ControlMonkey now supports Palo Alto Strata Cloud Manager backup, extending its security configuration coverage to the platform used to manage policies across Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls and Prisma Access.
A change to a security policy can affect access and traffic across an organization. Cyber resilience depends on being able to identify the configurations behind those policies when teams investigate an incident and prepare to recover.
Introducing Strata Cloud Manager Backup
ControlMonkey helps security and infrastructure teams:
- Back up supported Strata Cloud Manager configurations
- Keep versioned records of configuration changes
- Compare versions to understand what changed
- Identify a known-good configuration after an unwanted change
- Include network security configuration in a broader cyber resilience plan
Why Do You Need Strata Cloud Manager Backup?
Human Error
A policy edit intended for one situation can have a wider impact than expected. A versioned backup gives teams a point of reference when they need to investigate the change.
Malicious Changes and Ransomware
If attackers alter security policies during a ransomware incident, restoring data alone will not address those changes. Teams also need to understand what happened to their security configuration and which earlier version they trust.
Automation and AI Agents
As more changes happen through automated workflows, a record of the managed configuration helps teams trace what changed – including changes that may not be represented in their IaC repository.
How Is This Different from Native Strata Cloud Manager Snapshots?
Strata Cloud Manager already lets administrators compare configuration versions, save named snapshots, and load or restore earlier configurations. ControlMonkey brings SCM backup into the same platform teams use to protect other supported systems.
| Strata Cloud Manager native snapshots | ControlMonkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Configuration history and recovery within Strata Cloud Manager | Backup of supported SCM configuration within a broader protection platform |
| Where teams work | Strata Cloud Manager | ControlMonkey, alongside other supported platforms |
| Recovery planning | SCM-managed configuration | SCM configuration considered with the other systems needed for recovery |
The two approaches can work together. Native snapshots remain a useful SCM recovery tool; ControlMonkey helps teams account for SCM in their wider configuration backup strategy.
How Strata Cloud Manager Backup Works
Connect your Strata Cloud Manager environment to ControlMonkey to back up the supported configuration. That gives your team a record of the settings managed through SCM, available when a policy change or security incident calls for a closer look.
Know What You’re Recovering
When access breaks or traffic behaves unexpectedly, the first question is often: what was the configuration before this changed? A backup gives teams a reference point for identifying the settings they want to recover. It also brings Strata Cloud Manager into the same recovery planning process as the other security and infrastructure platforms they protect with ControlMonkey.
From Firewall Backup to Security Configuration Recovery
ControlMonkey already supports PAN-OS Backup and Recovery for Palo Alto Networks firewall configuration. Strata Cloud Manager backup addresses the cloud management platform, giving teams another part of their network security environment to include in recovery planning. That broader view matters when cyber resilience requires more than recovering data.
Ready to protect your Strata Cloud Manager configuration?
