Palo Alto Networks

What is Palo Alto Networks?

Palo Alto Networks is a cybersecurity vendor whose products are organized into platforms for network security, SASE and cloud security, and security operations. It sells to large enterprises, public sector bodies and small and medium businesses.

Key features of Palo Alto Networks

• Strata network security: Next-generation firewalls, Strata Cloud Manager, PAN-OS, Panorama and SD-WAN for NGFW.
• Prisma SASE and cloud: Prisma Access, Prisma Browser, Prisma SD-WAN and Prisma Cloud.
• Prisma AIRS: Security for AI applications, agents, models and data.
• Cortex SecOps: Cortex XSIAM, XDR, XSOAR and Xpanse for detection, response and attack surface management.
• Cortex Cloud: CNAPP and runtime security.
• Cortex XCOR: AI-driven observability.
• Identity security: Privileged access and secrets management in a separate platform called Idira.

How Palo Alto Networks works

Customers deploy firewalls and SASE services to enforce policy on network and user traffic, and cloud security tools to protect workloads and configurations. Telemetry feeds the Cortex platform, where analytics and automation handle detection and response. Strata Cloud Manager provides central management of firewalls.

Who uses Palo Alto Networks?

The vendor reports that Strata serves 95% of the Fortune 100 and 75K customers, and Idira serves 10K customers. Industries include public sector, financial services, manufacturing, healthcare and small and medium businesses. Vendor claims such as 700+ partner integrations for Cortex are self-reported.

Palo Alto Networks pricing

Palo Alto Networks does not list pricing on its site; products are quoted through sales and partners. The vendor offers demos and trials through a Demos and Trials page and a Product Demo Center.

Palo Alto Networks integrations

The vendor reports Cortex has 700+ partner integrations but does not name them on its homepage.

Palo Alto Networks alternatives

CrowdStrike is an endpoint and cloud security platform delivered mainly through a single agent. Zscaler is a cloud-delivered security service focused on zero trust access and secure web gateways. AppOmni, Spin.AI and Akeyless address narrower SaaS security, backup and secrets problems rather than the broad platform scope.