Palo Alto Networks

A US cybersecurity company with a London office, offering network, cloud and AI-driven security products and a structured early-career programme.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is a cybersecurity company. It sells security for networks (the connections between computers), cloud systems and endpoints (laptops, phones and other devices), and runs a threat research and response team called Unit 42. Its products include firewalls, which act like security guards for network traffic, plus Prisma for cloud and secure access and Cortex, an AI-based platform for spotting and responding to attacks (per Wikipedia).

The company was founded in 2005 by Nir Zuk and Rajiv Batra. Zuk was an engineer at Check Point and NetScreen and had led software development in the Israeli Intelligence Corps Unit 8200. It is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Nikesh Arora, previously at SoftBank, joined as chairman and chief executive in June 2018. In 2014 it co-founded the Cyber Threat Alliance, a not-for-profit where members share threat information "for the greater good".

Its careers site describes its goal as protecting "our digital way of life" and says it aims to "disrupt the cybersecurity status quo". We did not find a longer formal mission or values statement.

Unit 42 is the company's threat intelligence and security consulting team. It studies new malware and hacking groups and publishes technical reports; Wikipedia credits it with finding the Gorgon hacking group in 2018 and, in 2020, it merged with the Crypsis Group, a digital forensics and incident response firm. From 2018 the company also began opening cybersecurity training facilities under its Global Cyber Range Initiative. A 2025 graduate listing placed the Associate Systems Engineer role in London, in the office, and said staff generally work in the office three days a week. We did not find UK headcount or other UK offices.

For young people, the early-in-career page lists several routes: a 12-week summer internship, a year-long global LEAP programme, the Unit 42 Academy (year-long, training Associate Consultants towards Unit 42 consultant roles), a Product Management Academy (two 12-month rotations), an Inside Sales Academy (year-long, for business development representatives) and a Sales Engineering Academy (two years). It says candidates can come from a degree, a bootcamp or self-study, and that "you don't need security expertise" for engineering and sales roles, just skills and passion. It describes support from managers, mentors and an Early Talent team, and offers mentoring, networking and professional development (company claims). The page ties no programme to a country and no pay is published. The 2025 London Associate Systems Engineer programme was 24 months, for graduates with a four-year degree, and did not sponsor visas; that listing has closed.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Firewalls and tools that guard company networks.', 'title': 'Network security'}
• {'desc': 'Protecting cloud systems and secure access.', 'title': 'Cloud security (Prisma)'}
• {'desc': 'AI-based platform for detecting and responding to attacks.', 'title': 'Security operations (Cortex)'}
• {'desc': 'Threat research, consulting and incident response.', 'title': 'Unit 42'}

Key facts

• Founded: 2005 by Nir Zuk and Rajiv Batra
• Headquarters: Santa Clara, California; chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora since 2018
• Early-career routes: 12-week internship, LEAP, and Unit 42, Product Management, Inside Sales and Sales Engineering academies
• 2025 London Associate Systems Engineer programme lasted 24 months (listing closed)
• Office attendance: three days a week (2025 London listing)

Website: www.paloaltonetworks.com