WildFire: Cloud-based malware analysis for zero-day threats. 
Advanced Threat Prevention: This is a core security service within Palo Alto NGFWs that provides protection against exploits.
AutoFocus: A threat intelligence service that provides in-depth context and analysis of threats.
Unit 42: Palo Alto Networks' threat intelligence team.

SophosLabs Threat Intelligence, integrated with Sophos Central, provides real-time threat intelligence and automated incident response across endpoints, firewalls, and cloud environments.

Signature-based IPS integrated with Threat Prevention and ML-based analysis.

Leverages signature-based detection and behavioral analysis to block known and unknown threats in real-time.

SSL Decryption with automated policy-based inspection.

SSL inspection to decrypt and scan encrypted traffic.

Zero Trust enforcement with user and application awareness (App-ID & User-ID).

Supports Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). uses a cloud-managed model, and it's tightly integrated with Sophos Central.

Prisma Access: Full cloud-based SASE architecture with Zero Trust controls.

Sophos Firewall integrates with Sophos Central for cloud-based management and supports SASE.

Cortex AI & ML-based threat detection.

AI-driven threat detection and automated response, including Security Heartbeat™.

Panorama centralized management with AI-driven policies.
Granular role-based access & segmentation.

Centralized management console integrated with Sophos Central.

Endpoint protection features like Cortex XDR require a separate agent installed on the endpoint device. The firewall itself operates independently without a local agent.

Users authenticate using a ZTNA agent installed on their endpoint (Windows/macOS).
Alternatively, agentless browser-based access can be used for web apps.

WildFire is a cloud-based malware analysis and prevention service that detects, analyzes, and blocks zero-day threats using machine learning and sandboxing techniques.

Sophos Sandstorm provides deep file analysis and protection against zero-day threats.

Cisco, Fortinet, Sonicwall. 

Fortinet, Cisco, Sonicwall.

Its user-friendly interface, flexible deployment options, and comprehensive feature set make it an attractive choice for businesses seeking robust security without the complexity and cost associated with larger enterprise solutions.​ It is a cost-efficient firewall solution which is good fit for small and mid-level organizations.

Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and SSL/TLS inspection with high throughput and low latency, maintaining stable performance with negligible packet loss even under elevated traffic conditions.

Includes global security coverage with support for Layer 7 (application layer) security policies. It can identify and control thousands of applications (even encrypted ones) using Layer 7 signatures and behavioral analysis. This lets admins apply granular security policies based on app types, categories, or specific behaviors.

While Sophos' sandbox feature is available and integrated into their firewall offerings, its effectiveness and performance may depend on the specific hardware used and the subscription level.​

Logging system is often lacking, making it difficult for administrators to track and troubleshoot issues effectively.