Activate Your Prisma Access License
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Prisma Access

Activate Your Prisma Access License

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Activate Your Prisma Access License

Learn how to activate your Prisma Access license.
Where Can I Use This?What Do I Need?
  • Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)
  • Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama)
  • Prisma Access license
Prisma Access provides a flexible licensing scheme so that you can purchase just what you need to secure your remote networks and mobile users.
Our licensing model allows you to consume the capabilities of Prisma Access aligned to your business needs in the manner that delivers the fastest return on investment (ROI).
Both Cloud Management and Panorama managed options for Prisma Access support this licensing model. You can choose your Prisma Access edition based on your access needs and security goals.
Managing Prisma Access
There are two ways you can manage Prisma Access:
  • Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager), with Strata Cloud Manager
  • Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama)
You can't switch between the management interfaces after you activate your Prisma Access license. So, you must decide how you want to manage Prisma Access before you follow the activation guides.
Follow the instructions for activating and installing Cloud Managed or Panorama Managed Prisma Access.

Activate Your Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager) License

Activate your Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager) license.
The instructions here are for activating a Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager) license. If you are planning to use Panorama to manage Prisma Access, follow the instructions for activating a Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama) license.

Activate Licenses and Add-Ons

Prisma Access activation varies depending on the status of your transition to the Prisma™ SASE Platform. See the table to learn your status and how to proceed.
First Time ActivationTransitioned to Prisma SASEPre-Transition
Are you brand new to Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager) (You activated Prisma Access after August 2022)? You're already on the Prisma SASE Platform. After you purchase your Prisma Access licenses, you’ll receive an activation email. The email includes a link that launches a guided activation.
Select Get Started with Prisma SASE and begin the activation process.
After activation, use Simple Single Tenant License Activation and Subscription Management to activate licenses and manage subscriptions and tenants. To learn more, see Use Common Services: Subscription & Tenant Management.
Was your Prisma Access tenant recently transitioned to the Prisma SASE Platform? With Prisma SASE, there's a new way to manage administrator roles and access using Simple Single Tenant License Activation. After your Prisma Access instance is transitioned to a tenant, you will no longer see a Prisma Access app tile on the hub. However, there will be a button on the hub to navigate to sase.paloaltonetworks.com. From there, use Simple Single Tenant License Activation and Subscription Management to activate licenses and manage subscriptions and tenants. To learn more, see Use Common Services: Subscription & Tenant Management.
Did you activate you Prisma Access before August 2022? You should have already received information about the transition of your Prisma Access tenant. You'll receive an email when it's time for you to transition.
Until your transition is complete, continue to activate add-on licenses as you have been doing. Follow the Activate Add-On Licenses (Pre-Transition to Prisma SASE) steps to activate licenses and manage subscriptions.

Activate Add-On Licenses (Pre-Transition to Prisma SASE)

If you are an existing Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager) customer whose Prisma Access instance has not been transitioned to the Prisma SASE Platform, you can continue using the existing process until the transition.
  1. Select Get Started with Prisma SASE and begin the activation process.
  2. Double-check that your licenses are active.
    1. Go to the hub home page.
      Prisma Access now shows up on the hub as one of your apps.
      Click on the Prisma Access icon on the hub to launch the app.
    2. Verify that the Remote Networks and/or Mobile Users tiles on the Dashboard show the correct amount of bandwidth and/or number of users that you licensed.
    3. After your Prisma Access tenant and add-ons are transitioned, you will no longer see the app tiles on the hub. However, there will be a toggle to a new hub UI. After the transition, you can use the new hub UI to launch your products.
  3. View and update Prisma Access role assignments.
    Go to the hub access management page (on the top right of the hub homepage, click the settings gear and select Access Management).
    The Access Management page lists all the users in your organization and the roles to which they’re assigned.
    Activating Prisma Access automatically adds you as a Prisma Access instance administrator (unless you are already an account administrator or a Prisma Access app administrator—in these cases, Prisma Access activation does not impact your role).
    As an instance administrator, you can give others within your support account access to the Prisma Access instance you’ve activated.
  4. Follow the next steps for getting started with Prisma Access:
  5. Verify Prisma Access License Details
    In Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager), go to the Licenses page to verify your license details (ManagePrisma AccessLicenses).
    If you're using Strata Cloud Manager, go to ManageConfigurationNGFW and Prisma AccessOverview. Select the Prisma Access configuration scope. Click the link in the General InformationLicenses panel.
  6. Continue to set up Prisma Access.

Activate Your Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama) License

Activate your Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama) license.
If you have a new Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama) Access deployment as of August 2022, use Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama) and Subscription Management to activate licenses and manage subscriptions. Be sure to follow the planning checklist before you begin activation.
If you have already activated your deployment and you need to upgrade your Cloud Services plugin to a new version, use the workflow in the Prisma Access Release Notes (Panorama Managed).
If you have an existing Panorama Managed Prisma Access deployment, Palo Alto Networks sends you a notification about the transition of your Prisma Access license activation to the Prisma SASE Platform. After the transition, you can only use the Prisma SASE Platform for License Activation. You cannot use the other Common Services such as Tenant Management or Identity & Access. Continue to manage your tenants and user role permissions on Panorama as you have been doing.
Prisma Access does not support FIPS-CC mode.

Planning Checklist Before You Activate Prisma Access

If you are deploying Prisma Access for the first time, make sure that you have the following information and resources:
  • Be sure that you have the order fulfillment email that contains the activation links that are required to activate Prisma Access.
  • If you will use an existing Panorama to manage Prisma Access, be sure you that the Panorama on which you will install the Cloud Services plugin (which activates Prisma Access) is running the minimum Panorama version.
    During product activation, you can select an existing Panorama to manage Prisma Access, if you have registered Panorama, installed the licenses, and activated the support license on the Customer Support Portal (CSP). If you have added the Panorama serial number to the same CSP account on which you want to deploy Prisma Access, you can select the serial number of this Panorama appliance during installation.
    Alternatively, if you have a licensed Panorama that you have not yet installed, you can select that Panorama during product activation; the installation process provides you with links to register and install Panorama. In either case, the activation process allows the Panorama appliance you select to manage Prisma Access, and you must make sure that the Panorama appliance is running the minimum software version.
    For a list of the Panorama software versions that are supported with Prisma Access, see Minimum Required Panorama Software Versions in the Palo Alto Networks Compatibility Matrix.
    Make a note of the serial number of the Panorama appliance; you use that serial number in a later step.
  • Be sure that you have configured a DNS server and NTP server on the Panorama that manages Prisma Access (PanoramaSetupServices). If you do not configure a DNS and NTP server, you cannot verify your account and will have to reinstall the plugin.
  • During Prisma Access installation, Palo Alto Networks provides you the required roles on the Hub to activate Prisma Access, if those Hub roles are not already present. After you complete installation, you are assigned a role of Instance Admin. If you need additional roles on the Hub to perform system tasks, log in to the Hub, select SettingsAccess Management, find the Account Administrator for your organization, and contact them to be assigned additional roles.
  • (Deployments Using Panorama Appliances in HA Mode Only) If you plan to use two Panorama appliances in High Availability (HA) mode, to simplify the HA set up, you should configure Panorama in an HA configuration after you purchase Prisma Access and Strata Logging Service auth codes and components and associate the serial number of the primary Panorama appliance on which you plan to install the Cloud Services plugin with the auth codes, but before you activate and install Panorama Managed Prisma Access. However, you can use the same configuration process for Panorama appliances that already have the plugin installed.

License Activation

Complete the following steps to activate your Prisma Access licenses and download and install the Cloud Services plugin.
  1. When you receive the activation email from Palo Alto Networks, select Get Started with Prisma SASE and begin the activation process.
  2. When setup is complete, copy the one-time password (OTP). You use this when you verify your account on Panorama.
  3. Download and install the Cloud Services plugin.
    See the Palo Alto Networks Compatibility Matrix for the Panorama versions that are supported with the Cloud Services plugin.
    You can either download the plugin from the Customer Support Portal, or you can check for plugin updates directly from Panorama.
    • To download and install the Cloud Services plugin by downloading it from the Customer Support Portal, complete the following steps.
      1. Log in to the Customer Support Portal and select Software UpdatesPanorama Integration Plug In.
      2. Find the Cloud Services plugin in the Panorama Integration Plug In section and download it.
        Do not rename the plugin file or you will not be able to install it on Panorama.
      3. Log in to the Panorama Web Interface of the Panorama you licensed for use with the Prisma Access, select PanoramaPluginsUpload and Browse for the plugin File that you downloaded from the CSP.
      4. Install the plugin.
    • To download and install the Cloud Services plugin directly from Panorama, complete the following steps:
      1. Select PanoramaPlugins and click Check Now to display the latest Cloud Services plugin updates.
      2. Download the plugin version you want to install.
      3. After downloading the plugin, Install it.
    Installing a newer version of the Cloud Services plugin overwrites the previously installed version. If you are installing the plugin for the first time, after you successfully install, Panorama refreshes and the Cloud Services menu displays on the Panorama tab.
  4. Retrieve the Prisma Access license(s).
    1. Select PanoramaLicenses and click Retrieve license keys from license server.
    2. Verify that you have the licenses for the Prisma Access components you plan to use.
  5. Verify your account.
    When you try to use the Cloud Services plugin for the first time after installing it, you will be prompted to verify your account. This step ensures that the Panorama serial number is registered to use Prisma Access and enables a secure communication path between the Prisma Access components and Panorama.
    1. In Panorama, select PanoramaCloud ServicesConfiguration and click Verify.
      If Verify is disabled, check that you have configured a DNS server and NTP server on PanoramaSetupServices.
    2. Paste the One-time Password you copied and click OK.
      You have ten minutes to enter the OTP before it expires.
  6. Apply device group changes in the Prisma Access infrastructure.
    Prisma Access moves all device groups under the Shared hierarchy. This step applies the device group changes to your configuration.
    1. Select PanoramaCloud ServicesConfigurationService Setup.
    2. Click the gear icon to edit the Settings.
    3. Make sure that Service_Conn_Device_Group is selected as the Device Group Name and Shared is selected as the Parent Device Group.
    4. Click OK.
      Do not click Cancel, even if you did not make any changes to this page.
  7. Continue to set up Prisma Access.