Zscaler vs Palo Alto Networks
Zscaler and Palo Alto Networks are both evaluated in the CIOPages Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Buyer's Guide. The guide groups Zscaler under SSE-Native and Palo Alto Networks under Platform.
| Attribute | Zscaler | Palo Alto Networks (Next-Gen CASB) |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | SSE-Native | Platform |
| Best for | Zscaler SASE customers adding SaaS data security and posture management inside an edge they already run | Palo Alto-standardized enterprises wanting CASB unified with NGFW, SASE, and a single enterprise DLP engine |
From the Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Buyer's Guide, updated June 2026. 8 vendors evaluated.
Zscaler
Buy this because you already run the Zscaler edge, not on its CASB merits alone. The multimode coverage is genuinely complete — inline control through Zscaler Internet Access, an out-of-band SaaS Security API for at-rest scanning, SaaS Security Posture Management, and strong shadow-IT discovery — and the tight coupling to ZPA makes a zero-trust edge that holds up at scale. A perennial SSE Magic Quadrant Leader. What you give up is independence: API-mode connector depth has historically trailed the API-first specialists, bundling can obscure the CASB line item, and the value assumes broad commitment to the Zscaler edge.
Palo Alto Networks (Next-Gen CASB)
Palo Alto’s play is one policy fabric rather than one product. Next-Generation CASB (CASB-X) ships SaaS Security Inline, SaaS Security API, SSPM, and Enterprise DLP as an integrated module of Prisma Access, with WildFire threat prevention and AI Access Security covering GenAI apps — and the same DLP and policy fabric spans NGFW, SASE, and CASB. An SSE platform and the broadest single-vendor SASE. That integration only pays if you go all in: as a point CASB it is far less compelling, and the breadth you are buying arrives with licensing and operational complexity attached.
Also evaluated in this guide
Broadcom / Symantec CloudSOC, Cisco Cloudlock / Umbrella, Forcepoint ONE, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, Netskope, Skyhigh Security
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Editors choose the vendors and write the evaluations. Paying CIOPages does not change how a vendor is covered. Editorial policy