Better Together: Palo Alto Networks, AWS, and NETSCOUT Join Forces to Enhance FSI Security

Palo Alto Networks, AWS, and NETSCOUT Join Forces to Enhance FSI Security

Special thanks to Steven Cacciaroni, Director of Business Development for Palo Alto Networks, and Faisal Pias, Partner Solutions Architect AWS for their collaboration in co-authoring this blog.

Introduction

Financial services institutions (FSIs) are increasingly migrating workloads to the cloud to improve scalability, agility, and cost-efficiency. However, this transition necessitates adherence to stringent regulatory requirements governing workload security and personally identifiable information (PII) protection.

Add to these responsibilities the requirement to protect the business against unprecedented cybersecurity threats. As FSIs transition critical data and applications to cloud environments and mitigate these risks, implementing a Zero Trust framework has become highly encouraged. This framework ensures that trust is never implicit, requiring continuous verification of every digital interaction.

NETSCOUT and Palo Alto Networks integrated solution in AWS plays a pivotal role in ensuring cloud security and compliance and helps implement Zero Trust for these firms by providing comprehensive network visibility and multidimensional threat detection and protection capabilities within cloud environments, particularly within the AWS cloud.

Solution Overview

The NETSCOUT and Palo Alto Networks integrated security solution in AWS is highlighted in Figure 1 below. It features NETSCOUT Omnis Cyber Intelligence (OCI), advanced NDR (Network Detection and Response) platforms that feeds Palo Alto Networks Panorama and VM-Series virtual firewall deployed in AWS and AWS Security Hub. This actionable security intelligence, which includes IoCs (Indicators of Compromise) and other security alerts, is leveraged by Palo Alto Networks Panorama and VM-Series virtual next-generation firewall for protecting the network and enforcing corporate security policies.

NETSCOUT and Palo Alto Networks integrated security architecture in AWS
NETSCOUT and Palo Alto Networks integrated security architecture in AWS

 

Integrated Solution Security Benefits:

  • Streamlined Compliance Management: NETSCOUT, in collaboration with Palo Alto Networks and AWS, reduces the time and complexity associated with creating, reviewing, and consuming compliance reports. By leveraging continuous network visibility and multidimensional threat detection capabilities, financial services institutions (FSIs) can efficiently address regulatory compliance requirements, such as PCI DSS, Bank Secrecy Act, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, and others.
  • Enhanced Security Posture: Through its Omnis vCyberStream network sensors deployed within AWS environments, NETSCOUT enables FSIs to continuously monitor network traffic, and proactively identify and block command and control connections as well as data exfiltration attempts. This proactive approach significantly mitigates the risk of data breaches and ensures robust protection for sensitive PII. Synergistic and foundational to this solution is integration with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series virtual firewall and Panorama. Inline ML and DL algorithms are embedded directly within the core of the NGFW, enabling the VM-Series virtual firewall to make classification decisions at “line speed.” This means the VM-Series can find and block malware in real time, inspecting a file while the content is streaming through the NGFW’s single pass parallel processing (SP3) architecture. Palo Alto Networks unique single pass architecture allows the NGFW to maintain and meet leading performance requirements consistently no matter how many optional Cloud Delivered Security Services (CDSS) subscriptions are simultaneously enabled. To protect against highly sophisticated and complex threats, inline ML and DL analysis are paired with real-time intelligence from the cloud, pushing zero-delay signatures and instructions back to every internet-connected VM-Series in the network to stop attacks and provide automated, intelligent policy recommendations that can be centrally managed by Panorama.
  • Automation of Security Policies: NETSCOUT facilitates the automation of network security policies across new Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) and AWS accounts. By leveraging NETSCOUT's capabilities, FSIs can streamline policy management overhead and enforce consistent security measures, thereby enhancing their overall security posture in the cloud.
  • Enforcing Zero Trust Policies: OCI's integration with the Palo Alto Networks NGFW enables seamless enforcement of Zero Trust policies at the network perimeter. By leveraging the NGFW’s extensive security rules and blocking capabilities, OCI ensures that only authorized traffic is allowed, further enhancing an FSI’s security posture and preventing unauthorized access attempts.
  • Enhances visibility and control within AWS cloud environments: OCI's integration with AWS Security Hub extends OCI network visibility capabilities to cloud workloads leveraging cloud-native security finding aggregation and automated response offered by AWS Security Hub, enabling consistent enforcement of Zero Trust policies within AWS environments.

Business Value for Financial Services Institutions:

Enhanced Security:

By integrating NETSCOUT’s comprehensive Omnis Security solution stack with Palo Alto Networks NGFW in AWS, FSIs can strengthen their security posture, mitigating the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches and assuring compliance. This seamless integration ensures consistent policy enforcement and threat detection across all network environments, enhancing overall security resilience.

Operational Efficiency:

The integrated solution streamlines security operations, reducing the time and resources spent on monitoring, remediation, and policy enforcement. Automated threat detection, dynamic access control, and compliance monitoring processes enable FSIs to proactively address security threats and compliance requirements while minimizing operational overhead.

Cost Savings:

NETSCOUT offers cost savings for FSIs by optimizing resource utilization, minimizing the impact of security incidents, and avoiding costly penalties and reputational damage associated with non-compliance. OCI integration with the Palo Alto Networks Panorama and AWS enhances resource efficiency and scalability, allowing FSIs to adapt to changing business needs without compromising security or performance.

Summary

In summary, NETSCOUT and Palo Alto Networks integrated security solution in AWS empowers Financial Services Institutions to assure cloud security and compliance of their digital transformation initiatives. They can proactively mitigate security risks, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, enforce Zero Trust policies, and maintain the integrity of their cloud infrastructure, thereby safeguarding sensitive financial data and maintaining customer trust.