Case Study: U.S. Federal Agency achieves 58% reduction in critical exposures and improved asset visibility with Palo Alto Networks (Cortex Xpanse)

U.S. Federal Agency - Customer Case Study

A major U.S. federal agency that manages science, technology, and infrastructure projects faced a decentralized network with information siloed between headquarters, a security operations center, and many field sites. With over 100,000 employees and a largely contractor workforce, unsanctioned infrastructure led to numerous unknown, unmanaged, and vulnerable internet‑connected assets, making it difficult to enforce security and IT policies across the organization.

The agency deployed Cortex Xpanse (Expander) to build a complete global inventory of internet‑connected assets, discover exposures (including unprotected FTP and Telnet instances), and drive remediation at individual sites. Over a two‑year period the agency reduced critical exposures by more than 58% and insecure certificates by 44%, enabling continuous discovery and monitoring, stronger policy enforcement, and a significantly improved cybersecurity posture.

U.S. Federal Agency