Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced an expansion of its AI-driven networking portfolio. It introduced advanced network detection and response (NDR) capabilities, along with an enhancement of its cloud-based Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) approach. These updates are delivered through HPE Aruba Networking Central and aim to strengthen security.

The NDR solution uses behavioral analytics to monitor network activity, focusing on identifying unusual behavior in Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

With IoT devices becoming integral to business operations and contributing data for generative AI models today, the need to detect abnormal traffic patterns, connection changes, and potential security breaches has grown exponentially.

With telemetry data from HPE Aruba Networking Central’s data lake, the NDR solution trains AI models to detect these anomalies so users can take a proactive approach to securing vulnerable network components.

“Companies need AI-powered behavioral network detection and response, universal security policies, and edge-to-cloud enforcement to protect users, devices, and applications at scale – a key consideration as AI assets throughout the enterprise increasingly become attack targets,” said Maribel Lopez (News - Alert), founder and industry analyst at Lopez Research.

In addition to detection capabilities, HPE Aruba Networking Central enhances threat response by integrating attack detection with policy recommendations. This feature enables security teams to intercept potential threats and make informed decisions before implementing changes to the network. The solution also offers a preview function for these recommendations, ensuring that modifications do not disrupt ongoing network operations.

“Enterprises are increasingly realizing that unsecured IoT devices in the network present an observability blind spot in their security solutions. Those devices can be exploited for initiating larger network attacks, and thus are also one of the largest contributors to a growing attack surface,” said Jon Green, chief technology and security officer, HPE Aruba Networking.

HPE also said it is extending its ZTNA approach to campus-based local area networks (LANs) to allow for consistent access control policies across cloud and on-premises environments.