Palo Alto Networks has intensified its focus on cloud security with the introduction of Cortex® Cloud. This next evolution of Prisma Cloud seamlessly integrates cloud detection and response (CDR) and cloud native application protection platform (CNAPP) capabilities onto the unified Cortex platform. Announced today, Cortex Cloud is designed to equip security teams with cutting-edge innovations powered by AI and automation, surpassing traditional “peace time” approaches to cloud security and actively stopping attacks in real-time.

According to reports, 80% of security exposures originate from cloud attack surfaces, and threats targeting cloud environments have surged by 66%. As organizations increasingly adopt cloud and AI-driven operations, Cortex Cloud provides a unified approach to security by consolidating data, automating workflows, and leveraging AI-driven insights. The platform ingests and analyzes data from third-party tools, offering centralized visibility and streamlined remediation across an enterprise’s cloud security ecosystem.

Lee Klarich, Chief Product Officer of Palo Alto Networks, emphasized the importance of robust cloud security: “As more critical business applications move to the cloud, cloud security must expand to include industry-leading runtime protection. And to make it as easy as possible for our customers to adopt end-to-end cloud security, we’re including CNAPP at no additional cost for every Cortex Cloud Runtime Security customer. With Cortex Cloud, we are delivering the next generation of cloud security—enabling organizations to swiftly prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to evolving threats across their entire enterprise.”

Cortex Cloud is a cornerstone of Palo Alto Networks’ platformization strategy, rearchitected on the AI-driven Cortex SecOps platform to deliver a seamless user experience with persona-driven dashboards and workflows. It offers comprehensive security enhancements that lower total cost of ownership while introducing new features, including Application Security, Cloud Posture, Cloud Runtime, SOC Transformation.

Melinda Marks, Practice Director, Cybersecurity at Enterprise Strategy Group, highlighted the impact of the new solution: “Security teams need to mitigate risk to reduce the chance of cybersecurity incidents, and if and when an incident occurs, they need to respond as quickly as possible. Our research shows that security teams struggle with remediation efficiency because application security, cloud security, and security operations tools and processes have been historically siloed. With the introduction of Cortex Cloud, Palo Alto Networks delivers a unified code-to-cloud-to-SOC platform, giving security teams the context to prioritize and drive remediation actions with the highest impact on reducing risk, while speeding up detection and response for security operations.”

Existing Prisma Cloud customers will benefit from a seamless transition to Cortex Cloud, gaining real-time, streamlined cloud security. Additionally, Cortex XSIAM customers can now adopt CNAPP capabilities natively within the AI-powered, enterprise-to-cloud SecOps platform. Cortex Cloud is slated for availability later in Q3 FY25.