As enterprises push the boundaries of technology, Palo Alto Networks stands out as a leader in cybersecurity transformation, innovating toward an autonomous operations future. Steering this transformation is Suresh Sangiah, Senior Vice President at Palo Alto Networks, who has brought his deep expertise and strategic vision to guide one of the most significant transformations in the company’s history. At the PM 5 Talk, Sangiah spoke candidly about the journey of transitioning from traditional operations to a sophisticated, autonomous system—an endeavor rooted in both technological prowess and human adaptability.

Sangiah’s experience spans several acquisitions and integrations of new services, each of which has been pivotal in shaping the current capabilities of Palo Alto Networks. His insights shed light on the layered complexities of building autonomous systems in cybersecurity, highlighting both the technological advancements and cultural shifts required. Join us as we dive into the journey Palo Alto Networks has undertaken, moving from cloud beginnings to a unified, AI-driven autonomous operation, with insights from Suresh Sangiah’s expertise and vision.

Watch the full talk here.

Overview of Company and Growth

Palo Alto Networks, once recognized primarily as a firewall company, has since redefined itself as a leader in cloud-native security solutions. Under Suresh Sangiah’s guidance, the organization has accelerated its cloud services while also leading multiple acquisitions to reinforce its mission. Sangiah’s team now drives 80% of the company’s revenue—a testament to its influence and responsibility in shaping the company’s direction.

Key Challenges:

• Merging new acquisitions and their backends into a single, cohesive platform.
• Ensuring a smooth transition from manual workflows to autonomous systems across critical areas.

This transformation illustrates the depth of Palo Alto Networks' adaptability, especially when faced with the rapid market changes spurred by the pandemic, which demanded operational agility to support a surge in demand for remote security.

The Unequally Distributed Future

Sangiah’s vision for autonomy at Palo Alto Networks recognizes that the journey is far from complete. Autonomy may define the future, but it’s not yet a universal reality across every function. Sangiah notes that building autonomy requires not only tools and technologies but also transforming people’s approach to work and redefining traditional processes.

Human-Centric Challenges:

• Convincing experienced staff that automation is the pathway to scale without compromising quality.
• Training engineers in new skills, as autonomy requires specific technical expertise not always present in traditional operations.

This journey toward autonomy highlights the company’s commitment to evolving its workforce and fostering a culture where employees embrace new methods to achieve efficiency and resilience.

Challenges of Building Autonomy

The path to autonomy involves reshaping not only the technology stack but also the people and processes behind it. Sangiah emphasized that getting the operations team, who are used to manual, hero-driven approaches, to trust in automated workflows is one of the biggest challenges.

Cultural and Operational Adjustments:

• Overcoming the mindset that autonomy reduces the need for human expertise.
• Creating a structured pathway for teams to gradually adapt to autonomous workflows.

Transitioning from traditional operations to an autonomous model is a significant shift, one that relies on instilling confidence in new systems while maintaining operational integrity. Sangiah’s focus is on transforming Palo Alto Networks’ culture and operations to see autonomy as a partnership with technology, not a replacement.

Platformization and Backend Implications

One of Palo Alto Networks' major undertakings has been unifying its offerings under a single, highly reliable platform, requiring every acquired company and new service to integrate seamlessly. This platformization journey means establishing a standardized five-nines (99.999%) service reliability across the entire system, a crucial metric in ensuring uninterrupted service for customers.

Backend Unification Efforts:

• Standardizing services across all acquisitions to prevent silos and inconsistencies.
• Rigorous backend integration to align with the platform’s reliability standards.

Achieving such a high degree of reliability across diverse systems speaks to the company's commitment to operational excellence. Each new service must meet the same stringent standards, ensuring that customers experience seamless and dependable service.

Real-Time Security and Latency Management

For Palo Alto Networks, security is paramount, and delivering it in real-time is essential. Sangiah explained that their service’s purpose is to maintain the security of SaaS applications, private networks, and remote work access without compromising on latency, as customers rely on immediate, secure access to critical applications.

Security Layers:

• URL filtering and DNS security to protect users accessing remote resources.
• Continuous latency management to prevent performance slowdowns that disrupt user experience.

Balancing high-level security measures with real-time efficiency requires precision, as any delays can affect users’ productivity. Sangiah’s approach ensures that security remains robust without becoming a barrier to seamless operations.

Application Acceleration and Telemetry Analysis

Using telemetry data, Palo Alto Networks enhances user experience by predicting and preloading resources based on user patterns. This preemptive approach, supported by their advanced cloud infrastructure, optimizes application access and reduces wait times.

Optimized Access & Performance:

• Network optimization to manage packet delays and ensure smooth connectivity.
• Application preloading based on behavioral insights to improve load times for frequently accessed resources.

This level of user-centered optimization not only improves customer satisfaction but also demonstrates the company’s commitment to leveraging data for a more intuitive experience.

Support Automation with Copilots

Palo Alto Networks' support teams are now empowered by "copilots," AI-driven assistants designed to automate support processes. Copilots interpret queries, analyze backend information, and provide summaries, freeing human agents to focus on more complex tasks and improving the speed of resolutions.

Automated Support Process:

• Copilots can parse natural language queries and generate database responses.
• User feedback, like thumbs-up and thumbs-down, continually refines the AI’s effectiveness.

These copilots enable faster, more accurate support, which enhances the customer experience while helping the team handle a higher volume of cases.

Internal vs. External Use Cases

Sangiah notes the distinct approaches needed for internal versus external AI applications. While internal applications offer flexibility for experimentation, external use cases must meet rigorous standards to prevent any risks that could affect customers.

Differentiated Approaches:

• Internal AI applications are used for backend automation and insights.
• External applications undergo thorough testing to ensure data security and reliability.

The company’s commitment to responsible AI underscores its dedication to maintaining trust and transparency with its customers.

Building Autonomous Systems

The end goal for Palo Alto Networks is an advanced, autonomous system that minimizes human intervention while maintaining security and reliability. Sangiah and his team have partnered with AI companies like Sedai, collaborating to build systems that proactively detect issues and trigger automated resolutions.

Core Components of Autonomy:

• Advanced telemetry collection to preemptively identify potential disruptions.
• AI-driven alerts and auto-remediations, minimizing the need for manual interventions.

Sangiah sees autonomy as a collaborative journey between human expertise and machine intelligence. For his team, autonomy doesn’t imply replacing humans; instead, it means equipping them with robust tools for scalable, sustainable growth.

Conclusion

Palo Alto Networks’ journey towards autonomy is a bold leap, a fusion of technological innovation and human resilience. Under Suresh Sangiah’s guidance, the company has embraced a path of gradual yet impactful change, implementing AI to automate processes, reduce latency, and enhance customer experience. With partnerships, like the one with Sedai, they are not only setting a foundation for autonomy but also creating an environment where human expertise is amplified by intelligent systems.

The future of cybersecurity is autonomous, and Palo Alto Networks is at the forefront of making it a reality. Their journey reminds us that autonomy is as much about empowering people as it is about advancing technology, ensuring that every layer of operations is resilient, reliable, and ready for the future.