The solution is to provide protection for our cloud-based server resources.
Chief 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?
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.
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
873,209 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior 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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
873,209 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Engineer at DLP
Has good ID management and the configuration is easy
Pros and Cons
- "The user experience is good and the configuration is very easy."
- "Technical support can be faster at responding."
What is our primary use case?
We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for our gateway security.
How has it helped my organization?
Embedded machine learning is important.
The user experience is good and the configuration is very easy.
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates security capabilities.
What is most valuable?
IDM is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The process of applying updates to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls has room for improvement.
The price also has room for improvement and the technical support could respond faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is extremely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We have 60 people that use the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good but can sometimes be slow.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used WatchGuard XTM firewalls, but I switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls because of their superior performance and features.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a good return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are expensive compared to WatchGuard XTM firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
I give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a ten out of ten.
We have to perform regular updates for the solution.
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. Reseller
Deputy Project Leader for CVE at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Saves our company time and resources, which equals money saved
Pros and Cons
- "Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls saves us time."
- "I would like more reporting and metrics in the solution."
What is our primary use case?
We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls mostly for firewalls.
How has it helped my organization?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls saves our company time and resources, which equals money.
What is most valuable?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls saves us time. The solution's firewalls have secured our company, and we don't have to worry about anything.
What needs improvement?
I would like more reporting and metrics in the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a very scalable solution.
What was our ROI?
We have seen an ROI with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls because it saves us time. We haven't worried about any security issues and feel very protected with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is expensive but is worth the price.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, we did evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
We're fine with the firewall and not shopping around for a firewall.
The fact that it embeds machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention is invaluable to me.
Palo Alto NGFW provides a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities, which is invaluable to me.
It does a great job of securing data centers consistently across all workplaces, i.e., from the smallest office to the largest data centers, and we have zero complaints.
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have helped us reduce about twenty extra hours a week of downtime in our organization.
I rate the value we receive from attending an RSA Conference a ten out of ten.
Attending RSAC will surely have an impact on our organization's cybersecurity purchases made throughout the year afterward.
Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Security Analyst at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Helps with audit and compliance, but it should be easier to gather evidence
Pros and Cons
- "I typically get involved with it when it comes to audit and compliance and having to gather evidence of those firewalls, routers, and rule sets. The evidence that I typically need is there."
- "I don't deal with it from a day-to-day perspective, but I can say that the evidence that I typically need is there, but sometimes, it's a task to actually get it and pull it out. They can make it easier to gather that evidence."
How has it helped my organization?
Solutions like firewalls and routers improve any company. If you don't have them, then I wouldn't be doing business with you.
Palo Alto has embedded machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention. That's big. We're embedding that type of security and information into every part of our corporate network as well as our products.
It has helped to reduce downtime in our organization. The savings are probably in single digits.
What is most valuable?
I typically get involved with it when it comes to audit and compliance and having to gather evidence of those firewalls, routers, and rule sets. The evidence that I typically need is there.
We got a lot of integrations into it, but I don't know if it integrates with all.
What needs improvement?
I don't deal with it from a day-to-day perspective, but I can say that the evidence that I typically need is there, but sometimes, it's a task to actually get it and pull it out. They can make it easier to gather that evidence. From our NetOps team's perspective also, they can make it easier to manage and constantly update those rule sets.
For how long have I used the solution?
I don't know for how long exactly we have been using this solution, but I've been aware that we've had them probably since about 2016 or 2017.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable. They are highly ranked within their space.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a good product for securing all types of workplaces. It's specifically good for data centers, which are all brick-and-mortar houses. Small businesses must also have it because they don't have the ability to have everything in a cloud or virtualized firewalls and other things like that.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't dealt with their support team.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved in its initial deployment.
What was our ROI?
I am able to gather some of the evidence and things that I need. Our NetOps team uses it heavily, and they love it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would assume that it's still within mid-range given its company structure and everything else. My guess is it's still okay.
What other advice do I have?
To someone at another company who says, “We are just looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall,” I would say that you just lost the customer because I'm not going to do business with somebody who is going for the cheapest. I'm always looking for a vendor or customer that has more input and cares about the security of their systems.
The value received from attending an RSA Conference includes prizes and other things, but on a personal level, I love the tech talks, knowing about a lot of industry changes, and different product solutions being showcased.
RSAC definitely has an impact on our organization’s cybersecurity purchases made throughout the year. One of my main roles is vendor due diligence, so I come to RSA quite often, and I have conversations with many different sales engineers who can explain the security of their products because that's what I focus on during our onboarding process.
Overall, I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
M&B at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Good protection, easy to install, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the solution is the network protection."
- "The support could be improved. Palo Alto does not have a support team located in Bangladesh, and their support team operates from another location. Therefore, when we raise a ticket, it takes some time for them to respond, which can be problematic for us."
What is our primary use case?
I am a customer of Palo Alto Networks. If any issue arises, I raise a ticket with Palo Alto.
How has it helped my organization?
We are currently using Palo Alto in our national data center, which is a large Tier Three data center. As all communication is now going through APIs, it would be beneficial to improve Palo Alto by adding an API scanner in the future.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution is the network protection.
We decided to use Palo Alto because they are the leader in the market.
Palo Alto does provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities.
These days, DDoS attacks are becoming more frequent, especially in external data centers. Therefore, we need to enhance the DDoS attack block list and update patches in our national data center.
What needs improvement?
The API scanner could be improved.
The support could be improved.
Palo Alto does not have a support team located in Bangladesh, and their support team operates from another location. Therefore, when we raise a ticket, it takes some time for them to respond, which can be problematic for us.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Since we have definitely used Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, it's not possible to compare them with any other product.
The stability of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The current solution is satisfactory, but we require more scalability from Palo Alto.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good.
I would rate the technical support a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we did not use another solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, as we prioritize quality over price for our federal work. Our main concern is protection, as we need to safeguard national assets.
What about the implementation team?
I am the consultant.
What was our ROI?
We have observed a positive return on investment because if a DDoS attack were to occur, it would result in a loss of business and other adverse effects.
By using Palo Alto to protect our data, we can prevent such attacks and ensure that our business runs smoothly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We always aim to reduce the pricing, as it is currently a bit high and needs to be lowered.
Before my organization purchases any product, they must obtain my permission and also conduct an evaluation.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
From the very beginning, we have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, I cannot make a comparison with other firewall solutions.
What other advice do I have?
Palo Alto is the market leader in firewall technology, and we also use their firewall. However, we have been experiencing DDoS attacks and are using Palo Alto to protect against them.
In some cases, we may need to increase the DDoS block list and update patches through Palo Alto.
As someone who works in the national data center, we always strive to use the very best, not the cheapest.
I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Security Engineer at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Security Specialist at a government with 501-1,000 employees
Easy to configure, reliable, with an appealing syntax
Pros and Cons
- "The most important part of this solution is its reliability, as it just works without any fancy features."
- "Enhancements could potentially be made to the firmware to improve its inspectability."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls as Foundry Network devices, but we also use them to filter internal network traffic.
How has it helped my organization?
I don't believe there is a significant difference. It is similar to any Google firewall product in that it works as long as they are reliable.
What is most valuable?
The most important part of this solution is its reliability, as it just works without any fancy features. Users are mainly concerned about their ability to function consistently and dependably.
I believe that companies could potentially gain an advantage by leveraging their engineers' familiarity with certain interfaces. Typically, the familiarity factor plays a significant role in product selection, and if they have experience using certain interfaces, they are more likely to opt for those products.
In terms of the interface, I don't feel there is any distinction between this vendor and others. I believe that familiarity with the products itself is an important consideration.
What needs improvement?
With the use cases that I am familiar with, I don't believe that additional features would be of any benefit.
Adding more features generally causes more issues. I would prefer they focus on improving reliability rather than adding new features.
My preference would be to exclude machine learning since it must be capable of explanation. This is really important to us, and the performance must also be highly predictable. If it is implemented, at the very least, the option to disable it completely must be available.
In my view, machine learning is often a bothersome addition that can potentially compromise security by allowing unauthorized traffic to pass through undetected.
From my experience, this tends to occur in networks where all the traffic is clearly defined.
Enhancements could potentially be made to the firmware to improve its inspectability.
For how long have I used the solution?
In my current job, I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In my experience, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have been a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has been as scalable as you would expect.
I have experience working on both small office networks as well as larger ones spanning multiple locations, typically around three to five locations.
I have worked with a range from small office setups with around fifty devices to larger ones with a scale of maybe a thousand, two thousand, or even five thousand devices.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with quite a lot of other vendors.
In my opinion, I find the configuration of this product more appealing than that of Cisco, but ultimately, it comes down to the preference of the organization's administrators. In terms of features, I don't see a significant difference between them; they all seem pretty standard to me.
I find their syntax more appealing, especially for the command line.
How was the initial setup?
I am rarely involved in the deployment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When assessing firewalls for securing data centers consistently and across all workspaces or places, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are suitable products.
From my experience, they have demonstrated excellent performance.
While it may not necessarily decrease downtime, it also doesn't cause any increase in downtime.
What other advice do I have?
Attending events like RSA has proven to be quite beneficial for me in terms of meeting new people and discovering interesting products. These events generated new contacts and partnerships for my organization.
I believe that we will likely evaluate and purchase at least one of the products in the near future.
It's a decent product, I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2025
Product Categories
FirewallsPopular Comparisons
Fortinet FortiGate
Netgate pfSense
Cisco Secure Firewall
WatchGuard Firebox
Cisco Meraki MX
Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW)
Azure Firewall
SonicWall TZ
Fortinet FortiGate-VM
Juniper SRX Series Firewall
SonicWall NSa
KerioControl
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Is Palo Alto the best firewall for an on-premise/cloud hybrid IT network?
- What are the main differences between Palo Alto and Cisco firewalls ?
- Expert Opinion on Palo-Alto Required.
- Which is the best IPS - Cisco Firepower or Palo Alto?
- Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls
- Is Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls better than Check Point NGFW?
- Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?
- What are the main differences between Palo Alto firewalls and Cisco Secure Firepower?
- What is a better choice, Azure Firewall or Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?
- Which Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls model is recommended for 1200 users?













