Palo Alto Networks takes firewalls to next level

For the past 15 years or so, security pros have relied on the trusty firewall and other hardware to keep bad guys from running amok on corporate networks. For the most part, this has meant blocking tainted e-mails and keeping workers away from harmful websites.

The latest wave of Web services, like Skype and Google Docs, has introduced fresh problems. They can transfer files, store data and allow remote computer access in ways that can't be easily patrolled by the standard sentinels.

Nir Zuk has another option. He's a veteran of the traditional firewall and security industry who struck out on his own six years ago to create a product for today's Web. The company he founded, Palo Alto Networks, sells a next-generation firewall that makes modern Web services safe for the workplace and gives companies precise control over how their employees can use them.