Our primary use case for SonicWall NSa is a firewall and for analytics. I use SonicWall NSa to follow the users. Some users manage to bypass the firewall sometimes and install certain software. I track all of this "bad" behavior and block it.
IT Manager at Esnad
Fast tech support and has the ability to collect mini routers
Pros and Cons
- "SonicWall NS has a lot of valuable features. One of the best SonicWall NSa features is the ability to collect mini routers and get only one user connection."
- "Overall, Im satisfied with SonicWall NSa, but it would be better if they could add a small terminal to each device. This would help me deal with certain issues by running a small bot onto any PC."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
SonicWall NS has a lot of valuable features. One of the best SonicWall NSa features is the ability to collect mini routers and get only one user connection.
What needs improvement?
Overall, I'm satisfied with SonicWall NSa, but it would be better if they could add a small terminal to each device. This would help me deal with certain issues by running a small bot onto any PC. This terminal could control technical configuration from a centralized configuration with the SonicWall appliance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution since last February. However, I have worked with SonicWall since 2007.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have about 150 users. Each employee configures up to three connections: one on a PC and one or two on mobiles.
How are customer service and support?
We are happy with SonicWall NSa's tech support. We have an account manager and whenever I run into any issues, I email him directly and he calls me within the hour. This is sufficiently fast for our needs.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously ran MicroTech and FortiGate. We switched because we wanted to try something new. We change the technology we use each year.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy for me because I am a specialist. I previously worked for a Dell and SonicWall partner before, so I'd configured SonicWall NSa many times before. However, now as a customer, I had a SonicWall consultant deploy it.
What about the implementation team?
We used a SonicWall NSa consultant for the deployment.
What was our ROI?
I can't speak to any ROI we've had in terms of numbers but all technology of this type will give you a return on investment because it's secure and makes your business run smoothly.
For example, as I am in the desert and there is no fiber connection here, I was using SIM cards that gave me seven GB a day. Before we deployed SonicWall NSa, I was running seven SIM cards for a total of about 50 GB per day. Right now, I use only one seven-GB SIM card.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Presales Consultant at General Technologies
Their support is better than most competitors
Pros and Cons
- "SonicWall's sales support is much better than other vendors'."
- "Competitors provide SSL encryption licenses for free, whereas SonicWall only provides two licenses by default, but you have to pay for the rest of the licenses."
What is our primary use case?
SonicWall prevents and restricts access to websites for employees as well as anyone who comes into the office.
What needs improvement?
Most firewalls have active/active high-availability mode. If I'm paying for two firewalls, why shouldn't AI utilize both? It would be better if SonicWall came with n active/active feature instead of active/standby.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with SonicWall NSa for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SonicWall NSa is simple to scale. You can easily add more firewalls to the cluster.
How are customer service and support?
SonicWall's sales support is much better than other vendors'.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying SonicWall NSa is straightforward. A new user can easily configure the firewall. You can usually complete the deployment within a day. Setting up the prerequisites takes about two hours and then it takes some time to deploy the policies. That varies depending on what the customer wants.
Maintenance is primarily configuration-related stuff, and our customers have their own engineers, but we give them advice. One engineer can maintain the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You don't need to pay an annual fee, but any cost matters to the customer. Let's say SonicWall is giving me a firewall at a certain price, while a FortiGate firewall costs the same but offers added features like free SSL and active/active. Then customers might think it's better to buy a FortiGate.
Competitors provide SSL encryption licenses for free, whereas SonicWall only provides two licenses by default, but you have to pay for the rest of the licenses.
However, when most customers go beyond 20 or so users with SSL licenses, they usually go with a dedicated appliance, so a firewall should provide at least 20 to 25 SSL licenses for free.
What other advice do I have?
I rate SonicWall NSa eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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SonicWall NSa
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about SonicWall NSa. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
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Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Has the features, but overall stability and usability are not there
Pros and Cons
- "The product is working okay. The product is working feature-wise."
- "The stability is not there. The features are there, but they are not stable. They need to improve on this product because I feel that they have launched this product without much R&D."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for SonicWall NSa is as a public firewall, as an interface between our private network and the public network.
What is most valuable?
The product is working okay. The product is working feature-wise.
What needs improvement?
I would rate SonicWall NSa as an average product, not a very highly recommended one. It is an average product.
The stability is not there. The features are there, but they are not stable. They need to improve on this product because I feel that they have launched this product without much R&D.
For how long have I used the solution?
We are using SonicWall NSa for quite a long time, around 10 to 12 years, but that includes the the older model, which was the 5500. Now we have been using the 5600 model for the last two, three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Performance wise, they are good - not very good, but they're okay, just good.
They are not stable. It is a very unstable product.
For maintenance, we require one engineer from the support partner, one from the tech side, and one from our side, so three engineers and one manager.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
At any point in time we have more than 600 users.
We do not have plans to increase the number of users.
How are customer service and support?
Tech support is okay, but the product needs much improvement.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were not using a different solution before. We have always been using SonicWall, just the older model, which was 5500. We upgraded to 5600.
How was the initial setup?
The installation part of the initial setup was a painful experience. I felt at the time that it was not a finished product. They have to do more R&D on this product to improve it.
It took a very long time to set it up, to be honest. It took very long because they had some bugs and fixes. After so many fixes, it took them very long to install this product.
What about the implementation team?
Obviously, no OEM deals directly with them. We have their channel partners who did the installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
To be very honest, we are not satisfied with the 5600 product.
On a personal level, I would not recommend SonicWall NSa.
On a scale of one to ten, you can rate SonicWall NSa a six.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The license and the hardware both need to be renewed. The annual maintenance contract is there. So they have to renew the licenses.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Manager at a insurance company with 51-200 employees
Plenty of useful features, scalable, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has many useful features, such as content management, user management, user filtering, and domain controller connectivity mapping."
- "The reporting and monitoring are a bit complex and should be easier in SonicWall NSa because other firewalls I have experienced have been more simple, such as Palo Alto. We are able to receive a clear view of our network. As a general user with little experience, it would be difficult for them to handle."
What is our primary use case?
SonicWall NSa can be used as a perimeter and ELAN firewall.
What is most valuable?
The solution has many useful features, such as content management, user management, user filtering, and domain controller connectivity mapping.
What needs improvement?
The reporting and monitoring are a bit complex and should be easier in SonicWall NSa because other firewalls I have experienced have been more simple, such as Palo Alto. We are able to receive a clear view of our network. As a general user with little experience, it would be difficult for them to handle.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using SonicWall NSa for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found SonicWall NSa to be stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
We have approximately 180 users using this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support of the solution has been good. We normally go through our partner support but if anything is outside the limits of their knowledge then it gets passed onto the SonicWall support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is not easy, you should have a basic understanding of your network and what your requirements are. Generally, the implementation is done by the vendor. We have an external party who used to do the basic configuration. However, the new generation firewalls do not take much time and are easier.
What about the implementation team?
We used an outsourced vendor for the implementation of the solution.
We have approximately two individuals that do the maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required for this solution and you can purchase a one, two, or three year term. Typically businesses choose the one year subscription and then later choose the three year licensing option if they are satisfied.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated Palo Alto firewalls.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution.
I rate SonicWall NSa a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Principal Associate - CloudOps at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Stable with good filtering and perfect for SMB-sized companies
Pros and Cons
- "The filtering is excellent."
- "The product likely isn't a good fit for a large organization."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for security. It's used as a firewall.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable.
It's an excellent product for an SMB.
The filtering is excellent.
The solution is quite stable.
We found the initial setup to be straightforward.
You can scale the solution to a certain extent.
What needs improvement?
The product likely isn't a good fit for a large organization.
They need to elaborate on their business from a technical point of view.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for about four or more years at this point. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product scales quite well. There are no bugs. It's not glitchy. It doesn't crash or freeze. I find it to be reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can scale the solution. We haven't used it beyond 1,000 to 1,500 users. Beyond that, I'm not sure what it can handle. I haven't really tried to scale it too much.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Palo Alto. I used it at my previous organization.
How was the initial setup?
We found the initial setup to be very straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult. A company should have any problem with the process.
What other advice do I have?
We're a customer and an end-user. We don't have a business relationship with SonicWall.
I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. While we've been mostly happy with it, it's more for SMBs as opposed to larger organizations.
I'd recommend the product to small organizations for sure.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Built-in storage, stable, but better reporting needed
Pros and Cons
- "One of the main features is the built-in storage capacity."
- "The logging, reporting, and storage capacity size could improve in a future release."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for network security in our branch office.
What is most valuable?
One of the main features is the built-in storage capacity.
What needs improvement?
The logging, reporting, and storage capacity size could improve in a future release.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good in this solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. There are 200 people using this solution in my companies branch office.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support was very responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used SonicWall TZ previously.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are on a three-year license for the solution. The price is inexpensive compared to other solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated Sophos and Fortinet, SonicWall NSa we found to be much better.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to those who have between 150 to 500 users.
I rate SonicWall NSa a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Quality engineer of the 1st category at Modern Expo
Easy to scale, offers good value for money, and has good policies
Pros and Cons
- "The functionality is the same whether it is on hardware or a virtual appliance. The interface is the same. It's nice that it's standardized."
- "Some of the configurations could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution just for IPsec tunnels. It's two routers between locations with IPsec tunnels, nothing more. We don't use their firewall capabilities.
What is most valuable?
The functionality is the same whether it is on hardware or a virtual appliance. The interface is the same. It's nice that it's standardized.
The solution is a good product with a good value for money.
The security capabilities and policies are good. They can do a lot of tasks with ease.
The product is very useful for organizations with many locations. If you've got a lot of locations, the product can save you money as you don't need a physical box at each location.
The scalability is very good as it really can cover multiple locations.
SonicWall offers NG capabilities in virtual appliances.
What needs improvement?
It's not as easy to use, as, for example, Palo Alto.
Some of the configurations could be better.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. We haven't had any issues so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is quite good. You can scale well across locations very well for not too much cost. If a company needs to expand, it can do so relatively easily.
Also, cost-wise, it's very affordable to scale up. It's not expensive to add hardware and licenses as needed. They make upgrading very cheap.
We have 200 people on the solution. That said, they are using with IPsec tunnel. They don't use all of the capabilities of the hardware. They are using it just to encrypt tunneling between the sites.
We may not continue to sue the solution as we have found a solution that is better and that can help us get faster than IPsec can. We're looking instead at MACsec.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've never opened up a technical support case with the product. It's worked quite well, and we haven't run into trouble that would require us to reach out. I can't really speak to how helpful or responsive they are due to the fact that I have no experience with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've also worked with Palo Alto, Barracuda, and Sophos.
Palo Alto is more expensive to use and to scale. Sophos is very easy to set up. Barracuda also has NG capabilities, like SonicWall, and has the same limitations in terms of security policies. It also can take a bit longer to set up.
How was the initial setup?
I have ten years of IT experience, and therefore, for me, the entire implementation process was not overly difficult. They have good manuals that you can read through at the start. It's not a difficult process, especially if you are already comfortable with the technology.
Of course, it's not quite as straightforward as something like Sophos, which you can just plug in and have the vendor configure for you. However, that said, it's not too difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SonicWall still is only a dollar or Euro per gigabit. This means, of the IPsec, it's the cheapest solution.
Due to the fact that we've got some projects now, we might abandon IPsec, as we had two Blade fibers with separate paths to a secondary location and we will start using MACsec. It's a layer 2 security. Therefore, we don't need IPsec anymore.
Originally, actually, we bought it without any licenses, just boxes with IPsec capabilities.
The pricing, in comparison to some solutions, such as Palo Alto, is much better.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer and an end-user.
I'd recommend the solution to other organizations. I tell everybody, if your business is a lot of locations and not so many personal policies, to check the SonicWall portfolio. You can configure it with two boxes and if you need to you can scale it without any trouble into the tens or hundreds.
In general, I would rate the solution at a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Security Manager at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Less cumbersome than competitors
Pros and Cons
- "Compared to Cisco, SonicWall NSa is much easier to configure."
- "The implementation for VLANs is a little bit cumbersome. It would be good to make that a little bit easier."
What is our primary use case?
When it comes to securing VLANs, the primary use case for SonicWall NSa is VPNs.
What is most valuable?
Compared to Cisco, SonicWall NSa is much easier to configure. Cisco tends to be cumbersome through the web interface. It's easy through the command line, but when you're troubleshooting something, you're usually not going through the command line. When you're digging through data trying to find if something happened, you're usually digging through the logs, through the web interface, because it should be much easier. In Cisco, the logs are odd and you have to be really particular on what you want. You have to look for specific details.
This process is much easier SonicWall NSa. I want to know where the problem started and where it ended, that's it; and it's really clear in SonicWall NSa. Whereas in Cisco it's just not clear at all.
What needs improvement?
It would be amazing if all of the ports on the throughput devices were 10 gig or 100 gig. That would make it so much easier for me to designate 10 gigs throughout the whole network. Right now, with SonicWall NSa, I'm doing designations like "use 10 gigs through the whole network until you hit firewall." In that case, all of the traffic that has firewall enabled on it drops to one gig.
That causes issues with throughput, especially when you're talking about data stores and Ice Guzzy, or when you're splitting things out with VLANs.
MAC address filtering on the VPN and on the firewall itself would be a good thing to add as well. If it's there, I don't know where it is.
Automation would also be good.
The implementation for VLANs is a little bit cumbersome. It would be good to make that a little bit easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used SonicWall probably on and off for the last couple of years. It depends on which client I'm working with.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
SonicWall NSa is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Just adding multiple sites is easy. Clustering them is pretty straightforward. But if I needed to expand them in series, that's a little bit more complicated.
How are customer service and technical support?
I've never used SonicWall tech support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
Hire a network guy or have a service that's going to monitor and manage SonicWall NSa for you.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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