Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Reviews

We use this solution for perimeter security and security profile purposes.  This covers anti-virus and anti-spyware, as well as cyber security vulnerabilities through URL and file blocking.

We like the fact that this product can provide multiple layers of protection depending on our clients requirements, and can be configured to whatever level of protection and the specific protocols that they want.

We also like the fact that this solution has a wide range of features covering all types of system security, not focusing on just one area. Everything is geared into a single module, which means we no longer need several different devices.

As well as the single module functionality, this solution allows us to easily see the active sessions and how many users we have connected. Complete information, on one screen.

We would like to see the external dynamic list for this solution improved. The current version does not automatically block malicious IP addresses, which would be very useful.

We have been using this solution for the last seven years.

We have experienced 100% stability with this solution.

The scalability of this solution depends on the management CPU that is being utilized. To manage high level traffic, it requires high-specification hardware to be used, or performance can be affected.

This vendor not only provides a lot of very clear documentation, but also has a community center to allow for self-diagnosis and fixes.

However, if this does not resolve the issue, the technical support team are very responsive and quick to fix any problems we take to them.

Positive

The initial setup of this solution is straightforward, particularly when migrating from a different product and using their centralized management tool. This provides a configuration file that completes the majority of the setup automatically. All traffic is then automatically diverted through this firewall

The firewall is then registered in the providers portal, which allows for updates to be applied when they are released without the need for manual intervention.

We implemented this using one member of our in-house team, and the deployment took three days to complete.

However, there was some pre-implementation work to be done registering firewall serial numbers, connecting console cables etc, but this is all straightforward.

This solution is quite expensive because along with the license there is premium partner support that has to be purchased as a default addition. 

There is also a specific Threat Prevention License that has to be requested and purchased separately. However, licenses can be purchased for specific periods as opposed to just an annual offering.

We actually tested multiple solutions, and choose this one because it gave us the most benefits in one product.

We would advise organizations who are migrating from a different provider to inquire about the centralized management console, and to understand the full costs involved up front.

Also, despite the fact that this solution provides a lot of features, there will still be areas that aren't covered as this only works on perimeter level security.

I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.

I use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to handle my perimeter security, which is the most critical point of my network.

Layer 3 and Layer 4 are part of the core functionality of any firewall, but this firewall brings more information into the inspection via Layer 7. Thus, the entire threat landscape has changed for us as a company.

We can integrate all the Palo Alto firewalls to have a single insight experience across all firewalls.

On a major scale, Palo Alto NGFW can be helpful in eliminating some security tools. It doesn't eliminate all of our other security tools, but it does bring down the dependency on some tools.

Security and network performance are of equal importance to us. This solution doesn't compromise your network's performance for security, which is a good trade-off.

The most valuable features are application inspection and sandboxing. Application inspection decides where traffic is transmitted. If I have a perimeter report for a particular service, then other services or malicious services cannot use an open port. In this way, application inspection is doing a fantastic job. We also have a very good sandbox with almost no rate limit. It will inspect any file that comes in and goes out in a dedicated patch to identify malware. Therefore, these two things help me to protect our organization from any bad actors.

It is extremely important for me that Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls embeds machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention. The way that they handle the traffic is very useful for us. The firewall creates a benchmark of known traffic patterns that every endpoint would have using machine learning. Machine learning creates a baseline of how the traffic goes in and out. When there is a deviation in the normal behavior, it gives me a threat indication via a reporting feature that shows us how the current traffic has deviated from the usual traffic. This is a very good feature, which is important for my organization to have on a daily basis.

It gives me a better experience when handling security holes. 

Our upgrades brought some rule reviewing features by default, without having to depend on third-party tools to perform the rule reviewing. That has been a good feature.

I would like them to bring in some features that would encourage traffic shaping or bandwidth routing, like other UTM firewalls, because the solution should be capable of limiting the bandwidth for rules.

If Palo Alto Networks could bring in session tracking, like FortiGate, then we can remove another cybersecurity tool. If they could say "This is user-based, not IP-based," using user attribute-based rules, then that would be helpful for a small- or medium-scale company because they could use a single device instead of two or three devices.

I have been using it for four years.

The stability is very good. After the upgrade, every other process was smoother. We haven't often seen bugs or operational hazards in terms of the device. 

Scalability is always available. If you are ready to invest the money, then you can add another box. Every device has its limitations though. NGFW has its own limitations, where it cannot scale beyond a certain point. Those limitations have already been published and users need to be aware of them when they are planning to buy a firewall.

The size of my environment is 3,000 to 4,000 users. We are a larger organization with 60 to 80 VLANs. There are approximately 3,600 endpoints accessing them. Day in, day out, we have a lot of network access change requests coming in that need to be performed. 

In terms of maintaining the firewalls for our space and cost, there are about 15 team members. It is a huge environment with 10 different clusters of Palo Altos. From our operational perspective, we need 15 team members.

On a practical scale, it depends on the size of your organization. If it is a small organization, I think two to three members should be sufficient enough to handle the solution. When you have a smaller organization with a maximum of 20 different VLANs, where there is a size limit of 50 to 100 users/employees, then two or three members would be sufficient enough to handle it. However, it all depends upon the number of endpoints that are the nodes and how many nodes the firewall is protecting.

The technical support is good. I would rate them as 10 out of 10. 

They are able to support me and the issues that have arisen, which have been very minimal. For cases where we break something in the configuration or any bug that is out of control, they are good in understanding and analyzing our issues as well as providing a solution for them. That is why I rated them as 10.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward, not complex. We migrated from a different vendor to this platform. We had our goals and objectives in front of us. So, we had a good project plan before migrating everything.

I have multiple clusters. For the largest cluster, the migration took three to four weeks.

We used an integrator for the deployment.

We are monitoring the metrics. We have certain metrics to find ROI, e.g., it could be zero-days, the number of inclusions that this solution has blocked successfully, or the amount of malware that it has stopped. We identify this information via the sandboxing feature, which determines what other normal firewalls would have let in. We consider the amount of data that we process and the regulatory fines that would have arisen, if not for this solution. That is how our return of investment is calculated.

If the cost is your main priority, Palo Alto would be a bit high. However, if you are ready to hear about return of investment, then I would convince you to go for Palo Alto.

I am using three or four firewalls from different vendors. I know their capabilities as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each vendor. 

We have evaluated different firewalls and found Palo Alto best suited for boundary networks. Fortinet handles our user-facing firewalls. Between FortiGate and Palo Alto, there is Cisco.

We did a SWOT analysis on all the firewalls. We determined the best firewalls based on their throughput and protection suites. For example, a user-facing firewall doesn't need to be jam-packed with security features. However, a perimeter firewall is between the trusted and untrusted networks, so more security features are needed.

We are using a different DNS Security solution, so we haven't used Palo Alto NGFW’s DNS Security.

Explore the features that the solution offers. There are a lot. If you can use the features to their fullest potential, that would be best. 

If you are just doing an L3 and L4 inspection, then Palo Alto Networks might not be best suited for that environment. If you are going to use the features of an NGFW, then I would tell you about the solution's features and return of investment based on what you are protecting. 

We basically use it to protect our network from various malicious activities out there. We have two subscriptions. We have the WildFire subscription, which is similar to DNS filtering. We also have Threat Protection, which allows the firewall to inspect traffic up to Layer 7. It inspects applications as well as unknown applications, quarantining and stopping things. So, you are not always chasing, "What applications should I be running on this device?" It does a good job of all of that. The management of it is a little tricky, but that is how it goes.

We are running the PA-3250s. We have two of them. They operate in Active/Passive mode. Therefore, if one fails, then the other one takes over. 

It is pretty important to have embedded machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention, because all these different attacks and threats are constantly evolving. So, you want to have something beyond just hard pass rules. You want it to learn as it is going along. Its machine learning seems pretty good. It seems like it is catching quite a few things.

There is a web-based GUI to do management, but you need to know how the machine or firewall operates. There are hundreds of different menus and options. I have used other firewalls before. Just implementing or designing a policy with Palo Alto, if you want a certain port to be open to different IP addresses, then that could take 20 to 25 clicks. That is just testing it out. It is quite complex to do. Whereas, with other places, you tell it, "Okay, I want this specific port open and this IP address to have access to it." That was it. However, not with Palo Alto, which is definitely more complex.

The VPN is only available for Windows and Mac iOS environments. We have a variety of iPads, iPhones, and Android stuff that wouldn't be able to utilize the built-in VPN services.

I would like easier management and logging. They can set up some profiles instead of having you create these reports yourself. However, you should be able to set it up to give you alerts on important things faster.

We have had this in place for four years. I have been at the school for almost a year and a half. So, this is my second year here at the school, so my experience with it has probably been a year and change. I use other firewall solutions, but I have gotten pretty comfortable with the Palo Alto solution.

It is very stable. We have never had any issues with any failures on it.

I haven't felt any performance lags on it. It has been handling everything just fine.

We purchased it a few years ago. Since then, we have had a lot more clients on our network, and it has handled all that fine. You go into it and just have to scale it higher. Palo Alto doesn't give you too many choices. There is not a medium; it is either very small or very big. So, you don't have a choice in that.

We have never had to call Palo Alto. Secure Works does all our support maintenance on it.

I have been here for a year and a half. Before, the firewall that they were using (Barracuda) was barely adequate for what we were doing. We got new ones simply, not because we had a software/hardware-type attack, but because we had a social engineering attack where one of the folks who used to work for us went on to do some crazy things. As a result, the reaction was like, "Oh, let's get a new firewall. That should stop these things in the future."

The initial setup was pretty complex because they did not do it themselves. They actually hired some folks who put it in. 

We use Secureworks, which is a big security company. They actually send an alert when there are problems with the firewall or if there are security issues. They handled the deployment. 

We also use another company called Logically to monitor the firewall in addition to all our other devices.

Active/Passive mode is very redundant, but they require you to buy all the associated licensing for both firewalls, which is kind of a waste of money because you are really only using the services on one firewall at a time.

I would suggest looking at your needs, because this solution's pricing is very closely tied to that. If you decide that you are going to need support for 1,000 connections, then make sure you have the budget for it. Plan for it, because everything will cost you.

If another school would call and ask me, I would say, "It's not the cheapest. It's very fast, but it's not the cheapest firewall out there."

I have been looking at different firewalls because our service and maintenance contracts are up on it. We have two different outsourced folks who look at the firewall and help us do any configurations. My staff and I lack the knowledge to operate it. For any change that we need to make, we have to call these other folks, and that is just not sustainable.

We are moving away from this solution because of the pricing and costs. Everything costs a lot. We are moving to Meraki MS250s because of their simplicity. They match the industry better. I have called the bigger companies, and Meraki matches the size, then the type of institution that we are.

If someone was looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall product, I would suggest looking at the Meraki products in the educational space. I think that is a better fit.

Its predictive analytics and machine learning for instantly blocking DNS-related attacks is doing a good job. I can't be certain because we also have a content filter on a separate device. Together, they kind of work out how they do DNS filtering. I know that we haven't had any problems with ransomware or software getting installed by forging DNS.

DNS Security for protection against sneakier attack techniques, like DNS tunneling, is good. I haven't had a chance to read the logs on those, but it does pretty well. It speaks to the complexity of the firewall. It is hard to assess information on it because there is just a lot of data. You need to be really good at keeping up with the logs and turning on all the alerts. Then, you need to have the time to dig through those because it could be blocking something, which it will tell you.

I haven't read the NSS Labs Test Report from July 2019 about Palo Alto NGFW, but it sounds interesting. Though it is a little bit of snake oil, because the worst attacks that we had last year were purely done through social engineering and email. I feel like this is an attack vector that the firewall can't totally block. So, before you put something in, like Palo Alto Firewalls, you need to have your security policy in place first.

I would rate this solution as eight out of 10. Technically, it is a good solution, but for usability and practicality, I would take points off for that.

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 to protect the perimeter and use it as a proxy for the servers.

We have the firewalls installed in our data center at present and are planning to put them in the corporate and branch offices as well.

A couple of years ago, we removed the explicit proxy for the servers and made the proxy transparent for the servers. We were able to make it softer for the servers' web filtering.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities. They have a couple of solutions in the cloud that we are trying to add to our ecosystem.

Because Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are installed in our data center, it is very important that Palo Alto embeds machine learning in the core of the firewall to provide inline, real-time attack prevention. We need to protect our servers.

The cloud could be improved. I would like to have more visibility of the network vulnerabilities as well.

I've been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for more than five years.

The stability is good.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have good scalability.

Palo Alto's technical support is good, and I would rate them an eight out of ten.

Positive

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

We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for security purposes and to mitigate risk.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls enabled us to have better visibility overall.

The inline, real-time attack prevention provided by embedded machine learning is not bad.

Also, the firewalls are moderate in terms of securing data centers consistently across all workplaces, i.e., from the smallest office to the largest data centers.

We have been able to reduce downtime because we have better visibility. We're faster and can act preemptively.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls do not provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities.

Customer support could be improved.

I've been using this solution for about one year.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are stable.

The firewalls' scalability is good.

I would rate Palo Alto's network support a six out of ten.

Neutral

We have seen a slight ROI, enough to justify the cost of the solution.

The cost is steep, but most firewalls cost a lot.

If you're looking for the cheapest and fastest firewall, I would not recommend Palo Alto NG Firewalls.

Overall, I would rate Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls an eight out of ten.

I place a high value on attending the RSA Conference. I get a lot out of it because I'm able to learn about up-and-coming companies. I can see what options are available, whether someone's doing it better, and if I can get a cheaper option.

Attending RSAC does have an impact on my organization’s cybersecurity purchases made throughout the year.

We use Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for segmentation and basic routing. They are the gatekeepers for the network.

I like being able to investigate anonymous VPNs and also like to use traffic-capturing features. We've had some anonymous VPNs coming to our network, and we're trying to make sure that internal users are not able to use those to get past our security.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls have a very nice interface for logging and monitoring. I find it easy to navigate and use, and the interface is organized as well. I can find answers within a couple of hours and have seen time savings.

We have Azure firewalls that are licensed through Palo Alto. It's super important that Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls provide a unified platform that natively integrates all security capabilities because we are moving almost entirely to Azure. Thus, the more Azure integration we have, the better it's going to be for us long term.

These firewalls have been efficient at securing data centers consistently across all workplaces.

We haven't had many downtime issues with Palo Alto.

The customer-facing side needs to be improved in terms of the engagement and involvement of support staff.

My first exposure to this solution was about a year and a half ago.

The firewalls are relatively stable. We have a few that go up and down, but that has more to do with licensing issues than with the firewall itself.

Technical support needs to be improved with regard to the time to respond and the response itself. We've been getting the same responses over and over again. It would help us out a lot if the technical support staff were more engaged or involved.

From what I've heard from our firewall engineer, I would rate technical support a four out of ten.

Neutral

We utilize GlobalProtect and have seen a better return on investment with regard to security and peace of mind.

Licensing is a big issue for us because of the complexity and the lack of engagement from Palo Alto. It has been hard to talk with them as we don't get the best answers.

We are always evaluating other vendors and are currently looking at Cisco. Though both Palo Alto and Cisco firewalls are feature-rich and provide very good value, Cisco is better at customer engagement. They are easier to talk to as well.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are not the cheapest and fastest, but they are one of the top ones in terms of the most effective firewalls.

Overall, I would rate NG Firewalls an eight out of ten. They're definitely a top competitor.

I love the opportunity to see technical demos and take hands-on tours with some of the products at RSA conferences. They are the best part because I get to learn and gain exposure to new technology. It is particularly helpful when we want to look at other avenues.

Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls are being used for cloud security in our organization. Along with that, we have implemented SD-WAN, secure access, and XDR. These are the primary firewalls that we have in place.

Essentially, we have almost all of their products across their three suites.

The previous brand we used had a steeper learning curve for our engineers and analysts compared to Palo Alto, which is easier to use. 

We also have an excellent partner in Costa Rica who works with Palo Alto's team there, providing valuable support. Overall, our experience with Palo Alto has been very positive.

Some of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls' valuable features are their powerful capabilities and user-friendliness. 

Our security team has found it easy to learn and obtain the necessary certifications and training from Palo Alto.

Overall, we have had a very positive experience with this suite of solutions, including the training they have provided us.

We like the Palo Alto ecosystem and how its different suites of products integrate seamlessly. 

The sharing of information has enhanced our security posture as a company. Overall, our experience with Palo Alto has been very positive.

I believe that It is important that the firewall integrates machine learning to take advantage of all the information that is available, all the data that is available.

You have to integrate machine learning AI and things like that to be able to be a step ahead of the hackers.

Using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls, we have experienced zero downtime.

The solution is user-friendly, which is important as it allows us to concentrate on other essential aspects of the company rather than spending time and effort maintaining the solution.

The level of control and granularity in terms of rule customization could be enhanced. However, compared to our previous solution, Palo Alto provides much better drill-down capabilities.

It is a solid solution.

We have been using Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls for six years.

It is a very solid, stable solution. We haven't had any issues with it, you know when we have to do updates there are no problems whatsoever. it's a very good solution.

Scalability is an important issue. It is very scalable.

We are currently protecting around 11,000 endpoints.

In my experience, I would rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

They are excellent.

Positive

Initially, I was involved in the setup, but then other team members took over and completed the work. In the end, we reviewed and went over the setup together.

We had a lot of support from their local partner So it was very straightforward at the time.

I didn't come across any significant issues, but as engineers, we are always prepared to face challenges. 

Nowadays, nothing works as simple as plug-and-play like it used to be. However, we try to reduce the likelihood of issues as much as possible by working closely with project managers and performing thorough preparations beforehand.

Before doing the implementation. It was okay.

I believe we have seen a return on investment.

The time we used to spend on various tasks previously has significantly reduced with the implementation of Palo Alto Networks. 

The system is very reliable with no downtime, providing us with a sense of security that is important in cybersecurity.

The price of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is high, but it is worth it if you have the budget for it. 

Budget is always an important factor in decision-making, but it was within our budget, and we were impressed by what we heard, tested, and experienced with Palo Alto.

It is difficult to know and assume the thought process of others. If they have budget constraints, there may be other manufacturers with a lower price point that would be a good fit. We try to evaluate from different angles, not just the budget, but also the technology and how it will fit with our needs. We look for strong capabilities where necessary, such as with Sophos and WatchGuard for smaller companies.

It can be difficult to know the thought process behind a company's decision when it comes to choosing a firewall solution. Budget constraints may play a role, and there are other manufacturers that offer lower price points, which can be a good option. However, it's important to consider technology and how it fits with the company's needs, as well as the strength of the solution. 

Smaller companies like Sophos and WatchGuard also offer solid platforms, and they may be a good fit for those looking for a lower price point. Ultimately, it's important to assess what's important for the company and find a solution that fits those needs, both in terms of functionality and price.

Our process for evaluating firewall solutions usually involves consulting Gartner for their feedback, having sessions with our analysts, and focusing on the leading firewall manufacturers.

We evaluated several firewall manufacturers, including Check Point and Fortinet, but ultimately, we as a group decided that Palo Alto was the best fit for us. 

The decision was not solely mine but rather made by our managers based on the evaluations and presentations given by each vendor. 

We were particularly impressed with Palo Alto's presentation and even visited their headquarters located south of San Francisco. And we just felt comfortable, and it was a good decision.

The RSA sessions have been very informative and enjoyable. Today is actually my last day at the expo, and I've been visiting some of the manufacturers that we already work with as well as some that I want to learn more about. Overall, I think it's been a great experience.

From an engineering standpoint, the expo is a great opportunity to connect with knowledgeable people beyond the marketing façade. It's worth investing time to engage with them, learn about their products and solutions, and find out what they're working on and what's upcoming.

Attending RSA has had a significant impact on our company's cybersecurity purchases for the next year. In fact, I am here with two other colleagues who are actively researching and taking notes on various companies and their offerings. They are gathering valuable information to inform our future purchasing decisions.

We've been coming here for many years now, and we'll not come back. It's a good place to get up to date on what's happening.

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