Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Reviews

Name: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security
Brand: Palo Alto Networks
Rating: 4.3 (14 reviews)

4.3 out of 5

14 reviews
100% willing to recommend

120 followers

What is Palo Alto Networks DNS Security?

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a solution that can stop attackers from abusing DNS for malicious activities like data theft, command and control, phishing, and ransomware. The solution offers organizations automated protections, prevents attackers from bypassing security measures, and eliminates the need for independent tools.

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Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is the #3 ranked solution in top Domain Name System (DNS) Security solutions. PeerSpot users give Palo Alto Networks DNS Security an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is most commonly compared to Cisco Umbrella: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco Umbrella. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 62% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 14% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security

February 2025

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Featured reviews

Partha Dash

Global Network Tech Lead at Thoughtworks

Palo Alto should explore agentless approaches to integrate DNS Security more easily and efficiently. The existing system sometimes presents challenges with backbone routing, impacting productivity. An agentless approach could be more lightweight and user-friendly. Additionally, there is a need for improvement in the pricing model for support and license renewals.

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Aneeq Zia

Senior Consultant at Systems Limited

The support depends. Support from distributors can be frustrating sometimes, but if you get support directly from Palo Alto, it's perfect. For direct Palo Alto support, I'd rate it a nine out of ten. Distributor support is more like a six out of ten. They are not really supportive and have slow response times.

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Billy Tang

Project Manager, Finance IT at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited

As per my understanding, it was easy to integrate the product into my company's infrastructure. It is a straightforward process to integrate the product with other tools and install it if our company receives help in advance from Palo Alto Networks. It is easy to maintain. One person is required to maintain the solution. I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

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Palo Alto Networks DNS Security mindshare

As of February 2025, the mindshare of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category stands at 12.9%, down from 16.8% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Domain Name System (DNS) Security	Feb 21, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Feb 21, 2025	Download
Comparison	Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco Umbrella	Feb 21, 2025	Download
Comparison	Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection	Feb 21, 2025	Download
Comparison	Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs F5 BIG-IP DNS	Feb 21, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Cisco Umbrella	4.4	22.3%	97%	111 interviews Add to research
Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection	4.1	21.7%	92%	17 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security's most valued features include DNS filtering and anti-hacking capabilities. It supports real-time protection, scalability, and ease of deployment without altering architecture. The tool efficiently blocks malicious requests and provides insights into DNS queries. It defends against DNS tunneling, command and control traffic, and other DNS-based attacks. Features like DNSSEC, domain generation algorithm, and global gateway switching enhance security with minimal performance impact. The solution's stability and maturity are consistently praised.

"The most valuable features of DNS Security include its ability to protect against command and control traffic, anonymizers, newly registered domains, and DNS tunneling."
"The most valuable features of DNS Security include its ability to protect against command and control traffic, anonymizers, newly registered domains, and DNS tunneling."
"The solution's most valuable features are data exfiltration and DNS tunneling."

Room for Improvement

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security could benefit from cloud-based management, integration with Cisco Meraki, better handling of DNS look-up attacks, and built-in IDS and IPS. Users desire an on-premise option, improved scalability, and more competitive pricing. Email protection and DLP features are recommended, along with reducing false positives. Technical support requires enhancement, and clearer distinction between this and Advanced Threat Prevention licenses is needed. An agentless approach for easier integration is also suggested.

"I have found customer service to be quite problematic. The support is often outsourced, leading to delayed response times."
"Palo Alto should explore agentless approaches to integrate DNS Security more easily and efficiently."
"If the tool offers improved data security, I think it would be good."

ROI

Users reported a significant return on investment from Palo Alto Networks DNS Security. They experienced reduced risks and improved threat detection capabilities saving on incident response time. Enhanced visibility into DNS traffic helped prevent malicious domains access, improving network security posture. The automation features streamlined processes, resulting in lower operational costs. Overall, businesses saw financial benefits through efficiency gains and reduced exposure to potential security breaches.

Pricing

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security incurs annual licensing fees, with pricing generally viewed as above average and premium compared to competitors like Fortinet but on par with Cisco offerings. While some users consider it expensive, others find the costs justified by its features. Variability in perceptions of cost exists, partially influenced by organizational type and purchasing strategy. Support costs incrementally rise, making long-term licenses advantageous. Enterprises often pay a 20%-30% premium for its superior security solutions.

"If one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the tool's price as two."
"There aren't many vendors offering DNS security solutions, but generally, Palo Alto subscriptions tend to be more expensive than other security vendors."
"The solution's pricing is equal to Cisco AMP or Cisco Umbrella."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for securing DNS and internet access across on-premise and remote environments. They deploy it for malware prevention, protection against command-and-control traffic, securing SaaS applications via DNS, filtering DNS data, and preventing DDoS attacks. Users leverage it for both internal and client network protection, allowing DNS traffic filtering to safeguard critical servers and user devices from threats like data exfiltration and newly registered domains. Subscription-based, it caters to those needing affordable DNS protection.

Service and Support

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security offers comprehensive documentation and mature support. Technical support is rated between seven to nine out of ten, with direct assistance being more reliable than distributor support. Users find the support team knowledgeable, though time zone discrepancies can affect response times. Some experience delays due to outsourced customer service, rating it five out of ten. Generally, they're satisfied with the support quality, noting improvements needed in response efficiency.

Deployment

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security's initial setup is widely considered straightforward and easy. Many find the setup simple, requiring only the activation of a subscription or license. Initial deployment often takes just minutes, though fully understanding the implementation may take longer. Users often rate the complexity as low, frequently scoring it a nine out of ten for ease. The process usually involves setting up a security profile and applying it to existing policies.

Scalability

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is highly scalable, handling large user bases effortlessly. Many users report smooth integration, requiring minimal configuration adjustments. The shift towards cloud automation and virtualization is evident, enhancing scalability. Users range from small to large enterprises, showcasing flexibility in handling different demands. Feedback often rates its scalability between eight and nine out of ten, indicating high satisfaction levels among various businesses and institutions. Cloud architecture plays a vital role in reducing performance issues.

Stability

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is largely considered stable and reliable. Many appreciate its robustness, with few reports of crashes or glitches. However, there are mixed ratings on stability, ranging from five to ten out of ten, indicating room for improvement, particularly regarding false positives and integration methods. Some users find alternatives like Cisco and Infoblox more stable. Despite this, many users remain satisfied with its capabilities.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Educational Organization

Healthcare Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Insurance Company

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

University

Media Company

Construction Company

Legal Firm

Non Profit

Logistics Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Transportation Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Performing Arts

Engineering Company

Consumer Goods Company

Hospitality Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

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Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Features

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Full protection: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security uses deep learning algorithms that predict and identify new and advanced threats to offer protection against sophisticated DNS-based attacks.

Comprehensive visibility: With the solution, you gain complete visibility into your organization’s blind spots to prevent attacks from exploiting your network and stealing your data.

Real-time prevention: The solution includes real-time analysis and can identify millions of malicious domains before an attack even happens.

Native integration with your NGFW (Next Generation Firewall): You don’t have to reroute your DNS traffic or work through lengthy change management processes to deploy the solution.

Category-based action: The solution allows you to create policies specific to DNS traffic types. All DNS queries are checked against Palo Alto’s scalable cloud database to determine appropriate enforcement actions.

SaaS Security: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security delivers integrated SaaS security that lets you see and secure new SaaS applications, protect data, and prevent zero-day threats at the lowest TCO.

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Palo Alto Networks DNS Security. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Saves time and money: The solution helps you reduce costs and extend your NGFW investment by saving time in operations with a single coordinated network security stack for all alerts, policies, rule violations, IDPS, web security, malware analysis, and DNS.

Uninterrupted security innovations: Palo Alto Networks DNS Security seamlessly adds new detection, prevention, and analytics capabilities without requiring reconfiguration.

Optimized security posture: The solution’s Security Analytics dashboard ensures protection for NGFWs with significant DNS traffic.

Reviews from Real Users

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it has remarkable anti-hacking features, excellent stability, provides valuable insights, and has good DNS filtering.

A Senior Technical Project Manager at a university explains why he likes the solution: “They have anti-hacking features which are quite useful. They have virus protection within the firewall. The stability is excellent and the product is very mature.”

Others express how the solution has been valuable in providing insights. A Network Engineer at an educational organization says, “We can actively see how many thousands of malicious requests have gotten knocked down in the last day or week that we didn't know about before.”

“The solution has good DNS filtering, is scalable, and highly-integrated,” mentions a Group Network Specialist at a financial services firm.