Kerry Logistics Network Limited

Kerry Logistics is an Asia-based, global third-party logistics (3PL) provider with the strongest network in Asia. Its core competency is providing highly customized solutions to multinational corporations and international brands to enhance their supply chain efficiency, reduce overall costs, and improve response time to market.

Kerry Logistics has a network covering 53 countries and territories, and is managing 60 million square feet of land and logistics facilities worldwide, providing customers with high reliability and flexibility to support their expansion and long-term growth.

In a growing market, revenue optimization and cost control are key areas of focus. The group may also consider acquisitions and would like to integrate new businesses quickly.

“Effectively, we run three different businesses, each with their own systems requiring different access,” says Edward Tsang, deputy general manager – Information Technology Services for Kerry Logistics. “We need to divide users with different levels of secure access. In security terms, if one business is compromised, we need to limit the exposure to the group.”

The business has seen an increase in the number and sophistication of cyberattacks, according to Tsang, yet it has a limited number of IT security professionals on staff. “From the moment we listed on the stock market in 2013, the attacks have become smarter and more varied.”

Protecting the network is mission-critical. More than 32,000 Kerry Logistics employees are connected to the network; the number of devices—from scanners to tablets to wearable technology—will triple this number. Customers insist on seeing realtime delivery status.

“In logistics, time is the market,” says Tsang. “We can now adopt a Zero Trust approach to security.”

Kerry Logistics initially deployed Palo Alto Networks to protect the internet edge. Tsang says the next step was their data center. “We needed a more powerful gateway for the traffic that passes through our data center in Hong Kong. A Next-Generation Firewall can help us identify and thwart new threats.”

Palo Alto Networks PA-5000 Series Next-Generation Firewalls combine high throughput, advanced visibility, and granular control. These firewalls safely enable applications, users, and content at throughput speeds of up to 20 Gbps.

Kerry Logistics performed a proof of concept with several competing security vendors. “We tested in the real network with real workloads. Palo Alto Networks was the best choice—it proved easy to learn, easy to administer, and effective,” says Tsang.

Simplified Security Management in a Dynamic Industry

Having selected Palo Alto Networks PA-5000 Series Next-Generation Firewalls, Tsang says the deployment has gone smoothly. The group is in the process of adding Panorama™ network security management, simplifying management tasks while delivering comprehensive controls and deep visibility into network-wide traffic and security threats.

The upgrade means Kerry Logistics is faster to spot issues and more efficient in the way it manages its security position, says Tsang. “Palo Alto Networks allows our IT administrators to adapt to a diverse range of scenarios with ease and speed. In a dynamic industry such as logistics, time-saving is everything. It is much faster to review firewall rules. It’s simple to see which rules are being used and which are now obsolete. We can disable obsolete rules and then remove them.”

Tsang adds: “The threats are progressively complicated, using methods we have never seen before. We’re capturing millions of events, but the Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering tools allow us to focus. We can then pass this information on to our security teams for Tier 2 analysis. In addition, Palo Alto Networks provides regular updates on the threat landscape.”

This disciplined approach to security rules also helps Kerry Logistics meet regulatory requirements, including ISO 27001 certification.

There is also long-term assurance. Tsang says the ability to manage Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls in both virtual and on-premises environments makes it extremely attractive, given Kerry Logistics’ cloud-first strategy.

“With the strongest network in Asia, Kerry Logistics has been expanding its presence across the globe. Cloud creates natural advantages, and having the same management platform across all environments is enthusiastically embraced by our administrators. We’re moving workloads from on-premises to public cloud,” says Tsang.

Tsang also says the Palo Alto Networks roadmap offers further opportunities to strengthen the group’s security perimeter. “Palo Alto Networks is constantly developing or acquiring new technology. We’re confident we can enhance our security control. We are also considering Traps for our endpoint protection as well as Cortex XDR.”

Tsang concludes, “We see Palo Alto Networks as a leader in security technology. We have great support and great advice. We prefer to work with vendors like this.”