Orange Business leads team to deliver cloud-native managed SASE to enterprises

Orange Business, Orange Cyberdefense and global cyber security provider Palo Alto Networks have joined forces to deliver a managed secure access service edge (SASE) solution that they say will  meets enterprise customers’ most demanding networking and security requirements with high performance, simplicity, and zero-trust network access 2.0.

Outlining the rationale for the launch, the firms said the shift to working from anywhere, the extension of software-defined networking and the rapid adoption of cloud connectivity was enabling global enterprises to drive new levels of productivity and efficiency. Yet they also warned that as they redesign their distributed network infrastructure to meet the demands of hybrid workers and cloud computing, their attack surface expands and they become increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats.

By combining Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE (Prisma Access + Prisma SD-WAN), with the connectivity and digital integration capabilities of Orange Business, along with the managed secure access service by Orange Cyberdefense, customers can meet this challenge with a fully managed SASE solution that delivers a secure foundation for agile, cloud-enabled organisations.

Building on trusted next-generation connectivity solutions, the project will see Orange Business orchestrate networks, cloud and cyber security components to combine customers’ business strategy with their infrastructure strategy. Evolution Platform is the foundation for a secured, flexible, and virtualised ecosystem. Orange Cyberdefense’s threat intelligence backbone, complemented with capabilities and expertise including detection and response, will be deployed to help organisations achieve better security outcomes.

Palo Alto’s Prisma SASE is described as a complete AI-powered SASE solution that combines network security, SD-WAN and autonomous digital experience management (ADEM) into a single cloud-delivered service, which enhances security and reduces complexity.

“As organisations adopt new cloud-based technologies to increase productivity, improve efficiency and deliver new services, an implied consequence is an expanding digital attack surface,” said Helmut Reisinger, CEO of EMEA and LATAM at Palo Alto Networks, commenting on the partnership and what it will set out to achieve.

“Improving cyber resilience has never been more challenging, so by combining our SASE solution with the services and management capabilities of Orange into a single platform, we are empowering our customers with industry-leading networking and security that is simple to deploy, easy to scale and manage, and delivers the best performance in the industry.”

Aliette Mousnier-Lompre, CEO of Orange Business, added: “With more and more enterprises moving their operations to the cloud and taking a digital-first approach, our customers must adopt zero-trust security. 

“Converging networks and security in an agile, simple, and cost-effective way is what our customers demand. Together with Palo Alto Networks and Orange Cyberdefense, we are delivering a fully converged and managed SASE offering that delivers a positive impact for our global customers.”

Hugues Foulon, CEO of Orange Cyberdefense, said: “Organisations are looking to securely adopt new technologies and modern ways of working without compromising security, visibility, and end user experience. With many adopting a best-of-platform approach, we help our customers to simplify the delivery of consistent security at scale.”

The solution has already been picked up in real-world applications by mineral-based mining company Imerys, which was said to be looking to accelerate its cloud transformation. It is using an agile infrastructure to transform its IT infrastructure to support its business growth, while ensuring the highest level of global security through the managed SASE solution.

The company is said to have used the new SASE solution to help reduce costs by reducing its number of suppliers and to ease its M&A activity. Imerys is said to have chosen the SASE solution based on Orange Business and Orange Cyberdefense capabilities to create a secure, global, cloud-ready network, while smoothly migrating its current infrastructure.