One of the largest 5G network operators in Canada selected Palo Alto Networks to secure its 5G stand-alone core and IoT infrastructure, focusing on adopting a zero-trust approach.

Telus will use the security vendor’s hardware and software firewalls to protect high-capacity network interfaces across its 5G stand-alone core and internet perimeter while providing security to its IoT customers. 

“The 5G market is rapidly evolving, propelling innovations through data insight and AI, and it is critical that we implement robust solutions that allow for flexible growth, without compromising security,” Telus CTO Ibrahim Gedeon said in a statement. 

“As 5G adoption continues, it is important that carriers prioritize protecting their networks and customers. We believe 5G networks designed with enterprise-grade security will enable today's enterprises to confidently deploy new applications and IoT services utilizing 5G to maximize their business value,” echoed Anand Oswal, SVP of network security at Palo Alto Networks. 

Palo Alto Networks provides containerized 5G security via its virtualized and containerized firewalls, real-time correlation of threats to 5G users and devices, and 5G network slice security. It also incorporates a zero-trust approach to further reduce risk. 

“The proliferation of devices, the massive increase in intelligence at the network edge, and multi-tenancy and multi-cloud deployments are the significant difficulties that lead to a perfect storm of security risk in 5G enterprise deployments,” the vendor wrote in a recent blog post. 

To mitigate this, Palo Alto Networks extends zero-trust principles across the full ecosystem of controls including network, endpoint, cloud, application, IoT, and identity, the vendor claims.

“Securing 5G requires a zero-trust approach to protect all elements of the mobile network across key network interfaces, cloud workloads, and user traffic,” Oswal said in a statement. 

To complement the zero-trust approach for the cloud-native mobile infrastructure, Telus will also use Palo Alto Networks’ cloud workload protection platforms (CWPP) for its cloud-native network functions (CNF).

Telus is not the first operator to partner with Palo Alto Networks for cloud security. Last year, Dish network also announced plans to tap the security giant for container security, secure network slicing, real-time threat correlation, and dynamic security enforcement, using the security vendor’s VM-series and CN-series next-generation firewalls and Prisma Cloud security platform. 

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