Palo Alto Networks is expanding its cybersecurity platform across artificial intelligence, browser-based workspaces, and digital trust systems, as organizations shift toward AI-driven operations that are reshaping enterprise risk.

During an online ASEAN media briefing, the company said cybersecurity is entering a new phase as artificial intelligence evolves from a tool into an active participant in enterprise workflows.

Organizations are now operating in what the company describes as an “agentic” environment, where AI systems can act autonomously, execute tasks, and interact across networks and applications. 

Erik Papir, senior director for ASEAN technical solutions, said enterprises are rapidly moving beyond human-led processes toward AI agents capable of handling complex workflows.

“We are moving from humans to AI agents acting on behalf of humans,” Papir said.

This shift is transforming enterprise architecture. AI applications, agent-based systems, and browser-driven workflows are now embedded into daily operations, expanding the attack surface and introducing new layers of risk.

“For a business, this means securing the data that goes into the model and ensuring that the output is not manipulated,” Papir added.

The growing reliance on AI comes as Southeast Asia faces a shortage of cybersecurity talent, pushing organizations to adopt automation to manage threats.

“In ASEAN, we face a critical talent shortage. Agents are kind of our new workforce,” Papir said, warning that autonomy also introduces vulnerabilities.

“An agent with the power to do all this also has the power to leak.”

Browser workplace

As AI reshapes enterprise systems, Palo Alto Networks is positioning the browser as the new frontline of cybersecurity.

The company introduced Prisma Browser for Business, a secure workspace designed for small and medium enterprises, allowing organizations to manage applications and AI tools while protecting against threats such as phishing, ransomware, and fraud. 

The platform reflects how work has shifted online. Businesses now rely on an average of 36 applications running in the browser, where most tasks are performed.

At the same time, 95 percent of organizations have experienced browser-based security incidents, underscoring the risks associated with this transition.

Anupam Upadhyaya, senior vice president of product, said traditional browsers were not built to handle modern cyber threats or AI-driven workflows.

“For most small businesses, the browser is now the office,” Upadhyaya said.

Prisma Browser enables companies to configure and manage applications while maintaining control over how AI tools are used, including preventing unintended data exposure.

The system integrates security features such as malware protection, data loss prevention, and controls over AI interactions, allowing businesses to balance productivity with risk management.

The browser is also part of a broader enterprise push, where Palo Alto Networks is evolving its Prisma platform into a central hub for secure, AI-driven work environments.

Securing the AI lifecycle

To address risks tied to autonomous systems, the company launched Prisma AIRS 3.0, an AI security platform designed to secure the entire lifecycle of AI applications and agents.

The platform enables organizations to discover, assess, and protect AI systems across environments, from design to deployment and runtime.

Anand Oswal, executive vice president of AI and network security, said the shift from “AI that talks” to “AI that acts” introduces new challenges.

“Agentic AI represents a massive leap forward… but this shift introduces new risks, from unmanaged agentic identities to unpredictable runtime behaviors,” Oswal said. 

Prisma AIRS replaces fragmented security tools with a unified platform capable of identifying AI agents across cloud, software-as-a-service, and endpoint environments.

It also includes continuous risk assessment and “red teaming” capabilities, allowing organizations to simulate attacks and identify vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

The system’s AI Agent Gateway provides centralized control over runtime security, identity management, and governance, enabling enterprises to scale AI adoption while maintaining oversight.

Digital trust and resilience

Beyond AI and browser security, Palo Alto Networks is also focusing on digital trust, particularly as organizations face shorter certificate lifecycles and evolving encryption standards.

The company introduced Next-Generation Trust Security (NGTS), a network-native platform designed to automate certificate lifecycle management and prevent outages caused by expired or mismanaged credentials.

For decades, digital certificates served as static elements of trust, but the shift toward a post-quantum environment is forcing organizations to manage them more dynamically.

Certificate lifetimes are shrinking, and sudden changes in trust authorities can require immediate system-wide updates.

“When digital trust breaks, the business stops,” Oswal said.

NGTS integrates certificate management directly into the network layer, enabling organizations to automatically identify, update, and enforce credentials across systems.

The platform also aims to eliminate manual processes, which are increasingly unsustainable as scale and complexity grow.

Industry analysts said the shift toward automated trust systems reflects broader changes in cybersecurity, where static defenses are no longer sufficient.

Toward a unified security platform

Across its announcements, Palo Alto Networks is positioning itself as a provider of a unified, AI-driven cybersecurity platform.

From securing browser-based workspaces to protecting autonomous AI systems and automating digital trust, the company is consolidating multiple layers of security into a single ecosystem.

The approach aligns with the company’s broader strategy of moving cybersecurity from reactive to proactive and autonomous operations.

In one demonstration during the ASEAN briefing, an AI agent was shown executing tasks within a browser environment, while security systems detected and blocked a hidden prompt injection attack in real time.

“It’s autonomy by default, with control where it matters,” Papir said.

The company is also integrating these capabilities into its Prisma SASE platform, which combines secure access, AI protection, and network security into a unified system.