Visibility, compliance, and full-spectrum cloud security for ePLDT and their enterprise customers

ePLDT is the industry-leading digital transformation partner of enterprises in the Philippines. Leveraging on the expertise and world-class telecommunication infrastructure of its parent, PLDT Group, ePLDT delivers customized information and communication technology (ICT) services. Through its suite of multicloud and data center solutions, managed services, and cybersecurity capabilities, ePLDT enables enterprises to roll out strategies that will help them achieve their digital transformation ambition.

Alexis Bernardino, Customer Field CISO/Chief Cybersecurity Evangelist at ePLDT, captures the company’s mission succinctly: “Our mission is to provide the best-in-class data center and cloud services anchored in cybersecurity to enterprises in the Philippines as they embark on their digital transformation journey. ePLDT established its own security operations center of SOC in 2016 with a strong and sound cybersecurity practice and has been monitoring the cybersecurity predictive, preventive, detective, and responsive capabilities of the PLDT Group, including its mobile subsidiary, Smart Communications.”

The adoption of newer technologies such as 5G, IoT, hybrid, and multicloud environments has opened up a whole new range of attack entry points and threat vectors for both ePLDT and their enterprise customers. Another challenge that required immediate attention was the increasing need for regulatory compliance for both ePLDT and their customers.

As companies transitioned to the cloud, ePLDT wanted to strengthen its capabilities toward full visibility, elevating the predictive and responsive aspect of the cybersecurity tools in their arsenal. With increasing digital adoption, in both ePLDT and their customers’ environments, there is a paradigm shift from on-premises to the cloud as the physical and virtual worlds merge. “The most critical aspect we needed to address was gaining full visibility across all assets and applications running in hybrid and multicloud environments, so as to prevent breaches. Within ePLDT and across our enterprise customer environments, increased cloud adoption meant misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that needed to be mitigated,” explains Alexis.

As ePLDT focused on strengthening its security posture as well as that of its enterprise customers, they wanted a solution that could meet the following requirements:

• Comprehensive single-pane visibility and cloud compliance across hybrid and multicloud environments
• Consistent security for the network, Azure Stack cloud platform, workloads, and users, assuring enterprise customers of a secure digital transformation journey
• Security consolidation through platform approach
• Regulatory compliance to adhere to data protection standards

Both ePLDT and their enterprise customers are working on hybrid and multicloud environments in parallel. Alexis and his team have been using the Palo Alto Networks solutions and were well aware of their credibility and leadership in the industry. For network, infrastructure, and perimeter security, ePLDT used NGFWs, VM-Series virtual firewalls, and Prisma Access from Palo Alto Networks. To secure their enterprise customers’ cloud transformation journeys, ePLDT and Palo Alto Networks offer Cloud NGFW for AWS (powered by VM-Series virtual firewalls), Prisma Access, and Prisma Cloud.

As the industry’s most complete cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP), Prisma Cloud provides codeto-cloud security in and across any cloud. “Our partnership with Palo Alto Networks has evolved over the years and the company has consistently delivered on their promise. They have been part of our tier 2 perimeter security, protecting our data center. They have also helped strengthen defenses against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across the Philippines through the PLDT and Smart Communications Child Protection Platform,” says Alexis.

As ePLDT looked at Zero Trust strategy implementation, security consolidation through a platform approach was a critical component. ePLDT identified Palo Alto Networks as their partner in the cloud security journey, due to Palo Alto Networks capability to provide end-to-end security for the network, cloud, platform, workload, and user. The solution also assured ePLDT’s enterprise customers of a secure digital transformation journey. “As we help Philippine companies digitally transform their businesses through cloud adoption, they understand the need to approach security more holistically. Prisma Cloud brings that holistic approach to help secure their applications from code development to cloud delivery on a single platform. This makes it very easy to adopt additional security and compliance capabilities without the need for a lot of training,” shares Alexis.

With the Palo Alto Networks solution, ePLDT and its enterprise customers can operate securely in hybrid and multicloud environments. A single pane of glass manages all cloud assets, providing enhanced visibility, helping identify network traffic, and eliminating unused resources, which leads to cost savings. Organizations need to guard against cyberattacks—whether these are attempted or successful—as the consequences range from service disruption, information exfiltration, intellectual property theft, and reputational and/or financial damage.

With Prisma Cloud, the requirements for adopting point solutions into an operational security framework are significantly reduced, leading to cost savings. “Having a secured and highly available infrastructure, whether on-premises or on cloud, translates to operational efficiency and significant dollar saving. The reputational value of partnering with a strong cybersecurity company cannot be measured. This collaboration of ePLDT and Palo Alto Networks is a partnership born in the cloud and forged in cyberspace,” says Alexis.

Platform consolidation, compatibility, and interoperability

With VM-Series virtual firewalls, Prisma Access, and Prisma Cloud, ePLDT has enhanced visibility, cloud compliance, and auditing capabilities across hybrid and multicloud environments within the company and also for their customers. The Palo Alto Networks solution suite consolidates security features and controls, providing a full perspective of security that makes it easier to shift from the network to the cloud. The Palo Alto Networks solution suite extends to different capabilities that can prevent and predict breaches in the future, offering platform consolidation, compatibility, and interoperability with all cloud service providers and applications.

Assurance of a secure digital transformation journey

The partnership applies Palo Alto Networks rich threat intelligence capability, while drawing on the combined expertise and strong cybersecurity operational practice of both ePLDT and Palo Alto Networks. This provides Philippine enterprises the assurance of a smooth and secure transition for their digital transformation and migrations to the cloud.

Currently, ePLDT is undergoing a transformation journey in its cloud and data center, and is looking at implementing a Zero Trust strategy. With Palo Alto Networks, ePLDT can be assured that this can be done with ease and flexibility. Victor S. Genuino, President & CEO at ePLDT shares, “At ePLDT, our success lies in the ability to push boundaries and help our customers embrace digital transformation, while keeping cybersecurity at the forefront. We need to work with a forward-looking cybersecurity partner, which we found in Palo Alto Networks.”

Alexis concludes with some sound advice to CISOs as they make the paradigm shift to the cloud. “As organizations adopt disruptive technologies, cybersecurity should also be top of mind. An end-to-end cybersecurity perspective must be fully considered and realized in this evolution. Inculcate a mindset of vigilance and foresight within your organization as only the cautious survive in this ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.”