HPE Aruba grows its AI-powered network security portfolio

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) unveiled new additions to its security-first, artificial intelligence-powered networking portfolio, with behavioural analytics-based network detection and response (NDR) capabilities, delivered through the HPE Aruba Networking Central tool.

The NDR solution utilises telemetry from HPE Aruba Networking Central's data lake to train and deploy AI models.

These models monitor and detect unusual activity in vulnerable Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which are increasingly critical to business processes and potential targets for cyberattacks

HPE also enhanced its cloud-based universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) approach by extending it to campus-based local area networks.

This new local ZTNA edge capability applies cloud-defined access control policies directly to campuses and data centres, ensuring consistent enforcement and improved user experience regardless of location or connection method.

For many organisations, IoT devices are left unsecured and can present threat vectors.

"Enterprises are increasingly realising that unsecured IoT devices in the network present an observability blind spot in their security solutions," Jon Green, chief technology and security officer at HPE Aruba Networking, said.

"Those devices can be exploited for initiating larger network attacks, and thus are also one of the largest contributors to a growing attack surface," Green added.

To accelerate threat response, HPE Aruba Networking Central combines attack detection with new policy recommendations.

Security teams can preview policy changes before implementation, ensuring that protective measures don't disrupt network operations.

"Companies need AI-powered behavioural network detection and response, universal security policies, and edge-to-cloud enforcement to protect users, devices, and applications at scale – a key consideration as AI assets throughout the enterprise increasingly become attack targets," Maribel Lopez, founder and industry analyst at Lopez Research, said.

These new tools build upon HPE Aruba Networking's existing security portfolio, which includes AI-powered security observability and monitoring capabilities within HPE Aruba Networking Central, and the company's first Security Service Edge (SSE) firewall-as-a-service.

The company's innovations were recognised at the RSA Conference 2024, where it received an award for one of the "Coolest Cybersecurity Products at RSAC 2024.