In February 2022, Palo Alto Networks announced the launch of PAN-10.2 Nebula, the latest version of PAN-OS. Along with the new PAN-OS 10.2, we also launched two new series of our ML-Powered Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) appliances: the PA-3400 series (PA-3410, PA-3420, PA-3430 and PA-3440) and the PA-5400 series (PA-5410, PA-5420 and PA-5430). These latest members of the fourth-generation ML-Powered NGFWs from Palo Alto Networks deliver performance ranging from 11.6 Gbps of App-ID performance to 60.5 Gbps of App-ID performance.
As with our previous fourth-generation NGFWs, Miercom, an independent network and security testing organization, put these models to the test comparing real world performance against competing NGFW vendors and published their findings in a detailed report. The full suite of Cloud Delivered Security Services, available on the PA-3400 Series and PA-5400 Series, provide a comprehensive security posture, and the Miercom report is based on testing with these security services enabled. The PA-3400 Series and PA-5400 Series are built with the same Single Pass Architecture that is at the core of all of our ML-Powered NGFW platforms. This unique architecture – and the innovation it drives – has enabled Palo Alto Networks to be named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Network Firewalls for the tenth time in a row.
In this latest Miercom report for Enterprise HQ and Data Center Edge use cases, the PA-3420, PA-3440 and PA-5430 NGFW appliances were compared to the Fortinet Fortigate (FG) FG-1081F, FG-2601F and FG-4201F for performance scenarios that customers can expect to experience in their networks. The key findings as listed in the report are below:
- Superior Throughput with Security Services Enabled. Palo Alto Networks saw up to 1.3x higher throughput across all parameters tested, including application traffic.
- Superior Real-world Application Traffic Performance. On services enabled for single application tests (MSSQL, SIP, FIX and RDP), the Palo Alto Networks performance shows consistently low degradation, with an average of 9.7%, and up to 64 percent better average throughput.
- Higher Value, Lower Cost of Ownership. Palo Alto Networks showed higher performance with security services enabled and lower cost for every appliance compared to similar Fortinet products, with cost per Mbps.
Independent third-party testing continues to establish that Palo Alto Networks ML-Powered NGFWs have clear competitive leadership in the cybersecurity industry. Previously, Miercom has tested and published results on new fourth-generation ML-Powered NGFWs in these reports, which confirmed leadership performance for the PA-Series in distributed enterprise, as well as large enterprise and data center use cases.
Firewall datasheets come in different shapes and sizes, and they can include misconceptions that don’t mesh with real-world requirements. Datasheet performance testing under laboratory conditions has been used by some vendors to inflate performance numbers. This is echoed by the authors of the Miercom report who state that, “We find datasheet claims do not show results of real world deployments, or sometimes even with security services turned on, thus giving a false impression of protection and performance capabilities. Miercom used each product as any customer would, providing objective and practical results.”
Transparency in performance testing arm security professionals with the most accurate data to ensure they can make the right decisions. Watch Security Speakeasy: Debunking the Firewall Datasheet to learn how to read firewall datasheets.
With real world traffic and security services enabled, the Miercom report confirms the PA-3400 Series and PA-5400 Series are of a higher value and lower overall cost compared to their competition. The launch of these two series of ML-Powered NGFWs extends Palo Alto Networks leadership in network security for large campus and data center use cases. To learn more about the newly launched PA-3400 Series and PA-5400 Series and how they secure their key use-cases, watch our latest on-demand webinar, Industry Firsts in Campus and Data Center Security.
Read the full report to find out what was tested and how. Make sure you’re getting uncompromising network security with the PA-3400 Series and PA-5400 Series.