Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Reviews

We're using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls as a backup hardware solution. When the main firewalls have an issue, we're using the backup solution and hardware firewalls to avoid any network issues or prolonged downtime.

Palo Alto Networks Firewalls helped us reduce downtime. When we have another backup solution, the firewalls come down, we have backup hardware, and we have a Docker site that can work if we have an issue in our HQ data center.

Palo Alto provides more security. 

I have no issues if the subscription is renewed on time. 

Some configurations can take time.

The dashboard needs improvement as I find it more complicated compared to Sophos. It is not as user-friendly, especially when trying to easily check problems or generate reports which are easier with Sophos.

I've used the solution for two years.

The solution is stable. It has a feature that allows load balancing across multiple lines. If one line drops, another line can maintain service until the issue is resolved and we return to the original line.

The solution is scalable for large companies, however, it is expensive for medium and small companies.

I would rate technical support from Palo Alto at an eight out of ten.

Positive

We are still using a Sophos appliance as well. However, we are planning to consolidate to using just one solution soon.

I was involved in the setup. I participated with the company that ran the implementation. They didn't provide me with most of the information necessary to help implement in other areas.

The consultant company we're dealing with is the one handling the setup for this solution, not us. The consultant is a partner with Palo Alto.

As an investment, if you're going to use it for enterprise, it's good.

The price of Palo Alto Firewalls is too expensive compared to Sophos licenses and appliance hardware.

For medium companies, I would advise using Sophos. For larger enterprises, Palo Alto is more suitable.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls as a gateway for our data center and server files because they are a reliable and robust device, and the best in the security field. We also use their threat intelligence and threat protection services, which are like brass fittings.

Palo Alto enables telemetry and enriches their systems to protect our network against threats, which is why machine learning helps us secure our network.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have enhanced our security by around 20 percent.

The solution provides a unified platform that natively integrates all of our security capabilities.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls help eliminate security holes by stopping all the known and unknown vulnerabilities that we are seeing in our network.

The single-path architecture has improved performance and latency.

The application awareness feature that recognizes application IDs and vulnerability protection are Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' most valuable features.

The price is high and has room for improvement.

We have Elite Plus partner support, which means we always have to speak to a partner to open a case. However, not all of the partners are knowledgeable or helpful.

I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for two years.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are stable.

When it comes to virtual machine editions or the cloud, I think they are more scalable than hardware. 

We have three administrators, 1,000 end users, and up to 400 servers that use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

We previously used Fortinet FortiGate firewalls but switched to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for their superior performance. We also chose Palo Alto Networks because Gartner's reviews of their firewalls have consistently been better than those of Fortinet.

The initial setup is straightforward. However, enabling the security features and starting traffic inspection can be complex. The physical installation is easy.

The deployment for one device takes one day.

We have seen a return on investment in the two years that we have been using the solution.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' price is expensive.

I give Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine out of ten.

I recommend Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. 

We use this solution as our external firewall and VPN.

The fact that I can perform several security functions in one device at wire speed is a valuable feature. I don't have to slow down my business transactions, and I don't have to inconvenience my users with 16 different solutions. I can have it all in one box, and it protects my organization at wire speed.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls catch a lot of things that other firewalls may not catch and support more current security practices. We get updates several times a day from WildFire, and the firewalls do a great job of keeping us protected.

Within their domain, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities. This is critical because I don't want to deal with multiple devices. I want to do it all with as few devices as possible and have it all work successfully.

It's very important that these firewalls embed machine learning into their core because the only way to keep up with the changing threat environment is to keep learning about it.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are the gold standard right now for securing data centers consistently across all workplaces, and I'm using them across all of my locations. They provide a consistent experience for the management team as well as the end user.

Surfacing actionable intelligence right away could be better. You have to dig far to get some of the information. If the solution could surface the two or three things out of the 10,000 a day that we really need to deal with, it would be helpful.

I've been working with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for about 20 years.

It is a rock-solid solution in terms of stability. You very rarely have to worry about it. If there's a problem, it's usually because a rule got configured incorrectly.

Across the product line, the NG firewalls scale very well. Within the individual units, however, there are some limitations. It's not always clear to resellers as to what those limitations are. Therefore, as your organization grows you may start to bump into those limitations unexpectedly.

Palo Alto's technical support is pretty good and is among the best. We have called them several times, and they've been on it. Sometimes, it can take a bit longer for them to understand an issue, but overall, I would rate technical support at eight.

Positive

We have used several firewalls including Cisco, Fortinet, and Check Point. We chose Palo Alto because it's the only one that brings it all together in one platform and lets me manage it. It also removes the complexity of what I have to manage and deal with.

The initial setup is fairly straightforward. You put the firewall in with whatever might be there right now in learning mode, and then you can figure out where the holes are.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have prevented a number of things from happening. We would not have been able to prevent those things from happening had we had other firewalls.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are the Cadillac standard, and you do pay Cadillac pricing. However, the protection is worth the steep price. 

If you're looking for the fastest firewall, Palo Alto needs to be on your list. They seem to be the only ones that perform at wire speed right now. If you want the cheapest firewall, you will be able to find cheaper options, but you won't find better options than Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

Overall, I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine on a scale from one to ten.

The biggest value of RSAC is being able to see everything I don't know anything about. It helps me keep up with where the industry is going.

Also, attending RSAC impacts our organization’s cybersecurity purchases made throughout the year. I chat with my existing vendors when I attend and have conversations with those my team recommends. We then make purchasing decisions based on what I see at RSAC.

We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for cybersecurity and network security for our infrastructure for our districts, worldwide. 

The SIM's ability to analyze traffic and take appropriate action is the most valuable feature of this solution.

It is an extremely powerful solution as it provides visibility into all the network traffic, and offers a range of actions such as blocking websites or graphics, as well as load balancing. It's a great tool.

The solution's user-friendly interface and clear network visibility are highly valuable to us. It makes management easier, especially for those without extensive technical knowledge.

The benefit we derive from this solution is not only its ease of use but also how it enables collaboration among our team for special activities in our network.

Additionally, the reports that we can generate from the software are very valuable.

Using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls has helped us reduce downtime.

Compared to our previous solution, I believe it was Fortinet. It saves a lot of time, you know, especially running your reports and analyzing the traffic. I believe we save thirty to forty percent.

It provides a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities.

It has seamless integration with all our devices, including Mac and Windows, and also with our secret server. Moreover, it is even integrated with the Microsoft streaming application that we use.

The embedded machine learning functions seamlessly and can be easily accessed through the dashboard's dedicated tools. Its ease of use is impressive.

I believe it would be beneficial if the solution could integrate with Google Chrome, especially for students who use Chromebooks. However, as far as I know, the solution currently does not support Google Chrome.

I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for five years.

The solution is incredibly stable. 

We have installed patches and updates, and they have all gone smoothly without any issues.

We haven't fully used the capabilities of the firewall, but we purchased a larger scale to prepare for potential future growth.

The firewall is deployed across all six schools and the district office, protecting the entire infrastructure, including switches, access points, and other devices.

This is approximately 3,500 to 4,000 devices.

The technical support team is readily available and very helpful. They provide great assistance whenever we encounter any issues.

There are delays at times, but overall, they are great. I would rate them a nine out of ten.

Positive

Previously, we used Fortinet.

I was involved in the deployment.

We received assistance from the technical support team who helped us implement the project.

We have seen a return on our investment.

As previously mentioned, the firewall is easy to use and has helped us save a significant amount of time, approximately thirty to forty percent.

The cost is quite high.

We evaluated Fortinet as well as Cisco.

The firewall we use is recommended by our county office of education, which also uses the same application. 

This makes it easier for us to collaborate with the county and share reports between different departments.

I'm thoroughly impressed during my inaugural visit here. The array of products and the advanced technology showcased are truly exceptional. It's a great experience.

I plan to revisit it in the future.

Certainly, my attendance would have a significant impact on my cybersecurity-related buying choices as I would gain better insights into various vendors and their products available in the market. It would provide me with increased visibility and enable me to make informed purchasing decisions.

By attending the event and gaining insights into the different vendors and products available in the market, we can make informed decisions about which route to take in the future.

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine out of ten.

We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls in our offices and data centers.

Embedded machine learning within our firewall core has enhanced our business performance by enabling us to process higher volumes of data more efficiently. Single-pass parallel processing and machine learning provide real-time insights, allowing us to maintain a strong security posture.

There is no trade-off for the single-pass architecture. The firewall meets the standards and expectations.

The most valuable features are Wildfire, URL filtering, and IPS.

Palo Alto's support could be improved. Compared to Cisco's community portal, its support resources appear lacking.

I have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for over three years.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are stable.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are scalable.

We previously used Cisco but found it not on par with Palo Alto, especially with throughput. Performance is essential, and Cisco was lacking in this area.

From a technical standpoint, our engineers have significantly reduced labor hours by utilizing Palo Alto, resulting in a substantial return on investment.

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls nine out of ten.

We have a large number of users within our organization.

We have a maintenance team for Palo Alto.

For organizations with budget constraints, Fortinet is a viable alternative; however, if budgetary limitations are not a concern, the Palo Alto PA-440 Firewall is recommended.

For security purposes, we use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for both the edge and data center.

The IT operations side provides us with more freedom as we don't have to worry about it as much due to the automated alerts and detection.

The DNS sync code in your filtering is the most valuable feature of the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

It helps us stay informed about the activities of our end users.

As I learn more about the unified platform, I see that Palo Alto is integrating well with other standards and are innovating, so the solution works effectively.

Maintaining a good security posture is important for our organization, particularly when it comes to threats like ransomware. ITM Security plays a vital role in this, and Palo Alto Networks equipped us well to be proactive in our approach. As a result, we prioritize the importance of ITM Security within our group.

Incorporating machine learning into the firewall's core to provide real-time attack prevention is highly beneficial, particularly with features like WildFire. We have had instances where it effectively stopped zero-day attacks on the first day, and we were one of the first to encounter the issue. Within a couple of hours, they notified us that it was a security issue, allowing us to take action promptly.

I am not aware of anything that could be improved.

I think that they have been doing a good job at this point in time.

Technical support is an area that could be improved.

I have been working with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for six years.

Our downtime has not been reduced by Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. We experienced a DSL firewall incident that resulted in a five-hour downtime while we discovered the bug, and although I cannot entirely blame the firewall, it was still a part of the issue. However, we have learned to deal with this inconvenience.

It's quite stable. We had one issue because of a bug. Aside from that, everything has been fine.

The scalability is excellent. We were able to enlarge the network and install additional firewalls. There haven't been many problems with that.

Technical support has fallen off. It was much better up front. The first four years were spectacular.

In the last couple of years, we're getting a lot of overseas support that seems to have little training. In the beginning, it was high, but now I would rate it a five out of ten.

Neutral

Previously, we used Cisco.

Compared to Cisco, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are much better in terms of being more elegant and thorough, especially when it comes to navigating log files and similar tasks.

By the nature of coming from Cisco Firewall to Palo Alto Networks NG Firewall, there was complexity involved. But with the help of third-party resources, we were able to get it done pretty quickly.

We had assistance from a consultant. They were very helpful.

The pricing is competitive.

If someone is looking for the cheapest or the fastest option, I am not quite sure what other vendors are offering in terms of pricing. However, my recommendation would be to go with Palo Alto so that they don't have to worry about the security of their job.

After evaluating Cisco Firepower and Palo Alto, we decided to go with these two options. However, after trying out Firepower, we realized that it was not a good fit for us and we knew we didn't want to proceed with it.

Our current design is efficient as all our sites are routed to the Palo Alto firewall, allowing us to segregate VLANs and maintain communication between users. It's a great setup that simplifies a lot of our work.

I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls a nine out of ten.

In my overall assessment, I would give the conference a seven out of ten. It seems like many presentations focus on industry trends, and there is some repetition across different companies covering the same three or four topics. However, I found that Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls had some valuable insights into what the industry is doing.

It helps, as we are the ones making decisions.

We use it to see and detect malware. It is also used for antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-malware, vulnerability, and Wildfire analysis. We support different kinds of authentication as well: Kerberos, LDAP, TACACS, and SAML. All in all, it is a security device that you can have anywhere on your network, as per the design considerations.

It is deployed in two different ways, either on-premises or on the cloud, which may require a different hypervisor. 

Nowadays, because of the pandemic, everyone is working from home or users are not sitting in the office to work. So, security has become a challenge. For that, we provide GlobalProtect, which is a VPN solution. This will connect to your organization's network, and then you can access anything that is required. This is the most widely used tool that we provide, and it is used worldwide. During the pandemic, it was a massive success for us.

Palo Alto NGFW provides a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities which is really important from the end customer point of view. If I have to set up an organization, I will go ahead and buy different devices or platforms. However, if I go ahead and buy Next-Generation Firewalls and put them on the edge of the network where I connect with ISPs, my Next-Generation Firewalls will take care of the security parameters. I don't need to worry about it that much anymore.

Its security profiles are a valuable feature. 

All the logs can be stored in a single place.

Panorama lets all the devices be managed centrally in a single place. This provides the best view for admins into any particular firewall, which decreases those admins' tasks because they can view everything in a single place. 

The machine learning tracks how many packets per second are coming into the firewall.

Any request coming in will go into the DNS sinkhole first, not to the user. We protect our users that way.

Within this one platform, you are getting everything that you want. This single device can provide you with antivirus, anti-spyware, volumetric protection, URL filtering where decryption is required, and file blocking with Wildfire analysis.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have a Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) Architecture, which has a different kind of code doing the work. It increases the packet processing rate. Whereas, without the SP3 Architecture, you are waiting for each job to complete, even if you have 100 jobs assigned.

There is always scope for improvement on any particular device in any particular organization. For example, when there was change from IPv4 to IPv6, some of the firewalls still didn't support IPv6. In North America, we have seen most customers are using IPv6, as they are getting the IPv6 IPs from their ISPs. Sometimes, when they go through the firewall, it denies the traffic.

It has been almost three years.

From a stability point of view, the firewall is very stable because the PAN-OS version doesn't change very often. If a new PAN-OS version is out in the market, our engineering team checks it multiple times.

The network performance is never compromised.

It is scalable. We have small and big clients.

For small clients, there is the PA-220 device, which is very small but still very productive and secure. 

I have worked with one of the TACs, where there are almost 500 TAC engineers present. They have different rules for case priority when a customer opens something. If a customer is paying more to get support, then we have a dedicated engineer assigned to that particular customer. This is much easier for the customer, as they are getting one of the best engineers out there to troubleshoot their network. They never compromise on that.

Sometimes, due to some issues, tickets don't get assigned. Or, they assign the tickets manually if something goes wrong, which is a very odd case. Customers don't understand that. So, we always apologize to customers, and say, "How can we help you out?"

Support is 10 out of 10. 

Positive

We ask the end customer, whosoever has the legacy network in their organization, if they don't need all their extra devices in order to cut down on costs. We then do an IPSec tunnel on the cloud as a gateway. From there, they can route the traffic to the Internet or wherever they would like.

Palo Alto is a unified device with a very streamlined voice. I have worked on Cisco routers and ASA as well, where you have to do a lot of stuff through the CLI and Linux shell scripting. With Palo Alto, those things are streamlined and engineering takes care of everything.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It is very user-friendly. Everyone in an organization can learn the platform quickly. When we give training to our new candidates, they learn it very quickly. So, it is a streamlined device.

There is an interface type called V-Wire. You just connect it to your network. It will not disturb anything. You don't need to provide IPs. It doesn't need a separate Mac address. It just connects to a particular interface as a bump in the wire. It inspects your traffic, giving you an overall idea of what applications your organization is using and what user is doing what. If needed, you can deploy it in your network later on. This makes it very easy for our customer to deploy the product in their network before they buy it.

When it comes to installing a new PAN-OS version, it doesn't require you to go to Linux and write tons of commands in order to download and activate the latest PAN-OS version. You just have to download it, click the download tab, click the install tab, and then you are done. Therefore, it is hassle-free and super easy like Windows.

We have a very large team for deployment.

If you buy Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls, everything is in a single platform. You don't need to go and buy the Wildfire analysis to track zero-day attacks and lots of other things. Therefore, cost is cut down by 50% to 60% if you go for Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls.

If someone doesn't have a security platform in their network, then the following licenses will be required: antivirus, anti-spyware, vulnerability, and Wildfire analysis. There are also licenses for GlobalProtect and support.

Overall, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is a market leader.

With other devices, you need a controller and console to manage them. That is not the case with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, where most of the work is done through the GUI. If you want to deep dive, then you go to the CLI. 

Cisco ASAs give some information on the Nexus Firewall, but they are not streamlined. Whereas, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is a streamlined device and easy to use.

If someone is in a routing and switching domain and wants to come up to a security domain, they should choose Palo Alto Network NG Firewalls.

We are happy to assist customers whenever support is missing. Over a period of time, we see customers raise tickets because they are looking for a particular feature that is not available on the platform. We don't say to our customers, "We don't support this." Instead, we take it as an opportunity, giving that information to our engineering team.

I would rate the solution as nine out of 10. I am leaving room for improvement.

We deployed the Palo Alto Next Generation Firewall on the perimeter of the network, so all traffic that flows to the company from the internet and from the company to the internet scanned by the Palo Alto Networks Firewall. In addition, all of the internal traffic from LAN users to services that are on the DMZ zone traverse the Palo Alto Firewall.

The strengths of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are application visibility and application awareness. Their strong point is identifying applications for traffic. So all of the policies that are configured are related to the application and not to a port.

For example, let's say you want to allow HTTP traffic and the server is not listening on the standard http port which port 80 but listens on port 25 which Is the standard port for SMTP, this is not an obstacle has the firewall is focusing on the application, it identify the HTTP application and allow the HTTP application and block any other application on port 25. So we don't care on which port the app traverses.

It is easy to install and is stable too.

There is another solution from Palo Alto for endpoints - XDR  that integrates with the firewall  thus providing protection at the network level and also at the end point but the XDR solution is only a cloud based solution. I would really like it if would be possible to implement this solution on-premises this is something that I would love to see with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

The price could be lower.

I've worked with Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls within the last 12 months.

So far, it's stable. I haven't had any problem with it. I'm always authorizing to have the minor version aligned with the latest version. There haven't been any published vulnerabilities with the product so far.

I'm using the cluster, and that's a great long term solution. So I haven't needed to expand.

There are more than 10,000 employees in the company. We hope to migrate the other branches that have a different vendor to Palo Alto.

The initial setup was straightforward from my point of view.

From a financial perspective, this solution is quite expensive.

The licensing is on a yearly basis even though we close the deal for three years upfront.

I would advise that those thinking about Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls need to switch how they think about a policy on the firewall. They should not to look at it from the point of view of the service and what port that policy is related to. Instead, they should look at it from the application side. Don't pay too much attention to the port. Just look at the application. For example, the NGFW doesn't care if SMTP traverses on port 25 or 65. It just enforces the protocol.

From a technical point of view, I don't think that there's something that's missing from the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls. So, I would rate it at nine on a scale from one to ten.