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NetWitness Platform vs Palo Alto Networks VM-Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

NetWitness Platform
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Log Management (38th), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (32nd)
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
64
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (11th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

NetWitness Platform and Palo Alto Networks VM-Series aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. NetWitness Platform is designed for Log Management and holds a mindshare of 0.3%, down 0.4% compared to last year.
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, on the other hand, focuses on Firewalls, holds 0.8% mindshare, up 0.7% since last year.
Log Management
Firewalls
 

Featured Reviews

MdZaman - PeerSpot reviewer
Really scalable for enterprise customers
The solution should have more integration capabilities with different platforms. The API is nearly open and scalable, so the solution can integrate with many platforms. The solution has more than 200 log sources in the scalability to support, but this is its limit. Installation is pretty easy. However, there are a couple of modules involved, so it is not as easy as it could be. We are talking about a distributed module, not a single-module type. This is what makes things a bit complex, instead of easier. I rate it as a seven out of ten on its installation and configuration capabilities.
AshwaniTyagi - PeerSpot reviewer
Advanced protection and good integration capabilities with good reliability
We use Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to offer services to our customers as a managed security service provider. We provide solutions and services to our customers across the globe. For example, if I want to host a firewall in the cloud or somewhere where the physical appliance is not a possibility…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features are the integration and ease of use."
"The product's initial setup phase was not at all difficult."
"The most valuable feature is the hunting ability to work in a CERT."
"NetWitness can be highly beneficial for incident detection and response."
"It gives the ability to investigate into network traffic in the Net and the organization what we couldn't do before."
"The packet capture aspect of it is a valuable feature because it is quite different from a traditional SIEM solution that only carries out investigations based on captured logs."
"The most valuable features are the packet decoder, log decoder, and concentrator."
"The most valuable feature is the security that it provides."
"We now know a lot more detail about what our users are doing on the network."
"With the improved visibility we now have, the traffic is being properly monitored, which means that we are better able to manage it. These are improvements that we saw very quickly."
"It offers a single pane of glass for all the different types of installations."
"The initial setup was straightforward."
"Palo Alto's robust threat intelligence supports new updates, and I can open cases directly with their Threat Intelligence team."
"The additional visibility, which was lacking with cloud-native tools, has improved the organization's cloud security posture. Advanced enforcement and granular security controls help manage potential threats."
"It allows us to see all our traffic to properly secure it and only allow what is needed through the firewall."
"The product provides more visibility into our traffic."
 

Cons

"Sometimes, it gives me static when integrating Windows-based systems. It should produce a precise log of sorts as to where the problem is. For example, a few days ago because of the McAfee application firewall, I couldn't get access to the particular Windows machine. So, my team and I had to figure out by ourselves that there was a virus responsible for the obstacle. This solution should trigger a meaningful log or message indicating the reason the user or implementer can't get into the machine."
"An area for improvement would be better automation and more inbuilt use cases."
"The implementation needs assistance."
"It should have a monitoring feature. It would help us analyze the current state of attacks faster from a single platform."
"Its technical support could be better."
"Health monitoring of the event sources and devices."
"Security needs improvement."
"The log system is a bit complex and has room for improvement."
"We don't know how it will scale once we start putting more load on it."
"The flexible throughput in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series can be improved"
"There are some delays that I have observed when my company communicates with Palo Alto's support engineers."
"I would like to see a more thorough QA process. We have had some difficulties from bugs in releases."
"There is no proper support channel to follow up on cases."
"We feel that the setup was complex. So, we asked the tech team about the setup process. They explained how to deploy it in the right way, which made it very simple."
"On the cloud side, they need to come up with more HA solutions to support the multi-region."
"There is a need for two-factor authentication, particularly for VPN and CloudProtect."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have yearly licensing costs. The license fee can be based on the volume of EPS. Some organizations may have, as a gentlemanly gesture, 10,000 EPS and get a 3,000 EPS license but actually use 5,000 EPS."
"The licenses are good but the cost is very expensive."
"This is a pricey solution; it's not cheap."
"The NetWitness Platform may be affordable only for enterprise-level customers, as it may not be within the budget of small and medium-sized businesses."
"It is cheap."
"The tool is very expensive, so I rate the pricing a ten out of ten. The solution has an annual subscription."
"We have a perpetual license, so the total cost of ownership is not very expensive. It's a good investment."
"It provides tools to assist in selecting the appropriate license and usage scenarios."
"Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is an expensive product but the best one in the market."
"It is an expensive product."
"When you have a client compare box against box, a lot of times Palo Alto is a bit more expensive, but its network firewalls have a very rich ratio."
"Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is the most expensive tool among competitors"
"It is not the cheapest on the market. The total cost for two firewall instances is $75,000. This includes licenses, deployment fees, and support for two years."
"Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is notably cheaper than other firewall vendors, except Fortigate."
"The solution is a little bit expensive compared to other vendors."
"This is not the cheapest firewall but it's not the most expensive of the options on the market."
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850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

VS
Feb 26, 2015
HP ArcSight vs. IBM QRadar vs. ​McAfee Nitro vs. Splunk vs. RSA Security vs. LogRhythm
We at Infosecnirvana.com have done several posts on SIEM. After the Dummies Guide on SIEM, we are following it up with a SIEM Product Comparison – 101 deck. So, here it is for your viewing pleasure. Let me know what you think by posting your comments below. The key products compared here are…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
6%
Insurance Company
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetWitness Platform?
The product's initial setup phase was not at all difficult.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetWitness Platform?
The pricing is comparable to others, and I consider the cost to be intermediate. Specific cost details are unknown to me.
What needs improvement with NetWitness Platform?
There is currently no need for improvement in the SIEM ( /categories/security-information-and-event-management-siem ), though there could be potential enhancements by integrating with AI.
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 kind of depends what you value most. PA is good at app control, web filtering a...
How does Azure Firewall compare with Palo Alto Networks VM Series?
Both products are very stable and easily scalable. The setup of Azure Firewall is easy and very user-friendly and the overall cost is reasonable. Azure Firewall offers a solid threat awareness, can...
 

Also Known As

RSA Security Analytics
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Los Angeles World Airports, Reply
Warren Rogers Associates
Find out what your peers are saying about NetWitness Platform vs. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series and other solutions. Updated: September 2022.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.