Juniper extends security platform to streamline threat detection, incident response

Juniper Networks is working to integrate more of its security services under one AI-centric roof. The vendor’s new Secure AI-Native Edge offering and cloud-based Security Assurance service are designed to deliver a cohesive view of network health, performance, and security metrics with a goal of resolving problems quickly and centrally enforcing enterprise security policies.

Secure AI-Native Edge is part of Juniper’s AI-Native Networking Platform, which is aimed at unifying the vendor’s campus, branch and data center networking products under a common AI engine. Secure AI-Native Edge defines the security tools and designs to protect those enterprise environments.

Central to the platform are the firm’s cloud-based, natural language Mist AI and Marvis virtual network assistant (VNA) technology. Juniper’s Mist AI engine analyzes data from networked access points and devices so it can detect anomalies and offer actionable resolutions. Marvis can detect and describe countless network problems, including persistently failing wired or wireless clients, bad cables, access-point coverage holes, problematic WAN links, and insufficient radio-frequency capacity.

Secure AI-Native Edge uses Mist’s AI-based features and now offers the Security Assurance software subscription, which pulls together network information as well as security details from the company’s SRX firewalls.

By creating procedures for threat detection and incident response that integrate both networking and security teams, companies can ensure real-time communication and informed decision making when issues arise—whether network- or security-related, wrote Mike Spanbauer, technology evangelist for Juniper Security, in a blog about the new offering.

“Given the depth and scope of telemetry from network edge to data center, core threats are blocked, anomalies are rapidly assessed and either reported on, or automatic action can be taken by Marvis,” Spanbauer wrote.

Another benefit of Security Assurance is that it gives customers consistency in security policies across network and application layers, Spanbauer wrote.

“Without uniform policies, organizations can find themselves grappling with security gaps that cybercriminals eagerly exploit. Juniper has incorporated a security policy engine that empowers network security across its entire portfolio,” Spanbauer wrote.

“This means that previous configurations and security standards apply across all platforms and in all locations from edge to data center. This engine ensures that policies are applied consistently, from the point of connection through to the application in support of zero trust principles,” Spanbauer wrote.

The overall operational benefits of fostering collaboration between networking and security teams are immense, Spanbauer wrote.  

“With a unified approach, not only do organizations enhance their security efficacy, but they also streamline operations. Instead of running duplicate processes or allowing miscommunication to result in network outages or security lapses, the teams can work together efficiently,” Spanbauer wrote.

Read more about Juniper’s AI networking plans

• Juniper adds AI cloud services to its Apstra data center software: The announcement includes Juniper Apstra Cloud Services, a new suite of cloud-based, AI-enabled applications for the data center, and the new 5.0 version of Juniper Apstra.
• Juniper advances AI networking software with congestion control, load balancing: Juniper extended its platform with a package dubbed Operations for AI (Ops4AI). The additions enable congestion control, load-balancing and management capabilities for systems controlled by the vendor’s core Junos and Juniper Apstra data center intent-based networking software. 
• Juniper expands AI management features for wired, wireless networks: Juniper is extending its Marvis Minis to the wired network domain and increasing its ability to identify and remediate collaboration app performance issues.
• Juniper amps up AI networking plans: “Our 800GE platforms [are] designed to manage AI training workloads effectively,” said Julius Francis, senior director of product marketing and strategy for Juniper. “We are now expanding the capabilities of our 800GE platforms to cater to a wider range of WAN use cases while advancing scalable network capacity and density.”
• HPE-Juniper’s AI story resonates, but customer concerns linger: The combined company will target Cisco with a focus on AI, but HPE must address concerns about product overlap, talent retention and channel partner conflicts.
• Juniper offers AI pricing incentives, education programs: Juniper Networks is offering education programs and pricing incentives to accelerate enterprise adoption of AI-based technologies. The vendor rolled out its Blueprint for AI-Native Acceleration, which offers a variety of options that enterprise customers can use to streamline adoption, boost skills, and gain exposure to the potential commercial, technical and operational hurdles of AI.
• Juniper targets data-center management with Apstra upgrade: Apstra 4.2.0 includes intent-based analytics probes for telemetry and network visibility as well as support for HashiCorp’s Terraform network provisioning tool.