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SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar. 7, 2011 – Palo Alto Networks™, the network security company, today announced that JD Williams & Company Limited has selected Palo Alto Networks to protect the millions of customer transactions it processes annually, and to consolidate its network and reduce costs. Founded in 1875, JD Williams is the most successful direct-to-consumer retailer in the United Kingdom. Through 20 print catalogue brands, and over 50 websites, it sells clothing and other products to over two million customers.

Any organization that handles credit card payments must meet the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) information security standard. A key element in this process is network segmentation, which can be used to isolate sensitive customer data behind a set of security policies to more effectively protect that data. It also helps to reduce the scope and cost of the PCI audit process.

Securely processing customer orders and credit card transactions is paramount to JD Williams. The company's existing IT environment contains numerous security devices from a variety of vendors. This makes network segmentation laborious, cumbersome and expensive. Only the fully integrated threat prevention and network segmentation capabilities of Palo Alto Networks firewalls can easily and efficiently isolate and protect cardholder data through security policies based on the user or group identity from within Active Directory, which are then tied to a specific application. The application can then be inspected for threats and unauthorized data transfer.

To limit cost of achieving PCI compliance and consolidate its network, JD Williams will deploy two Palo Alto Networks PA-4000 Series next-generation firewalls for network segmentation, application control and granular visibility of threats. "The PA-4000 Series will enable us to more easily achieve PCI Compliance, and secure the data of our customers, at less cost than other solutions," said Geoffrey Lloyd, Computer Services Program Coordinator, JD Williams & Company Limited. "Costs will also decrease because we'll spend an estimated 15% less time managing disparate devices on our network. The combination of next-generation firewall and class-leading IDS/IPS functionality offered by the Palo Alto Networks appliances, makes them a very cost-effective solution."

"We are pleased that an industry-leading retailer like JD Williams Company has entrusted Palo Alto Networks with securing its core business operations," said Nir Zuk, Founder and Board Director. "Companies seeking to expedite and limit the scope of PCI audits, while elevating their overall security, are increasingly turning to Palo Alto Networks."

The Palo Alto Networks PA-4000 Series firewall identifies and filters traffic by user, instead of just by computer IP address. This next-generation firewall enables enterprises to create granular, business-relevant security policies and safely control applications, instead of the block-or-nothing approach offered by traditional port-blocking firewalls. Using Palo Alto Networks technology, enterprises can accurately identify and control applications by user, scan content to stop threats, and prevent data leakage – all with a single network device. By reducing the number of security devices in their networks, companies can save both capital expenditures and operational costs.