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SANTA CLARA, Calif., December 22, 2011 – Palo Alto Networks™, the network security company, today announced that one of Norway's largest electrical power providers has selected Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls in a full displacement of its legacy Check Point firewalls. Founded in 1920, Bergenshalvoens Kommunale Kraftselskap AS (BKK AS) owns and operates 31 hydropower plants and 2,500 kilometers of fiber optic network in Norway. With Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls, BKK AS can now safely enable application use on its networks while protecting against modern malware.

With over 180,000 customers and 1,100 employees, BKK AS' network must seamlessly manage high volumes of incoming and outgoing email traffic and network activity stemming from increased application usage, internet services, cloud computing and access by mobile devices. The company was looking to gain more control over its network traffic.

Rather than renewing its legacy security products from Check Point, BKK AS chose the Palo Alto Networks PA-2050 next-generation firewalls. BKK AS deployed PA-2050s at its primary internet gateway and data center, and fully activated threat prevention and URL filtering. In addition to its effortless integration with Active Directory (AD) and extensive reporting capabilities, the company also appreciates saving money by reducing the reliance on other point-security products on its network.

"It took too much work for our IT team to compare network logs from several different security systems to match users by IP-address with suspect activity, and then enforce our strict application usage policies," says Geir-Frode Halvorsen, IS special advisor, BKK AS. "Palo Alto Networks lets us peer deeply into our network to easily control applications by user, scan content to stop threats and prevent data leakage – all from one interface."

"So many organizations frustrated by the limitations of their incumbent security systems are seeking a network security architecture that can handle the complexion of today's application-rich network traffic, and better align with their business priorities," said Rene Bonvanie, vice president of marketing at Palo Alto Networks. "Thousands of customers just like BKK AS have moved on and are finding that Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls are far more relevant to their needs."