Fortinet vs. Palo Alto: Choosing a Next-Generation Firewall

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Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks are two leaders in the next-generation firewall (NGFW) space, delivering complete network security solutions. 

See below to learn all about how Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks compare against each other in the NGFW market:

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: NGFW

Looking for more NGFW options? 5 Top Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) Software

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: NGFW portfolio

One of the world’s most widely used network firewalls, Fortinet, offers artificial intelligence (AI)-powered security performance, threat intelligence, full visibility, and protected networking convergence. It is best for businesses looking for cost-effective firewall solutions.

With FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls, you can protect your business by limiting malicious activity and other intrusions with segmentation, complete visibility, coordinated protection, and minimal breaches and system failures. Fortinet helps consolidate and scale businesses by keeping up with corporate expansion and providing security at hyperscale.

Fortinet facilitates work from anywhere by creating consistent user and operational efficiency at every site with coordinated, controlled, and uniform security. FortiGate NGFW is offered in a wide range of models, from entry-level hardware platforms to high-end appliances that can handle stringent threat prevention performance standards. FortiGate can integrate into your environment, whether its a corporate campus, central data center, or internal segments.

Similarly, you can protect your entire business with the Palo Alto Networks platform. Its firewalls can assist you in seeing and securing everything, since they have an integrated architecture for network security and the capacity to use deep learning (DL) in real-time. Companies that want the highest level of network security and are not limited by budget constraints can opt for Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewall.

Palo Alto Networks, a leader in cybersecurity, continues to innovate to support secure digital transformation. The company offers the transparency, intelligence, automation, and flexibility needed to securely develop complicated corporate networks.

Palo Alto is safeguarding enterprises spanning clouds, networks, and mobile devices by providing a comprehensive portfolio.

Fortinet Palo Alto Networks
Breadth
Depth
Specialization
Overall

See more: 5 Top Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) Trends

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: Partners

Fortinet has partnered with a wide range of companies. The Fortinet Fabric-Ready Technology Alliance Partner Program assembles a network of international technology partners with specific knowledge and makes tools and resources accessible to ease integration. Its partners work together with Fortinet to provide holistic, end-to-end security solutions that take advantage of the Fortinet Security Fabric.

Some of Fortinet’s partners include Advantech, Aislelabs, Alcide, Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Centrify, Cisco, Cloudify, Delve, Equinix, Google Cloud, IBM, Microsoft, McAfee, Oracle, VMware, and Zentera

Palo Alto Networks’ partner ecosystem contains over 300 partners dealing in the technology industry and networking sector. Several of the biggest partners in this ecosystem include Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and VMware. By integrating Palo Alto Networks’ cybersecurity systems with the know-how and innovations of its partners, companies can defend against cyberthreats, address talent shortages, and react to regulatory changes more quickly.

With Palo Alto Networks’ cybersecurity technology and the capabilities of its partners — including Deloitte, HCL Technologies, IBM, Infosys, NTT, Wipro, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Softcell Technologies, Dish, Salesforce, Flex, and Schlumberger — companies can increase digital agility and facilitate seamless business transformation.

Fortinet Palo Alto Networks
Breadth
Depth
Specialization
Global Reach
Overall

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: NGFW use cases

Companies require strong security as the network edges grow exponentially. FortiGate allows businesses to integrate security throughout hybrid data center networks for end-to-end protection across various clouds and the security of any endpoint at any size.

Another of its use cases is preventing lateral spread. Whether a segmentation is based on a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN), a network, an endpoint, or an application, to control internal risks, businesses can prevent the lateral spread and impose security. With the integration of Fortinet Security Fabric, companies can accomplish flexible trust and port-level segmentation.

With Fortinet’s bundled FortiGuard IPS, businesses can obtain virtual patching and protection from identified and zero-day threats. Without affecting performance, companies can gain complete visibility and find and remove malware as well as other threats hidden in their HTTPS traffic.

Businesses can also secure hyperscale architectures by employing hyperscale security that has no network effect to keep up with growing business requirements. Fortinet’s FortiGate Rugged NGFWs provide enterprise security for operational technology (OT) environments. Comapnies can improve their network’s threat prevention and transparency.

Palo Alto Networks’ use cases benefit the entire organization. For chief information security officers (CISOs), Palo Alto helps to gain awareness of the company’s weak areas and blind spots, including those in on-premises and cloud settings, and mitigate the risks they pose. They can keep the perimeter secured in a world without borders as risks evolve over time.

For cloud architects, you can safeguard Kubernetes apps and containers in any environment with Palo Alto. You can maintain compliance, control threats, and safeguard your apps. For security operations center (SOC) managers, Palo helps to use automation, machine learning (ML), and analytics to speed up reaction times. It helps to defend against contemporary attacks on the endpoint, network, and cloud assets.

Fortinet Palo Alto Networks
Breadth
Depth
Specialization
Overall

See more: 5 Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) Case Studies

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: NGFW user reviews

Here are the overall scores from NFGW users of Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks at several review websites. Palo Alto Networks has the edge:

Fortinet Palo Alto Networks
G2 4.4 out of 5 4.6 out of 5
Gartner Peer Insights 4.6 out of 5 4.6 out of 5
Capterra 4.8 out of 5 5 out of 5
TrustRadius 8.7 out of 10 8.5 out of 10
Overall      ✅   

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: Industry recognition

In the Companion 2022 Critical Capabilities Report, Fortinet received the highest scores in Network Firewalls. It has also been recognized as a leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant. And the new FortiGate hyperscale firewalls are considered one of the fastest and most compact firewall solutions.

Palo Alto Networks has also been recognized as a leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant. It won the 2021 Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year award for security. And in the 2022 SC Awards, Palo Alto Networks was highlighted as the leader in cybersecurity innovation.

Fortinet Palo Alto Networks
Volume
Variety
Significance
Overall

Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks: Overall

Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks run comparable businesses. Both firewall suppliers have developed new firewall technologies for the market.

The NGFW from Fortinet provides complete network visibility, advanced threat prevention, and edge protection at any size. Similarly, the most recent PAN-OS developments, centralized network security administration, and cloud-delivered security services from Palo Alto Networks can all be used to future-proof network security.

In comparing them in several categories, Palo Alto Networks comes out ahead:

Fortinet Palo Alto Networks
Portfolio
Partners
Use Cases
Ratings
Recognition
Overall

See more: Why We Need Next-Generation Firewalls: Importance of NGFWs

Kashyap Vyas
Kashyap Vyas
Kashyap Vyas is a contributing writer to Enterprise Storage Forum. He covers a range of technical topics, including managed services, cloud computing, security, storage, business management, and product design and development. Kashyap holds a Master's Degree in Engineering and finds joy in traveling, exploring new cultures, and immersing himself in Indian classical and Sufi music. uns a consulting agency.

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