PA-Series Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) are designed to address modern threats and hybrid environments rather than just ports and protocols. Key differences from traditional firewalls and legacy tools: 1. **Inline machine learning and deep learning** - The PA-Series uses inline ML and deep learning to stop more zero-day attacks in real time than legacy vendors. - Threat detection to prevention happens in about **10 seconds**, which is stated as **180x faster** than competing products. 2. **Single Pass Architecture for predictable performance** - All security functions (App-ID, IPS, URL filtering, DNS Security, DLP, SaaS Security, etc.) are processed in a **single pass**. - You can **add cloud-delivered security services (CDSS)** without additional performance impact, so you don’t have to choose between security and throughput. - Performance metrics are maintained with services enabled, which is different from multi-pass architectures that lose significant throughput when you turn on security features. 3. **Zero Trust by design** - Natively integrated **User-ID, App-ID, and Device-ID** let you build **least-privilege policies** based on user, application, and device posture instead of just IP and port. - These identifiers are always on, enabling **continuous trust verification** as user behavior, device posture, or app function changes. 4. **Broad platform coverage** - Available as **hardware firewalls** (e.g., PA-400, PA-1400, PA-3400, PA-5400 series), **software firewalls**, **VM-Series** for private/public clouds, and **Cloud NGFW**. - Same core capabilities across form factors, so you can protect **branch offices, data centers, public cloud, private cloud, and SaaS** with consistent policies. 5. **Operational simplicity and unified management** - **Strata Cloud Manager**, **Panorama**, and built-in **AIOps** provide unified management and monitoring across hardware and software firewalls and Prisma SASE. - Feature parity and a consistent user experience across platforms help reduce operational complexity and configuration errors. 6. **Independent validation and market recognition** - **11-time Leader** in the **Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls**. - Leader in **Forrester Zero Trust eXtended Ecosystem Platform Providers Wave** and **Forrester Wave: Enterprise Firewalls, Q4 2024**, with high scores in areas like policy creation, automation, FWaaS, SASE, SD-WAN, and IoT/OT. - Recognized in WAN edge and SASE (including Frost & Sullivan’s Global Company of the Year Award for SASE SD-WAN and Gartner’s Single Vendor SASE Magic Quadrant leadership). - Third-party tests (e.g., Miercom, SecureIQlab) show higher throughput with services enabled, better prevention of Cobalt Strike C2 traffic, and lower total cost per protected Mbps. Overall, PA-Series NGFWs are built to reimagine firewalling around applications, users, devices, and continuous inspection, while keeping performance and operations manageable at scale.

Single Pass Architecture is central to how PA-Series firewalls deliver consistent performance and better economics when security services are turned on. **What Single Pass Architecture does** 1. **Scan it all, scan it once** - All relevant security functions—App-ID, IPS, Advanced URL Filtering, DNS Security, Content-ID, DLP, SaaS Security, malware analysis, decryption, User-ID, Device-ID—are processed in a **single pass** through the engine. - This avoids multiple, separate processing stages (multi-pass) that each re-handle the same traffic. 2. **No extra performance penalty for more services** - You can **add cloud-delivered security services (CDSS)** without incurring additional performance degradation beyond what’s in the datasheet. - Performance remains **predictable** even when you enable multiple services or bundles. **Performance and TCO outcomes** 1. **Higher throughput with services enabled** - Miercom testing shows **PA-400 Series** performance is up to **6x better** than comparable Fortinet devices when services are enabled. - PA-3400 and PA-5400 ML-powered NGFWs offer up to **1.3x higher throughput** with security services turned on compared to competitors. 2. **Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)** - PA-400 Series delivers up to **9x lower TCO per protected Mbps** than Fortinet in Miercom tests. - Specific comparisons show multiple-fold performance advantages (e.g., 6.6x, 5.3x, 3.4x) and significantly lower TCO (e.g., 9.4x, 6.9x, 5.9x, 2.1x lower TCO depending on model pairing). 3. **Avoiding the security vs. performance trade-off** - Some legacy approaches lose **over 74% of advertised datasheet performance** when full security services are enabled, forcing teams to choose between protection and user experience. - With Single Pass Architecture, PA-Series is designed to keep **datasheet performance with services enabled**, which is important for always-on inspection in a Zero Trust model. 4. **Better ROI over time** - The platform includes **AIOps, Security Lifecycle Reviews (SLR), Policy Optimizer, and Best Practice Assessments (BPA)** to continuously improve posture and utilization. - A referenced Forrester TEI study cites **247% ROI**, **30% less time** to reach a proper security posture, and a **45% reduction in breach risk** due to consistent policies and simplified operations. In practice, Single Pass Architecture helps you run full security all the time, maintain predictable performance, and reduce cost per protected Mbps, which is especially important as traffic volumes and security requirements grow.

PA-Series firewalls are built to support a Zero Trust approach and hybrid environments where users, apps, and data are distributed across on-premises and cloud. **1. Foundational Zero Trust components built in** - **User-ID, App-ID, Device-ID** are natively integrated and always on. - This lets you create **least-privilege policies** based on who the user is, what application they’re accessing, and the device posture, rather than just IP and port. - The system **continuously assesses trust** as user behavior, device state, or application function changes. **2. Real-time protection against advanced threats** - **ML-powered NGFW with inline deep learning** is designed to prevent highly evasive threats and “patient zero” scenarios in real time. - It blocks more zero-day attacks in-line than legacy vendors and detects new malicious websites using AI every day. - In SecureIQlab testing, the platform prevented a significantly higher percentage of **Cobalt Strike command-and-control traffic** than some competitors (e.g., 20% and 13% prevention rates cited for specific competing vendors). **3. Coverage for any user, any app, anywhere** - The network security platform spans: - **Hardware firewalls** (PA-400, PA-1400, PA-3400, PA-5400 series) for branches, data centers, and network perimeter. - **VM-Series** and **software firewalls** for private and public clouds. - **Cloud NGFW** and **cloud-delivered firewall services** for cloud-native environments. - Integration with **Prisma SASE** and **SD-WAN** for secure access to SaaS and internet from branch and remote users. - This allows you to apply **consistent Zero Trust policies** across internet, private cloud, data center, public cloud, and SaaS applications. **4. Unified identity and management across hybrid environments** - **Cloud Identity Engine** unifies identity across on-premises and cloud identity providers, simplifying policy creation and enforcement. - **Strata Cloud Manager** and **Panorama** provide centralized, feature-parity management for PAN-OS firewalls (hardware and software) and Prisma SASE. - A single, consistent user experience and policy model reduces operational overhead and misconfigurations. **5. Independent validation of the platform approach** - Recognized as a **Leader** in: - **Gartner Magic Quadrant for Network Firewalls** (11-time Leader). - **Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure** and **Single Vendor SASE**. - **Forrester Zero Trust Network Access New Wave** and **Forrester Zero Trust eXtended Ecosystem Platform Providers Wave**. - **Forrester Wave: Enterprise Firewalls, Q4 2024**, with top ranking in the Current Offering category and high scores in areas like automation, FWaaS, SASE, SD-WAN, and IoT/OT. **6. Designed to improve security posture over time** - Built-in **Precision AI** and AIOps use data from ML, deep learning, and AI models to automate tasks and highlight risk. - Tools like **SLR, Policy Optimizer, and BPA** help you refine policies, close gaps, and align with best practices. - A Forrester TEI study attributes **247% ROI**, **30% faster time** to reach proper security posture, and a **45% reduction in breach risk** to this platform approach. For organizations moving toward Zero Trust and operating across data centers, branches, and multiple clouds, the PA-Series provides a consistent, ML-powered security layer with unified identity, policy, and management to support that strategy.