Has supported urgent deployments and enabled inline threat protection but pricing and features could be more flexible
What is our primary use case?
I am not working on a NAC solution. I am working on Palo Alto Networks VM-Series firewall, and I am mainly working with firewalls.
I am totally working with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series products. I am working with VMs, including 400 series, 1400 series, and 3400 series firewalls, which are next-generation firewalls and fourth-generation firewalls of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series.
I am also working with VMs for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, and for POCs sometimes. Mostly, I provide solutions for some of our customers who need urgent solutions with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. I provide them VMs and activate the licenses from Palo Alto as a partner. We are working as innovator partners with Palo Alto. Sometimes for POCs and for urgent solutions, if the customer or some organization needs it, we provide them Palo Alto Networks VM-Series and it works fine.
We are working with Dynamic Address Groups in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. Mostly, we use them for securing our network and for blocking malicious traffic from specific sources around the globe. We block them through Dynamic Address Groups as a source and create another policy for that. We block any dynamic addresses coming with malicious traffic using specific policies. We use Dynamic Address Groups and after tagging those malicious IPs, when they come to our firewall from outside or from inside, including some of our local computers, if we detect something concerning such as bots or similar traffic, we block them using Dynamic Address Groups.
Advanced Threat Protection is working in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. In Advanced Threat Protection, we use inline protection features, including anti-malware solutions and vulnerability protection. We mostly use Advanced Threat Protection because Palo Alto provides the core subscription and core security bundle, which is cheaper than the other bundle. We propose the same bundle to customers because it is cheaper and includes DNS security, SD-WAN, vulnerability protection, URL filtering, anti-spyware, and antivirus subscriptions bundled in the same core bundle. If I buy only threat protection separately, it is more expensive than this bundle. We create security profiles for spyware and antivirus and provide inline protection to customers.
What is most valuable?
App-IDs in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series are very important and working fine. We mostly use App-IDs due to which we are securing customers who are vulnerable and who need security solutions.
There are Dynamic Address Groups, EDLs, and integration with other solutions such as Forescout for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, which we did two years ago. There are API integrations as well. We mostly automate the security structure for the organization using SIEM solutions, integration with SIEM solutions, and XDR solutions. This is very interesting.
What needs improvement?
I am not using Palo Alto Networks VM-Series mostly, but based on my experience, there are some deficiencies in Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. Having those features missing, we are not proposing Palo Alto Networks VM-Series to all customers. However, for urgency and for some solutions that customers need for some of their other sites and subdivisions, we are providing the same.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Palo Alto Networks VM-Series since 2020, which is approximately six to seven years back.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is eight out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is provided through premium partner support. We are working with StarLink, and they are providing the best solution and best support. We have advanced partnership and advanced support for some of our customers. They are good with technical solutions.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is better than Fortinet, mainly in its SP3 structure, flexibility, and reliability, and based on feedback from customers. Most of our customers have shifted from Fortinet to Palo Alto Networks VM-Series. Their feedback indicated concerns about slowness, subscription renewals, and other aspects they were not happy with.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Fortinet is the main competitor for Palo Alto Networks VM-Series on the market.
What other advice do I have?
Prices of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series are higher than other firewalls and other solutions. However, we are using its security features and proposing them, mostly winning tenders with this product. Palo Alto Networks VM-Series is a very best solution if you have subscription and extra support, and I would rate this solution seven to eight out of ten. I would give this review an overall rating of eight.
Experience on palo alto vm Series Firewall
What do you like best about the product?
The most i like is its cost and it has more capable as the physical one and also as long as you purchase it you can get it no pending time west in manfacturing
What do you dislike about the product?
While enabling advanced features it has the most difficualt configurations by itself and also haively depends on the server capacity or resource is needed
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
As i said previously you can save time of munfacturing, cost and also defending the network infrastructure with palo alto makes secure with tight security profiles
Seamless Deployment with Robust Security
What do you like best about the product?
I really appreciate the ease of configuration provided by the Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Firewall. The user interface and experience (UI/UX) make it very straightforward and intuitive for someone like me to configure and manage the firewall effectively. This seamless interface significantly aids in deploying the firewall into our infrastructure without much hassle. Additionally, the support from Palo Alto Networks during deployment was invaluable, allowing us to implement the firewall quickly and efficiently. The integration into our network was smooth, enhancing our productivity by enabling us to perform large configurations and then focus our efforts on other tasks. Overall, this firewall is incredibly efficient and productive, ensuring we're able to perform our security functions effectively as a team.
What do you dislike about the product?
I feel that the integration of more AI capabilities into the Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Firewall could significantly elevate its functionality. Although there are current functions that touch on this, a more comprehensive AI integration would enhance the ability to analyze incoming logs and automatically generate a visual representation of the network's status. This would be incredibly beneficial for quickly understanding what's happening within the network and for generating management and board reports without needing to manually interpret raw data or logs.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Firewall for deep packet filtering, enhancing our security by blocking outside threats and analyzing traffic logs. It simplifies configuration and deployment, making our work more efficient and productive.
User-Friendly Interface and Robust Support Make It Stand Out
What do you like best about the product?
What I find most helpful is the level of granular visibility it provides, which is essential for my work in the SOC. The App-ID and User-ID features are incredibly powerful.
What do you dislike about the product?
The primary downside is the complexity and high cost of the licensing model. It feels like every essential security feature is a separate, expensive subscription.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The primary business problem the VM-Series solves for us is extending consistent, next-generation security to our virtualized and cloud environments .
A powerful Firewall with excellent results but high cost and complex setup
What do you like best about the product?
What i like best about Palo Alto Network VM- Series Virtual Firewall is that it is easy to implement and use. The interface in place its so interactive hence one is able to manage and create policies across the cloud and virtual environments. The integration with third parties application for instance AWS , Azure makes is more viable in deployment in hybrid setups. The customer support is very reliable in managing the tickets raised with no delay which helps me having to use it all the time whenever i face any challenges.
What do you dislike about the product?
What i dislike about VM-Series is that it is complex to setup ,configure and manage it especially for new users and performance depends on the size of the cloud. However it is still used the licensing is expensive making it impossible for smaller teams with limited resources.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It has protected me against cloud workloads from cyber threats because of its advanced threat prevention and visibility across network traffic which reduces data breaches and security risks
Firewall Review
What do you like best about the product?
ease upgrade process and scaling agile, hybride and multi -could , threat prevention , wildfire, prisma cloud , panorama , cortex XDR , redlock , filtrgae
What do you dislike about the product?
The biggest downsides are the cost and complexity. It's an expensive product, both in licensing and the cloud computing power it needs. It's also notoriously complex to master, often requiring dedicated, trained staff to get the most out of it, which adds to the total cost. You're trading top-tier security for a hefty price tag and a steep learning curve.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The VM-Series solves inconsistent and ineffective security across cloud and virtual data centers by delivering a single, agile policy with advanced threat prevention, reducing risk and cost.
A deep review of Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Firewall
What do you like best about the product?
One thing i like a lot that it does not lack any features from physical firewalls, almost everything you have and need in physical FW, you can have it on VM-Series. Also i like the depth of the security it provides. Deep pack inspection, user/device context, URL filtering, DNS Security and the list goes on, are must features for any company that takes cybersecurity serioysly.
What do you dislike about the product?
I don't like that in VMware ESXi only certain drivers are supported and i dont like the fact, that except that i think that fully deployment is kinda expensive, also required a lot of resources (CPU, RAM etc) to meet performance requirement.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The number one problem it solves is about security, more specifically cloud enviromenent without missing any feature or policy from traditional FW. A plus is the deep inspection and monitoring in applications/users.
As some one working in IT Integrator company, I have had the chance to deploy Paloalto Firewall.
What do you like best about the product?
the fact the firewall goes beyond port and protocol filtering for better Application aware security and the ability to enforce policies based on users using User-ID.
What do you dislike about the product?
even though Palo Alto VM-Series is praised for its security depth, scalability, and AI-driven threat prevention, it is expensive compared with other firewall vendors like fortinet and cisco. I am from Ethiopia and as some one working in IT integrators, many of our clients are a bit sensitive when it comes to price, this makes it difficult in proposing Paloalto firewall for them
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
to inspects and segments internal traffic, preventing malware from spreading across workloads (east -west traffics) and to isolate traffics using role-based access and segmentation for different tenants or business units.
highly recommendable—especially for professionals managing hybrid or cloud-centric environments
What do you like best about the product?
Security Efficacy: It topped the SecureIQLab 2024 Cloud Firewall Test, outperforming 11 other vendors in blocking real-world threats, including encrypted SSL/TLS attacks.
Cloud Flexibility: Supports AWS, Azure, GCP, VMware, KVM, Nutanix, and more—ideal for virtualized deployments across platforms.
Zero Trust & Deep Inspection: Offers App-ID, User-ID, Device-ID, and inline deep learning to detect zero-day threats
What do you dislike about the product?
Complex Configuration & Learning Curve
Initial setup and policy tuning can be intimidating, especially for teams new to Palo Alto’s architecture.
Advanced features like App-ID and User-ID require deep understanding to avoid misconfigurations.
2. Licensing & Cost Structure
Licensing via Software NGFW credits can be confusing and expensive for smaller deployments.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
1. Cloud Visibility & Control
Problem: Native cloud security tools often lack deep traffic inspection and granular control.
Solution: VM-Series provides full traffic visibility, App-ID, and threat prevention across AWS, Azure, GCP, and more.
2. Zero-Day & Lateral Threats
Problem: Malware and exploits can move laterally between virtual workloads undetected.
Solution: Inline deep learning and segmentation stop threats in real time—even across microsegments.
Experience and Elegance
What do you like best about the product?
The best aspects of the Palo Alto Networks VM-Series Virtual Firewall include its advanced threat prevention capabilities, consistent security policy enforcement across diverse environments, scalability and agility in virtualized settings, centralized management through Panorama, and seamless integration with major cloud and virtualization platforms.
What do you dislike about the product?
Documentation Gaps: Occasionally, users find the documentation to be less comprehensive for newer features or unique deployment scenarios, which can complicate implementation and troubleshooting efforts.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Compliance and Risk Management: Aids in meeting regulatory compliance standards by enabling features like application allow listing and segmentation, crucial for isolating sensitive data and systems.
