CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Aqua Security vs Palo Alto Networks

Aqua Security sells a cloud native application protection platform that secures applications from development through production, along with a Secure AI product for AI applications. Palo Alto Networks sells network security, security operations, cloud security, identity security, AI security and observability platforms, along with threat intelligence and incident response services. CISO Tribune files both under Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP). This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Aqua Security
  • Palo Alto Networks
Aqua Security vs Palo Alto Networks: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Aqua SecurityAqua Security sells a cloud native application protection platform that secures applications from development through production, along with a Secure AI product for AI applications.aquasec.comPalo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks sells network security, security operations, cloud security, identity security, AI security and observability platforms, along with threat intelligence and incident response services.paloaltonetworks.com
What it sells
  • Aqua Security PlatformCloud native application protection platform for development through production.
  • Strata[1][12][21]A network security platform built for Zero Trust and powered by AI.
  • Next-Generation Firewalls[20]Physical appliances and virtualized firewalls that can be managed with Panorama.
  • Cortex XSIAM[22]A security operations platform used by Abraxas.
  • Cortex XCOR[12]An AI-driven platform for observability.
  • Cortex Cloud[1][23]A cloud security product that unifies posture, runtime and investigation workflows.
  • Idira[1][11][12][25]An identity security product for human, machine and agentic identities.
  • Prisma AIRS[26][27]An AI security platform for enterprise AI applications and LLM deployments.
  • Prisma AIRS AI Gateway[27]A product that brings AI governance, identity and runtime controls together.
Categories
Headquarters
Boston, United States[1]Santa Clara, United States[24]
Founded
2015[1][5]2005[4][24]
Ownership and funding
Privately held[4][5][6]Public (NASDAQ: PANW)[2][9][13][15][18][19][21][22][30][32][33]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
  • Village Roadshow[5]
  • Banco Inter[6]
  • State of Louisiana[7]
  • Boyne Resorts[8]
Recent news
  • February 12, 2026Aqua Security announced the next phase of its company transformation, centered on helping enterprises reduce cloud risk faster.[8]
  • September 22, 2026Palo Alto Networks announced a new service that lets enterprises continuously find and fix exposures before attackers weaponize them.[17]
  • September 1, 2026Palo Alto Networks acquired Console, an AI-native platform that adds agentic capabilities to security operations workflows.[9]
  • September 1, 2026Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of $3.41 billion, up 34% year over year.[10]
  • May 29, 2026Palo Alto Networks announced it has closed its acquisition of Portkey, a company focused on AI Gateways.[30]
  • May 12, 2026Palo Alto Networks launched Idira, an identity security platform for discovering, controlling and governing human, machine and agentic identities.[11]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen November 4, 2026[19]
Who it fits
From its own pages, Aqua Security sells mainly to organizations running cloud native applications and workloads in containers, Kubernetes, serverless functions and VMs. Aqua Security says its platform covers public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, including air gapped settings. Secure AI is aimed at teams running AI applications on Kubernetes and IBM Z mainframes.From its own pages, Palo Alto Networks sells network security for branch offices, data centers, public cloud environments and mobile networks. Its customer stories name a tire manufacturer headquartered in India and a provider of IT solutions for the public sector in Switzerland. That provider has state and local government organisations under management. Its pages describe operational technology security for networks that manage physical hardware across manufacturing plants and water utilities, and cover healthcare delivery organizations such as hospitals and clinics.
Last verified
September 27, 2026October 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks are both filed under Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP).
  • Both are headquartered in the United States.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Aqua Security's primary category is Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP); Palo Alto Networks's is Firewalls and NGFW.
  • Aqua Security is also filed under Cloud workload protection and Software supply chain security. Palo Alto Networks is also filed under EDR and XDR and Privileged access management.
  • Aqua Security lists Aqua Security Platform. Palo Alto Networks lists Strata, Next-Generation Firewalls, Cortex XSIAM, Cortex XCOR, Cortex Cloud and 3 more.
  • Aqua Security is headquartered in Boston, United States. Palo Alto Networks is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States.
  • Aqua Security was founded in 2015. Palo Alto Networks was founded in 2005.
  • Aqua Security is privately held. Palo Alto Networks is a public company listed on NASDAQ as PANW.
  • Palo Alto Networks publicly names Village Roadshow, Banco Inter, State of Louisiana and Boyne Resorts.

What it sells: Aqua Security

What Aqua Security Platform does
The Aqua Security Platform connects risk in code and images with live workload behavior. Aqua Security says it brings together application risk, runtime visibility, threat detection, prevention and response.

What it sells: Palo Alto Networks

What Strata does[1][12][21]
Palo Alto Networks says the Strata Network Security Platform is built for Zero Trust and powered by AI. Palo Alto Networks says Strata proactively monitors, analyzes and prevents sophisticated threats in real time.
What Next-Generation Firewalls does[20]
Palo Alto Networks offers next-generation firewalls as physical appliances and virtualized firewalls. They can be managed individually or centrally using Panorama, and Strata Cloud Manager supports them. Palo Alto Networks says its NGFW uses App-ID technology to classify applications across all ports.
What Cortex XSIAM does[22]
Abraxas says Cortex XSIAM unites SIEM and EDR in one integrated solution. Cortex XSIAM provides SecOps across 3,000 clients and in-house Abraxas devices.
What Prisma AIRS does[26][27]
Prisma AIRS is an AI security platform designed to secure the entire enterprise AI ecosystem and to protect AI applications and LLM deployments. Prisma AIRS offers deployment modes such as Network Intercept and API Intercept.
What Prisma AIRS AI Gateway does[27]
Prisma AIRS AI Gateway brings AI governance, identity and runtime controls together in one place. Prisma AIRS AI Gateway intercepts and optimizes agentic traffic while inspecting and securing communications to protect agents from attacks.

Questions about Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks

What do Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks sell?
Aqua Security sells Aqua Security Platform. Palo Alto Networks sells Strata, Next-Generation Firewalls, Cortex XSIAM, Cortex XCOR, Cortex Cloud and 3 more.
Are Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks in the same category?
They share Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP). Aqua Security's primary category is Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP) and Palo Alto Networks's is Firewalls and NGFW.
Where are Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks headquartered?
Aqua Security is headquartered in Boston, United States. Palo Alto Networks is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States.
When were Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks founded?
Aqua Security was founded in 2015. Palo Alto Networks was founded in 2005.
Who owns Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks?
Aqua Security is privately held. Palo Alto Networks is a public company listed on NASDAQ as PANW.
Which customers do Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks name?
Palo Alto Networks publicly names Village Roadshow, Banco Inter, State of Louisiana and Boyne Resorts.
Who are Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks sold to?
From its own pages, Aqua Security sells mainly to organizations running cloud native applications and workloads in containers, Kubernetes, serverless functions and VMs. From its own pages, Palo Alto Networks sells network security for branch offices, data centers, public cloud environments and mobile networks.
What have Aqua Security and Palo Alto Networks announced recently?
February 12, 2026: Aqua Security announced the next phase of its company transformation, centered on helping enterprises reduce cloud risk faster. September 22, 2026: Palo Alto Networks announced a new service that lets enterprises continuously find and fix exposures before attackers weaponize them.

About Aqua Security

Aqua Security sells a cloud native application protection platform that secures applications from development through production, along with a Secure AI product for AI applications. Aqua Security says its platform brings together application risk, runtime visibility, threat detection, prevention and response.

Aqua Security describes the problem it addresses as follows: sensors collect and report back for a human to act on, and security teams are flooded with alerts they cannot prioritize because they lack production context. Aqua Security also says scanning only finds what is already known. Aqua Security says its platform turns runtime insight into inline enforcement, denying unauthorized actions at the point of execution.

The Aqua Security platform connects risk in code and images with live workload behavior. Aqua Security says it filters vulnerability risk based on what is actually executing in the workload, and that it applies compensating controls at runtime to stop exploitation without waiting for a patch. Aqua Security says its agent-based architecture enforces protection locally, even when environments are disconnected or air gapped.

Secure AI is the Aqua Security product for AI applications. Secure AI finds the AI models running in applications and protects them at two layers, blocking prompt injection and jailbreaks and denying supported actions such as credential theft or data exfiltration inside the workload. Secure AI also discovers AI models, providers, frameworks and versions in use across workloads, and lets security teams authorize specific AI services and models. Aqua Security says Secure AI scans repositories and CI/CD pipelines for undocumented AI use.

Secure AI is delivered without an application SDK or code rewrite. Runtime protection for the workload runs through the Aquasec Enforcer, the same component that protects containers and Kubernetes. Secure AI protects AI applications in containers and Kubernetes across public cloud, private cloud, hybrid and on premises environments, including containerized AI on IBM Z mainframes. Through a partnership with Akamai, Akamai Firewall for AI Applications adds prompt and output analysis at the edge.

Aqua Security says it protects cloud native applications and workloads across public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, across containers, Kubernetes and other cloud native workloads. Aqua Security describes its integrations as covering clouds, container and serverless platforms, CI/CD pipelines, registries, DevOps tools and orchestrators, through to Security, SIEM and Analytics.

Aqua Security describes itself as one of the most established Israeli cybersecurity companies.[2][3]

Aqua Security on the record

Sources

Aqua Security full record

  1. [1]60m additional fundingAqua Security · aquasec.com · published January 3, 2024 · Tier A
  2. [2]Aqua cloud native security platformAqua Security · aquasec.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]aquasec.comAqua Security · aquasec.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Aqua security hires datto veteran as cmo eyes potential ipoAqua Security · aquasec.com · published July 27, 2021 · Tier A
  5. [5]Aqua Cloud Native Security, Container & Serverless SecurityAqua Security · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Secure AI: AI Application Security | AquasecAqua Security · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Aqua Security Announces Leadership Transition as Company Enters Its Next Phase of GrowthAqua Security · published November 6, 2025 · Tier A
  8. [8]Aqua Security Doubles Down on Runtime to Deliver Measurable Cloud Risk ReductionAqua Security · published February 12, 2026 · Tier A

Palo Alto Networks full record

  1. [1]paloaltonetworks.comPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Palo alto networks to announce fiscal second quarter 2026 financial results on tuesday february 17 2026Palo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published February 3, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Panw 20250731Palo Alto Networks via SEC EDGAR · sec.gov · published July 31, 2025 · Tier A
  4. [4]Palo alto networks global identity operations faqPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Village roadshow fortifies entertainment empire with ai powered cybersecurityPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Banco inter resolves cases faster with cortex xsiamPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Louisiana scales security using ai driven cortex xsiamPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Boyne resorts achieves game changing soc improvements with cortex xsiam and unit 42 mdrPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Palo alto networks acquires console to agentify securityPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published September 1, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Palo alto networks reports fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year 2026 financial resultsPalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published September 1, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Palo alto networks introduces idira the next generation identity security platform built for the ai enterprisePalo Alto Networks · paloaltonetworks.com · published May 12, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Leader in Cybersecurity Protection & Software for the Modern Enterprises - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Advanced Threat Prevention - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Legitimate SaaS Platforms Being Used to Host Phishing AttacksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Palo Alto Networks Completes Chronosphere Acquisition, Unifying Observability and Security for the AI EraPalo Alto Networks · published January 29, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Palo Alto Networks to Acquire Portkey to Secure the Rise of AI AgentsPalo Alto Networks · published April 30, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Palo Alto Networks Delivers Anthropic's Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 to Customers with Unit 42 Continuous Frontier AI DefensePalo Alto Networks · published September 22, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls Reviews & Product DetailsG2 · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier C
  19. [19]Palo Alto Networks Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 - GartnerGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 27, 2026 · Tier C
  20. [20]Next-Generation Firewalls - Product Selection - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Next-Generation Firewalls - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  22. [22]Abraxas unlocks agile, AI-powered SecOps across the Swiss public sector using Cortex XSIAM - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  23. [23]Navigate the Cortex Cloud Runtime Security docs | Cortex Documentation PortalPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  24. [24]Apollo Tyres unifies security and slashes MTTR with Palo Alto Networks - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  25. [25]Authorized Training Partners - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  26. [26]Prisma AIRS - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  27. [27]The AI Control Plane for the Enterprise - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  28. [28]What Is Healthcare Cybersecurity? - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  29. [29]What Is OT Security? Definition, Architecture & Guide - Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  30. [30]Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of Portkey to Secure AI AgentsPalo Alto Networks · published May 29, 2026 · Tier A
  31. [31]Palo Alto Networks Announces Intent to Acquire Koi to Secure the Agentic EndpointPalo Alto Networks · published February 17, 2026 · Tier A
  32. [32]Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of CyberArk to Secure the AI EraPalo Alto Networks · published February 11, 2026 · Tier A
  33. [33]Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of Koi to Secure the Agentic EndpointPalo Alto Networks · published April 14, 2026 · Tier A

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