Palo Alto Networks K2-Series Reviews

I had a particular use case with Palo Alto Networks K2-Series at an oil and gas company. This was primarily because they didn't have last-mile connectivity to a couple of their locations, as these companies work in offshore oil rigs. They determined it was cost-effective to have a firewall which supports that kind of media, so they decided to explore that particular option.

In Palo Alto Networks K2-Series, there is a Zero Trust segmentation feature that I worked with. It is straightforward to plug that with Palo Alto CIE, Cloud Identity Engine, and then build. For Palo Alto, it's all about security policies that you configure with User-ID and App-ID based policies. We had configured dynamic user groups and App-ID based policies, which makes it all Zero Trust.

Regarding traffic visibility features and Advanced Threat Prevention aspects, I would assess these functions as awesome. It's unparalleled, not just for K2-Series, but in general for Palo Alto. These features are state of art with little comparison from other vendors. We had activated antivirus, anti-spyware, threat prevention, and elaborate custom signatures on threat prevention depending on client requirements. Additionally, there was DNS Security, Advanced URL Filtering, and WildFire for sandboxing.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series could be improved, though I don't think of much. I'm unsure how widespread the adoption for K2-Series alone is. Looking at the base Palo Alto capabilities, they are going in the right direction. K2 specifically about its efficacy with all these 5G protocols, the GPRS tunneling protocol performed without many hiccups during testing.

With AI, if there is a Precision AI bundle that you're planning on exploring, then that definitely needs a significant uplift because currently it doesn't work for all the known models. There are many false positives that need to be addressed. While it's still ahead of its competitors, on the AI security side, there is quite a room for improvement.

I worked with Palo Alto Networks K2-Series for approximately five or six months. It was more of an assessment for one of our clients who thought it would be good to explore. Though they didn't end up using it because they had other equipment they chose instead.

Regarding the stability of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series, it was stable. We had one or two advisories where they indicated there was a critical vulnerability requiring upgrade. That was the only issue, as Palo Alto typically doesn't have many glitches.

In terms of scalability, Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is easy to scale. For hardware, you have HA for horizontal scaling. Vertical scaling allows you to purchase more powerful devices with additional RAM, compute, and larger model form factors. Within the confines of a physical device, it's fairly scalable if you size it appropriately on day one.

Support was satisfactory from Palo Alto Networks. As alliance partners with Palo Alto, we never had any challenges with support. We had a dedicated account manager and professional services team which proactively took care of all requests we had.

Professional Services helps with initial build, which we needed because we were not sure how the K2 product worked. The support is as decent as other large security tech companies such as Cisco. I would rate tech support from Palo Alto Networks at around eight out of ten points because we had dedicated people assigned to us.

Positive

The installation of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is straightforward with Zero-Touch provisioning. If you know the environment where you plan on embedding your device early on, you can configure the firewall and just ship it. For an HA build, it's a typical firewall setup where you need to hook the correct cables in the right ports and have the basic configuration. It doesn't take more than two or three hours if you have the necessary skills.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series comes at a premium pricing, but you get ROI against it. For CN-Series, there is no competitor which works the same way as Palo Alto does. With K2, the client went for another vendor for budgetary reasons. There might be other firewalls or devices which can have similar capabilities at a lower cost. The premium pricing is justified by the return on investment.

When comparing Palo Alto Networks K2-Series with Zscaler, there are crucial differences. The methodology is different as Zscaler is predominantly cloud delivered. Organizations must be comfortable with sending their traffic out to Zscaler, which many customers aren't comfortable with. There are ways to adjust this using private Zscaler enforcement nodes or virtual Zens, but that's not their USP.

Palo Alto offers multiple flavors. For firewalls, especially K2 and CN-Series, those exist within your premises, offering more deployment options. Zscaler has its own strengths, particularly with Zscaler Internet Access where you have all inspection capabilities on the cloud. The comparison isn't exactly apple-to-apple for every network part, requiring careful consideration regarding architecture design and product selection.

I managed Palo Alto Networks K2-Series and found it similar to traditional firewalls. CN-Series is different as it needs to be deployed in containerized environments with various nuances. K2 is fairly straightforward with a different form factor and supports various protocols expected of a firewall supporting 5G, including GPRS tunneling protocol and SCTP.

I worked with Palo Alto Networks K2-Series as an Alliance Partner at Deloitte before moving to a different company. We didn't purchase anything from AWS Marketplace, preferring to get products directly from Palo Alto as partners/resellers to maximize savings. For CN-Series firewalls, we purchased software credits directly. While AWS Marketplace has these options, we found it more expensive and requiring negotiation for committed spend.

I rate Palo Alto Networks K2-Series 9 out of 10.

The existing solution is primarily provided for cloud vendors or cloud customers who typically request an external firewall for various scenarios. For these cases, I provide this same cloud-based solution. They often want third-party solutions, and we cater to those needs for our customers.

There is a feature called granular application controls, which I liked. Instead of relying on ports and IP addresses, they use AMP ID. This kind of solution is very good. Another valuable feature is the prevention of evasive threats, which is one of the best tools I've encountered. 

SSL decryption and app ID-based SSL decryption are also impressive, along with the integration with user ID. Identity-based policies ensuring only authorized users can access specific resources are excellent features. Normally, there is something called SIM or SCIM in IDA IDM, but this feature is provided on the box, which is exemplary.

Threat prevention could use improvement. Not just in malware exploits and C2 traffic; enhancing web traffic protection would be a great upgrade.

I have used the solution for almost two and a half years to three years.

The stability is fine. I would give nine out of ten.

I would say the scalability is an eight.

I have no problems with customer service. All Palo Alto support is very good. It is nine out of ten.

Positive

Malware analysis is a little bit complex. Global Protect configuration is also complex for remote users. People behind the firewall can be controlled, however, protection for remote users should be better.

Implementation takes only a few hours, but customers have lengthy deployment practices. They have development, testing, and production, and they do UAT in the production environment. That's the reason it takes at least one week.

It's a little bit expensive.

I know of alternate solutions from Cisco, Fortinet, and Palo Alto. FortiGate is one of them.

When I recommend three solutions, K2 is one of the premium solutions from my side. I would give it eight out of ten. The solution is very good.

Positive

We primarily use the solution in conjunction with Palo Alto products. Although we currently are not using Prisma, we have a dedicated link for the Prisma solution. We predominantly deal with hardware and various software solutions, including the VM Series.

The solution enhances network security at scale. We rely on its capabilities to meet our security requirements.

The solution offers effective security features such as HIDS (Host-based Intrusion Detection System) in global products. We also utilize AI-driven security initiatives with technologies like Wildfire and machine learning integrations.

The solution's commitment time could be reduced as it often takes a lot of time to execute. Additionally, reducing the SLA response time from two hours would be beneficial.

We have been familiar with the solution for quite some time, given that our team is both a longtime partner and a user of various Palo Alto products, including K2-Series.

I would rate the technical support from Palo Alto as eight out of ten. We want the SLA timing to be reduced. Quick response is crucial for our operation efficiency.

Positive

We have a dedicated team that looks into all the different aspects of technological implementation.

Regarding pricing, the K2-Series costs can vary significantly. For smaller series, like the fifty series, there's a major price difference compared to larger options. Pricing discussions also depend heavily on customer needs and can sometimes be negotiated.

I recommend the K2-Series, particularly for enterprise-level companies. For smaller organizations, due to pricing and a lack of technical staff, I suggest alternative solutions. It's important to understand customer needs before recommending a solution.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

It is a very user-administration-friendly solution. They are always upgrading their solutions. They were the first ones to come up with the sector solutions. They are always updating their solutions and proactively giving solutions updates as well.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is a more secure solution nowadays. It provides all these solutions from a single point of view. It provides security, networking, SIM solutions, and cloud-based solutions. It has all the bundle solutions right now.

The impact of real-time threat intelligence updates in the K2-Series is really helpful. It will immediately update all the firewalls across the globe whenever it finds a threat, and that's really helpful.

Moreover, Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is completely migrating towards cloud-based solutions, which is what's most attracting people.

The scalability for the on-premises version is limited as it depends on the model. 

It always needs to stay updated. It just needs to keep the threat IDs and the latest kinds of threats updated. Otherwise, it's great.

I have been using it for five plus years. 

Every solution faces some challenges, so I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

It was only hardware. It's an on-premises solution, so it is limited to the capacity of the model we are choosing. But cloud-specific solutions, like the Palo Alto SaaS solution, are very scalable on demand. So it's great if you work in the cloud. 

But if you work on the on-premises solution, it's limited and depends upon the model.

This is good for every kind of company. 

The customer service and support are really good. 

Positive

We opt for the solution on a project basis. For example, we worked on Zscaler proxy solution and Palo Alto firewalls. Before that, I worked on AlgoSec and before that, Zscaler Private Access and Cisco firewalls.

It's very easy to administer and really helpful.

So, I would rate my experience in troubleshooting, setup and managing it a ten out of ten, with ten being easy. 

We have worked on the on-premises version, not the cloud version. We have worked on the on-premises system database and the hardware database solution.

We are teh implementor of the solutions and security operations management.

The deployment process took a few weeks. It depends on the customer environment how we are going on, and our clients. So, the deployment time depends on the scenario and can take anywhere from two days to a week. Sometimes it takes multiple weeks.

I recommend this solution.

Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten because this is a very competitive solution in the market right now. 

I support the Palo Alto firewall that is already installed. We have the Palo Alto in the data center, and we just have to put access within most various VLANs and permit some type of service or access.

It is graphical. With the GUI, it's faster to make the changes we need. This is the main advantage of Palo Alto for me. I worked for many years with Cisco PIX engines, and it was more tedious to configure.

So, Palo Alto is easier to configure.

I have Panorama with Palo Alto. We have just one firewall, and it is easy to use for managing various firewalls.

The prices are not affordable for small companies.

I have been using it for two years. 

I had good interaction with the support. I am satisfied with the support. 

Positive

I have Cisco and Fortinet in the same infrastructure.

I have Cisco for the perimeter, the RX, and the East fiber data exposed to the internet. The Fortinet is used by the users in the factory to manage their traffic. Not all workers in the factory have the same access. Some groups have more liberty than others for applications and access to certain sites like WhatsApp and Facebook.

I recommend Palo Alto over Fortinet because it's easy to configure, and the support is good.

It was installed by the integrator. It took around a week because our client is a factory. So, it's a little complex. It took around four to five days. 

The pricing is more expensive, but they have a vast range of products. I just saw some products that are more affordable for small companies. 

We have one customer that is a large company, but we also have many small companies. The products that I have seen are very expensive.

The prices are not affordable for small companies.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. Sometimes, interactions with support or the provider are not ideal. It's not technical; it's just sometimes delays when we want an answer to a problem. We expect it to be on time. We have 10 to 20 cases. 

I have found the threat profile feature valuable.

It would be really helpful to have dashboards that provide information on IOC blockings such as where and how many. It will also be good to know how many hashing files have been reported. It would also be nice to have easy access to this information. Otherwise, it's a painful, manual task.

I've been using it for about two years.

It's quite stable.

Because we are using the hardware, we are not able to scale. On the VM, it is scalable, but we have got stuck on some areas. Therefore, scalability is an issue.

Technical support is very good. I would give them a ten out of ten.

Positive

The previous solution, Check Point firewall, is having lots of issues. The main reason is that capacity planning was not sized properly. We are also not receiving the type of support we want. Because of these reasons, we switched to Palo Alto Networks K2-Series.

The initial setup was straightforward only because Palo Alto professionals helped us with it. Without the professional service, it would have been a little bit complex.

We used Palo Alto Professional Service for help with deployment.

Nowadays, all of the firewalls provide everything. Palo Alto may cost a bit more, but it provides skilled engineers who are readily available. Deployment is easy as well, in comparison. I would rate this solution at eight on a scale from one to ten.

We use this firewall for internal use and internal needs, focusing on network security and all sorts of things.

Mainly, it is very easy to understand, and the logs are very good. This is the feature we use most of the time even though there's nothing exceptionally unique.

There are always things to change. It is hard to say now. I cannot think of anything specific to improve at the moment.

I have been using it for about one year.

As for support, we use local integration to assist us. We get Gold support from them, and they are pretty good.

Neutral

We got it at a very good price, so we changed from another firewall to this one.

It was not as hard as I would expect from a new firewall, however, everything went pretty well.

We use local integration to assist us.

We got it at a very good price.

We checked a few firewalls, and in the end, we came to the conclusion that this one is the best for us.

Nothing is perfect. 

Overall product rating: Nine out of ten.

We are using Palo Alto Networks K2-Series to have security for one of the leading educational institutions.

The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is the performance which is above their competitors. The throughput they have delivered is good. When we used other solutions they failed the deployment when we were using different rules. They have a theory perform performance light and performance degradation. However, Palo Alto Networks K2-Series never fails in that scenario.

I have been using Palo Alto Networks K2-Series for approximately one year.

Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is a stable solution. We were very happy with the recent signature updates and the performance. They are a premium-level firewall they have detection systems for protection which is amazing.

The scalability of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is good. It is good for larger environments over smaller ones.

I have used the support from Palo Alto Networks K2-Series and the responses were quick. Their support was amazing.

We were using Fortinet FortiGate and replaced it with Palo Alto. The performance of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series is better than Fortinet FortiGate.

The initial setup of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series was straightforward. However, we have support from Palo Alto. There were some configurations that needed to be done for our firewall that required some advanced knowledge from a certified expert. Since we were using the help from Palo Alto the experience was good.

We used the support from Palo Alto for the implementation of Palo Alto Networks K2-Series. They were very helpful.

We have received a return on investment from using Palo Alto Networks K2-Series. We are happy with the solution and our return on investment has been extremely high.

We are on an annual license to use Palo Alto Networks K2-Series.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Palo Alto Networks K2-Series a nine out of ten.

We use the solution as a firewall product. 

I am impressed with the tool's efficiency and the variety of use cases that includes network attacks. 

I like the tool's WildFire feature. 

The tool needs to improve integration with more products from other vendors. I would like the product to add threat intelligence features as well. 

I have been working with the solution for five years. 

I would rate the product's stability an eight out of ten. 

I would rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten. It can integrate with both large and mid-level environments. We have more than 100 users for the product. 

The tech support team is helpful. 

Neutral

I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. We use the solution on a daily basis to see the logs regarding attacks and IPs.