Security teams need to stop threats without slowing people down. That challenge grows as users connect from more locations, applications move across clouds and AI introduces new risks. How well can today’s security service edge (SSE) solutions deliver both protection and operational simplicity?
Today, we’re proud to share that Palo Alto Networks was positioned as the only Leader in the 2026 Security Service Edge Independent CyberRisk Validation Comparative Report from SecureIQLab. Prisma® Access achieved the highest overall scores among the five SSE solutions tested: 96.5% Security Efficacy and 100% Operational Efficiency.
We believe these results demonstrate what modern security service edge should deliver: strong protection, simplified operations and seamless user experience.
Putting SSE Protection to the Test
SecureIQLab evaluated five SSE solutions using a standardized methodology that covered the four core security pillars: Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Secure Web Gateway (SWG). Testing also assessed operational efficiency and false-positive avoidance.
The security evaluation included 1,725 test cases spanning remote users, branch offices, SaaS and GenAI applications, public-cloud services and private enterprise resources. Each solution was configured by SecureIQLab using vendor-recommended best practices and publicly available documentation.
Leading Across Security and Operations
Prisma Access delivered consistently strong results across the evaluation:
- 96.5% overall Security Efficacy, compared with the 77.4% group average
- 100% Operational Efficiency, compared with the 82.2% group average
- 99.6% FWaaS protection, with perfect results in six of seven categories
- 91.7% CASB protection, the highest score in the evaluation
- 100% ZTNA, passing all nine tested access-control scenarios
- 94.5% SWG Security Efficacy, including the highest score for advanced “patient zero” threat
Prisma Access also achieved a 98.5% false positive avoidance rate, demonstrating that strong threat protection need not disrupt legitimate work.
Protection That Works Without Getting in the Way
These results speak to an everyday security challenge: helping an employee access a critical SaaS application while giving the security team the controls to reduce risk.
Prisma Access is built to deliver consistent Zero Trust protection across users, applications and data, supported by unified policy, comprehensive visibility and simplified operations. The validation offers a way to examine how those security and operational capabilities performed under SecureIQLab’s test conditions.
Raising the Bar for SSE
As AI changes how people and applications interact, enterprises need security that keeps pace with emerging threats without adding operational complexity. This validation is an encouraging milestone, and we’re grateful to the customers and partners who continue to challenge us to do better. Our focus remains on helping organizations protect users, applications and data as the way they work evolves.
Download the SecureIQLab report to explore the complete results.
The report was commissioned by Palo Alto Networks. SecureIQLab tested the products and configurations described in the report between April and July 2026. Results reflect the specific methodology, product versions, configurations and scenarios evaluated and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of performance in other environments.