It\u2019s exciting to see the continued momentum of 5G in transforming industries. Do you remember when 3G and 4G first came into the picture? They unlocked opportunities for mobile broadband and video streaming. Now, 5G makes it possible for businesses like yours to connect more devices, enhance decision-making, improve operational efficiency and drive growth.<\/p>\n
However, the real breakthrough is in the convergence of technologies that are coming together to supercharge 5G business transformation across our most critical infrastructure, industrial businesses and governments. This includes 5G coming of age at the same time as AI, bringing together lightning fast connectivity with intelligence. At the same time, IT and OT are coming together, creating new opportunities for efficiency, productivity and agility between traditionally siloed systems.<\/p>\n
This unprecedented convergence is driving a transformation that will create profound shifts in how businesses and industries operate. And we are right in the middle of it. Let me give you a few examples of this in action:<\/p>\n
These 5G-fueled digital transformations are filled with opportunities but also bring risks. I don\u2019t need to tell you that more devices connected to a network equal an increased attack surface. And you don\u2019t need to be a cybersecurity professional to see how the high-speed data transfer capabilities of 5G can help cybercriminals exfiltrate large volumes of data quickly.<\/p>\n
Instead, I want you to think about the Chinese nation-state threat actor group Salt Typhoon<\/a>. It is still under investigation, but we know that as early as 2023, this group began breaching telecommunications companies around the world. They gained full access to internal systems and sensitive data. Curiously, they did not ask for a hefty ransom. What they wanted was more nefarious. They sought to dig in and lay low while conducting surveillance and espionage.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t an isolated incident. As more countries, companies and consumers adopt 5G, we\u2019ve seen more news reports of nation-state threat actor groups exploiting 5G and causing havoc. This threatens the integrity and confidentiality of corporate data, compromises operational uptime, and can even cause physical harm. These threats can also undermine the trust of customers or partners and could lead to potential financial and reputational damage.<\/p>\n While the 5G standard includes strong security features, like user authentication, privacy, encryption and some protection for signaling traffic, these are not designed to detect or stop advanced threats in mobile traffic. And it\u2019s definitely not enough to protect enterprise, government or industrial businesses. To truly safeguard enterprise, government and industrial operations, organizations need a holistic 5G security solution. It needs to go beyond built-in protections to provide end-to-end visibility, advanced threat detection and unified security across the entire network. In fact, recent research from IBM<\/a>\u2019s Institute for Business Value (IBV) and Palo Alto Networks on the state of telecommunications cybersecurity suggests that the typical service provider juggles an average of 107 different security solutions from 39 vendors. This leaves them with significant complexity and security gaps. However, those who adopted a cybersecurity platform approach saw significantly better cybersecurity outcomes than those using siloed point security solutions.<\/p>\n As more knowledge workers are on the go, moving in and out of the corporate network and branches, the need for consistent security with secure access (internet, SaaS and private applications) while being on their 5G enabled phones is more important than ever.<\/p>\n The fact is that security is no longer just about protection; it\u2019s about driving innovation, customer trust and regulatory compliance \u2013 all essential for growth and competitiveness in the digital era. This will make the lives of your cybersecurity teams even easier while giving you the best possible protections for your 5G environment.<\/p>\n<\/a>Securing 5G for the Future \u2014 New Prisma SASE 5G<\/h2>\n