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FireMon Security Manager vs Palo Alto Networks Panorama comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
8.6
FireMon Security Manager enhances efficiency and risk management, reducing labor costs and errors through automation and improved firewall hygiene.
Sentiment score
3.2
URL filtering and a single interface enhance efficiency, with quick benefits for large networks, despite high pricing challenges.
After implementing FireMon Security Manager, policy risk reports, compliance reports, and anomalies are generated automatically, which reduces audit preparation down to 15 to 18 hours per cycle, saving about 40 to 50% of time just on audit-related efforts.
Network Security Consultant at NTT DATA
It significantly reduced the time spent on manual firewall policy review and audit preparation.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
9.3
FireMon Security Manager's support is praised for responsiveness and expertise, though occasionally has delays with complex issues.
Sentiment score
6.5
Palo Alto Networks Panorama support is responsive and knowledgeable, but some users experience delays, especially for complex issues.
An eight signifies they are doing a good job.
Digital Workforce Initiatives Leader at Galway
The customer support for FireMon Security Manager has been outstanding in our experience.
Network Security Consultant at NTT DATA
The technical support is good, but sometimes it takes some time.
Senior Network Specialist at Tech Mahindra Limited
The technical support from Palo Alto is rated around nine out of ten.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The technical support by Palo Alto Networks is great because the response time is solid.
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
The tech support I've encountered has been good, prompt, and fast.
Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
FireMon Security Manager scales well across environments, managing firewalls efficiently with broad vendor support and minimal performance issues.
Sentiment score
7.3
Palo Alto Networks Panorama offers adaptability and scalability for managing large networks, praised for flexibility despite some cost concerns.
If it can see and interpret everything correctly, it would do exactly what I want, and it would be very helpful.
Digital Workforce Initiatives Leader at Galway
It offers extensive scalability options, providing more flexibility than other vendors.
Senior Network Specialist at Tech Mahindra Limited
As the environment grew, FireMon Security Manager continued to handle policy analysis, reporting, and change tracking reliably without performance issues.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
Scalability is primarily enhanced by Strata Cloud Manager as it is much easier to scale in the cloud than in an on-premises installation.
Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS
Scalability depends on whether it's a hardware or virtual machine model.
IT Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
FireMon Security Manager is stable and reliable, with quick support and minimal disruptions, despite occasional upgrade or performance issues.
Sentiment score
7.5
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is praised for its stability, reliability under load, and performs well on cloud platforms like AWS.
We have not experienced any major crashes, data losses, or serious outages.
Network Security Consultant at NTT DATA
If we have many devices added or if the firewall complexity is huge, we might experience some lag in processing.
Network security consultant at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is very stable.
Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

FireMon Security Manager needs improved customization, integration, user interface, and support for streamlined updates and real-time compliance alerts.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama needs improvements in updates, integration, user interface, pricing, analytics, security, and storage for efficiency.
FireMon can see everything much better and provides me with a fuller report when using Meraki as a firewall system.
Digital Workforce Initiatives Leader at Galway
Simplifying some workflows and dashboards would help teams get value more quickly, especially in large environments.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
A basic understanding of cloud computing and firewall principles is necessary for successful implementation.
Senior Network Specialist at Tech Mahindra Limited
In terms of operation, it is quite important that the staff managing the Panorama should be technically sound enough, and they should know exactly what they are doing.
Sr. Staff Network Engineer at Blackhawk Network India
The AI module should be on-premises, not in the cloud.
Senior Network Engineer at UPS
I would like to improve the dashboards on Palo Alto Networks Panorama, especially because I work in an environment where my managers are not really that technical.
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
 

Setup Cost

FireMon Security Manager's higher pricing is justified by valuable features and cost-saving per-device model in large environments.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is costly but offers robust, reliable features, with negotiable pricing and possible discounts for bulk purchases.
Comparatively, FireMon has a very good price and is below the general competition in cost.
Digital Workforce Initiatives Leader at Galway
Compared to others, it is not so expensive.
Network security consultant at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Our experience with FireMon Security Manager's pricing and licensing is that it is on the higher side, but justified for a large, regulated environment.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
Virtual Panorama is well-priced and is sold every time there's a solution.
Senior Principal Solutions Architect, HPE Aruba Networking - Full Stack Platform Expert at Danoffice IT ApS
Commercially, compared to Fortinet, Palo Alto is more expensive.
Security Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Palo Alto Networks Panorama is expensive but provides good value for money.
Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

FireMon Security Manager enhances security by automating policy management, improving visibility, and simplifying compliance for multi-vendor firewalls.
Palo Alto Networks Panorama centralizes firewall management, enhancing security with user-friendly interfaces, advanced reporting, and scalable integration features.
By eliminating loopholes between policies, it simplifies review and analysis, while also automating policy changes and supporting multiple vendors.
Senior Network Specialist at Tech Mahindra Limited
It provides a single view across all firewalls, helps quickly identify risks and unused rules, and generates audit-ready reports, which is extremely useful in large, regulated environments.
Cyber Security Consultant at ProTechmanize
The risk and rule analysis feature highlights risky, unused, shadow, duplicate, and overly permissive rules automatically, saving huge time on manual audits and helping reduce the attack surface.
Network Security Consultant at NTT DATA
I find this solution valuable for full monitoring, centralized control for reporting, and centralized management.
Senior Network Engineer at UPS
We do not currently have a SIEM solution, so we are heavily relying on the monitoring features of Palo Alto Networks Panorama to conduct our investigations and log reviews.
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
Palo Alto Networks Panorama has positively impacted our organization by allowing a couple of network engineers to use Panorama simultaneously with different templates or device groups, which helps us save time and reduce the complexity of the network.
Network Security Engineer at Cyberwell Solution
 

Categories and Ranking

FireMon Security Manager
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Palo Alto Networks Panorama
Ranking in Firewall Security Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Firewall Security Management category, the mindshare of FireMon Security Manager is 17.9%, up from 16.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks Panorama is 7.0%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Firewall Security Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Palo Alto Networks Panorama7.0%
FireMon Security Manager17.9%
Other75.1%
Firewall Security Management
 

Featured Reviews

SurajYadav - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Consultant at NTT DATA
Centralized policy governance has reduced audit effort and continuously improves risk visibility
I wish to see deeper and more customizable reporting and dashboards, as while the standard reports are useful for audits, operational teams sometimes need real-time, flexible views without exporting data. Tighter integrations with ticketing and change management tools would also enhance the workflow from request to implementation. FireMon Security Manager is excellent for policy governance and risk reduction, but better real-time dashboards and stronger workflow integrations would make it even more powerful for daily operations. There are one or two areas where FireMon Security Manager could be improved to make it even stronger. While FireMon Security Manager overall delivers solid governance and risk insight, it would benefit from more flexible dashboards and deeper integrations to reduce manual steps and improve visibility without relying on external tools. I rate FireMon Security Manager an 8 out of 10. It is a strong tool for firewall policy management, risk analysis, and compliance, clearly improving our audit process and policy governance. The reason I do not give it a 9 out of 10 is mainly because the dashboard could be more flexible and integration with the firewalls could be smoother. FireMon Security Manager is a reliable and high-value platform for managing and governing firewall policies, especially in a multi-vendor environment, though a few areas can still be improved.
Richard Dombo - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Support Administrator at Meridian Port Services
Monitoring and managing multiple firewalls has become more efficient through centralized oversight and reliable logging
I would say that while Palo Alto Networks Panorama reporting capability is functional, it is not really intuitive. The presentation is not really as advanced as what an advanced solution would have provided. I would like to improve the dashboards on Palo Alto Networks Panorama, especially because I work in an environment where my managers are not really that technical. They do a great job leading us, but they do not have a technical background. If the dashboard could be improved to suit more executive use cases when it comes to reporting, that would be excellent. It is basic as far as I am concerned, and from an executive standpoint, it is not really that good. I would rate Palo Alto Networks Panorama as a product nine or 9.5 out of ten because there is always room for improvement, especially on the dashboard. I think if they could improve the dashboard, I would give them ten out of ten because from a technical standpoint, the dashboard is good, but at an executive level, it is not really that good. I usually struggle when doing presentations to my bosses because the dashboard and reporting from Palo Alto Networks Panorama are not as polished as they could be.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise46
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business33
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise46
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FireMon?
I like the Security Manager console where we can see any changes that have been made or pull the results of an assessment and control the policies that we implement.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FireMon?
Our experience with FireMon Security Manager's pricing and licensing is that it is on the higher side, but justified for a large, regulated environment. The setup cost and licensing made sense give...
What needs improvement with FireMon?
FireMon Security Manager is a strong platform. However, it could be improved with a more intuitive user interface and faster initial onboarding for new users. Simplifying some workflows and dashboa...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
We did not purchase Palo Alto Networks Panorama through the Azure Marketplace. We purchased it directly through Palo Alto.
What needs improvement with Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
From a monitoring perspective, if we could improve on data retention and keep it for quite a long time, such as 90 days of data retention, that would be good for us to manage our CPU usage, as we c...
What is your primary use case for Palo Alto Networks Panorama?
My main use case for Palo Alto Networks Panorama is to manage our firewalls. We have around 450 firewalls, and we manage them through Panorama. Configuration entry is the primary focus of our use.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Convey, MGM Resorts International, Southwest Airlines, Alkami, Costco, Aetna, IBM, Verizon, Wells Fargo
University of Arkansas, JBG SMITH, Temple University, Telkom Indonesia
Find out what your peers are saying about FireMon Security Manager vs. Palo Alto Networks Panorama and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.