SonicWall got its start over three decades ago, and for much of the company’s history, hardware – specifically network firewalls – has been the primary focus.
SonicWall operates around the world and claims to have approximately half a million customers. Though the company faces fierce competition in the network security market from rivals including Fortinet and Cisco, it has continued to carve out a niche. That niche has been steadily evolving, especially in the last several years.
While hardware is still a foundational element of SonicWall’s business, services are now a core focus, particularly those in support of managed service providers (MSP) and managed security service providers (MSSP). Under the leadership of CEO Bob VanKirk, who took the helm three years ago, SonicWall has been executing a strategic pivot away from its hardware-centric legacy toward a comprehensive platform and services approach.
“We intentionally took a step back and said, let’s get back to understanding the key pain points, requirements of our partners, and specifically MSPs and MSSPs,” VanKirk told Network World.
This week the company announced a series of updates including:
- New next-generation firewalls: NSa 2800/3800 series designed for medium-sized businesses with embedded advanced threat protection.
- Managed Protection Service Suite (MPSS): 24/7 firewall monitoring and management services provided through SonicWall’s Network Operations Center.
- SonicPlatform: A unified cloud-native management solution for centralizing control of all SonicWall products.
- Zero trust network access (ZTNA): Improved implementation to replace legacy VPNs with secure, policy-based access.
- Cyber warranty: Coverage of up to $200,000 included with security bundles, expandable to $1 million with additional services.
- AI-enhanced management: SonicWall AI for Monitoring & Insight (SAMI) to streamline administration and reduce alert fatigue.
Strategic acquisitions drive capability expansion
SonicWall’s transformation has been accelerated by key acquisitions that have expanded its capabilities beyond traditional network security hardware. “The focus has been more cloud centric, as well as services,” VanKirk said.
These acquisitions included Solutions Granted in November 2023, which expanded the company’s managed security services portfolio. SonicWall acquired Banyan Security in January 2024, bringing with it cloud-native ZTNA capabilities. “Every firewall going out the door now has cloud native capability,” VanKirk noted.
Managed Protection Service Suite brings co-managed services
A central element of SonicWall’s updates this week is its Managed Protection Service Suite (MPSS), designed to address the critical issue of firewall configuration and management.
“An extremely high number of firewalls just simply aren’t configured correctly,” VanKirk said. “What we’re doing is bringing this service to our partners, to offer to their end customers.”
The service provides ongoing monitoring and regular reporting to ensure security effectiveness. Organizations get regular reports from the service that will identify how changes impact security posture and what can be done to improve. “Essentially, it’s a report, a health check every 30 days, and actually, with a grade: If you’re vulnerable, we’ll give you a C or an F,” he said.
This co-managed approach is designed to supplement MSPs rather than compete with them. “We cannot be in conflict or in competition with our partner base,” VanKirk emphasized.
Cloud-native platform with AI integration
As part of the updates, SonicWall has rebuilt its management platform with a true cloud-native architecture and AI capabilities.
This isn’t the first time SonicWall has claimed to have a cloud management interface, though past efforts have been somewhat lacking by the company’s own admission. “We took an on-prem solution and put it in a data center hosted and said, Hey, we got cloud,” VanKirk admitted about earlier efforts. “But we rebuilt this from the ground up, scaling throughput.”
The centerpiece of this cloud initiative is SonicPlatform, a unified cloud-native platform for centralizing management of all SonicWall appliances, services and third-party integrations.
SonicWall has also integrated AI capabilities throughout the platform with SonicWall AI for Monitoring & Insight (SAMI), designed to streamline management tasks, speed issue resolution, and reduce alert fatigue.
“We’ve added a new bot that essentially is a resource for our partners and end customers,” VanKirk explained. “So if you’re an end customer, you’re a partner, and you say, ‘hey, I want to know how many firewalls are on this version,’ or ‘how many firewalls aren’t patched?’ Or how do I deploy this service on my firewalls?’ that is all supported by this new AI bot.”
Cyber warranty offers new protection
Beyond just hardware and software to help protect networks, SonicWall is doing something that few if any vendors in the network security business currently provide – a warranty.
Qualified devices start with a $100,000 cyber warranty and managed deployments through MPSS double that protection to $200,000. This coverage can be expanded up to $1 million for eligible customers with additional services.
Looking ahead, VanKirk sees continued movement towards hybrid cloud offerings and expanded SASE capabilities.
“It’s also about ensuring that the smallest company, the smallest partner, has the backing of a 24-by-seven-by-365 SOC [Security Operations Center] … that’s a must have in today’s threat environment,” he said.
Source:: Network World