Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Reviews

I am not working on a NAC solution. I am working on Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewall, and I am mainly working with firewalls.

I am totally working with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series products. I am working with VMs, including 400 series, 1400 series, and 3400 series firewalls, which are next-generation firewalls and fourth-generation firewalls of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series.

I am also working with VMs for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, and for POCs sometimes. Mostly, I provide solutions for some of our customers who need urgent solutions with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. I provide them VMs and activate the licenses from Palo Alto as a partner. We are working as innovator partners with Palo Alto. Sometimes for POCs and for urgent solutions, if the customer or some organization needs it, we provide them Palo Alto Networks VM-Series and it works fine.

We are working with Dynamic Address Groups in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. Mostly, we use them for securing our network and for blocking malicious traffic from specific sources around the globe. We block them through Dynamic Address Groups as a source and create another policy for that. We block any dynamic addresses coming with malicious traffic using specific policies. We use Dynamic Address Groups and after tagging those malicious IPs, when they come to our firewall from outside or from inside, including some of our local computers, if we detect something concerning such as bots or similar traffic, we block them using Dynamic Address Groups.

Advanced Threat Protection is working in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. In Advanced Threat Protection, we use inline protection features, including anti-malware solutions and vulnerability protection. We mostly use Advanced Threat Protection because Palo Alto provides the core subscription and core security bundle, which is cheaper than the other bundle. We propose the same bundle to customers because it is cheaper and includes DNS security, SD-WAN, vulnerability protection, URL filtering, anti-spyware, and antivirus subscriptions bundled in the same core bundle. If I buy only threat protection separately, it is more expensive than this bundle. We create security profiles for spyware and antivirus and provide inline protection to customers.

App-IDs in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series are very important and working fine. We mostly use App-IDs due to which we are securing customers who are vulnerable and who need security solutions.

There are Dynamic Address Groups, EDLs, and integration with other solutions such as Forescout for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, which we did two years ago. There are API integrations as well. We mostly automate the security structure for the organization using SIEM solutions, integration with SIEM solutions, and XDR solutions. This is very interesting.

I am not using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series mostly, but based on my experience, there are some deficiencies in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. Having those features missing, we are not proposing Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to all customers. However, for urgency and for some solutions that customers need for some of their other sites and subdivisions, we are providing the same.

I have been working with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series since 2020, which is approximately six to seven years back.

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is very stable.

Scalability for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is eight out of ten.

Technical support for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is provided through premium partner support. We are working with StarLink, and they are providing the best solution and best support. We have advanced partnership and advanced support for some of our customers. They are good with technical solutions.

Positive

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is better than Fortinet, mainly in its SP3 structure, flexibility, and reliability, and based on feedback from customers. Most of our customers have shifted from Fortinet to Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. Their feedback indicated concerns about slowness, subscription renewals, and other aspects they were not happy with.

Fortinet is the main competitor for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series on the market.

Prices of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series are higher than other firewalls and other solutions. However, we are using its security features and proposing them, mostly winning tenders with this product. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is a very best solution if you have subscription and extra support, and I would rate this solution seven to eight out of ten. I would give this review an overall rating of eight.

On-premises

We have a Firewall as well as a Synapse solution, and we have EDR, XDR as well. The Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Firewall is what we are using.

From a Synapse perspective, they have better visibility, better CV detection, better exposure detection, and it is in a single tool, so we are happy with it.

The integration of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series within my existing network infrastructure and security tools is good; they are resilient, and we can integrate with anything easily.

There is one thing regarding Palo Alto Networks VM-Series that they need to look into, which is ISPM, Identity Security Posture Management, and other than that, I could see there are multiple things which they have already been doing well.

Technical support is good for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, but sometimes for new feature requests, we are facing challenges. We are the conglomerate, so individual business has different requirements, which we are expecting some new requests for. Whenever any custom requirement exists in an existing tool, they are taking much time with the engineering team, which is the only thing I'm expecting them to improve. Other than that, this product is very good.

I think overall security is something they need to make into a single pane of glass to help the customer who is using only the single Palo Alto Networks vendor, so they will get end-to-end visibility in a single console.

I have been using them for around three years.

My experience with the scalability of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is good; whenever we are facing any issues, they are helping, and it is a scalable environment.

Technical support is good for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, but sometimes for new feature requests, we are facing challenges.

Positive

We are generally satisfied with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series.

I would rate Palo Alto Networks VM-Series technical support an eight out of ten.

I would recommend Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to others.

I am a customer of Palo Alto Networks.

Actually, we are trying to migrate to Cortex Cloud; currently, we are using Prisma, so we are in the phase to migrate to Cortex Cloud, but have not yet migrated, so I am not experienced with it and cannot give feedback about it.

We haven't used Prisma Access Browser.

Overall rating: 10/10

Our primary use case involves working with TVS Group of companies in India, a large automobile manufacturer. We take care of their entire cybersecurity system. We implement Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewalls along with third-party vendors and support them remotely for their day-to-day issues. We use these solutions to enhance cybersecurity and provide protection against various security threats.

The VM-Series firewalls are described as useful for security posture, offering next-generation features such as Unified Threat Management, app-centric capabilities, and threat intelligence. The firewalls use sandboxing and behavioral analysis to allow or quarantine new traffic. They help in identifying legitimate domains and instruct admins if approval is needed. This set of features is very helpful in daily tasks.

An improvement could be the integration of security intelligence with Palo Alto cloud via APIs. This would allow IOCs, domains, and hash values to be automatically entered, reducing manual entry. Integration with CSIRT across all use levels would make it easier for administrators to stay updated on the blocked entities without manual intervention.

I have been working with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewalls for about four to five years.

Generally, the VM-Series firewalls are stable. I would rate the stability as eight out of ten.

The solution is scalable and can easily handle an increase in the number of users.

I have worked with Palo Alto technical support for over two years. They are responsive and provide high-quality assistance. Previously, I have raised tickets, and they were efficiently handled by the technical team. My experience has been positive overall.

Positive

The initial setup of the VM-Series firewalls is quite easy compared to traditional firewalls. It is manageable with fewer administrators required. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the setup as nine for its ease of implementation.

I am directly involved in the implementation of these firewalls. It typically takes around two to three hours to deploy the firewalls in a single environment.

The solution is user-friendly and easy to manage within an environment. As a VM, it requires no physical space and can be managed with one or two admins. It's also 99.9% secure, according to cloud security standards. Overall, I give Palo Alto Networks VM-Series a rating of nine out of ten.

On-premises

Other

The main gateway for my organization is Palo Alto because my SAP data is hosted there. My staff operates behind Palo Alto, and numerous software applications and websites are hosted on it. I wanted a strong product for security, particularly for ransomware, malware, and a strong VPN for accessing SAP through VPN and CloudProtect.

Palo Alto offers excellent security, with features such as email scanning, malware protection, and efficient VPN and antivirus capabilities. There is no latency, making it faster compared to my previous solutions. The services are hosted and run quickly, which enhances our operations. The security against DDoS attacks has also been improved significantly.

There is a need for two-factor authentication, particularly for VPN and CloudProtect. It would enhance security further. The individual certificate feature where a unique certificate is attached to each user would also be valuable. If Palo Alto adopts this, they would excel.

I have been using Palo Alto for the last three months.

Palo Alto is very stable. I would rate it ten out of ten.

It is very scalable. If I were to rate it on a scale, it would receive nine out of ten, and with two-factor authentication, it would be ten.

The technical support is very good. I rate it nine out of ten.

Positive

I was previously using Sophos. The switch to Palo Alto was driven by the need for a product that could manage all my in-house data and offer superior security. Sophos was not offering the class A level of service that Palo Alto provides.

The initial setup of Palo Alto was straightforward as the vendor completed it efficiently in one day.

The product was installed by our vendor.

As of now, I am content with the pricing. Although the price might seem high, it reflects the quality of the product similar to the difference between Android and Apple products.

The pricing is reasonable and reflects the quality of the product. There are no issues with the cost, as it is commensurate with the quality received.

My overall rating for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is nine points out of ten. 

The solution effectively handles security issues and ensures data safety.

We usually recommend Palo Alto Networks VM-Series for BFSI companies.

I find Palo Alto Networks VM-Series easy to deploy, and none of my customers have had significant complaints. My customers have high certifications provided by Palo Alto Networks. The friendly dashboard and the ability to easily command and use the CLI make Palo Alto Networks VM-Series a better product. It offers robust solutions, making it valuable to my customers.

It may be beneficial if the firewall can monitor all internal elements like VMs pulling from HP servers. Consolidating these insights into a single dashboard would be advantageous.

I have been familiar with Palo Alto Networks for four or five years.

The performance of VM instances has some limitations in terms of threshold and throughput compared to appliances.

I would rate scalability as eight out of ten.

Palo Alto Networks offers better technical support, maintaining SLA efficiently, and resolving issues promptly.

Positive

In some cases, I have migrated from Cisco to Palo Alto Networks VM-Series smoothly.

Pricing for Palo Alto Networks is higher than other OEMs, but considering the robustness and features, it gains customer trust. Technical configuration is a focus area due to its high commercial profile.

I consider Check Point alongside Palo Alto Networks, as well as Cisco for wireless solutions.

When evaluating, consider the customer’s environment and pain points since both Check Point and Palo Alto Networks have their advantages. Overall, I rate Palo Alto Networks VM-Series eight out of ten.

I am using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series because almost all my application infrastructure is hosted on AWS. AWS supports deploying Palo Alto Networks VM-Series in their marketplace, and Palo Alto is a leader in security in the firewall market. I also use the GlobalProtect VPN from Palo Alto Networks.

Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is very strong in security features like antivirus, anti-spyware, and machine learning capabilities that help scan for antivirus and anti-spam. This ensures high security for internal and external traffic. They frequently update antivirus patterns and application threats, which provides reliable protection. I also value GlobalProtect VPN for supporting remote users as most of my employees work remotely. Additionally, Palo Alto Networks helps me visualize and manage network traffic effectively, blocking risky files and enhancing network security.

Currently, I do not have specific suggestions for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series improvements. I am happy with the rich features provided. As I have only used it for four months, I might need more time to explore and suggest enhancements.

I have been using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series since December 2020, around four months.

Deploying Palo Alto Networks VM-Series was a bit challenging. I rate it a six out of ten for ease, as it required going through extensive documentation to set it up. Deployment took nearly a week to complete.

I rate the stability of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series as seven out of ten. I have not experienced any major problems or downtime, but I haven't yet explored all its features.

Currently, I do not have a clear answer about the scalability of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series as I have not scaled it yet.

I have not directly used Palo Alto's technical support as I rely on vendor support. The vendor provides me with documentation when needed.

Before using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, I used a physical box on-premises. The switch was due to moving all infrastructure to AWS, necessitating a virtual solution.

The initial setup of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series was somewhat challenging, requiring extensive documentation review. I rate it a six out of ten for ease.

I handled almost 100% of the deployment myself. However, for specific features, I consulted the vendor engineer, who provided online documentation for guidance.

I rate the pricing of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series as six or seven out of ten. The cost involves purchasing through a vendor, which might mark up due to the supply chain. I've had no complaints about Palo Alto's pricing.

I did not evaluate other options before choosing Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, as it is a leader in the market.

Overall, I rate Palo Alto Networks VM-Series an eight out of ten. I am happy with its performance and rich features.

Public Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

We manage public or private cloud traffic, inspecting for security through various profiles. This includes managing traffic for southeast, east-west, inbound, and A access, applying security profiles to the traffic. I also work with the Check Point Next Generation Firewall and Palo Alto Firewalls.

The most effective features for threat prevention include the threat prevention signature level, the application filter capability, and the visibility provided by the firewalls. 

We use these tools to prevent all known and unknown threats using Palo Alto Networks' Wildfire and other data filtering tools to gather information, analyze traffic, manage malicious traffic, and offer visibility, control, and attack prevention.

When managing the firewall, it involves a Strata Cloud web browser that requires improvement to enhance deployment ease and call center efficiency. 

Additionally, focusing more on enhancing the Stata Cloud Manager would be beneficial.

I have used this solution for three years.

The solution is very stable and has been in the market for the last 16 weeks.

We are very much satisfied with the tool's scalability. 

It rates up to nine out of ten for scalability satisfaction.

The support is quite responsive, but the support quality could be improved. They should focus on enhancing the support provided.

Positive

The setup is easy; I would rate it ten out of ten for ease of setup.

Customers can see data within a week, indicating a quick return on investment.

The pricing is at a reach level. I'm not the person who deals with exact pricing details.

I recommend going with the VM series, as it integrates advanced technological standards on a single platform and supports Kubernetes and Docker, which other vendors often don't offer. 

I rate the overall solution ten out of ten.

Private Cloud

Other

We use Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to offer services to our customers as a managed security service provider. We provide solutions and services to our customers across the globe. For example, if I want to host a firewall in the cloud or somewhere where the physical appliance is not a possibility, we provide that image of the firewall on virtual machines.

It helps in offering advanced protection against malware and anti-spyware, which is based on customer feedback stating the product has very good threat prevention capabilities.

Very good reliability and feature set, such as advanced protection against malware, anti-spyware, and Wildfire. It also has good VPN capabilities and integration capabilities.

The scalability could be improved further. The virtual instances of the firewall are not as scalable as their hardware firewalls.

We have been using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewalls for over five years.

I find the solution to be a good, stable product.

The virtual instances are not as scalable as the hardware firewalls.

A separate team handles implementation. I am mostly involved in the designing aspect of the product.

It is hard to get into the ROI aspect. Generally, ROI can be determined by comparing a physical appliance-based firewall versus a virtual instance of a firewall.

Pricing can be an issue when competing with products like Fortinet, which often offer similar functionality at a lower cost.

There are many competitors like Fortinet offering similar functionality.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Public Cloud

Other

The use case varies. I use it as a gateway, and others use it for microsegmentation in the cloud. Additionally, some deploy it on-premises to protect specific environments. Most of the use cases are in cloud environments.

The most valuable features are the DNS security and threat prevention capabilities. The DNS security significantly enhances security through visibility and detection, allowing control over crucial traffic like DNS, which is often exploited by ransomware. Additionally, threat prevention and URL security are crucial licenses I recommend to customers, raising the security level substantially.

There are continuous developments with many new features coming every year. Although I receive feature requests from customers, I don't have any particular areas for improvement in mind right now.

I have been working with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series for more than ten years.

Setting up the VM-Series is usually very easy. The firewall can be deployed and set up within half an hour, though it depends on the complexity of the configuration.

In terms of stability, I would rate it eight out of ten. Perfection is unlikely as the dynamic nature of traffic and constant changes can result in occasional bugs despite regular updates. Perfection in stability remains challenging for any vendor.

I rate the scalability of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series ten out of ten. It is easy to use with an excellent graphical user interface and extensive documentation, which contributes to its high scalability.

I conduct most of the support myself and rate the overall support a nine out of ten. However, sometimes cases take longer to resolve, and there's always room for improvement, especially in terms of response time from higher support levels.

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward and easy. The process involves registering and configuring the software, and with flex mode, it is easy to scale by purchasing additional credits for more CPU and RAM without needing new hardware.

The pricing is more on the expensive side, but it is justified due to its functionality, reliability, and throughput, even with all features enabled. In comparison to FortiGate, Check Point, and Cisco, the performance does not degrade significantly. Although I rate the cost six out of ten, the features justify the higher expense.

Overall, I rate Palo Alto Networks VM-Series an eight out of ten. While no product is perfect, I am satisfied with its performance and value.

Hybrid Cloud

Microsoft Azure

I use it for two main reasons. In case there is a customer query, Palo Alto firewall is one of the vendors that we support for syslogs, rule management, change management, and traffic monitoring. 

Our product is used to query the firewall and provide a dashboard that raises alarms if any suspicious activity is detected. It involves the management of the firewall. We have a partnership with Palo Alto, and I have worked with VM-Series. 

When a customer encounters an issue with our product in accordance with Palo Alto, I analyze the problem and provide solutions. Additionally, I have constructed a lab with network devices for partner training. This lab uses Palo Alto firewalls for communication.

By using this firewall, we were able to address a lot of customer queries and answer to their VM-Series. This helped us retain our customers and gain confidence from them.

Palo Alto is easy to use. The UI is very easy to understand and does not require any certification or highly skilled technician to handle the firewall. It is very user-friendly and straightforward out of the box.

An area for improvement would be AI-related features, particularly in rule management or threat intelligence. Focusing on AI-based threat detection would be beneficial. 

Additionally, enhancing the ease of accessing technical support would be useful.

I have been using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series for about three to four years.

Stability is good. Once it is configured, it is stable, and I would rate it nine out of ten. I have not experienced any outages with Palo Alto, unlike other vendors like Sophos.

Scalability is good, and I would rate it eight out of ten. We use it for testing with a low load, and it works well. In production setups, I have observed it being used effectively with a large number of transactions per second.

Reaching technical support is challenging, and I may not be eligible for direct support since I'm not a customer. It involves multiple channels. I would rate their technical support seven out of ten.

Neutral

I previously used Cisco ASA, an older version, due to its market leadership at the time. We moved to Palo Alto due to multiple customer requests for other solutions like Sophos, FortiGate, SonicWall, and WatchGuard.

The initial setup was very easy and can be rated nine out of ten. It is straightforward to configure, and the UI is simple.

I did everything myself. One person is sufficient for the deployment and maintenance of five to seven firewalls.

The return on investment is seen in customer retention and addressing their queries rather than in revenue.

I'm not the right person to give a rating for pricing, as I use a not-for-sale license provided by Palo Alto for testing.

We evaluated Cisco ASA, but due to diverse customer demands and requests for vendors like Sophos, FortiGate, SonicWall, and WatchGuard, we extended our support to Palo Alto as well.

For software application firewalls, this is the best solution. If you are using it in a cloud or as an application firewall, then Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is the best one for you.

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

On-premises