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MIERCOM REPORT

# 8x better performance. Lower TCO. AI-ready NGFWs.

## Independent testing. Undeniable results.

With AI and API traffic dominating modern networks, security must process encrypted flows without creating a bottleneck. Miercom recently conducted independent assessments, putting our PA-500 Series head to head against Fortinet in real-world scenarios.

The results for the PA-500 Series were decisive:

* **Massive AI throughput:** 2x to 8x the throughput of equivalent Fortinet models in AI-heavy workloads like OpenAI and DeepSeek.

* **Architectural stability:** 100% flawless operation when competitors failed. Avoids Conserve Mode and memory exhaustion.

* **High-fidelity encrypted traffic inspection:** Faster, more reliable processing of TLSv1.2 and 1.3 traffic to protect data.

* **30% to 60% lower TCO:** Unmatched hardware efficiency delivers a lower cost per protected Mbps.

* **Enterprise-grade scalability:** Specialized protocols like FIX and SMBv2 run at full speed, avoiding the severe throughput drops seen in Fortinet devices.

Dive into the Miercom data side by side, and discover how to modernize your network with the definitive, cost-effective NGFW.  
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## See the results now.

[Download now](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/content/dam/pan/en_US/assets/pdf/Miercom%20Palo%20Alto%20NGFW%20Competitive%20Performance%20DR251029C.pdf?ts=markdown)  
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