it_user1350909 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber Security Engineer at Infort
Real User
Easy to implement, has a unique DNS security capability, and the technical support is good
Pros and Cons
  • "Palo Alto has a unique solution for DNS security, which is very good."
  • "The URL Filtering module needs to have more categories added to it."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and the Palo Alto K2-Series is one of the products that we implement for our clients. Our clients for this work in a variety of sectors.

What is most valuable?

Palo Alto has a unique solution for DNS security, which is very good. It includes signatures for the domains and machine learning functionality. It is currently the most popular feature for our customers.

What needs improvement?

The URL Filtering module needs to have more categories added to it.

The concept of clustering would be of benefit to Palo Alto and it would make it more productive. For example, with Forcepoint, you can cluster two different products.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have seen no issues with stability.

Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks K2-Series
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks K2-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,599 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good.

How are customer service and support?

We are satisfied with the technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I am also familiar with the next-generation firewall solution by Forcepoint.

Palo Alto is similar to other commercial firewalls but it has two unique functions. First, the engine is very sophisticated and well suited to the epicenter. It also has good performance. The second area that is unique is DNS Security.

I am familiar with Fortinet products and they are also very good, but they are cheaper than Palo Alto.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

While the firewall itself is on-premises, some of the services such as DNS Security and WildFire are cloud-based options that depend on a public cloud or the Palo Alto cloud. There are also options such as Cortext XDR, which has traps that extend to the cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing is a sensitive issue because the cost is high in this market. If the price were reduced then it would be very good because it will be more competitive with vendors such as Fortinet. In fact, I would say that pricing is the weakest point of this solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

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: partner
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at a international affairs institute with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good availability and technical support, but the price needs to be lowered
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is availability."
  • "There are a lot of bugs in this solution."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is availability.

What needs improvement?

There are a lot of bugs in this solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for three years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 3,000 users and we have no plans to increase our usage at this time.

How are customer service and technical support?

I am satisfied with the technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are also using Cisco Firewall products.

How was the initial setup?

We have installed many firewalls and continue to do so on an ongoing basis. The biggest one took perhaps three months.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of this solution is too high.

What other advice do I have?

This is a product that I would recommend. My advice to anybody who is implementing it is to make sure that you have full control over all of the features that you are using.

Overall, the features are very good but the price is too high.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Palo Alto Networks K2-Series
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Palo Alto Networks K2-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,599 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Offers more control over the security of your network since it gives a Layer 7 approach view unlike the built traditional firewalls that focuses on layer 4
Pros and Cons
  • "Palo Alto has an approach that makes the configuration easier not only for the customers but also for the IT help for the customers."
  • "They should implement the features that the other firewalls have."

What is most valuable?

Palo Alto has an approach that makes the configuration easier not only for the customers but also for the IT help for the customers. 

What needs improvement?

In terms of what needs improvement, Palo Alto is lacking abilities that other firewalls can do. They disable the current sessions when you think the hardest part is done. They have a workaround for authentication, but then our clients just use the local database of the device itself.

Some of the small to medium businesses are using these features and it would be easier for us to upsell the product up to other networks. Palo Alto Networks is quite a bit higher when it comes to prices. They should implement the features that the other firewalls have.

In the next release, I would like for them to include a checkbox where the user could disable concurrent users of the portal.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Palo Alto Networks K2-Series for six months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When it comes to bug fixes, bugs will be fixed through a software upgrade or another fix.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is easy to do because we just have to know the number of users.

How are customer service and technical support?

If I'm going to rate the support of Palo Alto, I would give it an 8 out of ten because they have good engineers, but sometimes I think that they take too long to respond to my queries. But most of them are very good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. I have very little knowledge really in procedures, but I could connect to the internet and it was easy to follow when initially configuring the firewall.

The time to configure will depend on the client. If the client is just a small to medium business it will only take a day or two to configure it.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to someone considering this solution would be that it's okay to spend a bit higher on your security products because Palo Alto is a bit more expensive than other products, but it is definitely worth it. The granularity of Palo Alto gives you more control over the security of your network.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

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: Partner
PeerSpot user
Network Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Intuitive interface, easy to use, but priced high
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the intuitive user interface, ease of use, and reporting."
  • "They could improve by providing more features in the solution."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to protect our network perimeter because we have some software products that have internet connectivity.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the intuitive user interface, ease of use, and reporting.

What needs improvement?

They could improve by providing more features in the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. I have never had an issue using this solution since I started using it. I have not had any restarts or other troubles.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable but it depends on the hardware being used.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not needed to use the technical support since we have not had an issue.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the solution is expensive. They should provide more features to match the high price of the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated Cisco and Fortinet firewalls solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution.

I rate Palo Alto Networks K2-Series a seven out of ten.

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: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Security Technical Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Reseller
Top 5
Highly scalable with lots of features
Pros and Cons
  • "K2-Series' best features include its scalability, which is the best on the market."
  • "Palo Alto releases a lot of bug fixes for their firewalls, which means it's necessary to do frequent upgrades. They should work on decreasing their bugs so that upgrades aren't needed so often."

What is most valuable?

K2-Series' best features include its scalability, which is the best on the market, and its continuous development of new technologies and features.

What needs improvement?

Palo Alto releases a lot of bug fixes for their firewalls, which means it's necessary to do frequent upgrades. They should work on decreasing their bugs so that upgrades aren't needed so often. They also don't always ensure that their upgrades are available for older firewalls.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using K2-Series for two to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Palo Alto's firewalls are the most stable on the market.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

K2-Series is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Palo Alto offers two different types of support - partner-enabled and direct. The direct support is a bit expensive because it allows customers to open cases directly with Palo Alto techs. In contrast, the partner-enabled support goes to the ticket distributor, which can be time-consuming. In general, it can be hard to get answers from Palo Alto's support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the firewall was easy and took between five and ten minutes. However, implementing DNS or IoT security or packing working features requires assistance from an integrator or professional service.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

If you compare K2-Series' quality with its price, I think it is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate K2-Series nine out of ten.

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
PeerSpot user