Solutions Architect - Presales (Palo Alto)

Ingram Micro; Mumbai; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingram Micro is seeking a highly skilled Palo Alto Networks Pre-Sales Engineer & Product Technical Specialist to drive technical pre-sales activities, solution design, and POC validation across distribution channels. You will engage with partners, SI partners, and enterprise customers to position and demonstrate Palo Alto Networks solutions.

The role emphasizes architecture, demonstrations, and technical enablement, with a focus on PA-Series, Panorama, Prisma Access, Prisma SD-WAN, and Cortex

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of hands-on pre-sales, solution engineering or cybersecurity consulting experience.
• Strong expertise with Palo Alto Networks portfolio including NGFW, Panorama, Prisma Access, SD-WAN, Cortex XDR/XSOAR.
• Experience in security architecture, requirements gathering, and POC deployment.
• Excellent presentation and customer-facing skills; ability to engage partners and customers.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Palo Alto Networks security portfolio, including: Next-Generation Firewalls (PA-Series & VM-Series), Panorama, Prisma Access (SASE), Prisma SD-WAN, Prisma Cloud, Cortex XDR, Cortex XSOAR, Cortex XSIAM (preferred).
• Support technical pre-sales activities including: Requirement gathering, Security assessments, Solution architecture and design, Technical presentations, Product demonstrations, POC deployment and validation.
• Assist the Product and Sales team with: RFP/RFI responses, BOM preparation, Licensing guidance, Subscription sizing, Solution positioning.
• Participate in Distribution Managed Partner Round Tables, Partner Technical Workshops, Customer Technical Round Tables, Executive Briefing Sessions, Security Days and Roadshows.
• Engage directly with partners and enterprise customers to position Palo Alto Networks solutions.

Skills

Palo Alto Networks

NGFW

Panorama

Security Policies

VPN

Zero Trust

SD-WAN

Cloud Security

XDR (Cortex XDR/XSOAR)

POCs

Job description

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing!

Job Description

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly skilled Palo Alto Networks Pre-Sales Engineer & Product Technical Specialist to support our distribution business. The role focuses on technical pre-sales, partner enablement, and customer engagement across the Palo Alto Networks security portfolio.

The candidate will work closely with distribution-managed partners, system integrators, and enterprise customers by providing technical expertise, solution design, demonstrations, Proof of Concepts (POCs), and technical enablement to drive Palo Alto Networks adoption and business growth.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Sales & Solution Engineering

Act as the Technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Palo Alto Networks security portfolio, including:

• Next-Generation Firewalls (PA-Series & VM-Series)
• Panorama
• Prisma Access (SASE)
• Prisma SD-WAN
• Prisma Cloud
• Cortex XDR
• Cortex XSOAR
• Cortex XSIAM (preferred)

Support technical pre-sales activities including:

• Requirement gathering
• Security assessments
• Solution architecture and design
• Technical presentations
• Product demonstrations
• Proof of Concept (POC) deployment and validation

Assist the Product and Sales team with:

• RFP/RFI responses
• Bill of Materials (BOM) preparation
• Licensing guidance
• Subscription sizing
• Solution positioning

Partner & Customer Engagement

Participate in:

• Distribution Managed Partner Round Tables
• Partner Technical Workshops
• Customer Technical Round Tables
• Executive Briefing Sessions
• Security Days and Roadshows

Engage directly with partners and enterprise customers to position Palo Alto Networks solutions.

Act as a trusted technical advisor throughout the complete sales lifecycle.

Training, Enablement & Onboarding

• Conduct partner enablement sessions on Palo Alto Networks products.
• Deliver technical workshops and hands-on labs.
• Support new partner onboarding and technical readiness.
• Assist partners in preparing for Palo Alto Networks certifications.
• Build and maintain demo environments, lab guides, and technical documentation.
• Conduct internal enablement sessions for sales and pre-sales teams.

Collaboration & Vendor Interaction

Work closely with:

• Internal Sales Teams
• Product Managers
• Palo Alto Networks Channel Teams
• Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineers

Stay updated with:

• New product releases

Gather customer and partner feedback to improve Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies.

Required Skills & Experience

Technical Skills

Strong hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks security solutions, especially:

• Next-Generation Firewalls
• Panorama
• Security Policies
• NAT
• VPN (Site-to-Site & GlobalProtect)
• App-ID
• User-ID
• Content-ID
• WildFire
• DNS Security
• Threat Prevention

Good understanding of:

• Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
• Zero Trust Security
• SD-WAN
• Endpoint Security
• SOC Operations
• XDR Concepts
• Cloud Security
• Container Security (Preferred)

Certifications (Mandatory / Preferred)

Preferred Certifications:

• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)
• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA)
• Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer (PSE) Foundation
• PSE Strata Professional
• PSE Prisma Access Professional
• Cortex XDR / Cortex XSOAR certifications (Preferred)

Professional Skills

• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to explain complex cybersecurity concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong customer-facing and partner engagement skills.
• Experience working in a distribution or channel-driven environment.
• Ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Self-motivated with strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.

Experience Requirements

3-5 years of experience in:

• Technical Pre-Sales
• Solution Engineering
• Network Security Consulting
• Cybersecurity Engineering

Hands-on experience with:

• Palo Alto Networks solutions
• Enterprise firewalls
• Network Security
• Cloud Security
• Endpoint Security

Prior experience working with a distributor, system integrator, or value-added reseller (VAR) will be an added advantage.