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reviewer1529103 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director IT Security at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Good threat hunt capabilities, good support, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "Mechanically, all firewalls work in a similar fashion, but what makes Palo Alto different is that it also has some of the threat hunt capabilities. It is a little bit better than other vendors."
  • "As things are evolving, we want to make sure that Palo Alto is able to keep up with what is going on outside. They should continue to do more intelligence-related enhancements and integrate with some of the other security tools. We want to have a more intelligent toolset down the road."

What is our primary use case?

Basically, it is for protection and security. We are using it to make sure that our network is as secure as possible. We are able to evaluate each stack in each pocket and take certain actions as needed when we look into some of the content of the payload. 

We have on-prem deployments, and we also have SaaS-based services.

What is most valuable?

Mechanically, all firewalls work in a similar fashion, but what makes Palo Alto different is that it also has some of the threat hunt capabilities. It is a little bit better than other vendors.

What needs improvement?

As things are evolving, we want to make sure that Palo Alto is able to keep up with what is going on outside. They should continue to do more intelligence-related enhancements and integrate with some of the other security tools. We want to have a more intelligent toolset down the road.

For how long have I used the solution?

We implemented this solution last year.

Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
November 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We currently have 25,000 users. Its usage won't increase a lot, but IT is changing very rapidly, and it would depend on the security model towards which we are moving. 

How are customer service and support?

Palo Alto provides pretty good support.

How was the initial setup?

It is straightforward. The deployment duration varies because there are different modules and components, but it doesn't mean that we have to complete everything to make it work. For the core piece of it, it would probably take a couple of months to install, configure, and test.

What about the implementation team?

We have a vendor to help us. We have two or three people for its deployment.

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

It has a yearly subscription.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1523322 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Staff Security Engineer at a renewables & environment company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Stable and scalable, works well, and makes our environment more secure
Pros and Cons
  • "The App-ID feature is the coolest feature because you don't need to open a new port. Apps are directly linked to the port. It provides one of the best ways to lock down the additional port switch."
  • "Its software updates can be improved. It sometimes becomes very slow with the software updates for different features. It should have an External Dynamic List of data. The malicious IP is not frequently getting updated in Palo Alto, and this should be done."

What is our primary use case?

We are working on creating security policies on the firewall. We have just put GlobalProtect VPN in our company. We also have Prisma Access.

We have on-prem and hybrid cloud deployments.

How has it helped my organization?

It has strengthened our security policies and made our environment more secure. It has provided us more security features. Due to the rules that we have created on Palo Alto Firewall, all the malicious things have been stopped from coming into our environment.

What is most valuable?

The App-ID feature is the coolest feature because you don't need to open a new port. Apps are directly linked to the port. It provides one of the best ways to lock down the additional port switch.

What needs improvement?

Its software updates can be improved. It sometimes becomes very slow with the software updates for different features.

It should have an External Dynamic List of data. The malicious IP is not frequently getting updated in Palo Alto, and this should be done.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is also good.

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

We were using Cisco ASA previously. Palo Alto has strengthened our security policies. It has also made our environment more secure than Cisco ASA.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup is straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewall an eight out of ten. It has been working very well.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid 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.
PeerSpot user
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.
Jorge Huaman - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Manager at Italtel
Real User
Leaderboard
Easy for clients to connect to their information
Pros and Cons
  • "They have a good system operator in the firewalls and it provides many tools that they can use to protect their networks."
  • "Maybe they could add some tools and more competing services, like servers, but that would increase the cost of the solution."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for the perimeter connection of our clients in the network. Our client brings their services to their clients, and they have the option to connect to a webpage. With Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls they can safely provide a username and password to their clients.

It is mainly on-premise, because the majority of the clients at this point want that kind of option. But many of them are already asking for the cloud option, like Prisma, for example.

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved our clients' organizations because previously the clients did not have the option to fully connect. In this solution, they have the opportunity to add services to their web page and book clients.

What is most valuable?

The feature that I have found most valuable is the connection. It's very easy for the clients to connect to their information. They use an SSL connection by BPM.

What needs improvement?

We work very closely with the vendors here and at this point they use external support.

Maybe they could add some tools and more competing services, like servers, but that would increase the cost of the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

My company has been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for almost one year. It is new for us. We have more experience with Cisco and Fortinet.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

In my company, I am responsible for the development of the proposal that we give to the client. We develop the spectrum and the pricing. We make presentations to the customer to explain the solution and answer questions about it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very strong. The vendor provides has high availability.

Our clients are medium sized businesses.

Palo Alto is not a cheap solution. It is expensive. But because of its technology it pays itself back. In each case we work with the vendor to obtain a major discount for their business. I give that discount to our customer, who benefit from the services that we can bring them.

How are customer service and technical support?

This is our first dealing with Palo Alto. With other vendors we have more experience, like with Cisco and Fortinet.

Palo Alto's documentation and manuals are very complete. It's very easy to obtain the information that way.

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

The client still uses Cisco, Fortinet, and Checkpoint. Palo Alto has very good administration tools which is not the case with the others. You can't compare all vendors. Also, the granularity of the information that they can obtain from the firewalls is better.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup depends. In the case of one client, for example, they have a very complex connection of networks, which is architectural. It is integrated and we need to pick it out and include all the rules that they have and to put in the firewalls which they want to buy in the next month. That kind of job is not easy for us, not just regarding Palo Alto but for other vendors, too.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine.

I would recommend this product to others.

In terms of what advice I would give to future customers looking into implementing Palo Alto Firewalls, I would tell them that they have a good system operator in the firewalls and that it provides many tools that they can use to protect their networks. You don't find that in the other vendors.

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
PeerSpot user
Associate cloud system admin at Innocap
Real User
Top 20
Is used to secure our Internet traffic and the application traffic
Pros and Cons
  • "The payload is a very valuable feature."
  • "The technical support needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to secure our Internet traffic and the application traffic from the Internet. 

There is also no need to connect to a VPN most of the time.

What is most valuable?

The payload is a very valuable feature. 

What needs improvement?

The technical support needs improvement. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The deployment takes five to ten minutes. 

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

There are security licenses. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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reviewer1122564 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Network Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
Supports Single Pass Architecture, stops any attack on the line, and saves time
Pros and Cons
  • "I like all the threat alerts and WildFire. I also like scanning because everything that comes into our network via customers is scanned. We're an electric company, so every one of the bills is scanned and emailed in and out of our network."
  • "I like the reports, but I wish the reporting was a little better. When I set up the automatic reports to come in, they're pretty basic. I would like them to be a little more advanced at the ACC monitoring and things like that. I still enjoy all the daily alerts that I get and all the daily PDFs and reports, but I just feel that it could expand upon the visualization of the reports."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for our edge firewalls and our east-west and north-south traffic for our firewalls. We have also deployed each firewall to every site for our Layer 3 connections back to our data center.

How has it helped my organization?

Since we've integrated it into our east-west traffic and north-south traffic, I feel that it has reduced the number of viruses or other things in our endpoints. I wish to expand it more all the way to our endpoint computers so that we have end-to-end firewall security through Palo Alto.

It provides a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities. This is very important to me because I'm in IT infrastructure. I take care of the entire operations network and everything that flows north and south, east and west, and inside and out of our data center. It's very important that we have Palo Alto to protect us.

It embeds machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention. When any packet comes through the network, everything is like a first pass. It goes through every single part of our network, and we don't have a delay in alerts or network security. It stops any attack on the line.

What is most valuable?

I like all the threat alerts and WildFire. I also like scanning because everything that comes into our network via customers is scanned. We're an electric company, so every one of the bills is scanned and emailed in and out of our network. 

What needs improvement?

I like the reports, but I wish the reporting was a little better. When I set up the automatic reports to come in, they're pretty basic. I would like them to be a little more advanced at the ACC monitoring and things like that. I still enjoy all the daily alerts that I get and all the daily PDFs and reports, but I just feel that it could expand upon the visualization of the reports.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is great. They're not going anywhere. They're the industry leader.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It doesn't matter whether you are small or large, Palo Alto will fit your needs.

How are customer service and support?

I'm in Pacific Standard Time. During the day, I have great support, and after 5:30, I don't have great support. During my business hours, I would rate their support as a ten out of ten. I love Palo Alto's support. However, at night, when the sun changes and I go to a different area, it's not always the best at level 1. If the incident was like having a system down, the support would be better, but after hours or 5:30, I have a harder time.

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

We were using Cisco ASA. We switched because of its ease to use and the GUI. There is also Single Pass Architecture, which is related to the way a packet flows through our network. It doesn't have to go through one area into another area. It's all at one, and it just separates. It gives me the best visibility of our network and firewalls.

What was our ROI?

It has decreased the time of technicians in researching the vulnerabilities. We also do web filtering, so that helps. Web filtering has changed things because we used to use Websense, and it's night and day.

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

It's very expensive. However, we usually use all of the subscriptions and threat alerts on any firewall that uses the internet. For each edge security endpoint, we use all subscriptions. Otherwise, we just utilize the threat alert, the antivirus, WildFire, etc.

What other advice do I have?

Palo Alto is the best firewall company. Whether you're a small company or a large company, it will fit your needs.

By attending this RSA Conference, I was hoping to find new security solutions. However, I seem to like my existing Palo Alto security solutions. In terms of the impact of the RSA Conference on our organization’s cybersecurity purchases, it depends on what we're looking for at the time of attending an RSA Conference. Right now, we're looking for something that I didn't really see here. We're looking for security, but this means we need a security operations center (SOC), whereas we're small. We just don't have that type of network. This is almost too much. However, that's why we have Palo Alto Networks.

I would rate it a nine out of ten. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. Palo Alto is the best firewall security network that I could possibly purchase.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2173221 - PeerSpot reviewer
Program Manager, Cybersecurity at a wholesaler/distributor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Provides good security and visibility, and integrates well with our SIEM
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is advanced URL filtering. Its prevention capabilities and DNS security are also valuable. It pinpoints any suspicious activities and also prevents the users from doing certain things."
  • "Palo Alto should improve their support. It's sometimes difficult to get the right technician or engineer to fix the problem as soon as possible."

What is our primary use case?

We use Palo Alto as our perimeter firewall. We also use the GlobalProtect VPN solution.

How has it helped my organization?

It gives visibility into different threats. There is a wide range of threats that can be identified.

We collect logs from Palo Alto into our Rapid7 SIEM solution. It's pretty well integrated. This integration is important because we don't necessarily want a solution from the same vendor. I know Palo Alto has Cortex for collection. Being open to other vendors in order to ingest the data or logs is a great thing.

Palo Alto has embedded machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention, which is important because AI is the future. All cybersecurity companies are going to start using it. It's definitely a good thing. We just need to make sure that there's still the human component because AI can still fail.

Palo Alto has a wide range of different appliances or virtual machines. It can be installed anywhere from a small branch to a data center. It helps to secure small businesses to large enterprises.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is advanced URL filtering. Its prevention capabilities and DNS security are also valuable. It pinpoints any suspicious activities and also prevents the users from doing certain things. For example, DNS security prevents users from reaching certain websites, so it's really interesting.

What needs improvement?

Palo Alto should improve their support. It's sometimes difficult to get the right technician or engineer to fix the problem as soon as possible.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Palo Alto for at least five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They're pretty robust. They also have Unit 42, which is their threat intelligence team. They make you feel safer because they can identify the threats and then implement protection from those into their firewall.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is pretty good on the virtual side. Because the virtual environment licensing model is based on credit, if you don't wanna use UI protection tomorrow, you can get rid of it and use those credits for another product or another license.

How are customer service and support?

Because of the pandemic, there's a lot of turnover and the quality of the support technicians is not great. I hope they will improve. I would rate their support a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

I didn't use any other solution previously.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward. They have great documentation. We use Palo Alto in the Azure environment, and their Azure documentation is one of the best documentation I've ever seen. It's very detailed. It can be confusing sometimes because there's a lot of information, but it's definitely good. They're good at documenting, and their knowledge base is really interesting for troubleshooting. There's a lot of useful information.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed it ourselves. We didn't use any company to deploy it.

What was our ROI?

It's hard to tell. It's preventing attacks, but I don't have any specific case where I can say whether a particular attack would not have been blocked by another vendor.

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

It can be quite expensive, but there's a good incentive for the three-year contracts. The part that is especially confusing is for the virtual environment. The credits or the licensing system can be very confusing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We didn't evaluate any other options.

What other advice do I have?

As a result of my experience with Palo Alto NGFW, to a colleague at another company who says, “We are just looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall,” I would say that the cheapest and fastest means there is a potential risk of breach. Even though Palo Alto is quite expensive, it definitely makes you feel secure. The configuration of the appliances or virtual machines is pretty straightforward, so you don't need to be highly trained in order to be the administrator of the platform.

It's important to attend an RSA Conference even if you're already a customer. That's because you might not be necessarily aware of the new products, so going to an RSA Conference can help you identify new solutions that may be valuable for your company. 

Attending an RSA Conference will have an impact on our organization’s cybersecurity purchases made throughout the year afterward. There are a lot of different vendors that I've found, and I will probably get in touch soon.

Overall, I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
reviewer2171667 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Effectively protects environment from threats, but the technical support is lacking
Pros and Cons
  • "In general, I appreciate the regular firewall function of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls."
  • "There is room for improvement in the area of customer service."

What is our primary use case?

We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls with Prisma and cloud environments.

How has it helped my organization?

As a firewall, it effectively protects our environment from threats.

What is most valuable?

In general, I appreciate the regular firewall function of the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewall.

Overall, it is a good networking device product.

From my perspective, having machine learning integrated into the core of the Palo Alto NG Firewalls is very important for enabling real-time attack prevention.

As far as I know, the use of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls has resulted in reduced downtime, but I am not directly involved with that department.

What needs improvement?

One main issue I've encountered is customer service. Occasionally, when I open a request, it gets closed automatically, without any explanation, leaving me unsure of what happened to it. However, overall, the product itself works well. As for Prisma Cloud, it could benefit from some additional functionality, but the main issue is the lack of communication regarding closed requests.

There is room for improvement in the area of customer service.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have had experience working with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for three or more years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is good.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is lacking. I would rate the technical support a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Previously, we worked with Cisco Secure Firewall.

We switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls because it was a good deal for the company.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved in the deployment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Another team was responsible for running the proof of concept.

What other advice do I have?

I don't have any knowledge or experience regarding the unified platform and native integration of all security capabilities provided by Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

Based on my experience, evaluating the security solution for all workplaces from the smallest office to the largest data centers cannot be assessed by a single path. However, in general, the solution is performing its intended job well.

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight out of ten.

Attending the RSA conference provided me with an enormous amount of knowledge on various topics such as new technologies, and threats in different environments, including cloud and on-premises. Which impacts my purchase throughout the year afterward.

One of our objectives is to search for new solutions, whether to replace current ones with more modern options or to explore new sandboxes, technologies, and vulnerabilities.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2171652 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud and Data Center Ops at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect of this solution is pre-sales and post-sales because of the support and relationship building."
  • "The solution could be more cost-effective."

What is our primary use case?

We chose Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to replace our outdated firewalls.

How has it helped my organization?

The overall security of the organization has been improved.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of this solution is pre-sales and post-sales because of the support and relationship building.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities. 

The integration of all security capabilities in Palo Alto NG Firewalls provides a unified platform, which is crucial as it reduces complexity.

Having machine learning embedded in the core of the solution for in-line, real-time attack prevention is of great importance to us, it is a top priority. 

This is significant because it enables automation, reducing the number of man-hours needed.

When evaluating the ability of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to secure data centers consistently across all workplaces, I would give it a rating of eight out of ten.

By using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, we have been able to decrease our downtime by several hours per month.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be more cost-effective.

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 is a very stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are easily scalable.

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

We previously used Barracuda Networks.

We switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls after having a bad experience with our previous vendor for firewall solutions.

Palo Alto is more forward-thinking when compared to Barracuda.

How was the initial setup?

I was involved in the initial setup. It was complex in multiple ways.

The solution itself is not a simple solution.

What about the implementation team?

An integrator assisted us with the deployment.

They were helpful and knowledgeable.

What was our ROI?

I have experienced a return on investment with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. One benefit is that there are fewer man-hours required for deployment and maintenance.

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

That solution's pricing and/or licensing are very convoluted.

What other advice do I have?

Based on my experience with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, if a colleague at another company said they were only looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall, I would not recommend Palo Alto.

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine out of ten.

Attending an RSA conference provides high value and helps us to see the impact of our organization's cybersecurity purchases annually.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Updated: November 2024
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Download our free Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.