Head Information Technology at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
User-friendly, reasonably priced, and good threat prevention, but the technical support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the user-friendly navigation."
  • "The VPN that is available in the new version is a bit bulky and slower in speed."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is to protect all of the internal users from cyber attacks.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the user-friendly navigation.

What needs improvement?

As compared to other firewalls, they should provide an unlimited number of users for the SSL VPN.

The VPN that is available in the new version is a bit bulky and slower in speed. It should also be easier to use.

The SD-WAN feature should be enhanced, similar to Fortinet FortiGate.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this solution for six months.

We have just upgraded TZ to 350.

Buyer's Guide
SonicWall TZ
March 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We are not able to use the VPN. It has limitations. It comes with a certain number of users and we have to spend a lot for VPN accessibility.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is not very good. There is a facility called Geofencing where you can block IP addresses or certain countries.

When contacting their technical support, the technical support said that such a facility is not available in this firewall.

Another issue we had with technical support was when we wanted all of our VPN users to be migrated from our old firewall to this firewall, but somehow, technically they failed to do it. We had to configure it manually.

The technical competency of technical support is a bit on the lower side.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

We have two engineers to maintain and deploy this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is fair.

What other advice do I have?

If it is used for internal users, it is very good as a firewall. But if it has to be used for VPN, it will be a bit costly and the VPN may be bulky. 

Using the VPN is not recommended, but as a firewall for blocking threats, it's good.

I would rate SonicWall TZ a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Manager IT/ System Administrator/ Network Administrator at Indsec
Real User
Provides all required security features and the ability to block anything we want to block
Pros and Cons
  • "We are able to block whatever we want to block by using this product. It provides all required security features, such as content filtering, VPN, in one box. Before switching to SonicWall, we had specified all required features."
  • "It could be made more user friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this firewall with content filtering and other features. 

What is most valuable?

We are able to block whatever we want to block by using this product. It provides all required security features, such as content filtering, VPN, in one box. Before switching to SonicWall, we had specified all required features.

What needs improvement?

It could be made more user friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using SonicWall products for around ten years. Specifically, we have been using SonicWall TZ for the last five years.

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 fine in terms of scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is good. For technical support, sometimes we write directly to SonicWall, and they provide the solution. We sometimes also contact our vendor for support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used GajShield previously. The product went down once, and the GajShield team was unable to provide the support. That's why we replaced the product. 

How was the initial setup?

Its installation is very easy. It took around four hours to install it.

What about the implementation team?

Implementation was done by me with some help from the vendor. I also manage this solution and use it on daily basis. We have an AMC contract with SonicWall, and we renew it directly with them. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its pricing is okay as compared to other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

We have been using this product for around ten years, and we are very comfortable with this product. I would recommend this product based on your requirements. 

I would rate SonicWall TZ a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
SonicWall TZ
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about SonicWall TZ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
767,847 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consultant at Software Solutions
Reseller
Top 20
Ideal for medium size businesses, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "The cost of the solution has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for firewall protection with our customers.

What is most valuable?

Stability is the most valuable feature of the solution.

What needs improvement?

The cost of the solution has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can be used for small, and medium companies as long as the organization has the budget for it. I recommend Cisco Meraki for enterprise companies because it works on the cloud and is more scalable.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

I recommend the solution.

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: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Owner\Operator with 1-10 employees
Reseller
Easy to use with a simple initial setup and very helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "I've found the technical support to be helpful."
  • "I would like the solution to build in more redundancy. I"

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a firewall. It's pretty much for content filtering and protection between points.

What is most valuable?

The solution works very well.

They seem to be protecting themselves, or, at least, I assume they are, when they ask you to go online to enable the device.

The solution is easy to use. The actual setup is pretty easy.

I've found the technical support to be helpful. With all of the specifics, whether it's VPN stuff or the Analyzer products, et cetera, I'll always call for help. 

I'm very comfortable with the product. I know enough to really get to where I need to be and then to get it right. For my customers, I can call and get help if I need to, and it's nice to have that option, however, I'm really quite comfortable overall with its functionality.

What needs improvement?

There was one complaint I always had in the past. Years ago, you always had to enable the device. You had to go online to enable the device. You had to connect and do that. That was always a thing in my mind: "Well, why do I have to do that? Why do I have to go outside of my network just to do that?" Now, it seems to be less of an issue. However, that's been something that has frustrated me. It's not fixed. It's still the same. It's just something I live with now. I wish you didn't have to go off your network to connect.

I would like the solution to build in more redundancy. I would hope that doesn't come with a price increase, however, it would make the solution that much better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for ten years at this point. It's been about a decade, therefore I'm comfortable saying that I've worked with it for a long time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is largely stable. The one thing I did notice was their VPN connectivity. It hadn't been upgraded for a long time - maybe even years. Whether they were doing stuff with it, I don't know. I just noticed this past last year, they came out with a new VPN client. However, before that, it was a long time. They seem to have sorted it now. I don't know if that means they'll go another extended period without updating again or not.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't grown out of one before, and therefore I haven't really had to scale. In terms of their throughput, we got close on one once. The thing is, if I call an inside connection, he'll get me in touch with his inside tech, which is different from tech support and they'll do some numbers. What my throughput is, the bandwidth I actually have, what I'm working with, et cetera. I seem to be always under. I'm really not in the hundreds of users. It's typically under 100. I work with smaller organizations, and there isn't much need to scale.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've dealt with technical support in the past. They've been good. I'm satisfied with eh level of support they provide. It's one of the selling points for me. I like to have products with good technical support capabilities.

Most of them were really sharp. I call with some questions sometimes, or I just want to set up a VPN between the buildings or something real quick and I just want to make sure I've got it right. They're just really great at assisting me. I'll say, "Look, am I missing anything?" And they'll look through and say, "This is good, but change this." Their tech support's been excellent. I'd give them a ten out of ten for sure.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've worked with Symantec and Cisco. I haven't dealt with any Cisco in a few years. I did some Cisco and started to learn how to do certain tasks. I haven't really done much with them as my clients are a bit smaller. Cisco is an awesome product. They are likely the best on the market. However, as I recall, they don't really have a GUI and my clients don't need the size.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. It's nice and easy. A person or company shouldn't have any issues with the setup.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a reseller.

I tend to use the latest version of the solution. I go with whatever's happening. I'll upgrade when necessary when they go end of life. 

Although it is my understanding that they also have a cloud option, I tend to prefer on-premises deployments. If I need something, I will call my SonicWall rep.

I'd recommend new users try them. They have very good service and they're easy to use.

I'd rate them ten out of ten simply for the fact that I really haven't had any issues with them at all.

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: reseller
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Network Manager / Senior Network Engineer at Warnock, Tanner & Associates
Real User
Review about Dell SonicWALL TZ

What is most valuable?

Easy to use GUI
VPN (Site-to-Site and Client-to-Site)
Gateway Security
Built in A/V options
Content Filtering

How has it helped my organization?

The site-to-site VPN allows for consistent communication between sites.

Upgrading the OS is easy and they alert you when an upgrade is available.

Content filtering and gateway security has help reduce visiting unwanted websites and attacks.

Logging helps track down issues bandwidth hogs.

What needs improvement?

I would love to see a more detailed logs and filtering.

Wireless versions have week signal strength in comparison to other wireless routers.

For how long have I used the solution?

5 years

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Absolutely no issues with stability. I try to reboot them every 6 months to a year for good measure, but not because I have to.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Most of the TZ series are for small to mid size office. I would not recommend these for large to enterprise solutions. I do use one currently for a small community school of 250 students with no issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

I have not worked with their customer service.

Technical Support:

Excellent customer service. Very knowledgeable.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This has been a great solution and have never bothered trying anything else. I do have a few Cisco ASA installs, however the cost is a bit higher and more complex to implement.

How was the initial setup?

Setup is quite straight forward. There are some deeper more complex setups that can be implemented. These more complex setups can be achieved through their support or a quick google search.

What about the implementation team?

I personally implemented the solution.

What was our ROI?

I like to think that the TZ series has the best bang for the buck. Full of features and options that you need to control security with out breaking the bank. Perfect solution for smaller businesses.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sonic Wall has an a la carte pricing model. There are many features and options that you may not need or want and therefore no need to pay for them

The only problem with this model is that it does now use a yearly subscription model. Although the router itself may be less expensive than other competitors, you may spend more in subscriptions.

Product support will require a yearly maintenance.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I only work with SonicWALL TZ and Cisco ASA.

What other advice do I have?

Sonic Wall OS is very easy to use but still has all the options and features you need to implement your security.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user513891 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user513891VP, Technology at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Consultant

As an update on this topic - there are new versions of SonicOS planned for the middle of this year which are reportedly going to increase the throughput ratings by as much as 50%. The new features essentially unlock the horsepower that the gen6 platform promised through more efficient code, etc.

See all 3 comments
Integration Engineer at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Does what it says it is going to do
Pros and Cons
  • "It does what it says it is going to do."
  • "The user support could be improved because you have to go outside to get that kind of support."

What is our primary use case?

I was a technical consultant, and I was helping clients out. I've had two clients. Both of them have had SonicWall, and both of them have gone through upgrades.

What is most valuable?

It does what it says it is going to do.

What needs improvement?

The user support could be improved because you have to go outside to get that kind of support.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for five years.

How are customer service and support?

We haven't used it. We've had to go outside and get technical support through a third party.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it an eight out of 10.

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
PeerSpot user
IT Supervisor at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
It is very stable with no issues. The firewall has been up for the past 35 days non-stop.
Pros and Cons
  • "We use the content filter quite a lot because it's an office setting. During working hours, we like to censor the sites users can visit so it increases productivity. Therefore, the content filter has been good for us."
  • "It is very stable with no issues. The firewall's been up for the past 35 days non-stop. It's performed great. It has performed as it should perform."
  • "It would be good if Analyzer would be part of the stock license, so even if a layperson is getting the device, he or she doesn't forgets about ordering the Analyzer because it's already there."

What is our primary use case?

It is a multi-setting tool. We have about 50 users at any point in time. So far, we haven't had any problems.

How has it helped my organization?

We use the content filter and the SSL VPN: 

  • The content filter has increased our productivity, especially during working hours. We don't have users spending time on social media during working hours. This means productivity is good. 
  • Then, when the guys are offsite, they are still able to work without taking any breaks due to the SSL VPN that we use.

What is most valuable?

We use the content filter quite a lot because it's an office setting. During working hours, we like to censor the sites users can visit so it increases productivity. Therefore, the content filter has been good for us.

We have been using the SSL VPN as well, because most of our people do travel. They go for rest and recuperation approximately every six weeks, and they are offsite for about 10 days. More often than not, they need to login, or get onto shared drives, to do some work.

What needs improvement?

SonicWall Analyzer needs a different license. It would be good if Analyzer would be part of the stock license, so even if a layperson is getting the device, he or she doesn't forgets about ordering the Analyzer because it's already there. 

This is what we realized that over the last few months. We tried to pull some analysis, and without the Analyzer, we couldn't. Now, we are in the process of buying the additional license. It would have been better embedded from the beginning.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable with no issues. The firewall has been up for the past 35 days non-stop. It's performed great. It has performed as it should perform.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is fine. Our needs do not vary regarding scalability. They are constant. We have about 50 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We used it on one occasion. It was quite straight forward. We have a 24/7 support service option. The people who provided support were very efficient.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

The main company has been using SonicWall for awhile. When we setup our local office in Ghana, we decided to use what was being utilized in the main office for the local office.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward. The wizard was helpful. It took less than an hour and a half to set it up and have at least the basic functions apparent. The primary set-up took less than two hours, then we were up and running.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

SonicWall has authorized distributors in our country. They have about two or three distributors in the country, so it makes it a bit easier. What we do is to request a quotation from these distributors, then we do a value for money analysis and see which one of them is giving us a competitive price.

Getting licenses in our country, Ghana, is not easy. Though, once we have them, adding them is quick (about a day).

Overall, the cost is great.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No, because we chose SonicWall because they are on our main company's vendor.

We did decide to go with SonicWall TZ instead of SonicWall NSA, because the SonicWall NSA is bigger and more costly.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CIO at ENGEREDE SOLUÇÕES EM TI
Reseller
Top 20
Good central interface and solid security features.
Pros and Cons
  • "We like the central interface and we like the security features. Additionally, we use SonicWall with VPN connectivity and we have had no problems with SonicWall all these years."
  • "I would like to see a SonicWall integration with the DLP tool, this would be interesting. Data Loss Prevention integration."

What is our primary use case?

The purpose of SonicWall is as a unified threat management appliance. We use SonicWall to protect our customers from cyber threat.

We have SonicWall in customer's on-premises environment and we have SonicWall in cloud data centers.

What is most valuable?

We like the central interface and we like the security features. Additionally, we use SonicWall with VPN connectivity and we have had no problems with SonicWall all these years.

What needs improvement?

In the next release, I would like to see a SonicWall integration with the DLP tool, this would be interesting. Data Loss Prevention integration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using SonicWall TZ for about 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

SonicWall TZ is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, we have to choose the right model according to the customer, their company's size, and according to the internet link capacity. Also according to the quantity of user parameters and the user quantity. The number of users and the link capacity are two parameters to define which SonicWall model is appropriate for that company.

How are customer service and support?

They have a good technical support. I have no problem with them.

How was the initial setup?

It is easy to set up SonicWall. It just depends on the scope of the project.

To set up for initial use takes about two hours. We start with the basic configuration and that is enough to start using SonicWall. After that, we do the more complex and detailed configuration of the security features.

Since we can deploy SonicWall in two hours with the basic configuration, we do a fast start because my users are starting to use the web and receive emails. After that, we do the next steps of the complex config for the more detailed secured configurations.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend SonicWall to other companies for their security, for the end customer and for security companies, to use as a UTM appliance. 

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate SonicWall TZ a nine.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
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Updated: March 2024
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Buyer's Guide
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