We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to manage the villains. Basically, to protect the environment.
Director of Information Technology at a hospitality company with 10,001+ employees
A stable next-generation firewall solution
Pros and Cons
- "I like that they are more stable than the previous ones, and they allow a lot of other features."
- "It would be better to have more tools to control Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. We don't have too many tools to access Palo Alto. For example, the IT team doesn't have access to it. We can see it physically and see if it's running or not. We need to contact a special team to receive that information. I would also like to see more reporting in the next release."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I like that they are more stable than the previous ones, and they allow a lot of other features.
What needs improvement?
It would be better to have more tools to control Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. We don't have too many tools to access Palo Alto. For example, the IT team doesn't have access to it. We can see it physically and see if it's running or not. We need to contact a special team to receive that information. I would also like to see more reporting in the next release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for two years.
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Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
November 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is scalable. We have about 250 people using it at our hotel.
How are customer service and support?
We use Trustwave, a company that provides the devices. We have an agreement with them, and we're satisfied with the support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used to use Juniper and Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty much straightforward. It takes us about two hours to set up and deploy this solution. It takes a team of two guys to deploy and maintain this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to new users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine.
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.
Network Security Engineer at Raya Integration
A next-generation firewall with useful functions and features
Pros and Cons
- "I like all the functions and features."
- "I think automation and machine learning can be improved to make bulk configurations simpler, easier, and faster"
What is our primary use case?
We use it for LAN users, internet access, and more. The NG Firewall has many functions like user control, access control for servers, natural controls based on applications, schedules, ports, RTs, and IPS functionality with antivirus or security functionality. We also use it to control internet access, traffic shaping for bandwidth control, and fraud prevention.
What is most valuable?
I like all the functions and features.
What needs improvement?
I think automation and machine learning can be improved to make bulk configurations simpler, easier, and faster. Scalability can also be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with NG Firewalls for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I don't think Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls are scalable. Only Cisco is scalable. For clustering, Cisco activity models like the 4000 model are better. For example, if the firewall is undersized due to expansion, you can cluster and add more appliances to the system.
How are customer service and technical support?
I think Palo Alto has good support. Technical support helped me solve most of my issues very quickly.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup depends on the client's infrastructure and the project's scope.
If it's migration, Palo Alto has a great tool called the Expedition tool. It helps to migrate any firewall to the Palo Alto firewall. This process takes about a day, and it's very simple.
If it's a fresh installation, it depends on the number of policies you need to apply and the number of metrics. You can do it using the command line. You can do it easily and quickly, but it depends on how much the customers prepare. Sometimes the customer has no information to provide, and you struggle to get this information. Sometimes this process can take two to five days or take weeks.
What about the implementation team?
We implement and maintain Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for our customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Paul Alto is the most expensive solution in this category. The subscriptions and support are also expensive, but everything is included in the hardware, including the subscriptions.
If a customer is price-sensitive, I will go for Fortinet without a second thought. If customers are willing to invest in their data centers, I might go with Palo Alto and Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sr. Manager - Systems & Networks at Aspire Systems
Effective internal authentication but configuration complexity need optimization
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is the performance."
- "The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is the performance."
- "Configurations related to different operating systems can be complex, and we have encountered issues with Linux systems."
- "The support needs improvement, as the quality of the responses is not great and sometimes solutions take a long time."
What is our primary use case?
We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for visibility and protection of our network.
How has it helped my organization?
Our environment primarily uses Windows, and Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls can enhance our security integration.
The firewalls help protect our servers, but we do not have a highly sophisticated data center setup.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is the performance.
What needs improvement?
The support needs improvement, as the quality of the responses is not great and sometimes solutions take a long time. Configurations related to different operating systems can be complex, and we have encountered issues with Linux systems.
The internal authentication method for connecting to the firewall's internet access requires an SSL certificate. However, the configuration process is complex and currently incompatible with certain operating systems, such as Linux.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for nearly eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are stable; we have only faced downtime once in the past two years due to a primary firewall maintenance issue where the standby did not come up.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not needed to scale up or down, as the solution we have is currently sufficient.
How are customer service and support?
Support is a challenge as the response time is long, and the quality of responses could be improved.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Juniper previously and found its security features superior. However, I prefer Palo Alto for its broader range of features and more competitive pricing.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process is somewhat complex, requiring a couple of days. Fine-tuning and configuring SSL authentications internally is difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are more expensive than Cisco firewalls, but slightly less expensive than Juniper firewalls.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Cisco and Juniper before choosing Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls seven out of ten.
The maintenance of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is easy.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Nov 17, 2024
Flag as inappropriateChief Information Security Officer at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
Great firewall with excellent features and helpful configuration capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is proactive in letting us know when there are updates that need to be made to the system."
- "We haven't had any issues so far."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is to provide protection for our cloud-based server resources.
How has it helped my organization?
We don't have to spend as much time monitoring or configuring the solution. We just feed the alerts into our stock and we don't have to manage it regularly.
What is most valuable?
The configuration and stability are great. The solution offers many good features. Palo Alto has by far the best firewall in the world.
Palo Alto NG Firewalls embed machine learning into the core of the firewall to provide real-time attack prevention. Of course, that's just expected these days. Anyone worth considering is doing this. Low-end firewall devices out there do not provide that. However, they're not enterprise-ready.
The machine learning in Palo Alto's Next-Generation Firewalls is excellent for securing our networks against threats that are able to evolve and morph rapidly. It's a ten out of ten.
The product provides a unified platform that natively integrates all the security capabilities. That's very important to us.
The product has zero-day signature features implemented.
There are no trade-offs between security and network performance with Palo Alto.
What needs improvement?
We haven't had any issues so far.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for the last three years, although the company has used it for longer.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is proactive in letting us know when there are updates that need to be made to the system. We've not had any issues with any of the maintenance activities.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What other advice do I have?
We are customers of Palo Alto.
I'd rate the solution ten 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?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Aug 4, 2024
Flag as inappropriateSenior Manager Network Design at MEEZA, Managed IT Services Provider
Provides ease of deployment and helps us maintain a secure network environment
Pros and Cons
- "The product's most valuable features are the ease of deployment, regularly updated security information, and robust hardware."
- "Palo Alto's various products need better integration to ensure they work harmoniously."
What is our primary use case?
We use this firewall to segment our network into two parts and control traffic between them, providing a secure and efficient way to manage our network.
What is most valuable?
The product's most valuable features are the ease of deployment, regularly updated security information, and robust hardware.
What needs improvement?
Palo Alto's various products need better integration to ensure they work harmoniously.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for the past six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The firewall is very stable; I rate it ten out of ten in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable, accommodating around 5,000 users at our site. We plan to increase usage, which is a matter of purchasing new licenses without affecting current operations.
How are customer service and support?
While I have not used technical support service, my team has, and they have found it to be very good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched from AWS to Oracle Advanced Analytics because while AWS was easy to use, it was more expensive.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is easy but requires careful planning and expert design to ensure optimal deployment. The process involves planning, reviewing requirements, designing, implementing, and operating the firewall.
What other advice do I have?
Palo Alto NG Firewall effectively prevents threats and helps maintain a secure network environment.
I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: May 26, 2024
Flag as inappropriateIT engineer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
The solution provides a unified platform, enhances security, and is stable
Pros and Cons
- "The application awareness feature that recognizes application IDs and vulnerability protection are Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' most valuable features."
- "The price is high and has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls as a gateway for our data center and server files because they are a reliable and robust device, and the best in the security field. We also use their threat intelligence and threat protection services, which are like brass fittings.
How has it helped my organization?
Palo Alto enables telemetry and enriches their systems to protect our network against threats, which is why machine learning helps us secure our network.
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have enhanced our security by around 20 percent.
The solution provides a unified platform that natively integrates all of our security capabilities.
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls help eliminate security holes by stopping all the known and unknown vulnerabilities that we are seeing in our network.
The single-path architecture has improved performance and latency.
What is most valuable?
The application awareness feature that recognizes application IDs and vulnerability protection are Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
The price is high and has room for improvement.
We have Elite Plus partner support, which means we always have to speak to a partner to open a case. However, not all of the partners are knowledgeable or helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
When it comes to virtual machine editions or the cloud, I think they are more scalable than hardware.
We have three administrators, 1,000 end users, and up to 400 servers that use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Fortinet FortiGate firewalls but switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for their superior performance. We also chose Palo Alto Networks because Gartner's reviews of their firewalls have consistently been better than those of Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. However, enabling the security features and starting traffic inspection can be complex. The physical installation is easy.
The deployment for one device takes one day.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment in the two years that we have been using the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' price is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine out of ten.
I recommend Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.
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.
Manager IT Security & Infrastructure at Currimjee Jeewanjee & Co. Ltd.
Gives us visibility and reporting that we didn't have, improving our ability to monitor and secure our network
Pros and Cons
- "You can easily integrate it with Active Directory, and you can use the GlobalProtect VPN for internal and external purposes. The URL Filtering is also clear and the application filtering is a plus. The application filtering is much better when you compare it to FortiGate or other firewall vendors."
- "There has been a recent change in the graphical interface. For the monitoring part, they could have a better UI."
What is our primary use case?
We have implemented our own private cloud where we host different services for a number of internal companies that are part of a group. We have financial companies, hospitality, and construction companies; a large variety. We use Palo Alto to provide security protection for all these companies.
How has it helped my organization?
Previously, with our old firewalls, we did not have any visibility. The application layer was zero. We didn't have any visibility there. And we also didn't have any reports. Now, we have good visibility and we are able to get reports and we can monitor the network much better. That's a big change for us and a big help.
What is most valuable?
There are a lot of helpful features
- monitoring
- reporting
- WiFi.
You can easily integrate it with Active Directory, and you can use the GlobalProtect VPN for internal and external purposes. The URL Filtering is also clear and the application filtering is a plus. The application filtering is much better when you compare it to FortiGate or other firewall vendors.
Also, the fact that Next-Gen Firewalls from Palo Alto embed machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline and real-time attack prevention is very important. Nowadays, all the modern attacks, hackers, and bad people are becoming more intelligent and automating attacks. Embedding AI is a good idea.
We have complete visibility through the logs and the alerting. It depends on how you configure the firewall. You can configure it to get alerts whenever there's an attack or whenever something is happening. That's how we can assess if the firewall is doing the job correctly or not. We are happy with the way the firewall does its job.
What needs improvement?
There has been a recent change in the graphical interface. For the monitoring part, they could have a better UI.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The big firewalls, like the PA-300 and the PA-3020, are very good, stable, and performant. They are very reliable. The smaller models are reliable, but the performance on their management plane is a bit slow. Even the management plane of the PA-850 is a bit slow when you compare it to some of the bigger models.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling is easy. We currently have about 1,000 endpoints.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't worked with their technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We replaced a Cisco ASA Firewall with Palo Alto, and then we started replacing all our other firewalls with Palo Alto. Cisco ASA was not a next-generation firewall at that time. And no firewall could beat the traffic monitoring and the visibility that we had on Palo Alto.
We did a PoC before going to Palo Alto. We placed the Palo Alto in virtual wire mode, meaning a transparent mode. Without changing our existing network infrastructure, we were able to plug the Palo Alto into our network where we could see all the incoming and all the outgoing traffic. Without creating any policies or any blocking, we were able to see all the traffic and we were impressed with that part and we decided to switch to Palo Alto.
How was the initial setup?
The first deployment was very complex. I was not the one who implemented it, it was an integrator, but it was a headache due to some difficulties. After that, things became easy. We have implemented six or seven Palo Altos, and things are easy because of our familiarity with the whole deployment process. The first time we were using this firewall we were not at ease with the product. After that, we got used to it and it became easier.
Because of the issues with the first one, it took one week for the deployment, for the complete transition from Cisco ASA to Palo Alto. Since then, all the deployments have been done in one day.
What was our ROI?
We have seen ROI as a result of the visibility and reporting. These are two things we didn't have, and now that we have the visibility, we can ensure that our network is secure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
If you compare Palo Alto with other firewalls, it's a bit expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
At that time, Palo Alto was the leader and I think it was the only next-gen firewall.
We have looked into other firewalls since then. In 2017 or 2018, we decided to replace one Palo Alto with a Forcepoint Next-Gen Firewall. We placed that in the network but, after six months, we replaced it with Palo Alto.
What other advice do I have?
If someone is looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall, I would say the fastest is good, but not cheapest. Palo Alto Firewalls are not cheap.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Security team leader at a aerospace/defense firm with 10,001+ employees
All of the policies configured are related to the application and not to a port
Pros and Cons
- "The strengths of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are application visibility and application awareness. Their strong point is identifying applications for traffic. So all of the policies that are configured are related to the application and not to a port."
- "This solution cannot be implemented on-premises; it's only a cloud solution. The price is high as well."
What is our primary use case?
We deployed the Palo Alto Next Generation Firewall on the perimeter of the network, so all traffic that flows to the company from the internet and from the company to the internet scanned by the Palo Alto Networks Firewall. In addition, all of the internal traffic from LAN users to services that are on the DMZ zone traverse the Palo Alto Firewall.
What is most valuable?
The strengths of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are application visibility and application awareness. Their strong point is identifying applications for traffic. So all of the policies that are configured are related to the application and not to a port.
For example, let's say you want to allow HTTP traffic and the server is not listening on the standard http port which port 80 but listens on port 25 which Is the standard port for SMTP, this is not an obstacle has the firewall is focusing on the application, it identify the HTTP application and allow the HTTP application and block any other application on port 25. So we don't care on which port the app traverses.
It is easy to install and is stable too.
What needs improvement?
There is another solution from Palo Alto for endpoints - XDR that integrates with the firewall thus providing protection at the network level and also at the end point but the XDR solution is only a cloud based solution. I would really like it if would be possible to implement this solution on-premises this is something that I would love to see with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.
The price could be lower.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, it's stable. I haven't had any problem with it. I'm always authorizing to have the minor version aligned with the latest version. There haven't been any published vulnerabilities with the product so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'm using the cluster, and that's a great long term solution. So I haven't needed to expand.
There are more than 10,000 employees in the company. We hope to migrate the other branches that have a different vendor to Palo Alto.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward from my point of view.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
From a financial perspective, this solution is quite expensive.
The licensing is on a yearly basis even though we close the deal for three years upfront.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise that those thinking about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls need to switch how they think about a policy on the firewall. They should not to look at it from the point of view of the service and what port that policy is related to. Instead, they should look at it from the application side. Don't pay too much attention to the port. Just look at the application. For example, the NGFW doesn't care if SMTP traverses on port 25 or 65. It just enforces the protocol.
From a technical point of view, I don't think that there's something that's missing from the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. So, I would rate it at nine on a scale from one to 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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Updated: November 2024
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