As far as SonicWall is concerned, the future of cybersecurity starts now. And it is embodied in its new solution, the TZ80, which combines on-premise with cloud-based security and opens a path to a fully cloud-based environment.
Available to MSPs as a subscription-based service, the solution is a “cost-effective package of networking, access, and security” targeted at branch offices, SOHOs and IoT environments. The vendor developed the solution after extensive consultation with MSP partners, says SonicWall President and CEO Bob VanKirk. Partners wanted an affordable entry-level solution designed specifically for this market.
More Than Hardware
The vendor took the feedback and leveraged three rapid-fire acquisitions it made in 2023 to design a solution providing more than just hardware, he explains. “There is a firewall but that firewall comes integrated already with our cloud-native VPN capability. It comes with the ability to add managed security services.”
The SonicWall TZ80 announcement signals some fundamental changes at the vendor. Thanks to the partner feedback, VanKirk says the company reinvented itself, aligning all its functions to the needs of the MSPs who protect modern, hybrid client environments from an ever-changing, dangerous threat landscape.
“We’re trying to meet MSPs where they are on their journey. It’s not about them aligning to SonicWall. It’s about us meeting them where they are and supporting them,” VanKirk says.
Partners now have options for how to pay for SonicWall purchases, he adds. “Instead of buying everything upfront, they can buy and pay as you go on a monthly basis.”
Procurement Options
For partners looking to add services, the SonicWall TZ80 is available as a bundle that includes SonicWall’s Managed Protection Services Suite (MPSS). It delivers remote implementation, firmware and vulnerability management, and system health monitoring.
MSPs also can take advantage of a new iteration of the vendor’s “3 & Free” promotion, which makes it easier for them to procure cybersecurity technology in the way they want to. Buyers of the three-year Advanced Protection Services Suite (APSS) or Essential Protection Services Suite (EPSS) get cloud-native VPN licenses and a free next-gen firewall.
“You buy the services—which are very, very important—and you get the hardware for free,” VanKirk says. The promotion gives customers who still have on-premise hardware solutions a path to a cloud-only environment.
And in what the company is calling an industry first, SonicWall introduced cyberthreat warranties. The warranties are designed to ensure that SonicWall technology is configured properly and kept up to date in an environment where threats constantly change and evolve.
“We’ve always been known for having a very strong security advocacy,” VanKirk says. “We have unique capabilities, we’ve got great threat intel, but at the end of the day it’s also about ensuring that the solutions are correctly configured. It’s not just about taking a box, and plugging it in, and ‘set it and forget it.’”
The warranties supplement cyber insurance coverage with cash to cover deductibles and “other out-of-pocket expenses.” The coverage provides $100,000 for a qualifying firewall and $200,000 for a qualifying managed firewall.
New Approach
With the TZ80 introduction, SonicWall is showing its new face to the market, moving from a hardware company to a total solutions provider. The goal, VanKirK says, is to provide the services that partners need to protect themselves and their customers.
Partners, such as MSPs, are integral to the company’s strategy and future direction. “We went to market early on via partners,” he says. “Partners have been in our DNA since the early days.”
Related: SonicWall Says Its New Cloud Secure Edge Is A Revenue Opportunity For MSPs
