We use this firewall to segment our network into two parts and control traffic between them, providing a secure and efficient way to manage our network.
Senior Manager Network Design at MEEZA, Managed IT Services Provider
Provides ease of deployment and helps us maintain a secure network environment
Pros and Cons
- "The product's most valuable features are the ease of deployment, regularly updated security information, and robust hardware."
- "Palo Alto's various products need better integration to ensure they work harmoniously."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The product's most valuable features are the ease of deployment, regularly updated security information, and robust hardware.
What needs improvement?
Palo Alto's various products need better integration to ensure they work harmoniously.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for the past six years.
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May 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The firewall is very stable; I rate it ten out of ten in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable, accommodating around 5,000 users at our site. We plan to increase usage, which is a matter of purchasing new licenses without affecting current operations.
How are customer service and support?
While I have not used technical support service, my team has, and they have found it to be very good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched from AWS to Oracle Advanced Analytics because while AWS was easy to use, it was more expensive.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is easy but requires careful planning and expert design to ensure optimal deployment. The process involves planning, reviewing requirements, designing, implementing, and operating the firewall.
What other advice do I have?
Palo Alto NG Firewall effectively prevents threats and helps maintain a secure network environment.
I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

System Engineer at DLP
Has good ID management and the configuration is easy
Pros and Cons
- "The user experience is good and the configuration is very easy."
- "Technical support can be faster at responding."
What is our primary use case?
We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for our gateway security.
How has it helped my organization?
Embedded machine learning is important.
The user experience is good and the configuration is very easy.
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates security capabilities.
What is most valuable?
IDM is the most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The process of applying updates to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls has room for improvement.
The price also has room for improvement and the technical support could respond faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is extremely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We have 60 people that use the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good but can sometimes be slow.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used WatchGuard XTM firewalls, but I switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls because of their superior performance and features.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a good return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are expensive compared to WatchGuard XTM firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
I give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a ten out of ten.
We have to perform regular updates for the solution.
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: Reseller
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,823 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Security Operations Manager at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Protect our perimeter and servers and provide a unified platform
Pros and Cons
- "Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities."
- "The cloud could be improved. I would like to have more visibility of the vulnerabilities of the network as well."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution to protect the perimeter and use it as a proxy for the servers.
We have the firewalls installed in our data center at present and are planning to put them in the corporate and branch offices as well.
How has it helped my organization?
A couple of years ago, we removed the explicit proxy for the servers and made the proxy transparent for the servers. We were able to make it softer for the servers' web filtering.
What is most valuable?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities. They have a couple of solutions in the cloud that we are trying to add to our ecosystem.
Because Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are installed in our data center, it is very important that Palo Alto embeds machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention. We need to protect our servers.
What needs improvement?
The cloud could be improved. I would like to have more visibility of the network vulnerabilities as well.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have good scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Palo Alto's technical support is good, and I would rate them an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine on a scale from one to ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Engineering Manager at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Seamless ecosystem integration, user-friendly, with helpful and knowledgeable technical support
Pros and Cons
- "Some of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' valuable features are their powerful capabilities and user-friendliness."
- "The level of control and granularity in terms of rule customization could be enhanced. However, compared to our previous solution, Palo Alto provides much better drill-down capabilities."
What is our primary use case?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are being used for cloud security in our organization. Along with that, we have implemented SD-WAN, secure access, and XDR. These are the primary firewalls that we have in place.
Essentially, we have almost all of their products across their three suites.
How has it helped my organization?
The previous brand we used had a steeper learning curve for our engineers and analysts compared to Palo Alto, which is easier to use.
We also have an excellent partner in Costa Rica who works with Palo Alto's team there, providing valuable support. Overall, our experience with Palo Alto has been very positive.
What is most valuable?
Some of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' valuable features are their powerful capabilities and user-friendliness.
Our security team has found it easy to learn and obtain the necessary certifications and training from Palo Alto.
Overall, we have had a very positive experience with this suite of solutions, including the training they have provided us.
We like the Palo Alto ecosystem and how its different suites of products integrate seamlessly.
The sharing of information has enhanced our security posture as a company. Overall, our experience with Palo Alto has been very positive.
I believe that It is important that the firewall integrates machine learning to take advantage of all the information that is available, all the data that is available.
You have to integrate machine learning AI and things like that to be able to be a step ahead of the hackers.
Using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, we have experienced zero downtime.
The solution is user-friendly, which is important as it allows us to concentrate on other essential aspects of the company rather than spending time and effort maintaining the solution.
What needs improvement?
The level of control and granularity in terms of rule customization could be enhanced. However, compared to our previous solution, Palo Alto provides much better drill-down capabilities.
It is a solid solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very solid, stable solution. We haven't had any issues with it, you know when we have to do updates there are no problems whatsoever. it's a very good solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is an important issue. It is very scalable.
We are currently protecting around 11,000 endpoints.
How are customer service and support?
In my experience, I would rate the technical support a ten out of ten.
They are excellent.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Initially, I was involved in the setup, but then other team members took over and completed the work. In the end, we reviewed and went over the setup together.
What about the implementation team?
We had a lot of support from their local partner So it was very straightforward at the time.
I didn't come across any significant issues, but as engineers, we are always prepared to face challenges.
Nowadays, nothing works as simple as plug-and-play like it used to be. However, we try to reduce the likelihood of issues as much as possible by working closely with project managers and performing thorough preparations beforehand.
Before doing the implementation. It was okay.
What was our ROI?
I believe we have seen a return on investment.
The time we used to spend on various tasks previously has significantly reduced with the implementation of Palo Alto Networks.
The system is very reliable with no downtime, providing us with a sense of security that is important in cybersecurity.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is high, but it is worth it if you have the budget for it.
Budget is always an important factor in decision-making, but it was within our budget, and we were impressed by what we heard, tested, and experienced with Palo Alto.
It is difficult to know and assume the thought process of others. If they have budget constraints, there may be other manufacturers with a lower price point that would be a good fit. We try to evaluate from different angles, not just the budget, but also the technology and how it will fit with our needs. We look for strong capabilities where necessary, such as with Sophos and WatchGuard for smaller companies.
It can be difficult to know the thought process behind a company's decision when it comes to choosing a firewall solution. Budget constraints may play a role, and there are other manufacturers that offer lower price points, which can be a good option. However, it's important to consider technology and how it fits with the company's needs, as well as the strength of the solution.
Smaller companies like Sophos and WatchGuard also offer solid platforms, and they may be a good fit for those looking for a lower price point. Ultimately, it's important to assess what's important for the company and find a solution that fits those needs, both in terms of functionality and price.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our process for evaluating firewall solutions usually involves consulting Gartner for their feedback, having sessions with our analysts, and focusing on the leading firewall manufacturers.
We evaluated several firewall manufacturers, including Check Point and Fortinet, but ultimately, we as a group decided that Palo Alto was the best fit for us.
The decision was not solely mine but rather made by our managers based on the evaluations and presentations given by each vendor.
We were particularly impressed with Palo Alto's presentation and even visited their headquarters located south of San Francisco. And we just felt comfortable, and it was a good decision.
What other advice do I have?
The RSA sessions have been very informative and enjoyable. Today is actually my last day at the expo, and I've been visiting some of the manufacturers that we already work with as well as some that I want to learn more about. Overall, I think it's been a great experience.
From an engineering standpoint, the expo is a great opportunity to connect with knowledgeable people beyond the marketing façade. It's worth investing time to engage with them, learn about their products and solutions, and find out what they're working on and what's upcoming.
Attending RSA has had a significant impact on our company's cybersecurity purchases for the next year. In fact, I am here with two other colleagues who are actively researching and taking notes on various companies and their offerings. They are gathering valuable information to inform our future purchasing decisions.
We've been coming here for many years now, and we'll not come back. It's a good place to get up to date on what's happening.
I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager, Global Security Operations at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
Is updated often with the latest threat signatures and secures data centers consistently across all workplaces
Pros and Cons
- "I like that Palo Alto does a good job of keeping the firewall updated with the latest threat signatures."
- "The performance of the Panorama interface needs to be improved. It tends to be very sluggish at times."
What is our primary use case?
As a Security Engineer, I use this solution for protection. I put in additional rules and also use the solution for forensic investigations and to look at traffic logs.
What is most valuable?
I like that Palo Alto Networks does a good job of keeping the firewall updated with the latest threat signatures.
We use Panorama, so we're able to manage an entire array of firewalls in one console. It's really useful because we can make one change and deploy it to all of our firewalls.
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls do a great job at providing a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities. For example, we can easily export our firewall logs into our SIEM. We have so many tools to manage that having a unified platform makes our job easier.
This firewall is great at securing data centers consistently across all workplaces.
We have high availability, and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls helped reduce downtime.
What needs improvement?
The performance of the Panorama interface needs to be improved. It tends to be very sluggish at times.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not heard of any complaints or issues regarding the stability of the firewalls.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We can easily add nodes into Panorama with no problem. As such, scalability is not an issue. We have an enterprise environment with approximately 15,000 users in multiple countries.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't had to call technical support, but my colleagues have. They've always spoken positively about the experience and would probably rate the technical support an eight out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My organization used Cisco Secure Firewall ASA and switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls because Cisco was lagging behind in many features. For example, the management interface on the ASAs was awful compared to that in the NG Firewalls.
What was our ROI?
We have absolutely seen an ROI in the fact that we haven't ended up in the news. We can look at any time and see all the threats that have been stopped by Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
If you are looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall, I would say that it's a risky angle to take. Security costs money, and you'll get what you pay for.
The benefits I receive from attending an RSA conference are networking, meeting people and having conversations face-to-face, making contacts in the industry, getting suggestions about products, and attending briefings about specific products.
Also, attending RSAC can have an impact on your organization’s cybersecurity purchases because you may find out about products that you hadn't heard of before.
Overall, I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight on a scale from one to ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Director of Information Technology at a hospitality company with 10,001+ employees
A stable next-generation firewall solution
Pros and Cons
- "I like that they are more stable than the previous ones, and they allow a lot of other features."
- "It would be better to have more tools to control Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. We don't have too many tools to access Palo Alto. For example, the IT team doesn't have access to it. We can see it physically and see if it's running or not. We need to contact a special team to receive that information. I would also like to see more reporting in the next release."
What is our primary use case?
We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to manage the villains. Basically, to protect the environment.
What is most valuable?
I like that they are more stable than the previous ones, and they allow a lot of other features.
What needs improvement?
It would be better to have more tools to control Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. We don't have too many tools to access Palo Alto. For example, the IT team doesn't have access to it. We can see it physically and see if it's running or not. We need to contact a special team to receive that information. I would also like to see more reporting in the next release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is scalable. We have about 250 people using it at our hotel.
How are customer service and technical support?
We use Trustwave, a company that provides the devices. We have an agreement with them, and we're satisfied with the support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used to use Juniper and Fortinet.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty much straightforward. It takes us about two hours to set up and deploy this solution. It takes a team of two guys to deploy and maintain this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to new users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine.
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.
Director IT Security at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Good threat hunt capabilities, good support, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "Mechanically, all firewalls work in a similar fashion, but what makes Palo Alto different is that it also has some of the threat hunt capabilities. It is a little bit better than other vendors."
- "As things are evolving, we want to make sure that Palo Alto is able to keep up with what is going on outside. They should continue to do more intelligence-related enhancements and integrate with some of the other security tools. We want to have a more intelligent toolset down the road."
What is our primary use case?
Basically, it is for protection and security. We are using it to make sure that our network is as secure as possible. We are able to evaluate each stack in each pocket and take certain actions as needed when we look into some of the content of the payload.
We have on-prem deployments, and we also have SaaS-based services.
What is most valuable?
Mechanically, all firewalls work in a similar fashion, but what makes Palo Alto different is that it also has some of the threat hunt capabilities. It is a little bit better than other vendors.
What needs improvement?
As things are evolving, we want to make sure that Palo Alto is able to keep up with what is going on outside. They should continue to do more intelligence-related enhancements and integrate with some of the other security tools. We want to have a more intelligent toolset down the road.
For how long have I used the solution?
We implemented this solution last year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We currently have 25,000 users. Its usage won't increase a lot, but IT is changing very rapidly, and it would depend on the security model towards which we are moving.
How are customer service and technical support?
Palo Alto provides pretty good support.
How was the initial setup?
It is straightforward. The deployment duration varies because there are different modules and components, but it doesn't mean that we have to complete everything to make it work. For the core piece of it, it would probably take a couple of months to install, configure, and test.
What about the implementation team?
We have a vendor to help us. We have two or three people for its deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has a yearly subscription.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Security Unit Manager at EEMC
Protects your network against attacks and threats and enables you to know what's going on in your network from security perspective
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was very easy."
- "The advanced manual protection needs to be improved a little bit because they used to make a cloud manual analysis for the cloud."
What is our primary use case?
Upstream and data center NGFW.
How has it helped my organization?
Security, visibility and control, you can secure your environment from many types of attacks such as virus, malware, DoS attacks, intrusions, bad URLs, bad domains with basic DNS security which it an awesome feature.Visibility, that you will be aware of the is going on inside your network, such as malicious activities, decrypt the encrypted packets, as well as policy audit review.
This solution has really helped the technical engineers to deliver the implementation faster than the before.
What is most valuable?
All of the features are good. The new release of the new basic platform provides you with a huge number of features, such as policy review, DNS security, Machine learning, Network traffic profiling, Bare metal analysis
What needs improvement?
(Malware) On-prime scanning should be considered.
Endpoint management (traps) better to be on-prime than cloud.
QoS, It should be more sophisticated than it is now.
TAC support should cover meddle east area by Arabic support, such as in France, Germany, Italy and Japanese.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for more than nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I like the stability of the solution. From a stability perspective, all of them are stable. Sometimes Cisco's older versions, maybe from two years ago, were not as stable. Now, Cisco has improved its firewall and security products.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, no security products are scalable to upgrade. Not ever. While assuming you are dealing with scalability, you have room to increase or to have room to expand, but actually, you don't because there is limited support. Even if you bring in the highest model, it's still limited.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support is very limited. It's limited compared to the competitors. They need multi-language support. Now, they provide support in English only.
If anyone in the Middle East opens a ticket, they have to do it in Arabic but they get support in English, not in Arabic. The communication between the technical people or the campus sites to the vendors now is in English.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was very easy. All the initial setups have become very easy. Before, the setup used to take a week to implement a firewall. Now it's a couple of minutes or one day maximum for fine-tuning. To fine-tune the firewall it can take one day, two days if you are junior. In terms of how many people you will need to deploy the solution, it depends because the firewall is not a straightforward technology like any security program.
What about the implementation team?
We used on-site security advisors.
What was our ROI?
7 years
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of pricing, every model has a license. For example a small model, the license around 1,000 USD. The next one around 2,000 USD. The next range is 11,000 USD to 13,000 USD. It's expensive compared to PaloAlto competitors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes, was fortinet
What other advice do I have?
Palo Alto's firewall protects your network against attacks, threats, and many other things. Networking can be more advanced. You can upgrade the edition of Palo Alto. There's competition between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls. Most IT security people don't know which to pick. For a basic firewall, I recommend Fortinet because it has two or three basic firewalls. I personally need a data center firewall. Datacenter firewalls I would recommend FortiGate because of the support. It provides a high level of support.
The latest Palo Alto release has many new features. It can provide you with audits, and policy auditing for a policy review. This allows you to know what's going on inside the network from a quality perspective because sometimes you can create new policies - up to one million policies. You can choose policies, and sometimes you get something by mistake. It provides you with an ability to view or do a policy review or policy audit. This is a major feature. It's a very important feature because before it was impossible to bring the visibility to the policy audits to let me know what's going on inside my policies. Now Palo Alto has provided this feature.
In terms of advice I'd give to someone considering this solution, I'd say they should read more before going to the implementation phase. They have to read the administrative guides, and product guides before going to implementation. They have to check the platform because different versions of the platform have some new features. The technical people have to review before going to implement it because sometimes they don't need to upgrade this platform or this version. It is not a stable version. You have to read more before going to do the implementation. Ask an advisor, the vendors or call Palo Alto. You can call them, they have great coverage in any country in the world. You can ask the technical engineers what is the best design, their recommended design.
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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