Specialist - Presales (Palo Alto)

Ingram Micro, Inc.; Hyderabad; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingram Micro, Inc. is seeking an experienced Pre-Sales & Solution Engineer to act as the technical SME for Palo Alto Networks portfolio, including PA-Series, Panorama, Prisma Access, Prisma SD-WAN, Prisma Cloud, and Cortex XDR/XSOAR.

You will drive requirements, security assessments, architecture design, and POC validation with partners and enterprise customers. The role requires 3–5 years of technical pre-sales and strong presentation skills to clearly communicate complex cybersecurity concepts

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in technical pre-sales, solution engineering or cybersecurity consulting.
• Hands-on with Palo Alto Networks solutions, enterprise firewalls, and cloud/endpoint security.
• Experience with distributor, SI, or VAR is a plus.
• Able to articulate complex security concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong customer and partner engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as the Technical SME for the Palo Alto Networks portfolio (PA-Series, VM-Series, Panorama, Prisma Access, Prisma SD-WAN, Prisma Cloud, Cortex XDR, XSOAR, XSIAM).
• Support pre-sales activities: requirements gathering, security assessments, architecture/design, presentations, demonstrations, POC deployment/validation.
• Assist sales with RFP/RFI responses, BOM preparation, licensing guidance, subscription sizing, and solution positioning.
• Engage with partners and enterprise customers as a trusted technical advisor throughout the sales lifecycle.
• Conduct partner enablement sessions and technical workshops; maintain demo environments and lab guides.
• Stay updated with product releases and provide feedback for GTM strategies.

Skills

Palo Alto Networks

Pre-Sales

Solution Engineering

Enterprise Firewall

Cloud Security

XDR Concepts

Executive Engagement

Channel Engagement

Job description

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.