The affordability.
Network Consulting Engineer with 501-1,000 employees
Its easier to deploy and configure than other options, but the GUI configurations and menus are not intuitive.
Pros and Cons
- "We switched because Dell offered an affordable, stable, flexible option that is easier to deploy and configure."
- "GUI configurations and menus are not intuitive, thus making it difficult to identify dependent configurations completion."
What is most valuable?
How has it helped my organization?
It's provided security and a VPN connection.
What needs improvement?
GUI configurations and menus are not intuitive, thus making it difficult to identify dependent configurations completion.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for two years.
Buyer's Guide
SonicWall TZ
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about SonicWall TZ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,667 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
In most cases no issues, except a few times when the External Interface would not take a public dynamic IP address.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were some issues, when the firewall would work for six months straight, and then cause VPN slowness, which was resolved right after a reboot. Not many companies allow themselves to have such downtime.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and support?
Customer Service:
Service is great.
Technical Support:Service is great.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used a mix of WatchGuard and Cisco firewalls. We switched because Dell offered an affordable, stable, flexible option that is easier to deploy and configure.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director of Pre-sales, training and development. with 11-50 employees
It's straightforward to setup but reporting needs to be improved.
Pros and Cons
- "We sell the product, and we have a lot of business for it, and our customers are happy with the solution."
- "Sometimes there are issues."
What is most valuable?
- All feautures related to deep packet inspection (IPS, application control, anti-malware, anti-spyware)
- Single Sign On
- Web content filter
- VPN
How has it helped my organization?
We sell the product, and we have a lot of business for it, and our customers are happy with the solution.
What needs improvement?
- Advance malware analysis (sandbox)
- Reporting
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the NSA, E-Class and Supermassive models over the last 12 years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
If it's planned correctly, there will be no problems.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes there are issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
It's good.
Technical Support:It's medium.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used CheckPoint and switched because it was expensive.
How was the initial setup?
It was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We are a vendor team.
What was our ROI?
It normally comes within eight months for us.
What other advice do I have?

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. We are a Dell Premium Partner.
Buyer's Guide
SonicWall TZ
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about SonicWall TZ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,667 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Professioan Services Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
You will be easily impressed with the performance and features available but they doesn't offer virtual UTM models.
Pros and Cons
- "Dell SonicWALL UTM is strong in the UTM space with great support."
- "The firewall does crash and/or unexpectedly reboots."
What is most valuable?
- The management GUI is easy to configure, friendly to use, manage, and troubleshoot
- IPSec/SSL VPN is easy to configure
- It offers granular level of control for IPS and firewalls with advanced application control features
- You have one console to manage different aspect of the product
- It provides a high level of security
- It is easy to integrate into an existing network
- It provides a high level of throughput
What needs improvement?
- The DPI SSL Inspection needs a lot of improvements
- Dell SonicWALL doesn’t offer virtual UTM models which is a very fast growing area in the world
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for three years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The firewall does crash and/or unexpectedly reboots.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Generally speaking no, but sizing correctly is main challenge, and that is why you need to make sure you select the right model.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
The hold time is very long, and they need to hire more people to handle the huge number of incoming calls.
Technical Support:Dell SonicWALL tech support is excellent, and they meet the evolving needs of their clients.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I had a chance to work with Fortinet and Netasq. and am also currently exploring CheckPoint. It was a part of my job when I joined different companies, and each with had partnership with these products.
How was the initial setup?
Most of the deployments were straightforward, whether as a standalone unit or as part of an HA setup.
What about the implementation team?
It was an in-house team who consulted with the vendor for complex installations.
What was our ROI?
It delivers an immediate ROI with a low cost of managing and maintaining multiple security solutions, it increases productivity, and improves security.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No other options were evaluated.
What other advice do I have?
Dell SonicWALL UTM is strong in the UTM space with great support. They continue to innovate and deliver a solid UTM product with high throughput speed. Added to this, Dell partners are pleased with their SonicWALL partnership as well as the products features and excellent support.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It's simple to deploy which means you can quickly & effectively have a secure network but the reporting tool needs work
Pros and Cons
- "Configuration of firewall policies is very easy."
- "The death for SonicWall for us unfortunately is the Dell acquisition."
What is most valuable?
Configuration of firewall policies is very easy. I would say its interface gave me the ability to step into firewall and routing. Also I find using the SonicWALL for Site to Site VPN's is extremely easy, in particular, if you want to have VPN fail-over. HA is another good feature. Only because its the most competitive in the market as they give you an HA unit at a reduced cost.
How has it helped my organization?
Being a simple to deploy product means you can quickly and effectively implement a secure network
What needs improvement?
Since the acquisition of SonicWALL by Dell, I have not seen much in the way of improvements. Probably the key area to improve are as follows
- Better Mail Security (Spam in particular)
- Some improvement in Application Detection and reporting
- Its reporting tool (Viewpoint/GMS) is probably still in need of much improvement.
The death for SonicWall for us unfortunately is the Dell acquisition. You end up competing with Dell for the sale of SonicWALL and then anything else IT related. They don't work with IT partners.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used SonicWALL NSA for five years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered with deployment.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The only stability issues I have encountered is the reporting tools' ViewPoint/GMS. I have seen those virtual appliances fail to the point of needing to rebuild.
The NSA side of things is extremely stable as is the HA functionality.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You need to know the environment to ensure the unit you deploy suits. One negative about the SonicWALLS is the spec sheets for their numbers seem to be quite "optimistic". I used to divide by two to get an idea.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
I haven't dealt with customer support.
Technical Support:Pretty good, they are more than happy to get into the details of any issues and assist in resolving them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This became the de-facto firewall for us.
How was the initial setup?
Initial out of the box setup is very simple as it provides wizards to get you up and running and you can build your firewall on top of those wizards.
What about the implementation team?
When SonicWall was SonicWALL we dealt with a very good vendor team. Since going to Dell it just went downhill.
What was our ROI?
We have seen many cases where installing the SonicWall has helped with security threats or just for safe user browsing
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Setup cost is the hardware, configuration and installation. Once its installed, you don't need to refer to it much.
What other advice do I have?
Just map out the connection requirements.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
it_user380502Principal Network Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Top 20Consultant
I like the TZ series for very small office, however I generally recommend and implement the NSA series for my clients. (I am not a reseller, I just sell my time). General rule - buy the next model up on a SonicWall if you want it to be sufficient for at least 3-5 years. I love the NSA3600, probably the best SonicWall model that I have managed over the past 10 years.
Owner at IT CARE
A fairly priced solution great for network security and is scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is priced fairly and competitively."
- "The products' reporting can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for network security and it is deployed on-premises.
What needs improvement?
The products' reporting can be improved. Additionally, the solution can include a way to find the information provided by users.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for over ten years and are currently using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. I rate it a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. I rate it a nine out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously did not use any other solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The setup time depends on the customer's requirements and the organization's size.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is priced fairly and competitively.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good, but its reporting can be improved.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Business development executive at ITCG Solutions Pvt Ltd
It is a stable solution and provides good network security services
Pros and Cons
- "It is a scalable solution."
- "The solution's cost needs improvement."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers use the solution for its email security features.
What is most valuable?
The solution provides good network security services.
What needs improvement?
The solution's price could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for a few months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup process is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our customers purchase the solution's license. It is expensive compared to Sophos.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others and rate it as a ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: March 2026
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I know Dell SonicWall very well since I used to work there for 3 yrs. Many customers now implementing multi-layer approach where they have SonicWall in Route / NAT mode and and IPS/IDS from another vendor such as Fortinet in Transparent mode for better security and visibility. Keep in mind that the IPS/IDS/AV in SonicWall in only signature-based with no Heuristic scanning and no sandboxing .