Palo Alto Networks and VMware have announced a partnership backed by a new jointly-developed solution. The integrated solution will enable customers to use the VMware NSX network virtualization platform to automate provisioning and distribution of Palo Alto Networks network security in their software-defined data centers.
Security provisioning and change management is an operational challenge for today’s dynamic cloud server environments. Network security configuration and policy assignment can be slow, rigid and lag behind the pace and ease of application provisioning. At the same time, a next-generation security platform – where security policies are tied to applications, users and data – would be a growing requirement for an effective cyber security strategy.
Recognizing these changing requirements, Palo Alto Networks and VMware have partnered to deliver an integrated solution that 
combines the Palo Alto Networks VM-Series virtualized security platform with the VMware NSX network virtualization platform. With this joint solution, customers would be able to unify next-generation network security across their physical and virtual server environments with a single point of management. The integrated solution is now in beta with general availability planned in the first half of 2014.
The offering would help accelerate the delivery of next-generation security services to support virtual application deployments, speeding what has traditionally been a manual and time-consuming process that can delay virtual application deployments as much as two months for some enterprises.
Additional functionality of the new solution includes:
- Automated provisioning of advanced network services
- A consistent network security model that protects against cyber threats – known and unknown – across both physical and virtual workloads
- Native segmentation of virtual machines into virtual networks
- Transparent traffic steering and enforcement at the virtual interface
- Fine-grained visibility into applications, users and content associated with virtual machine context
- Context-sharing across virtual infrastructure and security management platforms
- Separation of duties between server, network and security IT administrators
