Both firms’ NGFWs perform well in testing, but Fortinet has the edge. Its hardware is designed for automation and integration with the security fabric. It also offers unparalleled performance and innovative features. Its single-pass parallel processing architecture in third-party tests maintains predictable throughput with security services enabled. This enables organizations to size their infrastructure once and then scale with confidence.
Cost
The NGFWs from both companies are incredibly high-performing. However, Fortinet ranks at the top of many cybersecurity tests, including the top spot in cloud network firewalls. The company’s NGFWs are available as hardware devices ranging from the PA series to the VP series for use in a virtualized environment or as VMs for a cloud-based environment. They utilize the same solution in the highest-performing public cloud platforms to protect networks against threats and evasions. These NGFWs can decrypt encrypted traffic to identify and prevent threats and enable security professionals to track malicious activity across the entire infrastructure. They can also block known attack patterns, which helps protect against zero-day attacks. Users remark that Palo Alto and Fortinet are easy to install and manage. Both are also easier to understand and read than other firewalls in the market, and they provide a unified platform that eliminates the need for multiple tools. Fortinet also offers the ability to connect all security products into one cohesive system with the help of Panorama, its centralized management appliance. This is especially helpful for businesses with large and complex networks. It allows you to see and control all devices, including those in the cloud, to secure data operations from end to end. It also lets you leverage inline deep learning to stop unknown zero-day attacks.
Cloud
Regarding Fortinet vs. Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Fortinet has a more robust product line with many of the same features as other firewall vendors but with some key advantages. First, their hardware does not significantly consume bandwidth, and they also offer the ability to manage security from the cloud. Their top-notch support services include free technical assessments and a return merchandise authorization (RMA) policy. They also offer 24×7 toll-free call centers in every geographic region and online web chat for instant answers. Fortigate’s NGFW products are part of its “Security Fabric,” which includes multiple services, including an endpoint protection platform, cloud access control, secure SD-WAN, email security, SIEM and load balancing. These products are integrated into the FortiOS operating system for networking and security convergence. This enables automation and centralized management while delivering consistent, end-to-end security postures for all devices. In addition to the NGFW, Fortinet offers the WildFire sandboxing service to detect unknown malware and zero-day attacks. It is available on physical PA-series hardware devices and virtual devices for use in the cloud. Fortinet’s NGFWs consistently perform well in CyberRatings and MITRE test results. Moreover, users generally report great satisfaction and loyalty to the brand.
Performance
Palo Alto Networks NGFWs delivers performance in a third-party performance test, including application traffic. This is because of the Single-Pass Parallel Processing architecture, which allows sizing the environment for performance and then enabling security services without impacting performance. This capability allows users to reduce opex and risk of breach by proactively preventing threats instead of reacting after they occur. Both firms have been top performers in cybersecurity testing conducted by Forrester and MITRE. Palo Alto ML-powered NGFW hardware devices and virtual VM-Series firewalls are designed for simplicity, automation and integration. The PA-series hardware can safeguard data centers with 100 Gbps threat prevention throughput, and its VM-series can be deployed in cloud environments. Fortinet has the lead in terms of overall product quality and feature set. Its centralized management and security fabric integration enable large-scale operations and efficient unified protection. Moreover, Fortinet has the best WAN firewall performance with industry-leading packet loss, throughput and jitter.
Security
Fortinet is the best choice for small businesses if you want to safeguard your company from hackers. It offers a complete suite of security tools that can help you protect your office network and data centers from all types of malicious files, including operating system executables and scripts. It also monitors your network for threats like Trojan horses, backdoors and rootkits. This helps you identify and block malicious activities before they can cause serious damage to your business. Both vendors have impressive lineups of cybersecurity products. Reviewers rated them highly, but Palo Alto performs well in the complex needs of large enterprises and cloud use cases. Its broader lineup includes more appliances (hardware and virtual), software, and a range of cloud and SD-WAN products. The FortiGate firewall prevents advanced persistent threats (APT) at every network layer. It features a sustainable ASIC architecture that outperforms commercial CPU and FPGA products while reducing energy consumption by up to 80%. It also provides complete network visibility and threat prevention for organizations of any size. Fortinet firewalls have been rated top value in NSS labs evaluations with $2 TCO per protected Mbps, compared to a $7 TCO from the Palo Alto Networks solution, which came fifth. Controlling cloud apps and visibility are a particular strength.