The challenge of finding out who’s best equipped to handle the plethora of security threats faces every enterprise firm. Barracuda Networks, Inc. is forging a path in public cloud security, as well as on premises and general web security. How is this centralized approach to security working?

John Furrier and Brian Gracely, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, were joined by Steve Pao, general manager of Security Business for Barracuda Networks, Inc., who shares some of what gives his firm an edge.

Basic to advanced

The foreseeable future contains a great deal of security challenges that need to be met. These threats range from “basic-level protection from SQL injections to more advanced distributed denial of service attacks,” according to Pao, Barracuda can handle these threats in all spaces, including the public cloud where Pao said it has a notable competitive edge over other firms.

It does this by applying a web application-based firewall on the public cloud, as well as on premises. This actually creates a “centralized approach” where the same security policy can be utilized both in the cloud and at the facility, ultimately uniting the manufacturing floor with the office.

Next generation

Pao suggested that the next generation of firewalls needs to have traffic prioritization and securitization at its core, especially as it relates to the “far end.” The public cloud often times is much faster than the “far end,” such as the manufacturing floor-type scenario mentioned previously. Additionally, businesses aren’t quick to implement the highly secure “direct connect” approach, as that’s difficult and costly. Instead, Pao suggested that there’s going to be some on-premises information that needs to be protected and some public cloud. This would suggest that Barracuda’s central approach might give the company a lead in the next generation of firewalls going forward.

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Amazon re:Invent 2015. And join in on the conversation by CrowdChatting with theCUBE hosts.

Photo by SiliconANGLE