Taking security beyond regulatory compliance
The merchant banking group has an increasingly complex network with a vastly expanded volume of endpoints and applications. It’s also locked in an intense battle for technological superiority with well-funded, highly motivated hackers. With strict compliance regulations demanding watertight security and complete visibility – and digital-only challenger banks competing for a share of the market – the group needed an integrated approach to security, encompassing users, data, devices, and applications.
The merchant banking group needed to:
- Modernise security infrastructure.
- Enable hybrid working.
- Protect fast-evolving cloud applications and services.
- Adapt faster to new market opportunities.
“Palo Alto Networks is one of our most trusted and innovative technology partners. The people, technology, and processes combine to make a winning formula – one that is helping the bank modernise, be more agile, and deliver innovative new banking services more quickly.”
Head of Infrastructure and Engineering,
UK merchant banking group
Building security into every initiative
The merchant banking group has now adopted a platform approach to cybersecurity, using the connected Palo Alto Networks network security and cloud-native application protection platforms to prevent unauthorised access to systems and protect sensitive data.
“The implementation was incredibly fast. Previously, we would have dealt with multiple different firewall policies and interfaces. With Palo Alto Networks, it’s all preconfigured and connected. And it’s managed centrally through the Panorama console. For example, when we drop a firewall into a new branch, we can be live in a couple of hours,” says the banking group’s Head of Infrastructure and Engineering.
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Supports modern, agile banking operations
The merchant banking group no longer manages a suite of different, disconnected security silos. Telemetry is coordinated, and everyday processes are integrated. This way, the team can shift from routine administrative tasks to focus on strategic security tasks geared to customer experience and business growth.
This modern, centrally managed cybersecurity platform also protects critical systems, scales easily, and enables other technologies to be integrated fast.
“If we see something, we can react to it almost immediately. Before, we didn’t have that capability. With Palo Alto Networks, the speed to insight is phenomenal,” adds the Head of Infrastructure and Engineering.
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Reduces risk and enables compliance
Platformization provides complete, unified visibility into threats and vulnerabilities. By simplifying the security stack and automating response, the banking group is able to react faster to change, reduce risk, and enable compliance.
The Head of Infrastructure and Engineering comments, “For example, during the Log4j vulnerability, the firewalls were immediately updated, safeguarding the bank and ensuring uninterrupted service to our customers.”
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Secures the remote workforce
A Palo Alto Networks SASE platform was deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow staff to securely work remotely.
“When the pandemic struck, the number of users on GlobalProtect quadrupled. We were considering adding a new firewall stack to improve the performance when Palo Alto Networks offered us a free Prisma Access trial. It was a lightning bolt moment. All 4,000 staff now connect and work remotely and easily,” adds the Head of Infrastructure and Engineering.
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Rapid deployment and proactive ongoing support
Palo Alto Networks built the Prisma Access gateway on the Saturday and tested it on the Sunday. It went live on the Monday – without any disruption. Having both Prisma Access and the next-generation firewalls managed with a unified solution also simplifies the security management while raising the bar in security policies.
“The Palo Alto Networks account team has been fantastic. From day one, they understood our requirements and guided us through the implementation. Overall, they helped reduce our deployment workload by about 30%. And everything is best practice,” comments the Head of Infrastructure and Engineering.
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