual next-generation firewalls and Siemens Ruggedcom multi-service platform to achieve continuously scalable hardware.

The company says this will enable customers to extend consistent security policies and visibility across IT, critical OT, and industrial control system (ICS) infrastructure.

Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President of Cyber ​​Security at Palo Alto Networks, commented on the current critical infrastructure landscape and the driving factors behind cooperation.

Oswal said: “Critical infrastructure, such as smart utility substations, smart transportation systems, traffic signals and dedicated broadband gateways in remote areas, is very challenging to protect because these systems are highly distributed, complex, and often in very harsh environments. middle.

"But protecting these systems is crucial because they are important targets for cyber attacks, and their impact extends beyond the economic consequences."

He said: “By combining our next-generation firewall technology with Siemens’ experience in industrial control systems and unique environments, companies can protect their industrial control systems and other critical infrastructure without compromising security, performance or Expansion capabilities."

Palo Alto Networks VM series virtual firewalls provide a high level of security and can be deployed in any virtual or cloud environment. They are also highly scalable.

The VM series virtual firewall is designed to protect all traffic, including encrypted traffic based on a complete context (including user identity, application identity, and device identity), and uses native integrated security services to prevent modern network threats.

Centralized management enables users to extend protection and security to any industrial system where the Siemens Ruggedcom RX1500 multi-service platform is deployed.

Ruggedcom APE1808 for Ruggedcom RX1500 multi-service platform is a compact industrial application hosting platform suitable for third-party applications. It enables industrial customers to protect HMIs, engineering workstations and field devices located in harsh environmental areas.

The VM series virtual firewalls supported by ML act as perimeter gateways in these scenarios, and use segmentation and policies to allow operators to control applications that communicate across different subnets to prevent lateral threats from moving and achieve compliance.

In other cases, Ruggedcom RX1500 equipped with APE1808 can be deployed to provide application-level monitoring for control centers running SCADA systems.

Jeremy Bryant, General Manager of Siemens Ruggedcom, said: "Our network components from Ruggedcom have always been the backbone of critical infrastructure networks in harsh environments, which helped us gain insight into their unique challenges and requirements.

"By adding Palo Alto Networks VM series firewalls to our platform approach, we are further enhancing our portfolio of network security solutions.

"This integrated hardware and software solution provides our customers with a field-proven method to protect old devices in their networks, achieve compliance and improve the security posture of mission-critical applications."