We primarily use the solution both in our company and with our clients. It is mostly used for security.
Principal Cloud Security Engineer at Providence Health and Services
Great security with near real-time updates for signatures and excellent reliability
Pros and Cons
- "Stability is never a concern."
- "There are more specialized solutions that compete with Wildfire. Therefore, they need to work on their machine learning and AI to be more competitive."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution offers near real-time updates for signatures, which is very useful for intelligent threat stamping. They update and improve frequently.
The sandboxing is very helpful. They have a cloud-based sandbox.
They've introduced machine learning and supervised machine learning, which is helpful.
They offer DNS security.
The solution continues to grow quite extensively.
The UI, the marketing, and everything recently has changed and rebranded, and gotten better.
From a security perspective, they are always the best.
Stability is never a concern.
The solution can scale.
What needs improvement?
The UI could continuously be improved. They've been working on this aspect and are getting better and better.
There are more specialized solutions that compete with Wildfire. Therefore, they need to work on their machine learning and AI to be more competitive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been dealing with the solution for eight years.
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks WildFire
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks WildFire. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
823,875 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has been very good.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good. However, it does depend on what service tier you are at - whether premium or standard.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is competitive. It was not too expensive. The pricing depends on the environment and the number of devices. The pricing varies.
What other advice do I have?
I'm a consultant.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Information Systems Manager at a non-profit with 1-10 employees
Better control, specific to our needs, and fantastic support
Pros and Cons
- "You have better control because you define apps. You just don't define ports. You define apps, and the apps are monitored in the traffic. It is more specific than the Cisco firewall when it comes to our needs."
- "The configuration should be made a little bit easier. I understand why it is as it is, but there should be a way to make it easier from the user side."
What is most valuable?
You have better control because you define apps. You just don't define ports. You define apps, and the apps are monitored in the traffic. It is more specific than the Cisco firewall when it comes to our needs.
What needs improvement?
The configuration should be made a little bit easier. I understand why it is as it is, but there should be a way to make it easier from the user side.
For how long have I used the solution?
I'm going into my second year here now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is good in terms of scalability. We have around 25 users currently, and we don't have any plans to increase the usage. The current solution supports up to 1,500 users. It is a little bit overkill for what we actually need. It would probably be good for quite a while in the future.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is fantastic. You can call them and have a technician sitting with you at three o'clock in the morning to help you through things.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we were running Cisco's solution, but then we got told from headquarters in the US that we needed to change.
How was the initial setup?
If you know what you're doing, it goes quickly. If you don't know what you're doing, it's going to take a while. That is why I requested an easier setup.
In terms of maintenance, our IT unit is responsible for all VPN traffic. We have now automated things a bit, but in the beginning, it was manual.
What about the implementation team?
We did it ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The physical appliance is around €3,000 or €4,000, and then, you have the licensing for a year for around €3,000.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate it at an eight out of 10.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks WildFire
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks WildFire. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
823,875 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Vice- Head Of Math Department at a non-tech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Useful file artificial intelligence analysis, beneficial supported file types, and simple deployment
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Palo Alto Networks WildFire are the good URL and file analysis that uses artificial intelligence. It has different interfaces, such as rest, SMTP protocol, and HTTPS. The Security incidents and event management are very good. Additionally, there are many file types that are supported and there is no limit to the number of files it can handle simultaneously. It integrates well with SIEM solutions."
- "Palo Alto Networks WildFire could improve by adding support for manual submission of suspicious files and URLs. Additionally, it would be an advantage to add rule-based analysis. Currently, it uses only static and AI. We need to be able to analyze archive files."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Palo Alto Networks WildFire are the good URL and file analysis that uses artificial intelligence. It has different interfaces, such as rest, SMTP protocol, and HTTPS. The Security incidents and event management are very good. Additionally, there are many file types that are supported and there is no limit to the number of files it can handle simultaneously. It integrates well with SIEM solutions.
What needs improvement?
Palo Alto Networks WildFire could improve by adding support for manual submission of suspicious files and URLs. Additionally, it would be an advantage to add rule-based analysis. Currently, it uses only static and AI. We need to be able to analyze archive files.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks WildFire for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks WildFire is a stable solution.
I rate the stability of Palo Alto Networks WildFire a four out of five.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Palo Alto Networks WildFire is good.
We have approximately 3,000 people using the solution. We have all the staff members in the company using the solution.
I rate the scalability of Palo Alto Networks WildFire a four out of five.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Palo Alto Networks WildFire is good.
I rate the support of Palo Alto Networks WildFire a four out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Palo Alto Networks WildFire is easy.
The length of time it takes for the deployment depends if do integration with different third-party applications. The solution itself does not take a lot of time, but to integrate another solution, takes extra time.
What about the implementation team?
We use two engineers to do the deployment of Palo Alto Networks WildFire.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are different types of licenses.
I rate the price of Palo Alto Networks WildFire a three out of five.
What other advice do I have?
The solution uses artificial intelligence and it doesn't delay the normal process of auto-detecting the analysis of files. The response time is very fast for robotic files.
I rate Palo Alto Networks WildFire a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Easy to deploy, affordable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "I give the initial setup an eight out of ten."
- "The technical support response needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is used for threat protection.
The solution can be deployed on-prem and in the cloud.
What is most valuable?
All the features are valuable.
What needs improvement?
The technical support response needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been a reseller of the solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give the stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give the scalability a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
A long-term customer who has been purchasing Palo Alto products from us for the past five or six years experienced major issues. Despite raising the issue with about ten tickets, the customer did not have an account manager at Palo Alto that we could turn to for assistance. Furthermore, the support team was not responding to their messages or the tickets they opened. Consequently, I had to take action to assist the customer. Unfortunately, I did not receive any response either. It took about four or five months for us to receive a reply, which was not even from Palo Alto but from the distributor we purchased the solution from. We cannot buy directly from Palo Alto. Ultimately, it was the distributor who helped us, as Palo Alto did not resolve the case.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Negative
How was the initial setup?
I give the initial setup an eight out of ten. The deployment of one firewall requires one day.
What about the implementation team?
We implement the solution for our clients.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is affordable and fixed. I give the price an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a nine out of ten.
The Palo Alto Networks WildFire solution is effective, however, it is limited in terms of support. Therefore, I recommend using this solution only if adequate support is provided.
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:
IT Infrastructure and Security Manager at Lotto Sport Italia Spa
Contains valuable security features and protection, like SSL and VPN
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are all of the security features in terms of protection and SSL and VPN."
- "I don't think it needs to improve anything, except maybe the speed to deploy the changes."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is deployed on-premise.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are all of the security features in terms of protection and SSL and VPN.
What needs improvement?
Palo Alto is the top leader in the Magic Quadrant of Gartner. So, I don't think it needs to improve anything, except maybe the speed to deploy the changes.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good. It's at the top of the market.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good.
How are customer service and support?
I have never needed to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup is straightforward. It's user-friendly. It's not too difficult to use it, and the learning curve is pretty good.
What about the implementation team?
We used a system integrator.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is a bit expensive. You pay for security.
For the cost, I would rate the pricing a 5 out of 5.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Palo Alto is a good product, but in the future I will deploy FortiGate because I prefer it.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 10 out of 10.
There are things to improve, and nobody is a perfect 10 in security.
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.
Owner at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Integrates with efficient threat prevention modules and ensures infrastructure security
Pros and Cons
- "The platform is scalable as it integrates with other threat prevention modules."
- "One area for improvement is the expansion of the sandbox environment to include a broader range of platforms, such as Linux, macOS, and mobile operating systems."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product to identify and analyze unknown threats. This includes handling new files or URLs that are not yet known to be malicious. It operates in a secure environment, ensuring that no infrastructure is at risk while determining if a file is harmful.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is WildFire's integration with other threat prevention modules on the firewall. This capability allows for the automatic marking of malicious URLs and rapid propagation of this information, which is crucial for defending against widespread phishing campaigns.
What needs improvement?
One area for improvement is the expansion of the sandbox environment to include a broader range of platforms, such as Linux, macOS, and mobile operating systems.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and effectively handles the analysis and identification of unknown threats without significant issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The platform is scalable as it integrates with other threat prevention modules.
What other advice do I have?
The integration with threat prevention modules and the quick propagation of malicious URL data make WildFire a valuable tool for threat detection and response.
I rate it an eight.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Last updated: Aug 4, 2024
Flag as inappropriateNetwork Manager at 3C Information Solutions Inc
Simple to set up, offers malware protection and web filtering, and the VPN works well
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature for us is the VPN."
- "When you contact support, there is no guarantee that they will be available to help you tackle the issue that you are facing."
What is our primary use case?
We had two 800-Series Palo Alto Firewalls, but as they reached end-of-life, we began researching alternatives. Ultimately, we chose to switch to Cisco Firepower, so we no longer use WildFire.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature for us is the VPN. We used GlobalProtect for the VPN, as well as site-to-site.
It is very simple to use.
What needs improvement?
The support needs to be improved because it takes too long to resolve severity-one issues.
Better integration with third-party products and services is needed.
The need to implement their own multifactor authentication, rather than relying on third-party add-ons for it.
They have malware protection and web-filtering in place, although they are not as effective as Titan or Cisco Umbrella.
For how long have I used the solution?
I began working with Palo Alto WildFire a year ago when I joined the company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a solid, stable network solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, Palo Alto is at the top of the market.
Managing this solution we had six network administrators, who are network analysts. In terms of end-users, the entire company was using the Palo Alto network.
How are customer service and technical support?
When you contact support, there is no guarantee that they will be available to help you tackle the issue that you are facing. Sometimes you are left on the phone for three or four hours before you can speak with an engineer, which is very, very poor. If you have an emergency situation or a network outage of severity-one, then you cannot wait for hours to support your clients.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Palo Alto was the first solution of this type that we used. However, we have recently purchased Cisco Firepower and no longer work with Palo Alto products.
Prior to Firepower being released, Palo Alto was very simple and better than Cisco ASA. Now, however, Firepower is simpler and the support is outstanding. With Cisco, if you have a severity-one outage then it will be less than ten minutes before you get an engineer on the phone to help you.
I have also worked with Check Point and Juniper solutions, and I feel that scalability-wise, Palo Alto is better than the rest, except for perhaps Cisco, where it is neck and neck.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is not complex. When you come from a CLI background of Cisco ASA or any other platform, Palo Alto is much easier. As long as you are familiar with the general steps in the procedure, it is not difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution is very pricey and it depends on the package that you implement. There are sometimes promotions on, which can save on costs.
What other advice do I have?
The Palo Alto models that we were using are the PA800-500 and PA830.
I have seen people in different organizations and different industries set their firewall solutions up in different ways. It depends on the level of support, in terms of who will be maintaining the network. It also includes the level of knowledge they have, as well as their management preference. Some people choose Palo Alto because they don't care about the costs, and it is an easy solution to use, especially if they are already familiar with it. I would say that if they have the budget then this is a good choice and I recommend it.
However, if they are looking to consolidate all of their services, then the option to choose is definitely Cisco. It's a cloud-based solution with malware protection, filtering, and everything you need all in one box. It makes a lot of difference.
Finally, some people prefer FortiGate because the pricing is good and it is simple to use, whereas some people prefer Check Point for other reasons. It's an individual choice, but it should be well researched before the final choice is made.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Pre-Sales Engineer at eCam Solution Co., Ltd
A highly stable product offering protection from unknown or zero-day attacks
Pros and Cons
- "Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten since we never faced any issues."
- "Palo Alto Networks WildFire should be more real-time in nature. The signature updates should happen in a minute or less than a minute to be a very good feature for the customer."
What is our primary use case?
My company uses Palo Alto Networks WildFire to protect itself from unknown or zero-day attacks. We use machine learning to send the file or the URL we've never seen before to the cloud and WildFire. WildFire uses machine learning and an appliance update before providing a signature in less than five minutes. All the customers globally receive the signature from WildFire. WildFire is a good feature in Palo Alto besides IPS allowing us to prepare for unknown attacks.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of the solution are its static and dynamic analysis that analyzes many of your files, allowing you to know if it is a good or the best file.
What needs improvement?
Palo Alto Networks WildFire should be more real-time in nature. The signature updates should happen in a minute or less than a minute to be a very good feature for the customer.
When an unknown attack occurs, Palo Alto Networks WildFire takes less than five minutes to confirm users about the attack, so it should be possible in a minute or less than that.
In the future, it should support uploading files to WildFire Cloud. The solution already supports many other file formats. We should be able to analyze any file before we send it to the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks WildFire for over four years. I am a reseller of Palo Alto solutions.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten since we never faced any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Mostly we have enterprise-sized businesses with over 1,000 employees in such businesses.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the technical support a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I rate the initial setup a ten out of ten.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
The solution can be deployed in less than five minutes.
Regarding the steps for deployment, we need to go to the security profile of WildFire, which is something you can do before, or create a new custom WildFire profile. After the creation of the profile on WildFire, we use it after we can create a policy to check the unknown file and send it to the cloud. We use the policy to start with the deployment process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the pricing an eight out of ten since it can be pretty expensive.
The pricing of the solution depends on the hardware model. Some can be cheap, while others can be more based on the hardware model. Our company only buys licenses for Palo Alto Networks WildFire, so we don't need any additional licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I think the customer implementing a one-tier or two-tier firewall should have Palo Alto Networks WildFire's subscription. When the unknown types of attacks are coming in, we need to have WildFire for protection.
I rate the overall product a nine 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:
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: November 2024
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