New services reduce complexity and improve visibility across IT networks

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) are collaborating to deliver joint secure access service edge (SASE) solutions powered by Palo Alto Networks® AI-powered Prisma® SASE, enabling organizations to improve their cyber resilience and accelerate business transformation efforts.

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New services improve cyber resilience by reducing complexity and enhancing visibility across IT networks. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The transition to remote work and multi-cloud environments means that users, applications and data are distributed across multiple networks, resulting in increased risk and complexity. SASE solutions, which are cloud-based, provide highly granular authentication and authorization, giving organizations a better understanding of the users in their environments and enabling them to control what applications and systems can be accessed.

“Organizations are seeking to reduce the risk of managing their increasingly complex IT environments—in which new technology is layered on top of legacy infrastructure—while ensuring business resilience,” said Rex Thexton, who leads Accenture’s cybersecurity protection business. “We’re excited about expanding our partnership with Palo Alto Networks to offer clients an efficient way to adopt SASE solutions, regardless of where they are in their resilience journey.”

Prem Iyer, SVP Ecosystems, Palo Alto Networks, said, “SASE represents a logical step in the evolution of enterprise data networks and is key to building the enterprise of the future, with continuous security delivered at scale. By combining our expertise with that of Accenture, we have the opportunity to deliver innovative solutions that provide granular visibility into each connection and user on the network, facilitating easier and more effective management of distributed and dispersed workforces.”

The joint solutions provide significant benefits for organizations. They offer rapid transformations through reduced complexity and greater efficiencies with fewer vendors, tools and technology stacks as well as improved visibility with fully integrated threat prevention security. This SASE offering with integrated services includes:

• SASE Diagnostic and Advisory Services: These help clients reimagine their network security architecture and expedite cloud adoption. Services include environment assessment and recommendations for the most appropriate Zero Trust and SASE approach, leveraging a data-driven diagnostic tool to identify the right network architecture to improve the organization’s security postures in cloud-native and hybrid IT environments. The tool also helps optimize processes, rationalize legacy network stacks, and simplify network security operations.
• SASE Implementation Services: These comprehensive services for secure network modernization and edge security—from design to deployment—help organizations unlock digital transformation opportunities and define a smooth path to Zero Trust. They cover network segmentation and edge security using Palo Alto Networks’ SASE solution, which helps ensure the security of users and branch offices while also prioritizing user experience. This solution can cover both the SSE to support remote workers as well as SD-WAN for branch offices.
• SASE-as-a-Managed-Service: Enterprises benefit from an end-to-end offering with Prisma SASE with zero trust network access (ZTNA 2.0) as the secure foundation for an agile, cloud-enabled organization. The solution includes a cloud-managed wide-area networking (WAN) component to leverage the major cloud providers’ global networks based on Palo Alto Networks technology. The service provides the scalability and advanced security capabilities required to create trusted networks, while reducing upfront investment costs and optimizing network and security operations for greater agility, and reliability.

Working with Accenture and Palo Alto Networks, Comcast Business is leveraging Prisma SASE solutions to help protect their network assets across a dynamic workplace that spans office, remote and cloud environments.

“Comcast Business is committed to leveraging a SASE framework to bring compelling network and security solutions to our customers—and our collaboration with Accenture and Palo Alto Networks expands our capability to do so," said Shena Seneca Tharnish, VP of Cybersecurity Products, Comcast Business. "By providing a cloud-delivered security platform, Comcast Business is able to protect business applications from the branch office and extend that protection to users working from anywhere.”

Accenture is also adopting core components of Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma^® Access and Prisma^® Cloud solutions as part of its strategy to enhance security for its client-centric workforce, many of whom work remotely.

Palo Alto Networks was recently named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Security Service Edge (SSE) as well as a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SD-WAN.

Learn more about Accenture and Palo Alto Networks.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com

Accenture Security is a leading provider of end-to-end cybersecurity services, including strategy, protection, resilience and industry-specific cyber services. We bring security innovation, coupled with global scale and a worldwide delivery capability through our network of Cyber Fusion Centers. Helped by our team of highly skilled professionals, we enable clients to innovate safely, build cyber resilience and grow with confidence. Follow us @AccentureSecure on Twitter, LinkedIn or visit us at accenture.com/security.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is the world’s cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyberthreats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide next-gen cybersecurity to thousands of customers globally, across all sectors. Our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by state-of-the-art automation. Whether deploying our products to enable the Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security incident, or partnering to deliver better security outcomes through a world-class partner ecosystem, we’re committed to helping ensure each day is safer than the one before. It’s what makes us the cybersecurity partner of choice.

At Palo Alto Networks, we’re committed to bringing together the very best people in service of our mission, so we’re also proud to be the cybersecurity workplace of choice, recognized among Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplaces (2021 and 2022), Comparably Best Companies for Diversity (2021), and HRC Best Places for LGBTQ Equality (2022). For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks, Prisma, and the Palo Alto Networks logo are registered trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. Any unreleased services or features (and any services or features not generally available to customers) referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available (or are not yet generally available to customers) and may not be delivered when expected or at all. Customers who purchase Palo Alto Networks applications should make their purchase decisions based on services and features currently generally available.

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