Illumio & NVIDIA partner to boost Zero Trust for critical infrastructure

Illumio has announced a strategic integration with NVIDIA aimed at helping organisations secure critical infrastructure and improve their Zero Trust maturity by bringing together breach containment capabilities with the NVIDIA BlueField networking platform.

The integration allows critical infrastructure organisations to deploy Illumio directly on NVIDIA BlueField, giving security teams comprehensive visibility into network dependencies and enabling precise security controls at both the host and network levels.

With this collaboration, organisations can benefit from deep visibility into network traffic and enhanced protection of critical assets. The solution leverages NVIDIA BlueField Data Processing Units (DPUs) as enforcement points for Zero Trust, thereby simplifying the protection of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems while helping organisations ensure operational continuity and meet compliance standards.

In the future, Illumio's platform will also allow organisations to use its AI-driven insights to identify risks and attacker behaviours, enabling rapid threat detection within Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and OT environments.

The collaboration is positioned against the backdrop of growing cyber threats and heightened global regulatory expectations for critical infrastructure. According to Illumio, the integration delivers several key benefits, including enhanced visibility and policy enforcement for traffic within and between IT and OT networks.

Using Illumio's labelling architecture, organisations can visualise all traffic to and from OT systems equipped with NVIDIA BlueField to better understand system communications across the infrastructure. The integration also promises rapid deployment of Zero Trust segmentation in OT and ICS settings, designed to reduce complexity, limit lateral movement risks, and contain potential breaches.

Additional benefits cited include improved compliance and operational resilience, as organisations can identify assets, monitor traffic, and enforce security policies across converged IT/OT environments without impacting system performance or requiring major architectural changes. The combined solution is intended to provide consistent and reliable microsegmentation across varying environments while maintaining uptime and resilience.

Todd Palmer, Senior Vice President of Global Partner Sales and Alliances at Illumio, stated, "The integration between Illumio and NVIDIA will significantly strengthen security for cyber-physical systems and bring us closer to achieving our vision of a world without cyber disasters. Critical infrastructure is under threat like never before. Together with NVIDIA, we're making it easier for organizations to protect critical systems, ensure operational continuity, and meet stringent compliance requirements in an increasingly complex landscape."

Ofir Arkin, Senior Distinguished Architect for Cybersecurity at NVIDIA, said, "Cyber risks against critical infrastructure are more sophisticated and disruptive than ever, and lateral movement remains a key factor in successful attacks. Integrating the Illumio and NVIDIA BlueField platforms enables organizations to enhance visibility and control across IT and OT networks, reduce risk, contain attacks, and strengthen operational resilience."

Illumio was named as a leader in The Forrester Wave: Microsegmentation Solutions, Q3 2024. The company is part of the NVIDIA partner ecosystem, offering a platform built on an AI security graph that includes Illumio Insights for AI-driven cloud detection and response, as well as Illumio Segmentation aimed at facilitating Zero Trust strategies.

The partnership targets organisations responsible for critical infrastructure, which face increasing operational risks from sophisticated cyber threats. The converged approach to IT and OT security seeks to enable these organisations to identify risks, contain threats before they spread, and comply with regulatory requirements across complex operational environments.