6 Reasons to Learn Palo Alto Firewalls

Things are always changing in the fast-paced world of IT, but one of the few constants is the need to keep networks protected against threats, viruses-and end-users. Firewalls play a vital role in keeping networks secure, and Palo Alto's next-generation firewall is one to keep your eye on.

Here are six reasons you should start learning how to configure, deploy, and maintain Palo Alto firewalls.

1. Expand your skill set. If you're an IT pro, it's important to have IT security training under your belt. Distinguish yourself by getting up to speed with the latest in firewall technology.

Palo Alto got a bad rap for their "rip and replace" selling strategy back in the day, but their products actually play well with traditional stateful firewalls. Hybrid strategies are often implemented to supplement traditional IDS features. Expand your skill set with Palo Alto training because you might end up seein Palo Alto more in the future.

2. Palo Alto is gaining traction. Palo Alto is quickly emerging as a force in the firewall-sphere. J.P. Morgan estimates the company's market share could triple to 24 percent by 2024. You could get ahead of the explosion by learning how to implement and maintain this firewall now.

3. Protect against the unknown. Many IT security solutions focus on preventing or detecting known threats, whereas Palo Alto goes after the unknown. How does it do it? It uses an integrated and automated platform that can detect activity through an attack's entire lifecycle. (Keith Barker loves this feature.)

4. Increased flexibility. Traditionally, when it came to apps you either had to block the app to eliminate risks, or allow access to the app and hope for the best. That's no longer the case with Palo Alto's firewall. It can analyze an entire app and then allow access to only certain parts. For example, a user could be allowed to view and post on Facebook, but not chat or play games.

5. Ideal for enterprise networks of all sizes. If you've been around for a while, you'll likely remember when Palo Alto didn't have a "small" firewall. That's changed. Palo Alto offers different sizes of appliances, and no matter the size they're all feature-rich and highly customizable.

6. It's surprisingly easy to use. In addition to a user-friendly GUI, Palo Alto enables admins to set up and complete tasks in a logical fashion. Say, for instance, you need to set up a security policy. You simply move left to right across a window's tabs from 'General' to 'Actions,' and voila! Before you know it, the task is completed!

Ready to conquer Palo Alto's firewall? Start watching Keith Barker's Palo Alto Networks Firewall course!