Cisco Meraki MX vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls comparison

Cisco and Palo Alto Networks are both solutions in the Firewalls category. Cisco is ranked #21 with an average rating of 8.0, while Palo Alto Networks is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.9. Cisco holds a 3.5% mindshare in Firewalls, compared to Palo Alto Networks’s 4.1% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Palo Alto Networks users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Cisco Meraki MX and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are notable competitors in the network security segment. Based on current assessments, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls seem to have a slight upper hand due to their advanced security features and application visibility capabilities.

Features: Cisco Meraki MX provides a cloud-based management system emphasizing ease of configuration and deployment. Key features include AutoVPN, SD-WAN capabilities, and content filtering, all accessible via a cloud dashboard. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer advanced application visibility and control, robust threat prevention, and detailed traffic analysis. The integration of machine learning enhances real-time threat detection and prevention.

Room for Improvement: Cisco Meraki MX could enhance its load balancing, improve logging and alerting features, and increase configurability for enterprise-level settings. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls need to improve user-friendliness in setup and management, offer more competitive pricing, and better integration with third-party systems.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Meraki MX is renowned for its simple deployment and efficient cloud interface, suitable for on-premises and cloud environments. It provides responsive and knowledgeable customer service. In contrast, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are slightly complex to deploy, requiring expertise, especially for on-premises settings. Despite this, they offer good customer support and hybrid cloud options.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco Meraki MX, although pricier, justifies its cost through efficient cloud-managed services resulting in reduced IT overhead and quick ROI. Its pricing model is straightforward. In contrast, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are recognized for robust security but are deemed expensive, offering complex licensing structures. They provide high security that may justify the investment for companies with stringent security needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Meraki MX vs. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki MX vs. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

December 2025

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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

5.8

Fortinet FortiGate offers cost-effective, robust security, reducing expenses, enhancing efficiency, easy implementation, quick ROI, and improved network management.

Sentiment score

5.8

Cisco Meraki MX saves time and costs with easy management, durable equipment, and reduced training, enhancing ROI significantly.

Sentiment score

7.1

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer strong ROI with enhanced security, reduced costs, operational efficiency, and improved threat management.

Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The automation part is giving us a cost benefit and speed; we can react faster.

Bart Homblé

BDM Fortinet & BDM Teamlead at Exclusive Networks

It's a very useful tool to mitigate and protect your enterprise.

Bernard Samontanes

Staff Infrastructure & Security Engineer at Mozn Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

Their user-friendly interface and Panorama central management, which provides a comprehensive overview, make them an ideal investment.

Jeelani Qadir

Technical Lead at Accenture

The solution helped reduce downtime, which is crucial in time-sensitive industries like manufacturing.

Venkatasubramanian Rajagopal

Director IT Infrastructure and Operations at a analyst firm with 51-200 employees

I have seen a return on investment since using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls in terms of time saved.

Upasana Bhatia

Security Professional at BT - British Telecom

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.6

Fortinet FortiGate's customer service is generally praised for responsiveness, though some users experience delays in critical situations.

Sentiment score

8.2

Cisco Meraki MX is praised for its responsive, knowledgeable 24/7 support, receiving high ratings for expertise and problem-solving.

Sentiment score

6.9

Palo Alto Networks' customer service receives mixed reviews, praised for knowledge yet critiqued for delays and first-level support quality.

The quick resolution of issues with Fortinet FortiGate is due to the support of the company and the fact that the equipment is easy to work with.

Alexandre Menezes

IT Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

I would rate the technical support for Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

As a solution provider, when I encounter problems, I connect directly with Fortinet support, and they provide solutions within a very short time.

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

When we raise a ticket with Meraki MX, they instantly become available to support us for configurations or troubleshooting.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Cisco's TAC support for Cisco Meraki MX is excellent because no other OEM provides support at this level.

Sanjay Gaiswal

Technical Presales at Vcom Teachnologies

Cisco is one of the best vendors in the market.

Nader Elmansi

Presales System Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

Palo Alto's network support is excellent, and I would rate it a ten out of ten.

reviewer2173242

Founder at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Their response time is within one hour.

AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

They offer fast and competent assistance.

Valentyn Lytvynov

IP / Operations Support System Engineer; Pre-Sales Engineer at Avantguard.it

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.1

Fortinet FortiGate is scalable and popular for SMEs but requires careful design and may incur scaling costs and licensing constraints.

Sentiment score

6.8

Cisco Meraki MX is praised for ease of setup but may require hardware changes for large-scale enterprise networks.

Sentiment score

7.0

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer scalable options with flexible deployments, centralized management but may face cost challenges for smaller businesses.

They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.

Ian Manton

IT Manager at Daltons Limited

The variation comes in terms of the interfaces and throughputs, but from a security perspective, you get the same benefit, irrespective of whether you have an entry-level unit or an enterprise.

reviewer2667480

Cewa Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

We determine sizing based on multiple factors: number of users, available links, traffic types, server count, services in use, and whether services will be published.

FatmaSamy

General Surgery Specialist at Helwan University Cairo

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

When you have hundreds of thousands of people it is very difficult to scale in Meraki.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

We have Juniper solutions, and I would say the Juniper solutions can scale better, however, this solution is still very scalable.

reviewer1633284

CTO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

The biggest one is for 120 users, but our company is a big one.

JuanSolano

IT Manager at Alonso Alonsolaw

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

Cloud deployments benefit from auto-scaling, allowing for automatic adjustments to firewall capacity based on demand.

Jeelani Qadir

Technical Lead at Accenture

It is important to assess the infrastructure size before choosing a model.

Valentyn Lytvynov

IP / Operations Support System Engineer; Pre-Sales Engineer at Avantguard.it

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are scalable and reliable.

Hrushikesh Pandit

Senior Network Engineer L4 at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Fortinet FortiGate is praised for its stability, with effective long-term performance and improvements in newer firmware versions.

Sentiment score

8.3

Cisco Meraki MX is praised for stability and support, with minor issues often resolved and strong user satisfaction.

Sentiment score

8.4

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are praised for stability, reliability, robust security, and smooth performance during configuration changes.

We're experiencing 99.999% availability consistently.

Ricardo Biggs

Manager, Information Technology at a consumer goods company with 11-50 employees

I would rate the stability of Fortinet FortiGate a ten out of ten.

AnishKumar

NAC Support at Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd

Currently, we are experiencing a general outage of one of the main internet service providers of the Dominican Republic, and we have not been impacted in our operations because with SD-WAN, we have another internet service provider and we are working with the second WAN connection without any disruption.

Juan Frias

CISO at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

There have been no outages, no stability issues, and we have not found any vulnerabilities during security audits.

Sanjay Gaiswal

Technical Presales at Vcom Teachnologies

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

With appropriately configured policies, these firewalls can provide robust network security.

Adam-Brenner

Solution Architect at a retailer with 201-500 employees

After the upgrade, we are experiencing performance issues.

reviewer1260276

Technical Engineer - Technical Security at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

I have not experienced any outages or issues.

Valentyn Lytvynov

IP / Operations Support System Engineer; Pre-Sales Engineer at Avantguard.it

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Room For Improvement

Fortinet FortiGate needs enhanced UI, simplified licensing, improved performance, reporting, third-party integration, and expanded automation features.

Cisco Meraki MX needs enhancements in load balancing, integration, logging, interface, pricing, enterprise features, session handling, and support responsiveness.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls need improved reporting, ease-of-use, third-party integration, cost, decryption, support, and streamlined updates.

When considering Sophos XG, which we also use, the logging and reporting functionality is notably more efficient.

Taha Turkestani

Senior IT specialist at SAUDIA ALIRLINES

These sessions should be around five to ten minutes long, allowing users and partners to quickly grasp the information without disrupting their daily tasks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The solution should be able to implement machine learning and analytics of all the logs for threat detection and protection.

Elvis Mahadeo

Senior Systems Engineer at Caribbean Development Company

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

It should automatically remediate and find out the issue and then resolve it on its own without interrupting the work of the employees.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Data is the only path, so optimization is essential.

Mayur_Patel

Chief Commercial Officer at InnovAge Home Care

An improvement would be to use Cisco Meraki MX as a software solution as well, which might reduce the cost.

Sanjay Gaiswal

Technical Presales at Vcom Teachnologies

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

When performance degrades due to full packet inspection, the solution should be to increase the computing power within the same firewall, not to recommend upgrading to a larger, more expensive model.

reviewer1260276

Technical Engineer - Technical Security at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Further integration into a unified system could improve usability.

Venkatasubramanian Rajagopal

Director IT Infrastructure and Operations at a analyst firm with 51-200 employees

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls lack built-in multi-factor authentication, requiring the purchase of a third-party tool to implement this essential security feature.

AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find Fortinet FortiGate costly initially, but cheaper overall, despite some high renewal and setup costs.

Cisco Meraki MX provides flexible licensing and is praised for ease of setup, management, and having a lifetime warranty.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls offer premium security solutions with high costs justified by advanced features and enterprise-focused services.

Last year, I renewed the support for three years, which can sometimes be expensive but depends on the security benefits and how it helps us.

AiméKouchade

Network & System Admin at Invoke Studios

It offers cost savings as it is generally cheaper than the competition.

NilsPaley

IT Infrastructure Architect at Apotek 1

It is about 20% cheaper.

MithatBulut

Network Security Engineer at TD SYNNEX

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

I get it for $25,000, a device that can connect up to 75-100 users, whereas in Meraki MX, it goes to 75,000-80,000 per access point.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The price could be reduced by around 30% to make it more comfortable.

Sanjay Gaiswal

Technical Presales at Vcom Teachnologies

In terms of pricing, I would say it is not the cheapest, but it was comparable to the others.

reviewer1633284

CTO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are expensive.

reviewer1260276

Technical Engineer - Technical Security at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls come at a premium, exceeding the cost of most competitors by 45 percent.

AmjadKhan1

Head of data centers at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees

Colleagues looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall can still use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls because they are affordable.

Senthil Kumar Manian

Director at Zuci Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Valuable Features

Fortinet FortiGate provides robust, flexible security solutions with key features like web filtering, SSL VPN, SD-WAN, and centralized management.

Cisco Meraki MX offers easy deployment, cloud management, advanced security, and scalability, making it ideal for diverse network environments.

Palo Alto NG Firewalls deliver comprehensive security with advanced threat prevention, seamless integration, and user-friendly management for various industries.

These features help reduce our downtime, manage the ISPs, and deploy SLAs for all the website traffic.

Syed Ali Waqas

Head IT at Burraq Cyber Security Solutions

The most valuable feature of FortiGate is FortiView which provides proactive monitoring.

Viraj Fernandopulle

General Manager Group IT at DART GLOBAL LOGISTICS PTE. LTD.

We got a firewall and gave an SSL VPN to my client to connect to their servers, after which, such kind of activities involving ransomware attacks stopped.

VINAY GUJARATHI

Owner at Mindware Computer Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Fortinet FortiGate report

Meraki MX is among those top solutions in their exceptional approach towards VPN-less, Zero Trust client access to office private networks.

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Advanced security is the second tier of Cisco Meraki MX. It brings you the main next-generation firewalling features such as URL filtering, advanced malware protection, and threat protection.

Nader Elmansi

Presales System Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees

We understand that Cisco solutions are very reliable, and we really like the simple management.

reviewer1633284

CTO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Meraki MX report

The most valuable features of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are DNS sync calls, enabled security features, and Wildfire.

reviewer1260276

Technical Engineer - Technical Security at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Threat Vault allows us access to a comprehensive threat database, enabling us to get detailed information on threats and how to mitigate them.

Hrushikesh Pandit

Senior Network Engineer L4 at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

The most valuable feature of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is Cortex Data Lake.

Adam-Brenner

Solution Architect at a retailer with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report

Categories and Ranking

Fortinet FortiGate

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Firewalls category, the mindshare of Fortinet FortiGate is 19.1%, down from 20.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Meraki MX is 3.5%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is 4.1%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Firewalls Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Fortinet FortiGate	19.1%
Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls	4.1%
Cisco Meraki MX	3.5%
Other	73.3%

Firewalls

Featured Reviews

Vasu Gala

Manager, Information Technology Operation/Presales at TechMonarch

A stable solution with an intuitive interface and quick customer service

I have been working with Fortinet FortiGate, WatchGuard, Sophos, and SonicWall. I'm not as comfortable with SonicWall because of their UI and limitations. I prefer Fortinet above all other options. When it comes to configuration, I am confident in my ability to handle various tasks, including creating policies such as firewall rules, web policies, and application policies. Additionally, I can configure VPNs and implement load balancing, among other tasks. Overall, I feel much more comfortable working with Fortinet. Fortinet has made significant improvements by integrating AI with firewalls for threat analysis and prevention. In the past 2-3 years, they have launched FortiSASE and SIEM, and they also provide SOC services. Both Palo Alto and Fortinet FortiGate are excellent. While Fortinet FortiGate comes at higher prices, the functionality and support justify the cost. They promptly resolve firmware issues and inform all support providers about configuration changes.

Read full review

MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Experience improved network management with flexible and secure connections

I recommend that Meraki MX should improve to be a better solution for the next release by being more competent so that we can offer it as a primary solution among all other brands, although I don't have any specific feedback, while the competitors are also ahead of these solutions. Enhancing user experience is always required. Enhancing the seamless connectivity is crucial and user experience enhancement is needed daily, otherwise people find it outdated. New features should look and be dynamically connected, and users should not be bothered frequently when connectivity issues occur. It should automatically remediate and find out the issue and then resolve it on its own without interrupting the work of the employees.

Read full review

Venkatasubramanian Rajagopal

Director IT Infrastructure and Operations at a analyst firm with 51-200 employees

Cost-effective with operational and maintenance ease

Understanding the flow and application of securities can be complex, requiring navigation across different sections. Further integration into a unified system could improve usability. It is a bit complex to understand the flows and how the securities are applied to each of those flows. It was a little bit challenging because we had to go to two different sections to figure that out. It would be helpful if it is all unified so that we can see the way the firewall connections and security are set up and the applications that are using those connections. It could be structured differently so that it is more understandable. It has been a while, but it was a bit of a complex way. We had to hop from one area to the other and go back and forth to figure out how a specific connection and application was set up.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	357
Midsize Enterprise	132
Large Enterprise	188

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	42
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	74
Midsize Enterprise	56
Large Enterprise	84

Questions from the Community

Which is the better NGFW: Fortinet Fortigate or Cisco Firepower?

When you compare these firewalls you can identify them with different features, advantages, practices and usage a...

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What is the biggest difference between Sophos XG and FortiGate?

From my experience regarding both the Sophos and FortiGate firewalls, I personally would rather use FortiGate. I know...

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What are the biggest technical differences between Sophos UTM and Fortinet FortiGate?

As a solution, Sophos UTM offers a lot of functionality, it scales well, and the stability and performance are quite ...

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Fortigate 60d vs. Meraki MX67 for a small company without a dedicated IT Department

We have Meraki Mx devices now, we are looking to replace them. But that is because the Meraki MX platform lacks SSL I...

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Which is better - Meraki MX or Cisco ASA Firewall?

Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) software is the operating software for the Cisco ASA suite. It supports netw...

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What do you like most about Meraki MX?

I am happy with the technical support for the solution. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

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What is a better choice, Azure Firewall or Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Azure Firewall Vs. Palo Alto Network NG Firewalls Both solutions provide stellar stability and security. Azure Firew...

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Features comparison between Palo Alto and Fortinet firewalls

In the best tradition of these questions, Feature-wise both are quite similar, but each has things it's better at, it...

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Which is better - Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls or Sophos XG?

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have both great features and performance. I like that Palo Alto has regular threat si...

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Comparisons

Sophos XG vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 19% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 12% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 7% of the time

OPNsense vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 4% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Fortinet FortiGate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortinet FortiGate Competitors

Sophos XG vs Cisco Meraki MX

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Cisco Meraki MX

Compared 6% of the time

SonicWall TZ vs Cisco Meraki MX

Compared 5% of the time

Sophos XGS vs Cisco Meraki MX

Compared 4% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Cisco Meraki MX

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Meraki MX Competitors

Cisco Secure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 16% of the time

Check Point Quantum Force (NGFW) vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 8% of the time

Azure Firewall vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 7% of the time

Sophos XG vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 7% of the time

Netgate pfSense vs Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

Compared 4% of the time

More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortinet FortiGate

December 2025

Download Fortinet FortiGate product report

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki MX

December 2025

Download Cisco Meraki MX product report

Buyer's Guide

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

December 2025

Download Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls product report

Also Known As

Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

MX64, MX64W, MX84, MX100, MX400, MX600

Palo Alto NGFW, Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall

Overview

Fortinet FortiGate is a versatile network security tool offering features like VPN, firewall, web filtering, intrusion prevention, and scalability. It is known for its performance and integration with other Fortinet products, making it a preferred choice for robust cybersecurity.

Fortinet FortiGate stands out as a comprehensive cybersecurity solution with strong performance and ease of configuration. It delivers unified threat management, integrating features such as dynamic routing, SD-WAN support, and centralized management. Despite its strengths, improvements in the web interface's stability, pricing structures, and reporting capabilities are needed. Users seek better integration with third-party tools and automation advancements to enhance the experience further. These enhancements, alongside improvements in bandwidth management and the reduction of licensing costs, are points of interest for users looking to capitalize on FortiGate's extensive capabilities.

What are Fortinet FortiGate's key features?

VPN: Ensures secure remote connections.
Firewall: Protects against unauthorized access.
Web Filtering: Blocks malicious sites and content.
Application Control: Manages and controls applications.
Intrusion Prevention: Detects and prevents vulnerabilities.
SSL Inspection: Enhances security by inspecting encrypted traffic.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating Fortinet FortiGate?

Affordability: Offers cost-effective security solutions.
Reliability: Known for consistent and stable performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other Fortinet products.
Comprehensive Protection: Provides broad threat protection capabilities.

Fortinet FortiGate is widely implemented across industries as a primary firewall system for securing internet gateways and safeguarding data centers. It supports businesses in achieving SD-WAN integration and enhances cybersecurity by providing essential features like antivirus, web filtering, and application control. Enterprises utilize FortiGate for securing remote connections and ensuring compliance with security standards, making it adaptable for different network sizes and industries.

Fortinet

Cisco Meraki MX offers cloud-managed security with user-friendly setup and efficient management, enhancing VPN and firewall functionalities for businesses.

Cisco Meraki MX is known for its robust cloud-based network management, featuring AutoVPN, SD-WAN, and advanced security. Its centralized control over firewall, traffic shaping, and monitoring ensures excellent connectivity and security. The interface allows easy management by non-technical staff, offering remote access and seamless network performance through real-time alerts and troubleshooting. It supports global connectivity with minimal effort, addressing needs across small to enterprise environments. Despite its strengths, users point out areas needing improvement like load balancing, VPN features, more flexible logging, and session capabilities. Pricing, integration limits, and licensing need enhancement.

What are the key features of Cisco Meraki MX?

AutoVPN: Enables automatic VPN configuration for secure, site-to-site connections.
SD-WAN: Optimizes traffic routes for increased performance and reliability.
Advanced Security: Offers unified threat management, intrusion prevention, and content filtering.
Centralized Management: Simplifies operations with remote monitoring and configuration.
Traffic Shaping: Prioritizes critical business applications to maximize performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Ease of Deployment: Simplified installation reduces setup time and cost.
Real-Time Alerts: Ensures proactive issue identification and resolution.
Scalability: Supports growth with seamless integration and management of multiple sites.
Global Connectivity: Maintains efficient connections across geographic locations with minimal effort.

In industries like retail, finance, and education, Cisco Meraki MX provides enhanced security and connectivity. Retail chains benefit from easy VPN setups for secure multi-site networking, while educational institutions find value in its ability to manage large campuses efficiently. Financial services leverage its robust security features to protect sensitive data, ensuring compliance and trust.

Cisco

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls deliver advanced threat protection with machine learning, enhancing security through real-time attack prevention. Known for application visibility and a user-friendly interface, they offer robust network protection and flexibility in rule creation.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are designed to secure environments with features like GlobalProtect VPN, WildFire malware detection, and unified platform integration. Their strong firewall capabilities and high-performance throughput make them suitable for perimeter and data center protection, VPN configurations, application control, and network segmentation. Users consistently highlight the ease of managing network security policies and integrating third-party tools, ensuring a comprehensive protection strategy. While enhancements in support, training resources, and configuration simplicity are needed, these firewalls are integral for securing both on-prem and cloud environments, aligning with platforms like Azure and AWS.

What are the key features of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Application Visibility: Provides insight into network traffic for better control.
Threat Prevention: Uses machine learning for real-time attack prevention.
GlobalProtect VPN: Secures remote access efficiently.
WildFire Malware Detection: Detects and prevents advanced threats.
Unified Platform Integration: Enhances network security through seamless integration with other tools.

What benefits should be evaluated when considering Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls?

Flexibility in Rule Creation: Allows customized security policies to meet specific needs.
High-Performance Throughput: Ensures efficient network operations under high load.
Comprehensive Policy Management: Simplifies overseeing and adjusting security policies.
Robust Endpoint Security: Protects endpoints against sophisticated threats.
Seamless Integration: Works well with third-party tools for a comprehensive solution.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are commonly implemented across industries for securing LAN environments, URL filtering, and ensuring Zero Trust security. They secure both on-premises and cloud infrastructures, often becoming integral parts of security frameworks within enterprises. Leveraging these firewalls in conjunction with Azure or AWS enhances the overall network protection strategies employed by organizations.

Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, Oracle, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, BT Group, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, NTT Communications, Tata Communications, SoftBank, China Mobile, Singtel, Telus, Rogers Communications, Bell Canada, Telkom Indonesia, Telkom South Africa, Telmex, Telia Company, Telkom Kenya

Hyatt, ONS

SkiStar AB, Ada County, Global IT Services PSF, Southern Cross Hospitals, Verge Health, University of Portsmouth, Austrian Airlines, The Heinz Endowments

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Meraki MX vs. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls

December 2025

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