Palo Alto Networks Buys Console for Agentic Security

Palo Alto Networks is folding a promising AI-native startup into its security platform. On Tuesday, the company said it has acquired Console, an AI-native platform that lets organizations automate operational tasks and build agentic workflows using natural language. The move is designed to give security teams at Palo Alto Networks customers the ability to describe an objective in plain language and let AI agents handle the analysis and actions needed to achieve it, including resolving alerts, issues, and requests at machine speed.

What Console Brings to Cortex

Console’s technology is aimed at helping organizations build agentic workflows that can investigate signals, prioritize work, and automatically take action across enterprise environments. Palo Alto Networks said Console will deepen the agentic capabilities of its Cortex platform, which is used by security operations teams to respond to threats.

The acquisition comes as the cybersecurity industry increasingly embraces AI agents to handle routine security tasks, and Palo Alto Networks has been investing heavily in AI-powered security. CEO Nikesh Arora said the deal will allow customers to have a direct conversation with data and build agentic workflows in natural language that helps alert and remediate issues automatically.

“By bringing Console into Palo Alto Networks, our customers can have a direct conversation with data and build agentic workflows in natural language that helps alert and remediate issues automatically.”

— Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks

Financial Terms Not Disclosed

Palo Alto Networks did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction. The acquisition announcement came alongside the company’s financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended July 31.

The company reported revenue of $3.41 billion for the quarter, up 34% year over year. Remaining performance obligations, a measure of future revenue, rose 34% to $21.2 billion. Palo Alto Networks said it added nearly $1 billion in net new next-generation security ARR during the quarter.

Earnings and Outlook

The company reported a GAAP net loss of $282 million, or 35 cents per diluted share, compared with net income of $254 million in the year-ago quarter. The loss likely reflects costs related to the acquisition or other one-time items.

Looking ahead, Palo Alto Networks expects fiscal 2027 revenue of between $14.1 billion and $14.2 billion, representing growth of 23% to 24%. That outlook signals continued strong demand for its security products, including its AI-driven offerings.

Why It Matters

The acquisition could have implications for how security teams use AI agents. By integrating Console into Cortex, Palo Alto Networks is betting that natural-language-driven workflows will become a key part of security operations, enabling faster response times and reducing the manual burden on analysts.

For businesses, this suggests that AI agents will increasingly be used to automate security tasks, potentially reshaping how security teams operate. The deal also underscores the competitive pressure on security vendors to add AI agent capabilities to their platforms, which could lead to more acquisitions in this space.

While the impact will depend on how well Palo Alto Networks integrates Console, the move reflects a broader trend toward AI-driven security operations. Security leaders should watch how these tools evolve, as they could change the way alerts are investigated and remediated.