AI, platformization and crypto-agility define future of cybersecurity

HUZEFA MOTIWALA
SENIOR DIRECTOR, TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS, INDIA AND SAARC,
PALO ALTO NETWORKS

The pace of cyber-attacks today demands a prevention-first mindset, not a repair-later approach. That’s why we’ve embedded AI, machine learning, and automation across our platforms—spanning network security, cloud, and operations—to identify and block threats in real time. Attackers are increasingly leveraging AI, so organizations must counter with continuous, adaptive AI-powered defenses that can detect, prevent, and respond instantly. Our Precision AI strategy, fuelled by rich threat data and automation, helps us protect over 770,000 customers worldwide, including nine of the Fortune 10, by surfacing threats faster and ensuring defenses evolve at the speed of attackers.

Tackling cybercrime with bolt-on, point solutions may appear effective in the short term, but at scale it creates blind spots and inefficiencies. Fragmented security—averaging 83 tools across 29 vendors—is not just inconvenient, it’s dangerous. That’s why our roadmap focuses on platformization, unifying prevention, detection, and response into one architecture. This approach enables enterprises to detect threats 72 days faster and contain them 84 days sooner, with ROI gains of 101%, compared to just 28% for non-platformized peers.

Looking ahead, quantum computing will eventually make today’s public-key cryptography obsolete, so OEMs must prepare now. Our strategy emphasizes true crypto-agility—deploying quantum-safe algorithms aligned with emerging NIST standards, ensuring open interoperability, and enabling seamless, rapid upgrades as threats and standards evolve. Security, therefore, is no longer just a cost center but a powerful strategic enabler for the digital future