I primarily use this solution for the core banking network. It's for core security. So it's to protect against intrusion, to protect against any kind of cyber attack that can happen to it. It protects our core infrastructure.
Chief Executive Officer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Provides a high level of security and the app ID is very good
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very stable."
- "Generating reports is not so easy."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Mostly it's improved the security side. There was no security before, and we were looking for a solution that could give us the exact capacity to do all the configurations that we need, while also providing a high level of security.
What is most valuable?
The app ID is very good.
What needs improvement?
The support needs improvement. Also, better reporting of errors would be good.
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
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For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solutions for over 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is not so good. Because if you want to upgrade, you have to change the service completely. We have about 2000 users.
How are customer service and support?
It's a long wait time, although sometimes it's been quicker to get them. Occasionally, the type of answers provided are not so great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used to use Check Point, but we switched. It's because we found Palo Alto is better. Check Point is much slower, more expensive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward for us. We are technology oriented, so for us, it was straightforward. No complexities. For deployment, we needed about 5 people. Maintenance is only three people. Three engineers are looking after the books.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would advise anyone to go ahead and understand exactly what they need. It's not because Palo Alto's cost is a little less. Depending on use, it's expensive. So they should understand the requirements first, before going with Palo Alto.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We previously had Check Point and eventually compared it with the Palo Alto screening, which proved that Palo Alto was the best. It was not a difficult choice.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 8 out of 10. Generating reports is not so easy. I think with support, for everyone, and for all the bank company workers, they can do that a bit better. Then maybe I would rate them higher.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Information Technology Project Manager at JSC "Penkiu kontinentu komunikaciju centras"
Configuration is very simple
Pros and Cons
- "The configuration is very simple."
- "PA-220 Next-Generation Firewall would be perfect if it has spam filtering."
What is our primary use case?
We have several use cases for this solution. They include anti-virus, user identification, two-factor authentication for VPN, and application filtering.
What is most valuable?
The configuration is very simple.
What needs improvement?
An additional feature that should be included in the next release is spam filtering.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using PA-220 Next-Generation Firewall for over a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
PA-220 Next-Generation Firewall is a stable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We only contacted technical support when we were trying to make a sales configuration for the environment here. We had some integration questions for technical support. Of course, we got the answers we needed. The Palo Alto tech support got back to us quickly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price for Palo Alto solutions is very high. It should be a bit lower.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Regulatory Specialist at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
A user-friendly next-generation firewall with good support and useful security features.
Pros and Cons
- "Operationally, it is easier, and the manageability and their security features are good."
- "When it comes to their support, we have to select every single component that we want to include in a particular bundle. That is a very tedious process. T"
What is our primary use case?
We use a very basic model with a small installation to secure a small office segment with 50 users.
What is most valuable?
Operationally, it is easier, and the manageability and their security features are good. Vendor support is also good.
What needs improvement?
When it comes to their support, we have to select every single component that we want to include in a particular bundle. That is a very tedious process. The vendor will help us identify the product and the features, but it could be better. The price could also be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for about four years.
How are customer service and technical support?
Vendor support is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Compared to other solutions, it's very expensive to set up and maintain.
What other advice do I have?
I would tell potential users that Palo Alto is the best, even compared to Cisco or any other competitor.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
A next-generation firewall solution with an efficient parallel processing feature
Pros and Cons
- "I like the architecture because it separates the management plan process and the data plan process."
- "I think visibility can be improved."
What is most valuable?
I like the architecture because it separates the management plan process and the data plan process. When I perform something CPU-intensive on management configurations, it doesn't disturb the data plan.
On the data plan, it uses parallel processing. This makes the security process and network process is more efficient.
What needs improvement?
I think visibility can be improved. If I use the Panorama monitoring dashboard, it's still the same with or without Panorama. Even with monitoring, we don't get any valuable information.
If I am a customer, I will take many variables into considerations. If I choose to use Panorama, there should be a difference between when I use it and when I'm not. If I'm a customer who paid for Panorama even when I have many firewalls, I won't get good visibility of the information I need to easily monitor our security environment.
My customers have been attacked by ransomware. It's difficult to understand how the ransomware got through Palo Alto Panorama and Palo Alto dashboard monitoring from reporting. It makes it difficult to conclude what happened on the traffic which passed through Palo Alto. As such, I have to generate an all block report CSV file and analyze it through Excel.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
On performance and stability, I've never heard any complaints. The product is running well and easily maintained by an admin.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I think scalability's the same as any other firewall. If we look to scale five years later, it will be scalable to perform the change. This model on Palo Alto makes it easy to add a new network, so Palo Alto offers more scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is still not good for me.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is so simple. We just needed to make a password and make it a point to point connection. I think it's that simple; make a point to point connection, access the web UI, perform initial configuration so the firewall can be managed through the network, and then we can manage everything through the web UI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The device is very expensive compared to Cisco and Fortinet. But many of my customers use Palo Alto as Palo Alto is the standard of their organization.
What other advice do I have?
I'd tell potential users of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls that their decision depends on their budget. If you have an adequate budget, then I recommend Palo Alto. If you have a limited budget, you need to consider your needs and look at Cisco ASA's price and Fortinet's price.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight.
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
Network Security Engineer
Useful web filtering, responsive technical support, but VPN needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The best features of this solution are URL filtering and traffic visibility."
- "The areas that need to improve are network protection and user identification."
What is our primary use case?
I am using the solution for protecting the network organization from threats.
What is most valuable?
The best features of this solution are URL filtering and traffic visibility.
What needs improvement?
The areas that need to improve are network protection and user identification.
In the next release of the solution the VPN could improve because it is not as good as competitors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable and reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 10 employees using this solution in my organization. We are in the beginning phases of testing and will increase usage if the test phase results are favorable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are on an annual license for this solution. I am happy with the price and when comparing it to other solutions it is priced competitively.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated Sophos firewalls and I found Palo Alto solutions better because of the protection and web filters.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Partner & vCISO at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It has better manageability and overall features than its competitors
Pros and Cons
- "We standardized on the product and got rid of several other types of firewalls from different vendors."
- "It is very scalable."
- "I would like integration with Evident.io and RedLock."
- "The data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities need to be beefed up."
What is our primary use case?
Firewall.
How has it helped my organization?
We standardized on the product and got rid of several other types of firewalls from different vendors.
What is most valuable?
The firewall has a lot of sub-capabilities underneath it.
What needs improvement?
I would like integration with Evident.io and RedLock.
The data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities need to be beefed up.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have had that many problems, so we haven't had to engage with their tech support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was not pleased with my previous solutions.
We switched to Palo Alto for better manageability and overall features.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Annually, the licensing costs are too much.
What other advice do I have?
I would certainly encourage someone to look into this solution.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Network Engineer & Security Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
A user-friendly solution with useful application control, IPS, and sandboxing features
Pros and Cons
- "Application control, IPS, and sandboxing towards the cloud are the most valuable features. It is a very user-friendly product with a very easy-to-use interface."
- "Its stability can be better. Their technical response from the support side can also be better."
What is our primary use case?
It protects from any unwanted traffic or any kind of attack toward your LAN. It just minimizes the risk. It does not completely eradicate the risk.
We have the latest version of this solution.
What is most valuable?
Application control, IPS, and sandboxing towards the cloud are the most valuable features. It is a very user-friendly product with a very easy-to-use interface.
What needs improvement?
Its stability can be better. Their technical response from the support side can also be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, but its stability can be better.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you got the product for 100 users and the company has grown to 500 people, this product will not be scalable. You will need another hardware that has more resources.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very good, but their technical response can be better. You might face some difficulties due to COVID, but they have been very good most of the time. It also depends on the region from where you are calling.
How was the initial setup?
It is very much straightforward. It is a friendly product, but one should have basic knowledge of networking and security.
The deployment duration and the number of people required vary based on the requirements. A security product doesn't work in a way where you just install it, and it starts functioning. You need to keep improvising and updating it. It is an ongoing process for all security products.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You pay based on the kind of license you require, but comparatively, it is not very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. If you have internet, you should definitely have a firewall in your network. When you're exposed to the internet, you're exposed to risks. You definitely need a next-generation firewall in corporate networks.
I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight out of 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
Service Delivery Engineer - Network Security Lead at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Very flexible, integrates well with apps and other security tools; robust
Pros and Cons
- "Flexible and integrates well with apps and other security tools."
- "Interface could be improved visually and simplified."
What is our primary use case?
I deploy this solution for our clients. Firewalls can be used when you want to achieve SD-WAN connectivity. In a client's VPN or site-to-site VPN, it can be used to secure networks locally. If you have an extender or server room, you can secure your IT infrastructure for your servers. The solution can be installed on edge to protect your internal network. If you have services running on AWS or Google Cloud, or Alibaba Cloud, it can be deployed there. Some clients have a hybrid kind of infrastructure. I'm a service delivery engineer and network security lead and we are customers of Palo Alto.
What is most valuable?
It's a flexible solution and integrates well with apps and other security tools like SIEM, web applications. They can share their data orchestration. It's robust and fast in terms of architecture and data processing, there aren't any bottlenecks.
What needs improvement?
The interface could be improved visually and simplified. It sometimes feels like some of the features are hidden and not easy to find.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
In terms of technical support, I've noticed that as long as you have an enterprise license the support is good.
How was the initial setup?
For a beginner, the initial setup might be somewhat complex because the interface is a bit different, so there's a learning curve. It's not that steep, and once you get it, it's okay. In terms of other solutions, the Palo Alto deployment takes longer than Fortinet, for example, because of the intricacy of the user interface. In a medium size organization, deployment can take three to four days.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. The uptake is mostly with medium and large enterprise, it's strong there. For small to medium size businesses, the preference is usually Fortinet or Sophos. It's really about what suits the client.
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
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Updated: January 2025
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