We are delighted to announce that Palo Alto Networks secured the 2025 Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Excellence Awards by Mplify (previously MEF) in all three categories that we were nominated for and selected by an independent panel of senior industry analysts, including:

• SASE Technology Provider of the Year
• SSE Technology Provider of the Year
• Zero Trust Technology Provider of the Year

The awards ceremony is part of Mplify’s Global NaaS Event (GNE) which took place November 10–14, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. GNE is the premier gathering of the NaaS ecosystem, uniting enterprises, service providers, network, cloud and data center vendors, cybersecurity, systems integrators, media and analysts. The event brings together a global community of industry leaders who are defining the future of NaaS for a digital world and driving real-world innovation in NaaS, automation and AI-optimized connectivity.

Suraj Chandrasekaran, Yogesh Ranade, Samaresh Nair and Yashwanth Bommakanti from Palo Alto Networks accept the SASE Technology Provider of the Year, SSE Technology Provider of the Year and Zero Trust Technology Provider of the Year awards at GNE.

Mplify’s focus on standardization with certification, automation across the service lifecycle, and building a robust community and ecosystem are key enablers that will help enterprises fast-forward their digital transformation initiatives. Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE, Prisma Access and Prisma SD-WAN are fully Mplify-certified after rigorous real-world testing and conformance to rigorous specifications for standardized network-service technology.

We are grateful to the Mplify team for this honor at GNE. These prestigious awards recognize our leadership in the SASE market and come on the heels of our recent SASE 4.0 announcement, which introduced new, AI-powered capabilities across Prisma SASE to help secure the AI-ready enterprise. These awards are a testament to our collective efforts to continue delivering industry-leading SASE innovation. The intersection of SASE with NaaS brings telecommunications service providers, security and SASE vendors together with a focus on standardization, ultimately delivering true convergence of AI-powered secure connectivity solutions to enterprises.

Anupam Upadhyaya, SVP, Product Management, Prisma SASE, Palo Alto Networks

The Importance of NaaS to Digital Transformation

NaaS is a model that enables organizations to consume networking and security services through a cloud-based subscription, reducing manual configuration and shifting operational responsibility to the provider. It is a critical enabler of AI-driven digital transformation, secure multicloud networking and next-generation business models. Built on an adaptive, automated ecosystem, NaaS empowers organizations to scale AI workloads, enhance cybersecurity, and embrace application-led connectivity.​

How Prisma SASE Helps Service Providers and Enterprises Implement and Manage AI-Powered Network Security Solutions

As organizations embrace digital transformation, remote work and the explosion of SaaS and IoT devices, managing network complexity while ensuring robust security has become a paramount challenge. Prisma SASE, featuring our next-generation Prisma SD-WAN, offers a unified, cloud-delivered platform that addresses these modern demands. By consolidating multiple point products into a single integrated service, Prisma SASE dramatically reduces network and security complexity while boosting organizational agility.

Prisma SASE provides comprehensive inline security against the most evasive and evolving threats including the most sophisticated AI-driven zero-day threats to secure all users, devices, apps and data, regardless of the location with distributed enforcement points that provide comprehensive zero trust protection for the entire enterprise estate.

To deliver a truly complete SASE solution, Prisma SASE unifies security and connectivity into a single architecture that protects every user and branch seamlessly. It starts with Prisma Access which protects all users, apps, data and devices everywhere by delivering best-in-class, Precision AI^®-powered security in a single, cloud-delivered solution and includes Prisma Browser™ to extend this secure workspace to any device, managed or unmanaged. This user-centric security is paired with Prisma SD-WAN to transform the branch, consolidating intelligent, application-defined connectivity and Zero Trust enforcement into a single form factor. Underpinning this entire ecosystem is a deep integration with telco infrastructures across wireline, MPLS and 5G, allowing us to unify SIM and enterprise identities for a consistent and secure experience for users, devices and things.

Prisma SASE empowers telcos and enterprises to secure any-to-any connectivity through a comprehensive zero-trust approach, managed entirely via Strata Cloud Manager. This single pane of glass delivers a scalable, multitenant self-service model that integrates Autonomous Digital Experience Management (ADEM) to optimize the entire service lifecycle. By adhering to an API-first paradigm, our fully programmable platform enables seamless integrations with existing telco infrastructure and third-party ecosystems, ensuring rigorous security without compromising operational agility.

These dovetail nicely with NaaS, which essentially follows the same paradigms of on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity and multicloud networking.

Discover why Palo Alto Networks is the recognized leader in SASE.