SonicWall NSa Reviews

We are a reseller who provides products for our customer.

The most valuable features are flexibility, ease of setup, and it's a good product cost-wise.

There are a few areas that need improvement including the VPN, user management, and reporting.

It's a stable solution, we have not had any issues.

There are no issues with scaling this solution. It's a scalable product.

Technical support is excellent.

The initial setup is definitely user-friendly, it's easy.

It only takes an hour to deploy, which includes the configuration.

The pricing is good and we are satisfied with the cost of this solution. They provide good value for the price.

I would recommend this solution. The support is good, the product is good, it's easy to deploy and it can be done manually with no assistance from support.

Other than the hardware related issues that can be experienced, it's a good solution.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

We use SonicWall NSA as part of our overall security solution.

This product handles what we're expecting in a box like this.

This product is user-friendly and easy to configure.

The logging is very good, as long as it is configured properly.

It would help us a lot of SonicWall sent us more information about the latest updates and things that are changing.

I would like to have the capability for full active-active mode.

I have been working with SonicWall for about 14 years, since 2007.

This is a stable product.

SonicWall is scalable. Depending on the size of the box that I have, if the demands increase then I can upscale it. These demands are based on the users and their activities. We have between 2,000 and 2,500 users.

The support that I get from SonicWall is good. They have supported us for more than ten years and we haven't faced any issues with them to this point.

I have not worked on any other platforms.

SonicWall NSA is easy to install. I have not personally completed an installation lately, but it used to take me no more than half an hour to move from one box to another. The box can be configured offline and then moved online afterward, which makes it easier.

I used to work on SonicWall regularly. Now, I am working as an IT analyst and my job is to check the SonicWall configuration and test it. For example, I have to check the policy and then audit which ports are open.

The pricing and value are good.

SonicWall fulfills our requirements and it does it well. My advice for anybody who is considering this product is to properly understand their requirements. As long as SonicWall meets the needs, I can recommend it.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

We are system integrators and we install products for our customers. It is mainly used in Universities, for corporate use, and in the government sector as a firewall.

What I like the most is that this is a one-time purchase with no renewal fees.

The stability is better than other products.

The pricing for this product in India is high and the fees should be reduced.

The visual process needs improvement.

Because of the price, our customers prefer PSA. The price is what needs to be addressed in the next release, it's the only that that matters.

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

I have been using this solution for approximately 22 years.

This solution is stable.

This is a scalable product. As our customer need increases we plan to increase our usage.

Technical support is good and it is available online as well as offline.

Currently, I am using SonicWall and Wildcard.

The setup process was perfect.

It was straightforward and easy. This is not a complex product at all.

We handle the integration for our customers.

SonicWall is a one-time purchase and there is no renewal license.

I would not recommend this solution because the price is too high. More than 30% of our customers prefer PSA because of the price.

In summary, the product is good but the price is too high.

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

We are a managed service provider and SonicWall is our primary firewall. We offer this solution to customers as part of a rental program, as well as sell them outright.

The most valuable feature is the Global Management System. This is the driving force behind why we continue to use it.

Having to deal with too many lower-level people in technical support means that it takes longer to resolve issues, so escalating support tickets should be faster.

I have bee using SonicWall at this company for nine years, although it was SonicWall TZ prior to SonicWall NSA. This company has been using it for longer than that. I also have experience with SonicWall that predates my time here.

SonicWall is very stable.

I don't think that scalability is a pertinent criterion for firewalls because they're hard-coded by the ASICs that go into them. When we rent a firewall to a customer instead of selling one, that customer has an upgrade path available. In this regard, it is scalable because we can switch them to a larger model if they outgrow it. Otherwise, it's limited by the ASIC.

The technical support from SonicWall is good. However, if it were easier to access where you were not stuck in a queue of people and forced to escalate problems it would be a bonus. 

The initial setup is straightforward.

Overall, this is a good solution and it's doing the job we need it to do. By in large, we don't have any complaints. There are always things that can be easier, but it's doing the job.

My advice for anybody who is implementing SonicWall NSA is that you can't be an expert on every brand. This means that you should pick a model, learn it very well, and build relationships with the support people at the vendor.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

We have been using the SonicWall NSA firewall to keep our network safe.

The most valuable features are that it is reasonably-priced and works well.

Over time, this solution is becoming more complicated, and when I need support it often is not available. I would like U.S.-based technical support.

VPN functionality needs to be improved. As it is now, I need to combine another SSL VPN with my firewall. I want it to be done very easily. 

I have been using SonicWall for fifteen years.

The stability of SonicWall is fine.

I have had SonicWall for a really long time and I have had people help me to set it up, although I have always understood what has been done. As it has been updated, it has become more involved and more complicated, and things have moved around so I have to spend time finding where things are in the newer versions.

I have been looking at Fortinet and am learning toward it to replace our SonicWall. The main reason that I am switching is that we need something with a built-in VPN.

From what I have learned to so, Fortinet is more expensive but easier to manage.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Firewall/VPN appliance for SMB clients. Firewall provides advanced threat protection to internal hosts. It also provides a secure mechanism for remote access.

For the average SMB, this firewall does the job. Granular user controls, firewall and NAT rules that you would expect. Licensed features provide application control, content filtering, antivirus, and anti-malware all in a single appliance.  Be aware that their ATP is poorly implemented (stops downloads, forcing users to wait and click again).  Also be aware that the IPS/IDS, and Gateway Antivirus will do very little for modern threats such as ransomware.  We have had emotet trojans easily pass the firewall, connect to international foreign (and obviously) some kind of C&C without stopping it.  So little to no protection against modern threats, no HTTPS proxy as an option, poorly implemented ATP - it makes the case for a SonicWall very difficult to justify.  This vendor is frustratingly slow at adapting, evolving or improving their product.  They are unable to keep up with competition.

Application control: It allows us to block applications, i.e., websites by application type category. It is far more capable than content filtering alone. 

SonicWall has weaknesses. During its tenure with Dell, it was severely damaged (its reputation, innovation, etc.).  It is now recovering, but it may take time to get competitive again. They are clueless in some regards, which is unfortunate as they have the potential.

CPU: The CPUs are not able to compete with a similar price point to the Fortinet, WatchGuard, or Palo Alto product. Compare with the need to get 1Gbps throughput with full security (common nowadays), you are looking at NSA 5700. 

Wireless: What a disaster this has been historically. The new SonicWall will tell you it has been resolved and improved. It has improved - it actually works now, but performance is substandard. It is a terrible strategy to have a firewall act as an AP controller, in any case. Perhaps for an SMB, the integrated WiFi in their TZ series has a niche.

Anti-spam: Do not even consider it. It leaks like a shower head. What a mess that offering is. It requires a specific Java version on the server side (do not update it, otherwise it will break). In any case, a firewall doing anti-spam might be a low cost solution, but it is not your best strategy.

Logging/reporting: You need their analyzer to properly generate reports. This is an expensive, licensed feature, with a complex application or appliance back-end. 

MSP: They are not ready for managed security services.  Their Cloud GMS product is weak, barely out of beta (buggy).

VPN: Site-to-site is another problem area - Client-based VPN is another hot mess. Global VPN client issues and mobile connect issues. Do not even consider NetExtender - probably one of the most horrific, nightmare grade Java-based VPN clients. We have but all given up trying to make it work reliably.   If VPN is important for you - look elsewhere.  You have to pay for licenses (most competitive vendors include this by default).  You will have 4 different methods, 3 different clients, 2 licenses and all of this to have a horrible VPN connectivity.  No proper or modern 2FA for additional security.  AVOID!

AGSS / ATP: This is poorly implemented.  A user will click to download a new type of file, and nothing happens.  They have to wait an indeterminate amount of time, and try again to see if it works.  It is so annoying, most clients avoid this capability, just nullifying the whole purpose of it.

App Control:  Be aware that either due to firmware updates, or bugs - app control will behave poorly (cause packet loss, or outright blocking) with normal and legitimate activities.  Resetting and re-configuring it is the work-around (super annoying).

More than ten years.

Yes. The VPN client connectivity and licensing has been a major complaint, especially during COVID-19

Yes. The CPUs are very weak.

During the Dell years, support was terrible. It has since improved.

No. We have always only deployed SonicWall.

Setup is easy. Anyone with basic firewall experience can do it.

In-house only. Level 2 techs can handle most tasks.

All advanced features are licensed capabilities, such as Advanced Gateway Security Suite or Comprehensive Gateway Security Suite.  VPN clients are licensed, and you have to choose a type of license you want (how ridiculous is that). 

We have evaluated Sophos, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Barracuda, WatchGuard and now CheckPoint

Avoid this company.  They have no idea what they are doing, except a slick marketing campaign.  They don't listen to their customers.  The only evolution of the product in the last few years was a slight redesign of the web interface and DNS proxy.   They will push their SonicWall "Capture" but this has nothing to do with the Firewall product itself, it is a windows based NextGen A/V based on Sentinal with ATP.

Our operation depends heavily on Internet access and we depend on a solution that can provide us with productivity and security for the continuity of our business.
With this need, we implemented a SonicWall NSA firewall to control all access to and from the Internet.

With the deployment of the SonicWall NSA solution, we never suffered a problem due to invasion or contamination of any kind.

The solution always responded very efficiently, delivering us:

• High productivity in our operation through access control capabilities;
• Security for our information with advanced deep inspection features, including SSL traffic.

This solution has always delivered us security features with great efficiency like:

• Web content filter with a very extensive and always updated database;
• IPS with an extensive list of signature attacks;
• Anti-virus system with cloud sandbox that inspects 'file-less' attacks and delivers only after the verdict;
• Real time flow inspection system;
• Application Control with an extensive list of signatures;
• DPI-SSL inspection in the data layer;
• SSO with LDAP directory services.

The solution was deployed to suit all areas of the company.

This product is unable to secure access to endpoints for our external employees. Our next plan will be to deploy a solution for visibility and control of 'shadow IT' applications and also to provide security for accesses outside our company. We plan to use another solution from SonicWall, such as Cloud App Security (CASB), to meet the needs of our external employees.

The solution has always been very stable and efficient.

My impression is that the solution is quite scalable.

Support services are categorized by the criticality level. We had a few critical events, but each was attended quickly and efficiently.

Before this solution, we used Microsoft Forefront TMG Server.

We migrated because the solution was proxy-based and did not have the features of NG firewalls.

Initially, we had to review our security policy and this was the stage that involved the highest level of complexity.

With the policy defined according to our needs, the initial configuration of the solution was simple, but obviously, because it is an advanced-level security solution, it must be implemented by a specialized professional.

The solution was implemented by our internal team. Our team participated in an official solution training prior to deployment.

This question is very relative as we are dealing with an asset. But for our business, it was positive for a short period of time.

In our evaluation, we found that the costs of deploying the solution, and also purchasing the hardware and licenses, were very attractive.

The ratio of costs vs efficiency of SonicWall products is very good.

We did not test other solutions.

The primary use cases for this solution are protection and for a VPN.

My former company is a SonicWall distributor and I am looking to work with this solution in future projects.

I really like the performance; there are no delays and no latency, which is a unique quality in firewalls nowadays.

• The cloud services may be in need of some improvement.
• ADR needs to be added to the portfolio.
• Some next-generation features are not included in the product.

This is a very stable solution and I have heard no objections from customers about it.

It is very scalable.

We have had no interaction with their technical support.

The initial setup of this product is very easy.

Two engineers are required for deployment and maintenance.

I have implemented this solution many times. Some of these were on my own, while in some cases I obtained the help of a consultant. The consultants are great. They are well educated and know how to use the product.

The pricing and licensing are the best part. SonicWall is great compared to competitors, such as Palo Alto, and it has the same features. Considering the market, I believe that the price of this solution is great. 

This product is not as well known as some others because it is not marketed as well as it could be.

My advice for others who are implementing the solution is to do the sizing well. If it is done correctly then there will not be any problems.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.