Palo Alto Networks Boosts Cybersecurity Offerings with PAN-OS 8.0

Wazzup PIlipinas!

The Philippines remains to have the fastest GDP growth in Asia with economy growing by 6.8% in 2016 according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. It also is at 3rd spot for having the largest bitcoin users, and with 47 million active Internet and Facebook user, and is at 2nd place for having the most Millennials in ASEAN who are digital natives that embrace the use of online or the Internet integrated with their daily tasks.

Thus, there is no surprise that many Philippine companies are also on their way to include cloud computing among their technology so they could keep up with the rest with regards to being both locally and globally competitive.

With the continuing leap of many businesses towards cloud computing, the threat of cyber attacks becomes more critical especially for companies with large networks. Every Systems Administrator's objective is to keep away any form of unauthorized or suspicious intrusions that could endanger both the data and system of the company they are working for.

One can strengthen the prevention by having a complete visibility of their system or network, reduce the attack surface by proper identification of significant areas to watch out for and protect, and to prevent both known and unknown (zero-day attacks) threats.

Quick response to zero-day attacks could help save a company from losing valuable information to hackers who aim to sabotage companies by using malware, exploits, and new variants, or use the information they would acquire for negative purposes like selling them to competitors.

Palo Alto Networks, led by Kevin Chin, Country Manager of Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam together with Vincent Oh, Director of System Engineering, and Marc Lainez, Solutions Architect based in the Philippines, recently conducted a press briefing to launch their company's biggest product update that offers 70 new cloud features for its next generation security platform.

“The advancements made to the latest version of PAN-OS 8.0 address some of the key challenges customers in the Philippines face in their digital transformation journey. We provide a holistic approach in support of policies and programs in place to prevent successful cyberattacks. We help secure cyberspace so cloud computing can flourish unimpeded and all stakeholders can realize the promises of digital transformation.” says Kelvin Chin, Country Manager of the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Palo Alto Networks areas of innovation include cloud security, multi-method threat prevention, management at scale, new hardware, credential theft prevention which is unique for them and not available from other technology solutions providers.

Below is the official press release from the event so you would get most of the technical details regarding the new features.

Palo Alto Networks Extends Safe Application Enablement and Breach Prevention from the Network to the Cloud with Enhancements to its Next-Generation

Security Platform

New PAN-OS 8.0, Aperture Features and Virtual Firewall Models Enable Customers to Safely Embrace New Cloud Infrastructure; Achieve Security at Speed and Agility of the Cloud

Palo Alto Networks, the next-generation security company, today announced advancements to its Next-Generation Security Platform that extend the ability for customer organizations to safely enable applications, including SaaS options, content and users regardless of location; prevent successful cyberattacks; simplify security operations; and securely embrace the cloud.  

Security demands have evolved as new requirements and risks have been introduced, especially as organizations expand their IT architecture from traditional networks and data centers to private and public or hybrid cloud deployments.

The addition of SaaS application usage to the mix, and the need to secure all these architectures against ever-increasing, sophisticated threats and adversary techniques being used to gain access to assets and data regardless of where they are located – the network, in the cloud, or in SaaS applications – and organizations have a multitude of complex security and operational challenges to address to prevent cyber breaches and achieve the cloud speed and agility promise.

Traditional detect-and-respond approaches, cloud-only security capabilities, and siloed point products offer limited functionality and lack threat context from the network edge or at the user interface. This makes these options ineffective and administratively burdensome; causes holes in an organization’s security posture; and hinders operational agility, especially in cloud deployments.

The natively engineered Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform addresses all these challenges by delivering rich context from multiple points across all IT environments to provide consistent levels of visibility, management and security controls regardless of data location – from the network to the data center and private cloud, in the public cloud, or within SaaS applications.

Building upon existing capabilities in the platform, new advancements included in the Palo Alto Networks platform operating system, PAN-OS® version 8.0, Aperture™ SaaS security service, and new VM-Series virtual firewall models address security needs by extending protections from physical networks to the cloud, further simplifying security operations and infrastructure, and ultimately helping organizations establish an effective and consistent security posture.  

Palo Alto has integrated more than 70 new cloud and SaaS features in this next-generation security platform. The PAN-OS 8.0 feature highlights include the following:

·         Expanded security for public and private clouds, including optimized workflow automation features and integration with native cloud services that ensure the same security measures for a customer's physical environment can be easily applied to Amazon® Web Services, Microsoft® Azure®, or any other cloud. The cloud capabilities enable secure, scalable and resilient cloud-centric architectures with easy orchestration and management for operational agility. 

·         New SaaS application security capabilities, including enhanced visibility and interactive dashboards, new reporting, and automated features like instant quarantine and data sharing limitations. These features increase security, real-time monitoring and compliance enforcement capabilities on cloud-based assets. Additionally, extended application support (Slack and Secure Data Space), language support (German and Japanese) for DLP and machine learning, as well as new data centers in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Singapore), expand global usage and protection options and address regional data privacy needs.

·         Increased performance and three new VM-Series virtual firewall models that have been added to the existing virtual firewall family. The VM-Series, which now includes the new VM-50, VM-500 and VM-700, delivers industry-leading performance options ranging from 200 Mbps up to an industry-leading 16 Gbps of firewall throughput with App-ID enabled to deliver predictable performance in cloud deployments and address a variety of use cases from virtualized branch office to data center and service provider deployments.

Additional threat prevention, management and hardware highlights are also available with the introduction of PAN-OS 8.0. See these related press releases:

·         Palo Alto Networks Raises Bar with New Threat Prevention Capabilities for Its Next-Generation Security Platform

·         Palo Alto Networks Delivers Industry-first Capabilities to Prevent Credential Theft and Abuse

·         Palo Alto Networks Expands Range of Next-Generation Firewall Devices with New Hardware and Virtual Appliances

PAN-OS 8.0 in the Philippines

According to the 2016 Cloud Readiness Index published by the Asia Cloud Computing Association, the Philippines ranked #9 but scored only 3.5 in cybersecurity posture to effectively combat cyberattacks. A robust cloud computing outlook for the Philippines got an even bigger push when the recently-established Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) adopted a cloud-first policy, making the Philippines one of the first countries in the world to do so.

“The advancements made to the latest version of PAN-OS 8.0 address some of the key challenges customers in the Philippines face in their digital transformation journey. We provide a holistic approach in support of policies and programs in place to prevent successful cyberattacks. We help secure cyberspace so cloud computing can flourish unimpeded and all stakeholders can realize the promises of digital transformation.”

-          Kelvin Chin, Country Manager of the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam

PAN-OS 8.0 is now available globally to customers of Palo Alto Networks with a current support contract. 

To learn more about the Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform, visit: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/products/platforms.html. 

TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 Watch Launched in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Seen above is the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 watch as seen at the media launch earlier simultaneous with that in Switzerland. The Manila launch, held at the Atrium of SM Aura in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, was simultaneously happening at other countries where the live streaming could be seen as well featuring the CEO of Tag Heuer himself, Jean-Claude Biver, who was seen as very energetic and enthusiastic of the latest product launched that day which allows customer to customize or personalize their watch.

Also seen at the Switzerland launch were Google and Intel representatives whose brand has formed partnership with Tag Heuer to create this particular innovation in watches. The launch was held at Brunnen, the place where Switzerland was born in 1291.

In Manila, Mr. Romain Cans, TAG Heuer Area Sales Director, introduces to us the watch by showing the one he is currently wearing. More photos will be uploaded at our official Facebook fan page.

The must have customizable smart watch. The possibilities are endless in appearance and functionalities because you basically get to make your own watch. It will carry forward the legacy of the swiss watchmaker, as a watch that is smart and oozes opulence. It's the first luxury connected watch bearing the Swiss Made label. Swiss tradition connected to the future.

With the option of a TAG Heuer Carrera watch face and working chronograph, the TAG Heuer Connected has all the functions of a mechanical watch, and so much more.

Why You Need a License to Practice Real Estate Service in the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As the real estate sector continues to be one of the most buoyant sectors of the Philippine economy, more stringent measures are carefully placed to protect real estate investors and property buyers. In line with this, Republic Act No. 9646 or the Real Estate Service Act of the Philippines, which is more commonly referred to as the RESA Law, was enacted. This is the governing law that must be followed by all real estate professionals practicing in the Philippines.

As stipulated by the RESA Law, real estate brokers, appraisers, assessors, and consultants must all be duly licensed by the Real Estate Board of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). As the purchase of a piece of real estate is an important and expensive transaction, buyers’ interests must always be protected. For example, having a licensed real estate broker transacting on the buyer’s behalf greatly minimizes the risk of the buyer getting taken advantage of.

But more than just being a law-abiding citizen, there are more reasons why a professional license is your best means towards a successful real estate career. To shed some light on this important topic, top property portal Lamudi Philippines, compiles the best benefits of having a professional real estate license.

First and foremost, a PRC-licensed real estate broker is undeniably a more trustworthy agent when it comes to real estate buying. If you are an investor, would you entrust your investment to just anyone else? Credentials such as a PRC license assure buyers that they are dealing with a registered professional and should anything go amiss, they can always file a case in the PRC.

For example, real estate portal Lamudi only allows licensed real estate brokers and developers to post listing on its website. This is a rule that the company has implemented ever since its inception in 2014 functions as a security measure against online scammers and to protect consumers.

With credibility come opportunities. A credible and reputable real estate broker who has served a happy and satisfied clientele has one important advantage over unprofessional ones: the power of word of mouth marketing. Indeed, happy customers are only too happy to refer a great real estate broker to their relatives, friends, and acquaintance.

The road to being a real estate broker is tough and Lamudi Philippines recognizes the hard work and contributions of these important players to the industry. On March 30, 2017, Lamudi Philippines will award the best of the best licensed real estate brokers who are subscribed in the portal. More than 300 brokers will vie for various honors.

“This endeavor of Lamudi is not only aimed to recognizing the excellence of today’s top brokers. The winners will become great examples to their peers and will likewise teach a thing or two to many aspiring property professionals out there,” shared Bhavna Suresh Chathambeth, CEO of both Lamudi Philippines and sister website MyProperty.ph, a long-running local property portal acquired by Lamudi from Summit Media in 2015.

Filinvest is one of the major sponsors in the upcoming prestigious awards night. Other parties interested to partner with Lamudi Philippines in awarding the best brokers are invited to take part in this upcoming event, dubbed Lamudi Philippines Broker Awards Night 2017 to be held at the New World Hotel in Makati. They may contact events@lamudi.com.ph and avail of the early bird promo where they can get 30% discount on all booths if they book before March 6, 2017.