We performed a comparison between Azure Firewall and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Based on the parameters we compared, while Azure Firewall is certainly a solid option, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is equally good. Users of both products have been happy with the ROI results. What differentiates the two products is the stark difference in pricing, which may ultimately sway an organization’s purchasing decision.
"Allows for firewall rules to be programmed and named in a way that makes it “readable”"
"The most valuable feature is the bundled subscription, which is IPS, TV and web filtering."
"The performance is good."
"I really like the captive portal feature for our guest network. It has nice VLAN features in terms of separating our network. The anti-virus is also good."
"You can create multiple Virtual Domains (VDOMs), which are treated as separate firewall instances."
"I like how we can achieve total integration."
"I think that the UTM features are the most value, as it truly protects my infrastructure."
"It is very flexible to use."
"The solution is stable."
"The solution has many useful features. For example, the solution allows users to create virtual IP addresses."
"Azure's cost-effectiveness is its major advantage."
"It's auto-scalable, which is a great feature."
"Performance and stability are the key features of this product."
"In terms of the reporting, it's beautiful. It integrates with Azure monitoring and with Azure policies. That piece is a big help. You can set governing policies and you can use the application firewall, as well as the Azure Firewall, to enforce those policies."
"Among the most valuable features are the DDoS protection that protects your virtual machines, the threat intelligence, and traffic filtering."
"Great security and connectivity."
"Palo Alto offers better Layer 7 protection than competing solutions by Cisco and Fortinet. I also like the VPN client more. The interface is simple, so administrators can deploy and configure it much faster than other firewalls"
"The fact that I can perform several security functions in one device at wire speed is a valuable feature. I don't have to slow down my business transactions, and I don't have to inconvenience my users with 16 different solutions. I can have it all in one box, and it protects my organization at wire speed."
"Mechanically, all firewalls work in a similar fashion, but what makes Palo Alto different is that it also has some of the threat hunt capabilities. It is a little bit better than other vendors."
"In general, I appreciate the regular firewall function of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls."
"It's one of the best products I've worked with. It's typically a market leader on Gartner. It's a very respected brand."
"Compared to other firewalls from Check Point, Fortinet, and Cisco, for example, Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls use the most advanced techniques. They have sandbox integration and others in the orchestrator. Palo Alto's security features are at a higher level than those of the competitors at the moment."
"Most of the features in Palo Alto are very valuable."
"The most valuable features are the power of the threat prevention and the WildFire service. Its strength comes from the huge number of sensors all over the world. The firewalls have a rich library of signatures."
"I feel that the reporting needs to be improved."
"MTBF: Hardware failure is more common when compared to SonicWall or Cisco ASA."
"It would be a benefit if Fortinet would release a one-stop solution that is better integrated with other products and an automated emergency response system."
"The initial setup and configuration are not intuitive and require training."
"Pricing for it is a bit high. It could be cheaper."
"The customization could be improved. Cisco, for example, is much better at this. They need to work to be at least as good as they are."
"There could be more integration between the logging and analytical platforms to make it more seamless and integrated."
"Technical support for this solution can be improved."
"It would be much easier if the on-premises, firewall rules, had some kind of export-import possibility in place, which is not the case right now."
"Currently, it only supports IP addresses, so you have to be specific about the IPs that are in your environment."
"The solution lacks artificial intelligence and machine learning. It might be in the roadmap. However, currently, it's not available."
"It needs a lot of improvement, especially on intruder detection. They are working hard on that."
"The solution should incorporate features similar to competitors like split tunneling."
"For large organizations, a third-party firewall would be an added advantage, because it would have more advanced features, things that are not in Azure Firewall."
"The tool needs to improve the onboarding and transition process for on-prem users."
"It's a little heavy compared to a FortiGate or other firewalls."
"Lacks mobility between on-prem and cloud based."
"Support should be improved, wait times can be long."
"We have not taken Palo Alto's firewall management solution because it's too expensive and we don't feel it delivers significant value."
"Palo Alto could do better with integrating the Palo Alto Next-Gen Firewall with SD-WAN. The biggest issue with Palo Alto is that they are expensive. They are very expensive for what they offer. They should improve their pricing."
"It's too expensive."
"The reports it provides are not helpful."
"Its scalability for on-prem deployments can be better. For an on-prem deployment, the hardware has to be replaced if the volume goes up to a certain level."
"I don't deal with it from a day-to-day perspective, but I can say that the evidence that I typically need is there, but sometimes, it's a task to actually get it and pull it out. They can make it easier to gather that evidence."
More Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls Pricing and Cost Advice →
Azure Firewall is ranked 21st in Firewalls with 33 reviews while Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is ranked 6th in Firewalls with 162 reviews. Azure Firewall is rated 7.2, while Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Azure Firewall writes "Easy to use and configure but could be more robust". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls writes "We get reports back from WildFire on a minute-by-minute basis". Azure Firewall is most compared with Fortinet FortiGate-VM, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Palo Alto Networks VM-Series, Check Point NGFW and Cisco Secure Firewall, whereas Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls is most compared with Check Point NGFW, Meraki MX, Sophos XG, Netgate pfSense and Cisco Secure Firewall. See our Azure Firewall vs. Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls report.
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