Effective resource management on NGFWs encompasses the entire lifecycle of the security appliance, from initial registration through operational monitoring to eventual decommissioning. The resource management process begins during implementation, where administrators must register NGFWs with Palo Alto Networks to activate subscriptions, enable updates, and access support services. This registration associates the NGFW's serial number with a customer account, enabling features like threat intelligence updates and software upgrades while establishing the device's identity within the support ecosystem.

During operational use, monitoring hardware resource consumption becomes essential for maintaining security efficacy and performance. Administrators should regularly assess CPU utilization, memory usage, session table capacity, and disk storage—particularly for logging and reporting functions. Each hardware model has specific capacity limitations, and exceeding these thresholds can trigger resource exhaustion, potentially causing packet drops, increased latency, or security bypass. Implementing appropriate alerting thresholds for resource metrics provides early warning of developing issues, while capacity planning helps ensure appropriate hardware sizing as network traffic patterns and security requirements evolve.

The resource lifecycle concludes with proper decommissioning procedures when NGFWs reach end-of-life or require replacement. Decommissioning involves several critical steps: backing up configurations, securely erasing sensitive data through factory reset functions, unregistering the device from support systems, and revoking any certificates or credentials associated with the NGFW. For organizations with centralized management through Panorama or Strata Cloud Manager, this process also includes removing the device from the management console and ensuring that any shared policies or objects are properly migrated to replacement systems. Proper decommissioning not only protects sensitive configuration data but also ensures accurate license management and inventory tracking across the security infrastructure.