Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs Varonis Platform comparison

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs. Varonis Platform

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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:

Categories and Ranking

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Net...

Ranking in Ransomware Protection

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (4th), Extended Detection and Response (XDR) (7th), AI-Powered Cybersecurity Platforms (4th)

Varonis Platform

Ranking in Ransomware Protection

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (9th), Data Governance (4th), SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) (5th), Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) (4th), Compliance Management (7th), Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Ransomware Protection category, the mindshare of Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is 16.6%, down from 26.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Varonis Platform is 2.9%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Ransomware Protection

Featured Reviews

NiteshSharma

Pre-Sales Architect at network techlab

Automated threat response and behavioral control improve security measures

I recommend adding a data loss prevention (DLP ( /categories/data-loss-prevention-dlp )) solution to Cortex XDR ( /categories/extended-detection-and-response-xdr ) by Palo Alto Networks. The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP ( /categories/data-loss-prevention-dlp ) policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products. Additionally, multi-tenancy and multi-cloud features are not available and should be considered for inclusion.

Read full review

Frederic Delos

Senior Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Offers the ability to identify sensitive areas, allowing you to drill down into the sensitive data

The most effective feature for me is its ability to identify sensitive areas, allowing you to drill down into the sensitive data, provided you have access, to determine whether it's a false positive or a true positive. That's the best thing for me, out of all of it. It's got everything, like other ones, but I like to be able to look at something if I'm doing forensics on the alert and say, "Okay, do I really need to do something with this?" For example, we don't want sensitive data in our OneDrive. So it identifies the sensitive data that's possibly in the OneDrive. And what I can do is look at it and identify whether it's actually sensitive data in Datalert or whether it looks like sensitive data, but I know it's a false positive. If it is a false positive, I can basically say ignore this pattern based on X, Y, and Z, you know, whether it's Redjax or keyword proximity. So I like that. With other tools, I gotta go through a whole process because it's a little bit more complex. Here, I can tag it and bag it in one shot. And the next good time I scan, it slips over it. So it helps in that.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Cortex XDR is a simple platform that's easy for administrators and users. You have a lot of flexibility to change or customize the features."

"It can automatically correlate events and logs, which is very helpful for an IT administrator. It can correlate different kinds of malware activities over a network, agent, or host system. You do not need to do it manually. It is a good feature. It is also a user-friendly solution. We have deployed it on the cloud because our space does not provide any flexibility for on-premises deployment, but Palo Alto has added some flexibility to install it on-premises. It must be like the same Cortex XDR agent for all the VPN services, web filtering services, and everything else."

"Palo Alto is constantly adding new features."

"The solution allows us to gain remote access without the user's knowledge and take the necessary actions on the device."

"The interface is easy to use and it is more up to date than our previous solution."

"It blocks malicious files. It prevents attacks. It doesn't require many updates, it's a very light application."

"Its ability to react to cyber data attacks is awesome. That is pretty much the use of it. What blows your mind is the ability to access your assets remotely and see what is actually going on with them. You can not only see them in a console. You can also react very rapidly to your assets that are compromised."

"It collects and caches and the knowledge of machine learning from different customers to take to the cloud. It makes it better to use for everybody. It allows for quick learning and updates and can, therefore, offer zero-day malware security. This sharing of metadata helps make the solution very safe."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pros

"The telemetry to capture everything and the reports are very easy to configure without having a developer degree."

"There's also a 90-day policy where if a user is not using the warehouse, it will automatically delete that username."

"The solution's classification engine is highly configurable and efficient."

"Technical support from Varonis is rated as nine out of ten."

"It can easily identify unusual behavior or access patterns that may pose a potential threat, while operating as a unified reporting system."

"The analytics would have to be our most valuable feature."

"That alerting and reporting service is great."

"Varonis offers robust data access governance, allowing us to understand which sensitive data exists and who has access to it."

More Varonis Platform pros

Cons

"In reporting they should have a customizable dashboard due to the fact that C-level people don't like reporting to the IT department. They prefer to have a real-time dashboard. That kind of dashboard needs to have various customizations."

"The playbooks could be improved to include more functionalities or actions."

"The dashboard is the area that needs to improve so that we can have the ability to drill down without having to go elsewhere to verify results."

"Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR does not detect malicious activity like in other anti-virus solutions like Trend Micro and Windows with Cisco."

"The solution lags to the real-time scenarios here and there."

"It's not an ideal choice for smaller businesses, as you need a minimum of 200 endpoints to even use the solution at all."

"I recommend adding a data loss prevention (DLP) solution to Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks. The inclusion of this feature would allow the application of DLP policies alongside antivirus policies via a single agent and console, making it more competitive as other OEMs often offer DLP solutions as part of their antivirus products."

"Whenever the tool releases a new version when deploying the product across the organization, I feel like there are some disturbances in the CPU usage after upgrading the tool to the latest version."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks cons

"I would like it to have cloud integration."

"The solution's interface is a little complicated with regard to setting up filters and reports."

"The GUI should be more functional. There should be a process for connecting through Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc."

"There is one thing that if I add something manually, I get so many alerts. That's the biggest bad thing."

"The solution's areas of improvement are the interface and the dependency on on-premises deployment for some components."

"Varonis requires more access permissions for its core functions compared to competitors, which can be a concern for companies about data safety."

"The remediation process can be improved. There will be no existing permission group for the McAfee channel domains. We can create a new permissions group for the required folder."

"One area for improvement is the calculation engine. When applying rules in Varonis, especially for large datasets (terabytes of data), the calculations can be slow and require time to process. Speeding up this process would be beneficial."

More Varonis Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In terms of the cost Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks is very expensive because we are a Mexican company and when you translate dollars to pesos the cost is very high. The solution is very expensive for Mexican companies. I understand that they have international prices, but I do not think it offsets the price enough for many companies in countries, such as Mexico. The amount it is reduced is not a massive percentage."

"We pay about $50,000 USD per year for a bundle that includes Cortex XDR."

"When we first bought it, it was a bit expensive, but it was worth it. The licensing was straightforward."

"Cortex XDR's pricing is ok."

"The return on investment is from the user side because we have seen the performance of it increase the delivery time of the product if we are using too many web-based and on-premise applications. In indirect ways, we saw the return of investment in terms of performance and user satisfaction increase."

"The price of the product is not very economical."

"The pricing is a little bit on the expensive side."

"It has reasonable pricing for the use cases it provides to the company."

More Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks pricing and cost advice

"You could do a subscription, where you pay yearly, or you could purchase it outright. The licensing cost is based on the number of users on the system that you are monitoring."

"Licensing is on an annual basis. Maintenance and renewal fees are separate. Varonis Datalert is quite expensive."

"It's expensive, kind of, really expensive."

"Varonis Platform wasn't certainly the cheapest solution."

"The pricing is good. It neither expensive nor cheap. It is average."

"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being the most expensive."

"The platform is expensive. I rate the pricing a nine out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. Sentinel One

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Comparing CrowdStrike Falcon to Cortex XDR (Palo Alto)

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto vs. CrowdStrike Falcon Both Cortex XDR and Crowd Strike Falcon offer cloud-based solutions that are very scalable, secure, and user-friendly. Cortex XDR by Palo Alto offers ...

How is Cortex XDR compared with Microsoft Defender?

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a cloud-delivered endpoint security solution. The tool reduces the attack surface, applies behavioral-based endpoint protection and response, and includes risk-ba...

What do you like most about Varonis Platform?

The solution has significantly improved data security and compliance posture by allowing us to track and monitor activities. We can see who accesses data and when files are created and understand w...

What needs improvement with Varonis Platform?

Varonis started as an on-premises solution and is transitioning to cloud. It hasn't fully moved yet, which is an area for improvement. Varonis requires more access permissions for its core function...

What is your primary use case for Varonis Platform?

The primary use case for Varonis Platform is data discovery, specifically for discovering sensitive data in our organization to protect it. We are looking for a solution that can scan our repositor...

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint vs Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

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Microsoft Purview Information Protection vs Varonis Platform

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Product Reports

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks

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Varonis Platform

Download Varonis Platform product report

Also Known As

Cyvera, Cortex XDR, Palo Alto Networks Traps

No data available

Overview

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks delivers comprehensive endpoint security, integrating well with other systems to offer robust threat detection and real-time protection through AI-driven analytics.

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks offers advanced endpoint protection and threat detection through AI and behavior-based analytics. Its user-friendly design simplifies integration with firewalls, delivering multi-layered protection with low resource consumption. Valued for policy management, USB control, and incident correlation, Cortex XDR enhances threat management and real-time threat hunting capabilities. However, users note challenges with third-party integration, reporting, and dashboard automation. Agent performance across operating systems and memory consumption are areas for improvement, alongside reducing false positives and simplifying endpoint management and setup.

What features does Cortex XDR offer?

Behavior-Based Detection: Analyzes user behavior to identify suspicious activities.
AI Analytics: Utilizes AI for accurate threat detection and response.
Real-Time Protection: Provides immediate defense against threats.
Policy Management: Allows customization of security policies across endpoints.
USB Control: Regulates USB device access for added security.
Incident Correlation: Connects and analyzes various security events for better response.
Firewall Integration: Seamlessly works with firewalls for enhanced security.
Machine Learning Capabilities: Continuously improves threat detection precision.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Low Resource Consumption: Efficient security functions without taxing system resources.
Multi-Layered Protection: Comprehensive security across multiple attack vectors.
User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design for easier management.
Enhanced Threat Management: Identifies and mitigates threats effectively.
Real-Time Threat Hunting: Proactively searches for and mitigates potential threats.

Cortex XDR is crucial in industries requiring robust endpoint protection, such as finance, healthcare, and technology. It supports malware detection, behavioral analysis, and ransomware mitigation across endpoints, including remote work environments, providing comprehensive threat visibility and security policy management. The solution's integration with firewalls and specialized industry requirements enhances security posture in diverse operational settings.

Palo Alto Networks

Varonis Platform specializes in network security and data monitoring with modules for alerting, data classification, and access management, benefiting environments like Microsoft 365.

Varonis is designed to secure data by auditing and tracking data movement. It leverages data alert and classification modules to identify and manage sensitive information. The platform enhances network security by alerting users to unexpected data modifications and deletions, crucial for effective data loss prevention. It supports unstructured data management, ensuring proper data access and permission controls. Known for its 24/7 support, Varonis offers comprehensive analytics and unified reporting, helping prevent data overexposure and facilitating compliance efforts.

What are the key features of Varonis Platform?

24/7 Support: Provides round-the-clock assistance.
Data Monitoring: Tracks data activities efficiently.
Unified Reporting: Consolidates data access reports.
Data Classification: Identifies sensitive data effectively.
Permission Management: Simplifies managing access rights.
Behavior Analytics: Detects abnormal behavior patterns.

What benefits should be highlighted in user reviews?

Enhanced Security: Improves data protection measures.
Compliance Support: Assists in meeting compliance standards.
Data Transparency: Offers clarity in data access activities.
Access Control: Ensures proper access to data.
Centralized Remediation: Eases remediation procedures.

Varonis Platform is widely utilized in industries needing stringent data confidentiality and management, such as finance and healthcare, for tracking data modifications and unauthorized access. Enterprises deploy it to manage permissions within large datasets, benefiting Microsoft 365 environments. While Varonis requires enhancements in cloud integration, the current deployment is often based on-premises, with attention to addressing the security needs and effective data handling for critical infrastructure.

Varonis

Sample Customers

CBI Health Group, University Honda, VakifBank

Nottingham Building Society

Cortex XDR by Palo Alto Networks vs. Varonis Platform