Palo Alto Networks Inc. today announced new security capabilities that are aimed at preparing enterprises for the looming quantum computing era while bolstering defenses for increasingly complex multi-cloud and artificial intelligence environments.

The new offerings, part of the PAN-OS 12.1 “Orion” release, are designed to give organizations visibility into cryptographic risks, automate remediation and deliver high-performance post-quantum encryption.

Leading the releases is the introduction of the Quantum Readiness Dashboard, a dashboard that provides real-time inventory of cryptographic assets, compliance validation and inline remediation. For applications that don’t natively support quantum-safe encryption, this release introduces cipher translation, which instantly upgrades any application to be quantum-safe.

The company is also introducing Quantum-Optimized Hardware, 14 new 5th-generation Next-Generation Firewall models that are engineered for high-performance processing of post-quantum cryptography to future-proof security investments.

“The quantum threat to encryption is no longer theoretical, it’s an inevitability that demands action now,” explains Anand Oswal, senior vice president and general manager of Network Security at Palo Alto Networks. “With these latest innovations, we are pioneering the defense for this new era.”

Palo Alto Networks argues that in today’s complex multi-cloud and AI-driven landscape, organizations need intelligent and agile security more than ever and the latest innovations address this need by “delivering on a bold new vision for cloud network security.” Cloud and AI Risk Assessment continuously assesses every cloud and AI asset for risks from weak or missing protection, highlighting where security controls are needed for optimal.

Software Firewall, Cloud Firewall and Prisma AIRS instances are now automatically deployed and all cloud infrastructure is configured to steer traffic, including a secure multi-cloud networking mesh. The platform automatically scales as needed and load balancing is integrated natively, eliminating the need for additional point products and streamlining operations.

In addition to its quantum readiness and multi-cloud security updates, PAN-OS 12.1 Orion expands Palo Alto Networks’ Precision AI capabilities across the enterprise, delivering new proactive detection and defense tools.

New tools include the Advanced DNS Security Resolver, which offers resolver-based deployment for faster and broader DNS threat detection, integrated with Strata Cloud Manager for centralized policy control. The update also debuts Device Security, an evolution of its IoT Security platform, enabling discovery, assessment, and protection for all managed, unmanaged and IoT devices.

Operationally, PAN-OS 12.1 Orion strengthens ease of management through Strata Cloud Manager with new tools for effortless migration from Panorama, real-time zero trust policy optimization, centralized compliance enforcement and AI-powered health monitoring across six critical operational categories.

Photo: Palo Alto Networks