Remotely Securing the Branch Office

Of course, there’s nothing more complex than IT security. And because hackers know that security in the branch office is generally a lot more relaxed than in headquarters, the branch office has become a favorite target.

To address this specific issue, the folks at Palo Alto Networks have come up with a version of their next-generation firewall, called the PA-200, that has been specifically designed for the branch office and to be easily managed by a new WildFire firewall management service. In addition, the company rolled out a new release of its GlobalProtect access control software that adds support for Apple iPad, Apple iPhone and Apple OS X devices, and a new PAN-OS 4.1 update to its operating system that contains more than 40 new features to streamline workflow and provide better integration with existing networks.

According to Chris King, director of product marketing for Palo Alto Networks, all a company has to do is literally ship a box to the branch office, get the branch office manager to plug it into the network, and the IT organization can remotely make that branch office as secure as any network in the home office.

Next-generation firewalls are a critical technology for shoring up IT defenses in an age where hackers are looking specifically to compromise Web applications. Given all the lightly defended servers that run in branch offices, IT organizations need to figure out a way to secure those environments that doesn’t require a visit from the home office.

The good news is that cloud computing appears to be helping to make that increasingly possible, which should help to increase the overall productivity by eliminating the need for a lot of those trips out to the branch office.