Posts

Celebrating 2023 With Expanded “3 & Free”

/0 Comments/in /by

In December, we announced our limited-time “3 & Free” promotion on SonicWall TZ370 and TZ470 firewalls. While promotions that include a free firewall have always been popular, the response to our TZ promotion has been tremendous.

As a result, we’ve decided to celebrate the arrival of the new year by dramatically expanding the scope of our offer: Our 3 & Free pricing now applies to almost every TZ Series firewall that SonicWall carries.

3 & Free: What’s New for 2023

While we’ve added new models to the promotion, qualifying for an upgrade to the latest TZ Series firewall is as simple as ever. Through March 31, current SonicWall customers or those looking to swap out a competitor’s appliance can purchase three years of SonicWall’s Advanced Protection Service Suite (APSS), and they’ll receive a TZ appliance absolutely free. 

Protect your brand, customers and data while stopping advanced cyberattacks, filtering dangerous content and enjoying 24x7 support

The APSS suite offers all the tools you need to protect against today’s sophisticated malware, ransomware, encrypted threats, viruses, spyware, zero-day exploits and more. The comprehensive package includes:

  • Capture Advanced Threat Protection with RTDMI™
  • Gateway Anti-Virus
  • Anti-Spyware
  • Intrusion Prevention
  • Application Firewall Service
  • Content Filtering Services
  • Comprehensive Anti-Spam
  • NSM Essential with Management and 7-Day Reporting and 24×7 Firmware Support

In addition, you’ll get all the benefits of our latest operating system, SonicOS 7. Built from the ground up to be simpler, more capable and more flexible than any OS before it, SonicOS 7 features advanced security, simplified policy management, and critical networking and management capabilities — all designed to meet the needs of distributed enterprises with next-gen SD-Branches and small- to medium-sized businesses.

“3 & Free”: More than just TZ

Our TZ Series promo is just one of three 3 & Free promotions we’re running to ring in the new year: We also have great deals on NSa Series NGFWs and SonicWave Access Points.

NSa Series “3 & Free”

Despite its remarkable versatility, the entry-level TZ Series isn’t a fit for every use case: Some larger and more complex deployments call for a more robust appliance. That’s why we’re also offering a 3 & Free promotion on two of our most popular NSa Series firewalls.

Through Jan. 31, 2023, when you purchase an NSa 2700 or NSa 3700 High Availability appliance and three years of Advanced Protection Service Suite, you’ll also get the primary NSa 2700 or NSa 3700 NGFW and a stateful HA Upgrade Service License free.

This promotion is for every SonicWall upgrade that qualifies, regardless of whether you’re a current SonicWall customer or you’re making the switch from a competing product.

More on the NSa Series 3 & Free promotion and what sets the NSa Series apart from its competitors.

SonicWave Access Points “3 & Free”

If you’re all set for firewalls, but your wireless connectivity could use an upgrade, we also have a promo for you.

SonicWall’s 600 Series SonicWave Wireless Access Points leverage 802.11ax — the most advanced technology available — to deliver superior performance in complex, multi-device environments. These access points offer enterprises ‘always on, always secure’ access point operations, all while simplifying the user experience.

Best of all, while supplies last, when you buy three SonicWave 621, SonicWave 641 or SonicWave 681 access points, you’ll get the fourth absolutely free. This offer applies to access points purchased individually as well as four-packs and eight-packs, allowing you to multiply your savings.

‘3 & Free’ Promotion: How to Upgrade to a New SonicWall TZ Series NGFW for Free

/0 Comments/in /by

The use of malware — including variants like ransomware — is becoming more unpredictable than ever. As threat actors and cybercriminals shift tactics to bypass existing security measures, it’s never been more critical to ensure your organization is protected by the latest and most cost-effective firewall appliance and real-time security services.

That’s why, for a limited time, SonicWall is making it easy for you to upgrade to the latest SonicWall TZ370 and TZ470 firewall appliances with the return of our ‘3 & Free’ promotion.

What is the SonicWall ‘3 & Free’ Promotion?

The limited-time SonicWall 3 & Free promotion is the easy, cost-effective way for customers to upgrade to the very latest SonicWall next-generation firewall appliance for free.

Protect your brand, customers and data while stopping advanced cyberattacks, filtering dangerous content and enjoying 24x7 support

Taking advantage of the promotion couldn’t be simpler: Through April 30, 2023, current SonicWall customers (or those looking to swap out a competitor’s appliance) can receive a complimentary TZ370 or TZ470 appliance just by purchasing three years of SonicWall’s Advanced Protection Service Suite (APSS).

This security suite includes everything you need to stay protected against today’s modern attacks, including advanced malware, ransomware, encrypted threats, viruses, spyware, zero-day exploits and more. The comprehensive package includes:

  • Capture Advanced Threat Protection with RTDMITM
  • Gateway Anti-Virus
  • Anti-Spyware
  • Intrusion Prevention
  • Application Firewall Service
  • Content Filtering Services
  • Comprehensive Anti-Spam
  • NSM Essential with Management and 7-Day Reporting and 24×7 Firmware Support

SonicWall’s award-winning Capture ATP is a cloud-based, multi-engine sandbox that can detect and block the most advanced threats before they have the chance to infect your network.

Included as part of Capture ATP, SonicWall’s patented RTDMI™ technology leverages proprietary memory inspection, CPU instruction tracking and machine-learning capabilities to become increasingly efficient at recognizing and mitigating never-before-seen attacks. This includes attacks that traditional sandboxes will likely miss, such as threats that don’t exhibit any malicious behavior and hide their weaponry via encryption.

In addition to industry-leading threat capabilities and simplified management, you’ll also enjoy the superior performance of SonicOS7 — our most powerful operating system yet, redeveloped from the ground up to be more agile, flexible and user-friendly than any of its predecessors.

 

10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Latest SonicWall Gen 7 TZ Firewall

/0 Comments/in /by

People often struggle to say goodbye to their things. We grow attached and comfortable with the stuff we use on a regular basis. For instance, I have an old couch that I seldom use, but am nonetheless unable to part with. This comfort zone can be dangerous, as it makes you hold on to things you may no longer need.

We similarly get used to our old network devices. But unlike keeping an old couch, not updating your security gear on time can compromise your entire network. There’s no time like right now to evaluate your needs and adapt. Eliminate things that aren’t needed so that your network is simplified, and update those devices that are critical to the operation.

A good firewall is a cornerstone of a secure network. It’ll stop advanced cyberattacks, as well as keep up with the speed, performance and productivity needs demanded by today’s workplace. Here are the top 10 reasons you should consider updating your legacy firewall to one of the latest 7th generation SonicWall TZ Series firewall (TZ270, TZ370, TZ470, TZ570 and TZ670 Series):

1. Multi-gigabit support in desktop form factor with high port density
Organizations require increased throughput to support bandwidth-intensive applications — and as such, need multi-gigabit ports. Additionally, having a greater number of ports allows organizations to connect more devices directly to the firewall.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 TZ series next-generation firewalls are the first desktop form factor to bring multi-gigabit (2.5/5/10G) interfaces or fiber (SFP+, SFP) interfaces, while the legacy or Gen 6 firewalls support only gigabit interfaces. Gen 7 TZs also support a minimum of 8 ports, while Gen 6 supports only 5.

2. Superior hardware upgrades with expandable storage and redundant power supply
Gen 7 TZs come with an expandable storage that enables various features, including logging, reporting, caching, firmware backup and more. A secondary power supply is available for redundancy in case of failure, ensuring business continuity.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 TZ series models come with an expandable storage slot on the bottom of the device that provides the ability to expand up to 256GB, while Gen 6 does not. TZ670 comes preloaded with 32GB expandable storage, and TZ570/670 series firewalls support two AC power supplies for redundancy. The optional redundant power supply is available for purchase with TZ570/670 Series, while all other Gen 6 and Gen 7 firewalls support one power supply.

3. Groundbreaking firewall inspection, DPI performance and IPSec VPN performance
Network bandwidth requirements from apps, HD video streaming, social media and more continue to increase. And keeping up requires faster firewall inspection, DPI and IPSec VPN performance, which provide a secure network without performance degradation. Having faster firewall performance provides organizations with a greater capacity to utilize higher internet speeds and support more concurrent and remote users.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 TZs offer up to 3 times firewall, DPI and IPSec VPN performance over Gen 6 firewalls.

4. Scale higher with increased connection count (per second, SPI, DPI, DPI-SSL)
Having a higher number of concurrent connections provides greater scalability by enabling more simultaneous user sessions to be active and tracked by the firewall.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 TZs offer up to 15 times as many maximum connections as Gen 6 firewalls.

5. Deploy at scale
With easy onboarding and single-pane of glass management, organizations can reduce complexity, scale quickly, and get business running without additional IT personnel.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 is simplified by Zero-Touch Deployment, with the ability to simultaneously roll out these devices across multiple locations with  minimal IT support.

6. Increased VPN connectivity
For organizations with remote and branch locations, such as retail POS businesses, the ability to create a larger number of site-to-site VPN tunnels is essential. It enables organizations to connect distributed networks together and securely share data.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 offers up to eight times more site-to-site VPN tunnels than Gen 6 firewalls.

7. High VLAN interfaces
VLANs support the logical grouping of network devices, reduce broadcast traffic and allow more control when implementing security policies. This provides logical separation of devices on the same network. High VLAN interfaces allow better segmentation and performance for organizations.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 TZ series offers up to five times more VLAN interfaces than Gen 6 TZ series.

8. 802.11ac Wave 2 technology with higher max number of access points
11ac Wave 2 technology enhances Wi-Fi user experience by supporting MU-MIMO technology. An integrated Wi-Fi option enables organizations to extend their wireless network farther without purchasing additional hardware. Alternatively, high number of APs supported by the firewall provide better scalability of the Wi-Fi network.

Why Upgrade: Gen 7 TZs (with the exception of TZ670) offer integrated 802.11ac Wave 2 support, while Gen 6 supports only 802.11ac Wave 1 or 802.11n technologies. Gen 7 TZs support up to four times as many access points as Gen 6 series.

9. Brand-new SonicOS 7.0 support
The feature-rich SonicOS 7.0 operating system features modern UI/UX, topology view, enhanced policy, advanced security and networking and management capabilities, along with TLS 1.3 and default support for BGP routing without the need for additional license.

Why Upgrade:SonicOS 7.0 support is available on Gen 7 Series, but not available on Gen 6 Series. Gen 7 includes BGP support as default with every firewall purchase, as well as Stateful HA support.

10. 5G USB Modem Support
The USB 3.0 port in the Gen 7 TZs could be used to plug in a 5G dongle for 5G connectivity. They’re backward compatible with 4G/LTE/3G technologies with the use of corresponding dongles.

Why Upgrade: 5G technology support is available on Gen 7 TZ series, but not Gen 6 TZ series.

 

About SonicWall TZ Next-Generation Firewalls

Get high-speed threat prevention in a flexible, integrated security solution with the SonicWall TZ Series. Designed for small networks and distributed enterprises with remote and branch locations, SonicWall TZ next-generation firewalls offer various models that can be tuned to meet your specific needs.

Ready to upgrade to the newest SonicWall TZ firewall? Take advantage of the SonicWall Customer Loyalty Program to save money when you replace your existing SonicWall firewall or other eligible security appliance.

Upgrade My Firewall

What is Secure SD-WAN and How Can It Save Me Money?

/0 Comments/in /by

No matter your type of organization — large or small, public or private — cutting expenses is always a key initiative. After all, reducing your OpEx looks good on the books and enables the company to invest in other meaningful initiatives.

One cost every organization faces is internet connectivity. Access to the internet is essential for communications, website hosting, sharing files, serving up apps and a host of other activities. But it can be expensive, especially if your organization has multiple offices, branches or stores.

Today’s broadband users, whether employees or customers, define their experience by performance rather than availability. We don’t just expect to have access to apps and videos, we demand that they perform in real time. Any delay is met with complaints and a call for more bandwidth, which increases expenses.

How to Securely Connect, Network Remote Locations

When you have a distributed network with branch or remote locations, they need to be securely connected with each other and the corporate headquarters. This can be done using several techniques. One common method is multiprotocol label switching (MPLS). Using MPLS, organizations can create a private wide-area network (WAN) to securely send data between locations via the shortest path available without going through the public internet.

“Integrated security features with SD-WAN are table stakes for most enterprises adopting the technology.”

Mike Fratto
Analyst
451

MPLS supports multiple connection types, including T1 and frame relay. The problem? These connections have to support an increasing number of connected devices and bandwidth-intensive applications that demand higher speeds, which means they’re expensive. That’s why many distributed organizations are moving to SD-WAN (software-defined wide-area network).

“For SD-WAN to be a viable alternative to private WANs, enterprises need to ensure they have the same level of inspection and enforcement at the branch and remote sites as they have at the data center,” said Mike Fratto, analyst at 451, in SonicWall’s official launch announcement. “Integrated security features with SD-WAN are table stakes for most enterprises adopting the technology.”

Reduce Costs with Secure SD-WAN

To help organizations reduce their costs while still receiving secure and consistent performance for business-critical applications, SonicWall offers Secure SD-WAN. A feature of SonicOS 6.5.3, the operating system for SonicWall TZ and NSa firewalls, Secure SD-WAN technology enables distributed organizations to build, operate and manage secure, high-performance networks using readily-available, low-cost public internet services, such as DSL, cable and 3G/4G.

An alternative to more expensive WAN connection technologies, including MPLS, Secure SD-WAN enables virtually any organization — retailers, banks, manufacturers and others — to connect sites spread over great distances for the purpose of sharing data, applications and services. Features such as intelligent failover and load balancing help ensure consistent performance and availability of critical business and SaaS applications.

And, unlike solutions from pure-play SD-WAN providers, Secure SD-WAN doesn’t require you to purchase additional hardware or licenses.

Secure SD-WAN: Safe, Fast & Reliable

Reducing expenses is always a priority for every organization. What else is? Here are some other key issues Secure SD-WAN helps distributed enterprises solve:

  1. Protect your network from cyber criminals. Both encrypted and unencrypted traffic run through a SonicWall next-generation firewall to be scanned for threats, such as malware and ransomware, ensuring maximum threat detection and prevention. If you have a separate SD-WAN-only solution, you’ll need to make sure you also have a way to protect data from modern cyberattacks, such as encrypted threats and ransomware.
  2. Achieve consistent, optimized application performance. Realize faster, more consistent performance for SaaS and business-critical applications, such as VoIP, video and unified communications, through capabilities such as deterministic application performance, which steers the apps over less-congested links to overcome jitter, latency, packet loss and other unfavorable network conditions.
  3. Enhance agility. Using SonicWall Zero-Touch Deployment, bringing up new sites is greatly simplified. Provisioning hardware remotely removes the need to have onsite IT personnel perform the task. In addition, IT administrators can manage the entire network, including devices at SD-WAN-enabled branch/remote locations, through a single pane of glass using Capture Security Center, SonicWall’s cloud-based management and analytics platform.

Learn more about how SonicWall can help your distributed enterprise reduce costs and complexity while enhancing security by switching from expensive MPLS to Secure SD-WAN.

Security for Multi-Cloud Strategies: How SonicWall Safely Guides Organizations to a Virtualized, Cloud-Connected World

/0 Comments/in /by

Not every organization adopts new technology with the same gumption and fervor. Some are measured and patient. Others are early and agile. And this dichotomy holds true for embracing cloud initiatives.

That’s why SonicWall’s goal is to make the journey to the cloud secure, fast, efficient and cost-effective for enterprises and SMBs across a wide range of industries and verticals. To usher organizations toward a secure, cloud-powered existence, the SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform protects your multi-cloud infrastructures by helping you:

  1. Build, operate and manage secure, high-performance networks using hybrid cloud strategies.
  2. Secure public, private and hybrid clouds with affordable, easy-to-use virtual appliances and solutions.
  3. Use personalized, real-time cyber threat intelligence and risk scoring to identify potential security vulnerabilities.

On paper, that’s logical and pragmatic. In reality, that requires real products, services and solutions. As such, SonicWall is introducing a range of new products and enhancements, which includes:

  • Secure SD-WAN — A new capability of SonicOS 6.5.3 and available on SonicWall next-generation firewalls, SonicWall Secure SD-WAN enables distributed organizations to safely deploy and connect branch and remote sites for sharing data, applications and services.
  • Zero-Touch Deployment — Another feature of SonicOS, SonicWall Zero-Touch Deployment allows organizations to quickly and securely launch new SD-WAN-connected locations without requiring on-site personnel to configure hardware.
  • NSv Firewalls — SonicWall NSv virtually extends next-generation firewall capabilities to cloud deployments, which now include Azure and AWS.* Cloud security capabilities include application control, IPS, TLS/SSL decryption and inspection, advanced threat protection (ATP), VPN and network segmentation.
  • Capture Security Center Risk Meters — The new Risk Meters service empowers organizations with data-driven analysis about evolving cyber threat vectors (e.g., network, web, cloud, applications, endpoints, mobile devices, databases) that expand beyond the traditional corporate perimeter.
  • TZ300P & TZ600P Firewalls — New SonicWall TZ300P and TZ600P unified threat management (UTM) firewalls reduce the costs and complexity associated with PoE injectors and switches by providing power directly to connected PoE-enabled devices (i.e., fewer cables because no dedicated power source required), such as wireless access points, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, printers, cameras and other IP devices.

Evolving the SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform

The SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform tightly integrates security, management, analytics and real-time threat intelligence across the company’s full portfolio of network, email, mobile and cloud security products.

The platform provides intelligence, management and analytics to supplement SonicWall’s complete portfolio of cybersecurity hardware, virtual appliances and endpoint clients for an efficient, easy-to-use and connected customer experience.

SonicWall’s mission remains as steadfast as ever: deliver automated, real-time breach detection and protection for enterprises and SMBs. This is the next phase of that unwavering commitment.

Each new product or solution will be featured via in-depth blog coverage this week. To inquire about a specific product, please contact SonicWall or reach out to your dedicated SonicWall SecureFirst partner.

* Availability in the AWS Marketplace pending.

Top Reasons to Update to SonicWall SonicOS 6.2.5 for Better Network Protection

/0 Comments/in /by

Like many people, I sometimes pass over or delay software updates, but this one was different. The new SonicOS6.2.5 adds so many critical new features and so much functionality that I updated my SonicWall TZ firewall the moment it was available.

The new SonicOS 6.2.5 also gave me a chance to make more sense out of my network. My wife works from home, so our network carries both business and personal traffic. SonicOS 6.2.5 adds support for SonicWall X-Series switches on the SonicWall TZ300, TZ400, TZ500 and TZ600 next-generation firewalls. So by replacing my old switch with a SonicWall X-Series switch, I now have a secure network that will allow me to expand as I add more technology. Plus, I am confident that both our home and business data is now protected with the same security engine that is used by governments, colleges, hospitals and banks.

Here are a few reasons this update makes sense for any small business:

  1. The TZ firewall does not slow my network down.
  2. I manage everything from the TZ firewall, including the switch and my SonicWall SonicPoint access points
  3. Protection, protection, protection. At the National Retail Federation show in January, I (accurately) predicted 2016 to be the year where businesses will be hit with ransomware attacks. One of the strengths of  SonicWall is how fast it protects me from all new malware (in this case, ransomware). I continue to make backups, but I feel confident that I will not get breached by this particularly insidious type of malware.

And here what is so exciting about this new release for the distributed enterprise:

  1. With GMS, you can centrally manage the entire network infrastructure of a single site (and all distributed remote sites) including firewalls, switches, wireless access points and WAN acceleration devices. Being able to see what is happening on your network and pushing consistent policies to all sites is a compelling reason to upgrade.
  2. Multiple enhancements for more efficient inspection of encrypted traffic (TLS/SSL) with easier troubleshooting, better scalability and enhanced ease of use. Encrypted traffic is on the rise (50% surge according to 2016 SonicWall Security Annual Threat Report). It’s time to up your game and avoid a costly compromise or denial of service.
  3. With SonicOS 6.2.5,  SonicWall firewalls have achieved the prestigious Department of Defense (DoD) certification based on stringent security requirements. If a product with a firmware version is qualified for use by DoD, then it’s a safe (pun-intended) reason to upgrade your products to 6.2.5 now.

There are also additional improvements that anticipate the dynamic malware business. In our recently published Threat Report, we noted a substantial rise in encrypted communication. This is great for your privacy, but it also gives criminals a very easy method to penetrate networks. Most firewalls either do not inspect encrypted sessions or have this feature turned off a big mistake! An easy way to bypass your network’s security is by sending encrypted malware. Encrypted malware is a reality, so be better prepared with this new OS release. With this new release, the improved user interface makes it easier to set up and manage, especially when it comes to excluding inspection on traffic (such as Google searches).

Building a secure network is something that everyone should insist on. With the new SonicOS features I am a little bit closer. The addition of X-Series switch support to the TZ line (and it is only the TZ300, TZ400, TZ500 and TZ600 products at this time), my network is easier to manage, less complex and more secure.

My friend, Sathya Thammanur, product manager for SonicWall TZs, talked in more detail about the new features of SonicOS 6.2.5 in his recent launch blog. If you are looking for more information his comments are a great place to start or you can download our whitepaper: The Distributed Enterprise and the SonicWall TZ – Building a Coordinated Security Perimeter. If you are ready to upgrade your network, give us a call to explain how security does not have to cost you a lot of money or give you a big headache. As the security officer of your small business, your home or your distributed enterprise, SonicWall has a solution to make your life easier.

Download White Paper