Sheffield Hallam University Enhances Security with Khipu & Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks™, the network security company, has announced that Sheffield Hallam University has signed a five year contract to replace its existing perimeter security infrastructure and provide secure remote access to all 41,000 staff and students. Two Palo Alto Networks PA-5050 next-generation firewalls have been deployed at diverse data centres to provide full application usage visibility, threat control and intrusion prevention systems across the university’s entire network. One of the largest and most diverse educational institutions in the UK, Sheffield Hallam University has over 37,000 enrolled students across four faculties. Over 4,000 of these are international students, from 119 different countries. The university was looking to overhaul its security system and reduce the number of security devices currently deployed across its network.

The university chose the Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewall solution as it allows network administrators to safely enable the use of a vast range of applications across the network and also provide granular policy-based control of all users. In addition to the core solution, Sheffield Hallam University has also implemented Global Protect, which provides secure compliant remote access for all users regardless of location. The next-generation firewall solution was installed by systems integrator Khipu Networks. Specialising in network security, Khipu Networks has extensive experience in successful security implementations in government, education and corporate settings. “Universities tend to be particularly diverse environments, and in Sheffield Hallam’s case, with such a large number of international students, even more so. We needed to implement a flexible security infrastructure that can accommodate the use of a wide range of applications without exposing the network to potential threats”

Dave Spence, Account Manager of Khipu Networks.

“With Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation firewall it is possible to provide the high level of security required of an educational institution without putting in place draconian restrictions on staff and students in terms of what applications they can and can’t use.” Sheffield Hallam is also one of the first universities in the UK to take advantage of WildFire, Palo Alto Networks’ cloud-based unknown threat detection technology. WildFire automatically detects malicious files by executing them in a virtualised cloud-based environment, even if the malware has not previously been detected by security researchers. If malicious behaviour is detected, WildFire can stop further distribution of the files throughout the network by issuing security signatures. “Universities often pose a unique set of challenges for network security professionals,” said Karl Driesen, VP EMEA, Palo Alto Networks. “It can be difficult to balance the needs of the staff and students to freely access information while protecting sensitive data from a wide range of threats. Palo Alto Networks’ technology gives network administrators the power to analyse network traffic and application use by user and to control against suspicious behavior without restricting access to all users across the network.”

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks™ is the network security company. Its innovative platform allows enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure their networks and safely enable the increasingly complex and rapidly growing number of applications running on their networks. The core of the Palo Alto Networks platform is its Next-Generation Firewall, which delivers application, user, and content visibility and control integrated within the firewall through its proprietary hardware and software architecture. Palo Alto Networks products and services can address a broad range of network security requirements, from the data center to the network perimeter, as well as the distributed enterprise, which includes branch offices and a growing number of mobile devices. Palo Alto Networks products are used by more than 10,000 customers in over 100 countries.

For more information, visit http://www.paloaltonetworks.com.

About Sheffield Hallam University

Sheffield Hallam University is one of the UK’s largest universities with more than 37,000 students, around 27,000 of which are undergraduates. The University runs approximately 580 different courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The University is also England’s largest provider of courses that involve work placements (such as a year in industry). Developing employability skills are a key element of the University’s courses, and 91% of graduates are in work or further study six months after graduation.

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About Khipu Networks

Khipu Networks are a Cyber Security Solutions provider who have a large presence within the Education Sector, providing Network Access, Visibility and Control solutions. With over 10 years’ experience and 400+ Education customer deployments, we have specialist expertise in meeting the challenges when providing an open, flexible but secure network environment to students, staff and visitors.