Palo Alto Networks, the US-based cybersecurity major which offers services to IT giants such as Infosys and Wipro, as well as government bodies such as UIDAI and NIC, is utilising ChatGPT to streamline their cybersecurity operations, Anil Valluri, MD and Regional VP for India & SAARC told Moneycontrol.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT uses generative AI, a technology which can generate text in response to short commands or prompts from users. It is one of the hottest trends of 2023, with technology giants and startups across the world looking to integrate these capabilities into their respective products.
“We use ChatGPT to interface with our security — to parse through the data that we have in terms of security alerts,” Valluri said.
“For instance, if at night we have generated a lot of security alerts and in the morning the CIO (chief information officer) enquires about the day’s security posture, ChatGPT can sift through the data, and present a written report in English, saying these are the high-risk security alerts, and these are low-risk ones; these are the areas that need your attention,” Valluri said.
Previously, employees had to do this manually by going to the security console, then sifting through the data on spreadsheets and creating a report.
Palo Alto’s India significance
Led by CEO Nikesh Arora, the Nasdaq-listed company has invested around $150 million in India, where over 1,000 employees are dedicated to core engineering work.
“India is a very large and very strategic country for Palo Alto, we have, apart from two centers of engineering excellence in the US and Israel, we also have another in Bengaluru. This is probably the biggest engineering center for Palo Alto,” Valluri said.
“We are investing in developing technologies, investing in giving opportunities to the talent that is available here,” he said. However, with the current prevailing market situation, Valluri declined from commenting on any hiring plans for the future.
Valluri pointed out that there is a massive dearth of skilled cybersecurity personnel in India. “We end up hiring people and training them. Just regular engineering, science, commerce or arts is not enough,” Valluri said, adding that they have begun collaborating with governments and institutes to offer cybersecurity-related courses.
Providing security for govt
The cybersecurity MNC also offers its services to key government bodies such as Aadhaar, GSTN, Income Tax, NIC, and others.
“Government of India has very clearly said these are the quality of standards that we have. This is the quality of work that we want. They are very cloud aware.”
“Particularly Aadhaar, UPI, NIC, railways, metros, GSTN, they all are customers, they use cybersecurity technologies very deeply. And they are aware of the risks that are there. Therefore, they are well prepared. But cybersecurity is a constantly evolving journey,” Valluri added.
– moneycontrol