Driving Efficiency and Productivity for Government Agencies

The U.S. Government has emphasized a clear priority of modernizing federal technology and software while maximizing governmental efficiency and productivity. To achieve this ambitious goal, government agencies face the dual challenge of enhancing cybersecurity while streamlining operations and managing budgetary constraints.

The High Costs and Risks of Legacy Networks

Legacy network architectures present significant financial and security burdens for government agencies. Traditional architectures, such as multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and virtual private network (VPN), incur substantial annual costs – on average 190% of the cost of business internet for the same amount of bandwidth. These technologies often require legacy Trusted Internet Connections (TICs), which can result in the inefficient routing of traffic from hybrid workers and branch offices to cloud-based applications through agency data centers, introducing delay, congestion and potential points of failure. These substantial investments in conventional technologies divert crucial resources away from modernization efforts.

Beyond the financial implications, legacy networks expose agencies to unacceptable cybersecurity risks. Their inability to adequately inspect encrypted traffic and address sophisticated threats leaves them vulnerable, as highlighted by incidents like the Salt Typhoon attacks. This combination of high costs and increased risk underscores the urgent need for a modern, efficient and secure approach to federal networking and security.

Prisma Access — A Modern Foundation for Government Efficiency and Security

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) has emerged as a transformative strategy to help address these challenges, offering a path toward reduced costs, improved security and the ability to embrace the digital demands of modern government.

Palo Alto Networks Prisma^® Access is a cloud-native secure access service edge (SASE) platform specifically designed to protect today's distributed workforces and cloud-first organizations. Unlike many other SASE vendors, Prisma Access delivers a ZTNA solution that protects all internet, SaaS and private application traffic with best-in-class Cloud-Delivered Security Services (CDSS) and data protection. A GSA savings analysis found that replacing traditional architectures with SASE enables cost avoidance savings of up to 44% for large agencies, 42% for medium, and 33% for small. This unified approach, managed through a single-pane-of-glass, simplifies security operations and enables consistent policy enforcement, aligning perfectly with the U.S. Government’s mission of maximizing governmental efficiency and productivity.

Meeting Critical Cybersecurity Objectives with Prisma Access

Prisma Access empowers federal agencies to meet and exceed their cybersecurity objectives through a comprehensive and integrated security framework:

• Superior Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) – Prisma Access provides fine-grained, least-privileged access to all applications, continuously verifying trust after users connect. This approach significantly reduces the attack surface compared to legacy VPN solutions. In contrast, some competitive solutions may have limitations, such as only supporting client-to-server traffic for private applications without full security inspection unless routed through additional services.
• Consistent Security Inspection – Prisma Access is designed to inspect all traffic, regardless of its direction or origin, uniformly and comprehensively. This includes deep, Layer 7 inspection across all ports and protocols. This consistent inspection helps ensure thorough threat detection and prevention, unlike solutions that may require routing traffic through separate components for different levels of inspection.
• Best-in-Class Security Services – Prisma Access consolidates firewall as a service (FWaaS), cloud secure web gateway (SWG), next-generation cloud access security broker (NG-CASB), and enterprise DLP into a single, unified platform. This integration provides comprehensive protection against a wide range of cyberthreats, from network-based attacks to SaaS application risks and data exfiltration attempts.
• Alignment with Federal Requirements – Prisma Access is built with federal government requirements in mind, supporting key initiatives, like TIC 3.0 and ZTA. Its architecture and features are designed to help agencies meet the stringent security standards mandated by the U.S. Government.

Lowering Costs and Improving User Experience for Federal Agencies

On top of a world-class cybersecurity framework, Prisma Access can also deliver significant cost efficiencies and enhance the user experience, directly supporting the U.S. Government’s goals to drive better cybersecurity outcomes while rationalizing costs:

• Cloud-Native Efficiency – As a fully cloud-delivered service, Prisma Access works with existing network security infrastructure to provide a seamless user experience and flexibility regardless of user type, location or need with high levels of resiliency. It reduces capital expenditures, lowers operational overhead (including power, cooling and maintenance), and frees up IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives.
• Simplified Management – The centralized management provided by Panorama simplifies policy creation, deployment and enforcement across the entire hybrid enterprise. This single-pane-of-glass visibility reduces administrative complexity, minimizes errors and improves the overall security posture.
• Exceptional User Experience – Prisma Access provides high performance and low latency through its globally distributed points of presence (PoPs), built on hyperscale cloud infrastructure. Backed by industry-leading SLAs for uptime and connectivity, Prisma Access delivers a seamless and reliable user experience, crucial for maximizing workforce productivity. Features like App Acceleration, further optimize application performance for distributed workers.
• Support for Distributed Workforces – The GlobalProtect app provides secure and seamless connectivity for users regardless of their location or device. This robust support, regardless of workforce location, is essential for modern government operations, ensuring productivity without compromising security.

Delivering Exceptional Value and Future-Proofing Federal IT

By choosing Prisma Access, federal agencies can gain a future-proof security solution that delivers exceptional value. Built on a hyperscale cloud foundation, Prisma Access can dynamically scale resources up or down based on-demand, with consistent performance even during peak usage. This inherent scalability and the underlying resilient infrastructure of major cloud providers supplies high availability and business continuity. The breadth and depth of security services integrated within the platform provide a holistic approach to cybersecurity, reducing the need for multiple point solutions and simplifying the security architecture.

Palo Alto Networks is committed to continuous innovation, ensuring that Prisma Access evolves to address emerging threats and meet the ever-changing needs of the federal government, offering a superior solution for government agencies seeking to enhance their cybersecurity posture, lower costs and improve the user experience. Cloud-native architecture, comprehensive security services, simplified management and commitment to meeting federal requirements make it the ideal platform for implementing zero trust and future-proofing federal IT infrastructure. By choosing Prisma Access, government agencies can confidently navigate the complexities of the modern digital landscape, deliver exceptional value to citizens, and help ensure a more secure and efficient future. We invite you to learn more about how Prisma Access can help your agency achieve its modernization and security objectives by downloading our comprehensive resources or contacting our dedicated government team.