Modernizing networks to scale for growth.
- Existing corporate and store networks were unreliable and prone to outages with frequent downtimes and other performance problems.
- Pace of business expansion was much faster than could be supported with legacy MPLS-based infrastructure.
- Bandwidth requirements at stores kept rising, but existing solutions were difficult and costly to upgrade.
- Need to minimize risk of breach and increase ability to defend against sophisticated and evolving threats.
- Expansion of new business units like AutoNation Finance and AutoNation Mobile Service created diverse operational and security demands.
"At AutoNation, we’re constantly innovating and scaling our business, whether it’s opening new dealerships or integrating new services like mobile repair and financing. We need a partner that can keep pace with our innovation and protect our assets. That partner is Palo Alto Networks."
Adam Rasner
Vice President, Technology Operations, AutoNation
AutoNation’s network security solution was underperforming, burdening staff with frequent outages and performance and scalability issues. IT leadership needed a new approach that could deliver the stability and robust security the company requires for its corporate networks.
The company selected Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) after evaluating several vendors, impressed with the solution’s comprehensive visibility, granular security controls and resiliency. The company tested the firewalls alongside its legacy solution, and the experience gave its teams confidence in the performance of the product. Adam Rasner, Vice President of Technology Operations at AutoNation, recalls that when the company cut over to begin using NGFWs at its data center, “It was a non-event: no more performance issues, no outages. It all just went away.”
To strengthen protection against advanced threats, AutoNation also adopted Cloud-Delivered Security Services, including Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, and WildFire. The combination of hardware firewalls and advanced security services provided comprehensive protection for the company’s corporate network. The new solutions allowed AutoNation to simplify operations by retiring multiple point solutions with a platformization strategy.
Path to platformization
Network security
Next-Generation Firewalls
Hardware Firewalls
Advanced threat protection
Cloud-Delivered Security Services
Branch connectivity
Prisma SD-WAN
Unified management
Strata Cloud Manager
Incident response automation
Cortex XSOAR
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Extending network performance to branches
As AutoNation continued to grow, the accelerating pace of business exceeded the performance of its legacy store networks. Branch locations relied on MPLS connectivity, which was expensive and cumbersome to scale. The company wanted stronger performance and scalability for store networks and more robust security. Increasing cyberattacks targeting the automotive industry, like the one at CDK Global, elevated the need to strengthen the company’s security posture, particularly at its stores. AutoNation was interested in SD-WAN as a way forward after evaluating multiple vendors and running proofs of concept (PoC) to test performance at its stores.
A positive PoC experience and strong evaluation results made Prisma SD-WAN the clear choice. “We became believers in the technology. It delivered on performance,” says Rasner. “SD-WAN was easy to manage and provision, and gave us great network insights.”
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Supporting diverse operational and security requirements
The comprehensive Palo Alto Networks platform gives AutoNation the flexibility and scalability it needs. This means it can easily meet the unique operational and security requirements of expanding business units. -
Seamless launch of new stores
Previously, AutoNation had to wait 60-90 days for new MPLS circuits to come online, but with Prisma SD-WAN, store networks could be operational in just 30 minutes. Rasner confirms, “On Day 1, we’re up and running on the AutoNation network with very minimal challenges—a massive win for us.” -
Flexible and scalable
Prisma SD-WAN’s ease of use also made it straightforward for AutoNation to upgrade bandwidth at its stores. Today, most dealerships rely on 100 Mbps, but some select locations require higher speeds, up to 1 Gbps. Because Prisma SD-WAN ION devices are easy to switch and upgrade, they provide the company with a flexible and more cost-effective solution for scaling bandwidth to meet the growing demands of its business. -
Modernization yields efficiencies and savings
By transitioning to SD-WAN for its retail locations, AutoNation could retire its legacy MPLS, realizing annual savings of $3.5M. “Previously we had so much complexity—slow provisioning and expensive services. Now we can buy cheaper internet from the market, and all those problems have gone away,” Rasner reports. The solution, along with adoption of Strata Cloud Manager (SCM) has also simplified network security management by providing a centralized view of the network’s health. The company also unlocked greater efficiencies by introducing workflow automations with Cortex XSOAR, simplifying its approach to endpoint alert management. Today, AutoNation can optimize traffic at any location quickly, with the ability to pinpoint the source of issues within five minutes or less. As AutoNation continues to grow, the company is confident its network security infrastructure has the flexibility and scalability to keep up with its future ambitions.
"Prisma SD-WAN is in all our stores, our data centers and our clouds. It‘s our core technology. We believe no one will come out with a better platform. That’s why we’re with Palo Alto Networks."
Adam Rasner
Vice President, Technology Operations, AutoNation
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