top of page
Kartikey S Gautam

Hypothesis

By offering a unified, user-friendly framework for discovering and managing third-party integrations, we can reduce time-to-value, boost adoption, and simplify the user experience.

Point of view

Integrations should empower users with seamless connections. Each integration must be simple, consistent, and scalable, ensuring quick setup without sacrificing security or efficiency.

Impact

  1. Faster Setup: Reduces configuration time, driving rapid adoption.

  2. Reduced Complexity: One framework lowers confusion and support overhead.

  3. Future-Proofing: Scalability accommodates evolving needs, protecting long-term ROI.

Customer Value

  1. Time Savings: Get value quickly and focus on strategic work.

  2. Clarity & Confidence: Consistent, secure workflows instill trust.

  3. Flexibility: Adapt or replace integrations as needs change, without disruption.

user flow.png

Paper Concept

Low-fi Wireframe 

High-fi Screens

Project Goal

  • Develop a unified, scalable framework to enable seamless integration of third-party services with PANW products.

  • Ensure the framework supports a wide range of third-party integrations, addressing diverse functionalities and user needs.

  • Create a guideline document to help internal teams design and implement integrations consistently, maintaining a cohesive user experience.

  • Enhance overall product functionality and user satisfaction through smooth, reliable integrations.

Shared goals (1)_edited.jpg
Features Overview (1)_edited.jpg
Project Overview

At Palo Alto Networks, the integration experience across products and services was fragmented, with no single source of information like a centralized tech doc or marketplace. As the company moved toward SCM platformization unifying multiple products and services into a cohesive platform the network security team took the opportunity to develop a consistent integration framework to deliver a seamless, scalable, and user-friendly experience across all third-party integrations.

product.png
Product

  • Strata Cloud Manager

  • Security Platform

  • Web Application 

duration_10134588.png
Duration

  • 3 Months

  • Oct,24-Jan 2025

teamwork_4014917.png
Team

  • Design Lead

  • 2 UX Designer 

  • UX/UI Designer (Me)

  • 2 PMs

settings_1822414.png
Tools
figma icon.png
asana l.png
pe_edited.jpg
worker_3473760.png
My Contribution

As a UX/UI designer, I was responsible for conducting competitor analysis, researching existing third-party integrations within the organization, sharing research insights with the team, and creating low-fidelity wireframes, along with other design tasks.

Integration for Impact: Designing Unified Third-Party Integration Experiences

(A Platformization Project case study)

An integration connects two or more systems, allowing them to share information seamlessly. In network security, third-party integrations with tools like threat intelligence, IAM, and SIEM enhance functionality, automate processes, and provide a unified, scalable, and efficient view of threats.

The Solution

A consolidated SCM integration framework will unify third-party and internal product integrations, centralize information, and standardize workflows. This will deliver a seamless, scalable experience for customers while enabling Palo Alto Networks to drive upsell and cross-sell opportunities.

Innovation_edited.jpg
Problem solving (1)_edited.jpg

The Problem Statement

The integration experience across products and services is currently fragmented. A consolidated SCM integration framework is needed to seamlessly connect with customer products and services, enabling Palo Alto Networks to deliver a unified experience while supporting upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

Key Activities:

Exploring Integration: We focused on third-party integrations, researching their types to understand how they work and identify the key building blocks that make up each integration.

Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews were conducted with all key direct and indirect stakeholders to gather comprehensive insights.

Survey: We conducted a survey with Sales Engineers to gain insights into the challenges customers face with the current integration.

Competitive Analysis: We reviewed leading security companies to analyze their third-party integration approaches and identify best practices.

Identifying Challenges and Opportunities

In the Discovery Phase, we identified challenges and opportunities to inform design decisions for the SCM third-party integration dashboard, with the goal of delivering a unified and seamless user experience.

Third party integration

Third-party integrations enable a product to connect and work seamlessly with external services or components not built in-house, typically via APIs. They can link applications within an organization or connect the organization’s product with third-party applications used by clients and prospects.

Example
A third-party SD-WAN integration with Palo Alto Networks might include:

  • Object Properties: API Key, Password, Connectivity status, Status info, Version, RBAC, Logo etc.

  • Object Relationships: Prerequisites, Dependencies, Licensing.

  • Object CTAs: Test Connection, Install/Uninstall, Configure, Monitor.

Building Blocks of Integrations

  • APIs & Authentication: Enable secure communication with external services.

  • Data Mapping & Transformation: Ensure compatibility between systems.

  • Event Triggers & Webhooks: Notify relevant changes or actions.

  • Error Handling & Logging: Track issues and support troubleshooting.

  • Testing & Validation: Verify correct functionality and data flow.

  • Documentation & Support: Provide guides, sample code, and SDKs.

  • UI & Monitoring: Dashboards and controls to manage integrations and track performance.

  • Dependencies & Prerequisites: Define requirements and conditions for smooth integration.

Identified Integrations within SCM.png

Identified Integrations within SCM (Palo Alto Networks) 

We researched and identified existing and potential integrations in SCM, collecting data from Pendo metrics to understand upcoming integrations planned for future feature releases.

Currently Available:

  • ServiceNow – ITSM (Incident Framework)

  • Cloud Integrations (AI Runtime, ZTNA Connector)

  • Third-Party SD-WAN - Prisma Access

  • CloudBlades Integration with SD-WAN

  • Managed Cloud WAN Integration - Prisma Access

  • IoT Integrations via XSOAR

  • SaaS Security Integration for monitoring Posture and Data Security across apps and services

  • Prisma Access Browser Integrations with different services

​

Metrics from Pendo.png

Who are our users?

Network Administrators, Security Administrators, DevOps Teams, IT Teams

Stakeholder Interviews:  

We conducted workshops with primary and secondary stakeholders—including product managers, the NetSec UX team, PMs, the PANWDS team, TMEs, technical documentation, UI engineers, and SEs—to understand customer pain points and requirements. We also gathered screens of existing integrations to validate our insights.

screens.png

Survey 

To understand the challenges with the current SCM integration experience, we conducted a survey with Sales Engineers to gain insights into the issues customers face.

hgh.png
bh.png

Competitive Analysis

We reviewed leading security companies to analyze their third-party integration approaches and identify best practices. Additionally, we examined companies from other domains to study their marketplaces, gather inspiration, and explore opportunities to potentially outsource key features for our products.

UX Features, Market Place Landing Page.png
Competitor Integrations Workflow.png
key findigs.png
jjjj.png
A Deep Dive into Challenges and Opportunities

Based on insights gathered during the discovery phase, we refined clear goals, objectives, outcomes, and recommendations to guide design decisions, ensuring the proposed solutions directly address user needs.

Goals

  • Streamline Setup and Management: Provide a unified approach so users no longer switch between multiple pages and contexts.

  • Improve Integration Visibility: Provide clear, proactive monitoring to enable faster issue detection and resolution.

  • Enhance Consistency and Scalability: Adopt standard design patterns that can accommodate future growth.

  • Reduce Time and Complexity: Simplify onboarding and ongoing maintenance to save time and effort.

Objectives (UX Perspective)

  • Standardized, Intuitive Workflows: Apply consistent setup wizards and navigation across all integrations.

  • Unified Look and Feel: Leverage shared design elements and terminology to reduce learning repetition.

  • Streamlined Onboarding Resources: Provide tooltips, step-by-step guides, and best-practice checklists for users.

  • Comprehensive, Consistent Documentation: Maintain a single source of truth, including style guides and pattern libraries, to help internal teams design new integrations and create mockups efficiently.

  • Real-Time Monitoring & Alerts: Use clear visual indicators, such as status icons and dashboards, to provide immediate visibility into integration health.

Thumbs_up.jpg

UX Recommendations based on Initial Research, Competitive Analysis and External Explorations

  • Centralized “Integrations Hub”: Provide a single entry point with consistent naming, navigation, and user flows.

  • Guided Setup & Configuration Wizards: Standardize setup steps (auth, config, validate, finalize) with inline help, tooltips, and quick guided workflows.

  • Integration Lifecycle Framework: Establish consistent patterns (activation, deactivation, updates, decommissioning) with automated alerts for version/security updates.

  • Real-Time Dashboards: Live status indicators, logs, and metrics in a single view.

  • Self-Service Resources: Consolidated documentation, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides for quick, independent resolution.

Defining Goals, Objectives, Expected Outcomes, and Recommendations
Time to Propose the First Phase of Design

After the research and definition phases, I began designing the first phase of wireframes based on the insights gathered.

Derived Hypothesis, Impact and Customer Value
My Reflection

Designing unified integrations for Palo Alto Networks’ platformization initiative required agility, attention to detail, and continuous learning. Each design decision was reviewed by senior stakeholders, ensuring high-quality, user-centered outcomes.

I’m grateful to have contributed to projects shaping the future of Palo Alto Networks’ integrations.

bottom of page