Cardiff University has consolidated its endpoint security tools into a single platform from Palo Alto Networks to improve threat detection and reduce manual security operations.
Cardiff University has modernised its cybersecurity infrastructure by deploying an integrated security platform from Palo Alto Networks to help protect more than 15,000 students, academics, researchers and professional services staff.
According to the university, the project was undertaken in response to an increasing volume of cyberthreats, with the institution experiencing an attempted cyberattack approximately every 10 seconds. The university said phishing, social engineering and the management of bring your own device (BYOD) environments were among its main security challenges.
To strengthen its security posture, Cardiff University replaced four separate endpoint security products with a single platform based on Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex and Network Security technologies. The deployment is supported by managed detection and response (MDR) services from Unit 42.
The university said the new platform resolved more than 99.99% of approximately 468,000 security cases over a two-month period while reducing the operational workload on its security team.
According to Cardiff University, the implementation enabled three members of the security team to move from day-to-day alert management to strategic cybersecurity projects. The university also deployed Cortex XDR to 10,000 endpoints within 20 days and plans to extend protection to a further 5,000 devices.
Executive reporting from the platform is also being used to provide the university’s board with greater visibility of cybersecurity risks and security operations.
“The number of cyberthreats facing universities is on the rise and attackers are often using AI to cause breaches. These institutions are targeted because they have access to large pools of sensitive data, ranging from credit card details to valuable research,” said Helmut Reisinger, Chief Executive Officer, EMEA, Palo Alto Networks. “Cardiff University came to us with a common but challenging struggle: each time a threat was resolved, a new one appeared. By swapping the complex infrastructure that it was using previously to one integrated and open security platform, the SOC team has been able to free up resources and focus on more strategic tasks.”
Lee Evans, Assistant Director of IT Infrastructure, Cardiff University, said: “We hope never to need to use the Unit 42 Incident Response team to recover from a cybersecurity incident or data breach. However, it provides the reassurance that we can bring in experts if required to help us to recover as soon as possible.”
