Palo Alto’s GM of network security talks power of AI to combat hackers

Heading into 2023 Palo Alto Networks published its What’s Next in Cyber survey based on responses from more than 1,300 C-suite leaders. The report found that the threat landscape

has grown more intense, as 96% say they experienced at least one breach in the last year and in response, 68% expect their security budgets to increase up to 10% in the year

head.SC Media recently spoke with Anand Oswal, senior vice president and general manager of network security at Palo Alto Networks to discuss the survey’s findings. Oswal laid

out how organizations can set priorities for the year ahead, get started with zero trust, and use the power of AI and ML to thwart today’s more sophisticated attacks.The What’s

Next in Cyber survey said 62% of security pros think the board has recognized the importance of cybersecurity as they go through their digital transformations? It's an OK number,

but how can it improve?Business transformation has affected every industry and organization during the pandemic and has led to some good results. I agree with you that the number

is lower than what we would expect, but I think some of it is education and I’m confident that the number will increase. In talking to customers, cybersecurity is now an

important topic. It may not be as high as we’d like it to be, but it is increasing.Ransomware, malicious insiders and DDoS attacks were the top three threat vectors cited for

North America. Do you think that will continue in the year ahead? Those three will continue worldwide. Attackers are growing more sophisticated using the power of AI. The average

ransomware payment has gone up significantly. It’s around money, reputation and being in the news — all negative impacts. On DDoS, we’ve seen that the attackers are getting

more sophisticated, so with DDoS this is also the case as more and more tools are available.With 77% saying they are "highly likely" to reduce the number of security solutions and

services, what do you think those numbers will look like? Today they are at 13.39 vendors and 31.58 security tools/solution.These numbers will continue to decrease. Organizations

are looking to consolidate. They are also looking at best-of-breed capabilities. Having more and more vendors increases the organization’s complexity, it’s not cost-effective,

and not sustainable in the long-term. Many customers are looking to consolidate on a single platform. The vast majority of security pros expect their security budgets to go up

next year. What will be the major priorities?I think people will focus on all aspects of data security, cloud security, and IoT security. You’re seeing more connected devices