Case Study: North-West University achieves 80% security efficiency increase with Palo Alto Networks

North-West University boosts security efficiency by 80% with Palo Alto Networks

North-West University, a major South African university with over 68,000 students, faced the challenge of securing its large and complex IT infrastructure. Their existing endpoint protection was insufficient to counter modern threats like ransomware and fileless attacks, and their small security team was overwhelmed by repetitive tasks and a high volume of alerts. They required a solution that could provide complete visibility, automate processes, and help them move toward a Zero Trust architecture.

The university implemented Palo Alto Networks' Cortex XDR platform, which uses behavioral analytics and AI to block advanced threats. This solution was integrated with their existing Palo Alto Networks firewalls to create a unified security portfolio. The results were significant, including an 80% increase in security operational efficiency. The time to connect new servers to Cortex XDR was reduced from one week to under one minute, dramatically improving their mean time to detect and respond to threats.

North-West University