Palo Alto Networks and IBM to power next NHS Secure Boundary service

What Palo Alto Networks and IBM will provide

In a blog post by Helmut Reisinger dated 13 October 2026, Palo Alto Networks described its role in the next generation of the NHS Secure Boundary programme. The company will provide advanced cloud-based perimeter technology. IBM Consulting will add specialist guidance, implementation support and tailored onboarding for NHS organisations.

The work supports a goal the NHS has set: achieving cyber resilience across healthcare organisations by 2030. Palo Alto Networks says delivering on that vision requires technology, expertise and close collaboration across the public and private sectors, and calls it a highly complex task.

The scale of Secure Boundary

According to Palo Alto Networks, Secure Boundary can support a network spanning:

• more than 1.5 million NHS staff
• over 200 NHS trusts
• more than 55,000 organisations handling health data
• approximately 2 million devices under national cyber monitoring

The service is nationally integrated and centrally funded. It follows what the company calls a "Defend as One" approach, which lets organisations benefit from shared protection while keeping local control.

Palo Alto Networks points to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report, which it says shows healthcare remains one of the sectors most affected globally by the financial consequences of cyber incidents. The company argues this underlines the need for a proactive, long-term approach to resilience in critical public services. It also cites growing digital dependencies, expanding supply chains, evolving threats and new technologies such as AI as factors reshaping the environment for healthcare organisations.

Capabilities listed for NHS organisations

Palo Alto Networks lists the following ways Secure Boundary supports NHS organisations:

• An AI-enabled cybersecurity capability designed to strengthen resilience and support safe, reliable delivery of healthcare services.
• Enhanced visibility and protection for internet traffic across the Health and Social Care Network.
• Improved security for infrastructure and clinical applications operating across multiple service providers.
• Increased protection for information shared across NHS organisations and trusted third parties.
• Greater privacy and security for staff accessing web-based services, on-site or remotely.
• A "Defend as One" approach that complements existing local security measures while allowing organisations to tailor policies to their specific requirements.
• Reduced complexity through consolidation of security tools and management processes.
• Improved efficiency through a centrally funded model that helps reduce duplication of technology and investment.

What it means for the NHS

Palo Alto Networks describes the new Secure Boundary service as a significant step forward for the NHS's digital resilience. In its view, a more secure foundation supports operational continuity, helps safeguard sensitive information and lets healthcare teams keep delivering high-quality care in communities across the UK.

These are the company's own claims, and the post gives no timeline for rollout, contract value or measured results. The blog carries a standard forward-looking statements notice, which says actual results may differ materially from statements about expected benefits. NHS organisations interested in the service are directed to contact [email protected].