Case Study: How Data Led to the Creation of Palo Alto Networks’ EOL Upgrade Program
- Cristin Padgett
- Oct 7
- 3 min read
Background
When I first joined Palo Alto Networks, my charter was broad: “drive adoption.”To do that effectively, I needed to understand what “adoption” meant in the context of our Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) customers — and more importantly, where adoption was breaking down.
Discovery and Journey Mapping
I began by partnering with five Customer Success Engineers (CSEs), each a subject matter expert in the Palo Alto Networks firewall ecosystem. Together, we mapped the end-to-end customer journey following a purchase.
We identified that full adoption depended on three interconnected components:
PAN-OS (firewall software)
Strata Cloud Manager (AIOps solution)
Cloud Delivered Security Services (CDSS)
During this mapping, one insight stood out: CDSS utilization was very low.Sales often bundled these services into packages, but customers were unaware they even owned them — leading to contract churn and lost subscription revenue.
Finding the Data Signal
Palo Alto Networks had 67,000+ customers, so a “blanket adoption campaign” wasn’t feasible.We turned to data.
Rather than segmenting by industry or region, we looked for the highest-cost pain points. That’s when we analyzed Technical Assistance Center (TAC) data — the costliest post-sales touchpoint.
The finding:
24% of TAC cases were related to customers running End-of-Life (EOL) versions of PAN-OS.
This was our “aha” moment. We had found a clear, data-backed segment where proactive adoption could drive measurable business value.
The Hypothesis
If we could reduce EOL-related TAC cases by helping customers upgrade to supported PAN-OS versions, we could:
Lower TAC costs
Improve product stability
Increase customer retention
Create opportunity for expansion and CDSS upsell
Designing the Solution
To understand upgrade blockers, we engaged internal experts and gathered qualitative insights on customer challenges:complexity, downtime concerns, lack of upgrade knowledge, and unclear resources.
When I audited the available enablement material, it was fragmented across multiple sources — no single hub existed for upgrade guidance or CDSS education.So we created one.
I led collaboration with our engineers to design an e-learning program hosted in the Palo Alto Networks Community.We paired that enablement with a targeted EOL
Upgrade Campaign, combining:
Email automation sequences
Interactive webinars
Simplified resource guides
Progress tracking dashboards
Execution
We launched with a test cohort of 3,600 customers, all running EOL PAN-OS versions.The campaign cadence was mapped out week-by-week with measurable touchpoints and live progress reporting to leadership and the strategy team.
Results (4 Months Post-Launch)
11,000 devices upgraded
64% reduction in TAC cases related to EOL
$68K/month savings in TAC costs (12% YoY reduction)
$71M in dormant pipeline identified among participating accounts
$3.5B in revenue influence tied to Palo Alto Networks’ Forrester Wave “Leader” recognition, supported by our Community-based learning engagement
Expanded the program to 20K customers across 100K NGFW devices.
Impact
What started as a vague “drive adoption” charter became a data-driven customer success program with measurable operational and financial impact.The EOL Upgrade Program not only improved customer outcomes but also demonstrated how customer data, when properly analyzed, can drive strategy, efficiency, and growth across GTM, Product Marketing, and Customer Success.
Key Takeaways
Data Insight → Action: Using TAC data to segment by support cost driver (EOL cases) uncovered an actionable adoption opportunity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnered across engineering, GTM, and product marketing to create an end-to-end motion.
Operational Efficiency: Reduced TAC load and costs through proactive education.
Revenue Influence: Connected adoption to top-line impact and Forrester market leadership.
About the Author:
Cristin Padgett is a Product Marketing and Go-to-Market strategist who blends data-driven insight with storytelling to create measurable business outcomes. With over a decade of experience across AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise SaaS, she’s helped companies like Palo Alto Networks, Uniphore, and Spacee design programs that turn customer adoption into revenue acceleration.
At Palo Alto Networks, Cristin architected the Digital Customer Success Upgrade Program, driving adoption across 20K customers and 100K devices, while reducing TAC case volume by 64% and influencing over $3.5B in revenue. Her approach combines empathy for the customer journey with operational rigor and marketing precision.
Cristin is available for fractional or contract leadership roles, full-time product marketing and GTM opportunities, and speaking engagements on topics including:
Customer marketing strategy and adoption frameworks
Data-driven storytelling in enterprise marketing
Digital transformation and post-sale engagement
The role of improv and neuroplasticity in team enablement
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