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Chandra Mohan - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 10
Ability to mitigate ransomware issues and includes advanced threat analytics and behavioral analytics
Pros and Cons
  • "If any application performs suspicious activities, such as changing registries or modifying other applications, Cortex XDR detects and blocks the entire application."
  • "Product might have some bugs."

What is our primary use case?

Cortex XDR mainly focuses on endpoint protection. Unlike other antivirus products, it is way more advanced. It allows you to manage your endpoints and includes advanced threat analytics and behavioral analytics. For example, it offers a behavioral analysis, the main purpose of which is to identify suspicious activity.

If any application performs suspicious activities, such as changing registries or modifying other applications, Cortex XDR detects and blocks the entire application. This ensures that unauthorized actions are prevented.

Another feature of Cortex XDR is its ability to mitigate ransomware issues. It creates duplicate files on the endpoint, and if any ransomware attempts to access these files, it detects and identifies the ransomware attack. Cortex XDR offers many such advanced features in its cloud platform.

How has it helped my organization?

 

What needs improvement?

Product might have some bugs. But these will be fixed in the next version. They'll try to work on that and fix those issues. They won't let it go easily.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been implementing and supporting this product for one year.

Buyer's Guide
Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks
February 2025
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The end users are around thousands.

How are customer service and support?

I am from the support team. I fix things. If customers have any issues with the product, they call me. That's the role of my job. I am from the partner side.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment and setup process is handled by a different team. So I have never deployed Cortex, but I know the steps. It is not easy, but at the same time, it is not very complicated.

It's cloud-based. You don't have to set up a server; it's all on the cloud. You have to set up your tenant on their dedicated server once you subscribe to the product.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Price-wise, Cortex XDR is quite expensive compared to regular endpoints. It is a bit more expensive than other products, but it's worth the money.

What other advice do I have?

Cortex is a good product. But like every other product, it has some flaws. Not every product is ideal. Every product has its flaws. So when compared with other products, Cortex is one of the good products. I would suggest you take the product because it is really one of the good products, but it has some flaws.

So, I would rate it an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: customer/partner
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Shibin V. - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Security Engineer at Gadgeon Systems Inc.
Real User
Top 10
Used for investigating incidents and malware analysis
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution allows us to gain remote access without the user's knowledge and take the necessary actions on the device."
  • "It takes time to scan the servers and devices."

What is our primary use case?

I used the solution for investigating incidents and malware analysis.

What is most valuable?

The solution allows us to gain remote access without the user's knowledge and take the necessary actions on the device. For investigation, we can just drop down and easily elaborate on the issues, like where the user went and what they downloaded. We can use the solution to find out everything easily.

What needs improvement?

It takes time to scan the servers and devices. Scanning the server sometimes takes two to three days. If the device is offline, the scan gets disconnected.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around seven people used the solution in our organization.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is quite an expensive solution.

What other advice do I have?

I use the solution for investigation, which includes incident handling and incident alerts. There is a separate part in Cortex XDR where we can use timestamps to categorize the alert or attack type. Based on the attack criticality, we can investigate and fine-tune a lot of things. In Cortex XDR, we can get the same alert at different times. We can fine-tune using the Cortex XDR tool.

Also, we can use queries in Cortex XDR for automation, accessing the device, or scanning the device. The query part is good, but we need to spend a little time learning about the query. It's easy to understand the query.

There is a template that you can use to click and say something. If you are going to investigate, many tabs are given based on the tactics, techniques, and procedures. It is easy to understand, and we can gather basic information from there. It is easy for a new user to learn to use the solution for the first time.

Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Mirko Minuzzo - PeerSpot reviewer
Business development manager for Palo Alto Networks at Westcon-Comstor
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Has a simple setup process and efficient stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's most valuable features are massive user and feature intelligence exploit detection."
  • "It is an enterprise-level solution. Its price could be less expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product as a detection and response application.

What is most valuable?

The product's most valuable features are massive user and feature intelligence exploit detection. It is very useful in detecting threats to databases. The last meter statistics prove the efficient capabilities of the solution.

What needs improvement?

It is an enterprise-level solution. Its price could be less expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is 100% stable. I have never received any complaints from the customers.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is easily scalable as it is a cloud-based product.

How are customer service and support?

We provide support services for our customers. Palo Alto's support services are expensive, and customers also encounter language barriers.

How was the initial setup?

The initial process is simple. It requires training of about three to four days to understand the installation process. It is deployed on the cloud. The number of software engineers required depends on the number of the endpoints.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay in advance for the product's license. It has reasonable pricing for the use cases it provides to the company. We can split this payment monthly, quarterly, or yearly, according to the customer's requirements. For a cost-benefit analysis when choosing a security solution, consider factors such as the number of attacks prevented, the impact of those attacks, potential losses, and other hidden costs.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for ten out of ten. It could be improved from a commercial perspective. It could approach the SMB market as well.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Kush Kumar - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist at RateGain
Real User
Top 10
Scans for unwanted and malicious activity on endpoints and servers, creating alerts and incidents
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are incident creation, policy-based protection, IP whitelisting, and device encryption. These are beneficial for endpoint and server security."
  • "There's room for improvement with Mac device installations, which can be challenging."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for endpoint security. It scans for unwanted and malicious activity on endpoints and servers, creating alerts and incidents.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are incident creation, policy-based protection, IP whitelisting, and device encryption. These are beneficial for endpoint and server security.

What needs improvement?

There's room for improvement with Mac device installations, which can be challenging.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the tool for two years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

About 20 people in our company use Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks across the country.

How was the initial setup?

We've had some issues isolating endpoints and have sought support from Palo Alto for that.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost depends on your chosen license type, like Pro or other licenses.

What other advice do I have?

I'd recommend using Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for security purposes. It's good at detecting malware and is a better strategy than other antivirus solutions. I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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System Administrator at NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
Real User
Has a centralized console and does predictive analysis of malware
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the centralized console and the predictive analysis it does of malware. It is very stable and also scalable."
  • "It would be good if they could make an exception for applications. Sometimes, it can be a bit of a challenge to make exceptions for certain applications that have been used as rogue."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is mainly endpoint protection.

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, we had to install endpoint protection per machine and then scan and update. If there were any possible threats, then you would have to go manually to the machine and scan. Cortex XDR basically does that centrally and predictably.

We get notified, and if need be, we'll investigate an endpoint. For the most part, we haven't had to do a whole lot of that because most of the time, it just stops the threat before it even becomes one. So, we have more time to do day-to-day work rather than spend time chasing those endpoints.

What is most valuable?

I like the centralized console and the predictive analysis it does of malware.

It is very stable and also scalable.

It is easy to deploy and update. It does not require a lot of maintenance.

What needs improvement?

It would be good if they could make an exception for applications. Sometimes, it can be a bit of a challenge to make exceptions for certain applications that have been used as rogue. So, making exceptions would be easier and would probably be better for logging.

It would be nice if it were easier to use and if there were some free training hours.

As for additional features, I would suggest having mobile access to the console, perhaps through a mobile app for the console.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using it for about three years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is great. I think they set the standard for SDR solutions at the moment.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's very scalable. We have it on Macs, Windows, Windows servers, and multiple flavors of Linux.

We have about 460 endpoints deployed. As far as technical users, we have a team of about 10, and that's mixed between server admins and their subsupport users.

The usage is extensive, and we've recently deployed it everywhere. We do plan on probably increasing usage because we have current consultants who use the product in order to access our systems.

How are customer service and technical support?

I wish there could have been more live contact with technical support rather than updated tickets and possible notifications via email. When I've had live encounters, it's been amazing. Sometimes, I think they could be a little bit more responsive live wise, but for the most part, it's been good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Sophos, and it was okay. The only thing I liked about Sophos was that it was easier to deploy to the desktop, but with Cortex XDR, once you have it already deployed, updating it is easy.

We needed something that was going to work with Macs and Linux, different products. Also, we needed something that would be more predictive versus relying on definition files that are publicly available. You don't want to be in a zero-day attack. With Cortex XDR, it's one of those where you can download any virus. It's just not going to run on your machine. Most malware products rely on a database to tell you that there's a virus file.

Sometimes, there are false positives. If it's a legit file or application that an end user is trying to download and use on their machine, it won't allow that. With Cortex XDR, however, they can download the file. It's just going to be rendered useless until you enable it and make an exception for it. It can run what identifies it and just sends you a notification saying that it's a malicious file and that it's there. It's not going to do anything to the system. That was a huge selling factor with Cortex XDR.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It took a couple of hours and was pretty easy to deploy.

Once it's deployed in your system, you can push updates yourself. In the case of Macs, when you get new releases you sometimes have to tweak it and then push it out manually to end users. One admin could dedicate a couple of hours a week at best because there's not much maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

Palo Alto got on the phone with us and walked us through it. They were very helpful.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's about $55 per license on a yearly basis.

What other advice do I have?

Learn the product because once you deploy it and a lot of people look at it from an endpoint perspective, they get the endpoint protection instantly. However, there are other things that you need to learn more about. Once you deploy Cortex XDR, you get a subscription to a data lake, which helps you retain logs. We have Palo Alto firewalls and later on learned that we can also integrate our firewalls and get the logs.

You have a limited amount of space for log retention, but things like that are important in cases where you need to have PCI compliance or have a company policy of retaining a certain amount of logs.

So, learn all the features and ask questions, and perhaps if it's going to be something that you're going to use as an investment for your company, take a training class.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Cortex XDR at nine.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mantu Shaw - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at Incedo Inc.
MSP
Top 20
A stable part of our security solution that correlates logs from relevant sources
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable for us is the correlation feature."
  • "There are some third-party solutions that are difficult to integrate with, which is something that can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Cortex XDR as part of our security solution.

How has it helped my organization?

its a very good solution and single solution for entire infrastructure, give us good co-relation of incident. Single solution for Network, Endpoint, Servers. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable for us is the correlation feature. You are able to correlate data that is coming from the firewall, network, server, and endpoints. This is one of our main requirements and makes for a good product.

It works with the data lake in an agent-based or agentless manner.

It is easy to integrate most with network devices, including firewalls, and Active Directory. We use firewalls from different vendors including Palo Alto and Check Point, and it supports them.

What needs improvement?

There are some third-party solutions that are difficult to integrate with, which is something that can be improved.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have not experienced any issues with respect to stability at this point.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability has not been a problem.

How are customer service and support?

We have been in contact with technical support and are satisfied with them.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

its a Straightforward

What about the implementation team?

We have an in-house team for deployment and maintenance.

What was our ROI?

It replace multiple solution and due to this it will reduce the Administrative effort.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have run a PoC with both CrowdStrike and Cortex XDR, and from my observation, I felt that Cortex was much better at meeting our requirements. It is also easier to use.

CrowdStrike was difficult when it came to integrating with other products and it does not work on mobile devices.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is considering Cortex XDR is that it is a complete solution, and has very good features. From my experience, it is one of the better ones in the market. That said, no product is 100%.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Disha Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Associate at HTH Global Network
Real User
Top 20
Great threat detection capabilities and good internal threat intelligence
Pros and Cons
  • "Has great threat detection capabilities."
  • "The encryption is not up to the mark."

What is our primary use case?

This solution is a next-generation antivirus with more advanced capability and security. We have a partnership with Palo Alto.

What is most valuable?

Cortex XDR is very easy to deploy and has great threat detection capabilities and good internal threat intelligence.

It uses advanced AI analytics, behavior analytics, and custom-made detection to detect advanced threats before they occur.

If a customer says it's expensive- let's say I will say no it is not. Other values are added then it is more reasonable having strong features.

With a click, I can access the system and isolate it from other networks, and then go into a further forensic investigation of the current threat without compromising anything else.

Its stitches with external logs are perfect and enhanced.

What needs improvement?

1. Disk Encryption capability.

2. User group-wise admin role. They have module-wise roles but a user group-wise role is not available.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been supplying this solution to customers for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have found this solution as NG AV is most stable compare with other solution

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is perfect.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution with a vendor team, HTH Global Network. Their expertise is an eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution, it works well and I rate it a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
reviewer1416024 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Engineer at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Low system resource usage, reliable, and flexible
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is the low consumption of system resources. The solution uses a lot of AI and machine learning."
  • "Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks could improve by offering remote management. It would be useful to look at the client's issue to fix it."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for all of our remote users because they are not connected to our on-premise data center.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is the low consumption of system resources. The solution uses a lot of AI and machine learning.

What needs improvement?

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks could improve by offering remote management. It would be useful to look at the client's issue to fix it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is scalable. add license and add many clients.

We have approximately 300 users using this solution in my company.

How are customer service and support?

I have not had an issue to need the support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have previously used antivirus solutions. We decided to use Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks because of its flexibility.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is straightforward because it is in the cloud. The whole deployment took approximately one day.

I rate the setup of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks a four out of five.

What about the implementation team?

We used the vendor to do the implementation of the solution.

What other advice do I have?

After the deployment of this solution, there is no need for maintenance.

I recommend this solution to others because it is easy to manage, reliable, and overall good to use.

I rate Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.