SonicWall today launched Cloud Secure Edge (CSE), a multitenant platform for MSPs serving customers in different phases of cloud migration who need their remote employees and third-party users to be able to securely connect to company resources from any device or location.
“CSE combines the functionality of multiple traditional network appliances—remote access VPN, web proxy, firewall, etc.—into a unified cloud-delivered solution, improving the security posture and user experience for the entire workforce,” says Tarun Desikan, SonicWall executive vice president of product strategy, in an email interview with MSP Success. Desikan was the co-founder of Banyan Security, which SonicWall acquired in January of this year. (See MSP Success‘ Q&A with SonicWall President and CEO Bob VanKirk for more on the Banyan acquisition and vendor roadmap.)
According to SonicWall, MSPs’ customers can choose from a range of Secure Internet Access (SIA) and Secure Private Access (SPA) solutions that replace legacy VPNs with cloud-native solutions for network security. For organizations that want to combine zero trust with firewall protection, SonicWall is embedding a Private Connector in SonicWall Next-Gen Firewalls (NGFW) to strengthen existing multilayer security with a zero trust architecture.
CSE builds on SonicWall’s acquisition of Banyan. “Banyan was an early innovator and market leader in delivering SSE [security service edge] to enterprises of all sizes,” Desikan says. “CSE takes that experience and adds SonicWall’s network security knowledge to launch highly flexible and cost-effective solutions—ensuring that any organization can maintain high-performance connectivity while safeguarding against evolving cyberthreats.”
Protection Across Diverse Environments
Asked how CSE differs from a SaaS application security solution, which many MSPs already have in their stack, Deskian says, “While both SonicWall Cloud Secure Edge and SaaS application security solutions focus on enhancing security, they cater to different aspects of an organization’s IT infrastructure. SonicWall Cloud Secure Edge provides comprehensive network security and connectivity solutions across diverse environments, whereas SaaS application security solutions concentrate on protecting data and managing access within specific cloud-hosted applications.”
He adds that CSE “enhances the capabilities of NDR, MDR, EDR, and XDR solutions.”
Cloud Secure Edge integrates with MySonicWall, a platform where MSPs register and manage SonicWall products and licenses, and is billed monthly.
Deskian says CSE offers an additional revenue opportunity for MSPs. “CSE fills the gap experienced by SMEs by providing a straightforward, scalable ZTNA solution ideal for MSPs and their mid-market and SMB customers. CSE adds to our existing remote access solutions, enabling SonicWall to help any business no matter what phase they’re at in their transition to the cloud.”
Asked if MSPs had been asking for this type of solution, Deskian says CSE “was designed in consultation with SonicWall MSPs—not only to simplify deployment and management but also enhance overall security posture, making them essential and accessible tools for evolving IT environments. As part of our inside-out approach and the transformation of today’s SonicWall, we are hearing directly from MSPs that these are products they need to be successful.”
