Samaresh Nair brings over two decades years of experience, primarily in the network security area, working in engineering and product management roles. Samaresh has worked with the team developing various products, from packet-filtering firewalls to the latest AI-powered NG firewalls, with leading product vendors like Nokia, Nortel Networks, Juniper Networks, and presently at Palo Alto Networks.
Samaresh earned his Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from George Washington University and a Business Administration certificate from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
At Juniper Networks, Samaresh was one of the early members who created SRX firewall platforms, which various ISPs deploy worldwide as their 4G LTE and GI Firewalls. He eventually led several teams that tested various platforms, flow, and high-availability technologies.
Samaresh has been working with Palo Alto Networks for over seven years. Among other things, he leads their third-party testing engagements for the NetSec group. Samaresh has focused on the security efficacy and performance of Palo Alto Networks’ Next-Generation Firewalls. His focus has been spreading thought leadership on how modern, sophisticated attacks are used in the wild and helping shape third-party evaluations up to speed to include them in assessments. He has worked with all significant testing companies involved in testing network security solutions.
Samaresh is also a board member of Netsecopen and has actively contributed to the industry’s first performance testing, which was provided RFC status with numbered RFC-9411.
Samaresh Nair is a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience shaping the future of network security. His career spans engineering and product management roles at some of the most influential tech companies, including Nokia, Nortel Networks, Juniper Networks, and currently Palo Alto Networks. Nair has been instrumental in developing cutting-edge security technologies, from early packet-filtering firewalls to today’s AI-driven Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs), establishing himself as a key architect of modern cybersecurity solutions.
A Master’s graduate in Computer Engineering from George Washington University and holder of a Business Administration certificate from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Samaresh combines deep technical expertise with strategic business acumen. While at Juniper Networks, he was a founding member of the team that developed the highly successful SRX firewall platforms, which were widely adopted by global ISPs for 4G LTE and GI Firewalls. His leadership extended to overseeing the testing of advanced firewall platforms and high-availability technologies.
Samaresh has been at the forefront of innovation at Palo Alto Networks for over seven years, leading third-party testing engagements within the NetSec group. His work is pivotal in ensuring the security efficacy and performance of Palo Alto Networks’ NGFWs, collaborating with industry-leading testing organizations to evolve cybersecurity standards. Nair’s efforts are particularly focused on incorporating the latest sophisticated attack vectors into third-party evaluations, helping to elevate the entire industry’s approach to security testing.
As a board member of Netsecopen, Nair has played a critical role in shaping the future of network security testing standards. He was a key contributor to the creation of RFC-9411, the industry’s first officially recognized performance testing standard, which has now been assigned an RFC status—a milestone achievement in the field.
With a career marked by visionary contributions and thought leadership, Samaresh continues to drive the evolution of network security technologies and standards, ensuring that enterprises worldwide are protected against the increasingly complex landscape of cyber threats.