Next-Generation Firewall vs. Fortinet

Learn how Palo Alto Networks NGFWs powered by Precision AI™ stop highly evasive threats and keep organizations more secure than Fortinet.

Palo Alto Networks offers real-time protection, superior performance and simplified operations


Palo Alto Networks NGFWs consistently provide 30% higher performance with security services enabled in independent third-party testing, like the Miercom testing reports for all use cases, including branch and remote offices, campus and HQ and data center.

Based on the Forrester TEI report, our next-generation technology can result in a three-year 229% ROI with payback in seven months.

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“Palo Alto Networks firewalls are by far the most feature-rich and intuitive firewalls I have ever used.”

- Senior Network Architect, Financial Services
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"It's one of those rare platforms that comes along that actually allows you to be excited about technology again."

- Systems Engineering Architect, Infrastructure and Operations
Gartner Magic Quadrant

“The network visibility and ability to act automatically to mitigate threats is extremely powerful and the high availability of the hardware feature allows us to work flawlessly.”

- Senior Director, Professional Services
 Real-Time Protection Against Zero-Day and Highly Evasive Threats

Real-Time Protection Against Zero-Day and Highly Evasive Threats

Palo Alto Networks NGFWs powered by Precision AI offer protection with inline deep learning that stops zero-day threats.

  • Palo Alto Networks stops patient zero, with the industry-first NGFW with inline ML and deep learning, offering real-time protection against zero-day and highly evasive threats.

  • With nearly two decades of industry-first innovations, we’ve changed how network security will be done forever — stopping never-before-seen threats without compromising performance.

True enterprise Zero Trust security for all users, all apps in all locations

True Enterprise Zero Trust Security for All Users and All Apps in All Locations

Palo Alto Networks NGFWs deliver foundational Zero Trust components built on principles of least-privileged access, continuous trust verification and continuous security inspection.

  • Palo Alto Networks delivers true Zero Trust security with natively integrated solutions that provide continuous trust verification without compromising performance.

  • Palo Alto Networks provides continuous security inspection for all apps, users and devices, with inspection of traffic to prevent all threats, including highly evasive, never-seen-before threats.

Superior Performance

Superior Performance

Palo Alto Networks offers best-in-class security that outperforms Fortinet.

  • Palo Alto Networks Single-Pass Parallel Processing architecture (SP3) enables high throughput even while incorporating unprecedented features and technology innovations.

  • In a third-party validation test, Palo Alto Networks NGFWs saw 30% higher performance compared to Fortinet across all parameters tested, including application traffic.

  • Palo Alto Networks NGFWs maintained predictable performance with Cloud-Delivered Security Services, while Fortinet shows significant performance degradation.

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Compare Palo Alto Networks AI-Powered NGFWs to Fortinet FortiGate

Palo Alto Networks
Fortinet
Real-Time Protection

Covering a comprehensive range of form factors with NGFWs powered by Precision AI

Palo Alto Networks
  • NGFWs powered by Precision AI leverage inline machine learning and deep learning to stop more threats than traditional solutions, providing real-time protection against zero-day threats.
  • Malware signature delivery in seconds or less, compared to minutes with Fortinet.
  • Best-in-class Cloud-Delivered Security Services. New innovations in web security, phishing, C2, DNS security and Enterprise DLP.
  • Most comprehensive range of form factors: hardware, software, container, SASE and Cloud NGFW (managed service).
Fortinet
  • No machine learning or deep learning capabilities on the firewall for real-time prevention of the most advanced zero-day threats.
  • Fortinet’s focus on traditional security limits its ability to block the most advanced zero-day threats.
  • Slow security updates delivered in up to 60 minutes.
  • Legacy IPS to database-only URL and DNS security services, and a limited command-line DLP.
  • Lacks a complete portfolio of form factors (no containerized NGFW; immature SASE offering that isn’t natively integrated or cloud-delivered).
True Enterprise Zero Trust Security

With continuous trust verification and security inspection

Palo Alto Networks
  • Achieve Zero Trust with a comprehensive platform that includes foundational components of User-ID™, App-ID™ and Device-ID.
  • Continuous trust verification and security inspection without compromising performance.
  • Consistently enforce user-based policies throughout your organization with one simplified Cloud Identity Engine, regardless of where your users or their identity stores live.
  • Automatically detects, identifies and secures all applications used across the enterprise, including new SaaS apps, in real time.
Fortinet
  • Fortinet lacks foundational Zero Trust components and doesn’t have natively integrated trust services.
  • Multiple disjointed products with inconsistent policies that require manual correlation.
  • Security services enabled leads to significant performance degradation, poor security outcomes and unpredictable outcomes.
Superior Performance

Security efficacy that doesn’t get compromised with security services

Palo Alto Networks
  • Delivering better performance with security services, our Single-Pass Parallel Processing Architecture allows you to size the environment once and maintain performance as you enable more security over time.
  • 30% higher performance compared to Fortinet across all parameters in third-party testing, including application traffic.
Fortinet
  • Performance decreases as security services are enabled, forcing users to trade security capabilities for performance gains.
  • Fortinet firewalls see over a
    74% performance degradation with security services enabled.
Copilot

Seamlessly adopt security best practices and recommend guided actions

Palo Alto Networks
  • Fully integrated within Strata™ Cloud Manager (SCM) , Strata Copilot, an AI-assistant, gathers data from 50K+ vetted sources and makes it radically simple to use natural language to simplify complex security management and guide the right next steps based on years of best practices.
Fortinet
  • Fortinet’s Copilot has limited capability, requiring purchasing of multiple additional products.
AI Security Capability

Security for AI infrastructure and safe access to AI applications

Palo Alto Networks
  • AI Access Security™, AI Security Posture Management and AI Runtime Security™
Fortinet
  • Fortinet has no dedicated security solutions focused on the access to and use of AI.
Simplified Operations

Single-pane-of-glass management with Strata Cloud Manager

Palo Alto Networks
  • Simplified management with SCM, our next-generation technology can result in a three-year 229% ROI with payback in seven months, reducing opex and risk of breach based on the Forrester TEI report.
  • Easy, simple design with built-in operational tools that can help customers reduce risk of a breach by 50%.
  • Built-in tools designed to proactively improve security posture and health.
  • Feature parity across all form factors and locations, including physical, virtual, containerized and cloud-delivered.
Fortinet
  • Fortinet is operationally complex due to inconsistency across platforms and overall lack of feature parity.
  • Multiple modes of operation with varying levels of security capabilities, decreasing productivity, adding complexity and increasing opportunities for error.
  • Inadequate tools to improve security posture.
ML-Powered NGFW

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