Whether you are a small business, an enterprise or a service provider, both companies offer firewall solutions to meet your specific needs. This article compares them in terms of cost, performance, availability and management.
Fortinet is rated highly by both analysts and users. NSS Labs considered it the best value of the next-generation firewalls tested ($2 TCO per protected Mbps) while providing robust security and performance.
Cost
Regarding Fortigate vs PAN, Fortigate is less expensive than Palo Alto, but both offer a great firewall product with all the bells and whistles. Both companies have top scores in independent testing and provide a strong security solution. However, Fortinet is better suited for appliance-based distributed enterprise and branch office needs. Both vendors offer next-generation firewalls and are highly rated by analysts, users, and independent testing. In a recent test, NSS Labs ranked Fortinet as the best value of the firewalls tested, with a total cost of ownership at $2 per protected Mbps while delivering robust performance and security. Another way that Fortinet differentiates itself from competitors is through its innovative features. The Fortinet security platform offers multiple ways to mitigate advanced threats, such as zero-day attacks and ransomware, allowing users to maintain full visibility and access to their data. Fortinet also provides granular control over applications, devices, and network threats, decreasing complexity and improving security posture.
Additionally, Fortinet allows users to deploy security capabilities on hardware appliances, virtual environments, and the cloud. This eliminates security silos and decreases operational expenditure by enabling organizations to scale capabilities as needed. The solution also helps prevent credential phishing by providing layers of prevention that stop known and brand-new phishing threats.
Performance
Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks deliver strong performance and security capacity if you consider a new firewall solution. Both offer next-generation firewalls with full protection and visibility, security fabric integration, cloud capabilities, and AI/ML-powered FortiGuard services. You can choose either vendor based on your unique needs and budget. Fortinet is good for appliance-based distributed enterprise and branch office needs, while Palo Alto Networks has a stronger presence in cloud, container, and FWaaS use cases. Firewall testing helps organizations choose the best solutions for their cybersecurity needs and provides feedback for vendors to improve their products. Fortinet’s NGFW solutions have consistently performed better than the competition in competitive performance tests, and it is one of the most reliable firewalls in the market. Fortinet’s K2-series NGFW is a 5G-ready firewall designed for service provider mobile network deployments. It has superior security performance and features help protect mobile devices from attacks and reduce data loss. It is an excellent choice for enterprises looking to protect mobile device users, and it can be deployed on either a virtual or physical appliance. The NGFW features include advanced threat protection, security fabric integration, and the latest PAN-OS technology. Fortinet’s hardware and software also offer exceptional value, and its unified management makes it easy to manage multiple firewalls. This makes it easier to scale the system as your organization grows.
Availability
Both Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet have a lot to offer business buyers. Analysts and users have highly rated both, and both perform well in independent tests. However, when comparing their features and performance, Fortinet offers better value than Palo Alto Networks. Fortinet’s next-generation firewalls (NGFW) deliver total network visibility and advanced threat prevention at any size. Its physical, virtual, and container NGFW appliances provide scalable security through intelligent load balancing and WAN optimization. The company’s NGFW solutions also incorporate the latest PAN-OS developments, centralized network security administration, and cloud-delivered security services to future-proof your network. Fortinet’s NGFW appliances have been lauded in independent tests for their speed and efficiency. Fortinet scored the highest overall rating in a recent NSS Labs test.
Moreover, its software and hardware can easily handle large amounts of data without sacrificing performance or putting your networks at risk. Fortinet’s NGFW offerings are virtual or physical appliances that can handle private and public cloud environments. Both can be configured to support a range of use cases, from enabling IPSec VPNs and NAT to providing secure access for internet-facing applications and servers. The company’s NGFW solutions can prevent unauthorized data access from mobile devices and IoT. They can also protect business systems from ransomware attacks, including the WildFire sandboxing solution for malware detection and analysis.
Management
Users and analysts rate both firewall solutions and perform well in independent tests. Fortinet offers a range of NGFWs, including physical appliances and virtual and cloud-delivered security services. The company’s NGFW products are designed to protect any edge at scale and provide complete protection and visibility, natively integrated proxy, automated threat prevention with machine learning, and security fabric integration. Palo Alto’s NGFWs also leverage AI/ML-powered FortiGuard services to stop threats before they cause damage and offer full protection and visibility. The admin of the IF-MAP server can configure PPS/PCS devices as IF-MAP clients by adding them to the IF-MAP Server UI using System > IF-MAP Federation > This Server > Clients. The administrator can specify the PPS/PCS device name, IP address and IF-MAP role for each PPS/PCS device. Then the IF-MAP server provisions user identity information to configured PAN/Check Point/FortiGate Firewall based on the configured IF-MAP Auth Table Mapping Policies. Both solutions have similar features, but Fortinet’s granular control over SaaS applications and extended SSL decryption capabilities make it a better option for businesses that need to manage the risks of complex applications. Fortinet also has a strong reputation for stability, while Palo Alto Networks is known for its complexity and high price.