New Feature Offers Joint Palo Alto Networks and AWS Customers Optimized Network Efficiency and Security

As enterprises migrate their applications and operations to the cloud, the need for robust, secure, and efficient networking solutions has never been more critical. As such, the support of Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN with AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion makes significant advancements in cloud networking capabilities, offering joint AWS and Palo Alto Networks customers a transformative approach to managing their network traffic and security policies across distributed cloud environments.

Support with Cloud WAN Service Insertion

Cloud WAN Service Insertion is a new feature from AWS that allows customers to seamlessly integrate AWS and third-party networking and security services within their cloud WAN architecture. This capability is designed to simplify how businesses manage virtual private cloud (VPC) security inspection to VPC or VPC to on-premises traffic.

Using a central policy document, enterprises can direct traffic through various network or security appliances (virtual or physical), implement robust security and performance measures through straightforward policy statements or user-friendly web interface interactions, and more.

Prisma SD-WAN is renowned for its ability to provide advanced traffic steering and secure access to applications across any location. In the past, we simplified the onboarding of SD-WAN-connected remote sites with AWS Cloud WAN using Tunnel-less connect integration. Now, with AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion, we are greatly simplifying the security inspection of traffic between remote SD-WAN sites and AWS.

The support with AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion enables enterprises to leverage these strengths within the AWS ecosystem, enhancing network operations' scalability and manageability.

Key Benefits

1. Secure Access to Applications. Joint AWS and Palo Alto Networks customers can now ensure secure access to applications hosted in AWS, irrespective of user location, role, or device type. This accessibility is crucial for supporting today’s multifaceted and distributed workforces, accounting for various user types (including employees, contractors, and partners) while maintaining high security and performance standards.
2. Advanced Traffic Steering. The integration allows for both micro- and macrolevel control over traffic steering. Enterprises can optimize their network paths based on real-time demands, ensuring efficient resource use and reducing overall latency.
3. Enhanced Zero Trust Security. This integration supports a robust Zero Trust security model that seamlessly extends across distributed locations by subjecting all traffic to varying degrees of security inspection based on business needs, user roles, locations, devices, and application types. This model is essential for enforcing policies that prevent data breaches and unauthorized access.
4. Cost Optimization. Utilizing the global AWS backbone to direct traffic toward services hosted in specific regions can significantly reduce costs associated with data transfer and improve overall service availability.
5. Simplified Management. The central policy management capability simplifies the complexity traditionally associated with managing multicloud environments. Enterprises can implement changes quickly and consistently across their networks with minimal operational overhead.

Consider a global enterprise with multiple branch offices, many employees, contractors, and partner roles, and a significant presence on AWS. By integrating Prisma SD-WAN with AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion, this enterprise can manage its global traffic through a centralized platform, directing specific workloads and traffic through additional security services such as Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) based on policy definitions.

This setup not only ensures optimal performance and security but also simplifies the management of network configuration and policies.

Fig 1: Prisma SD-WAN with AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion optimizes security and network performance for cloud-based distributed environments.

The support of Prisma SD-WAN with AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion represents a significant step forward in network management and security for cloud-based environments. By leveraging this integration, cloud-first businesses can achieve greater control over their network traffic, enhance security measures, and optimize costs, all while enjoying the scalability and flexibility of AWS’s global infrastructure.

Experience the power of this integration firsthand Join us at AWS re:Inforce 2024 to see how Prisma SD-WAN and AWS Cloud WAN Service Insertion can revolutionize your network management and security.