#1 most frequent
United States of America
85.3%81 installations of 95
What is SonicWall NSA Series?
The SonicWall NSA Series is the company's mid-range next generation firewall (NGFW).
Categories & Use Cases
Top Performing Features
Policy-based Controls
Firewall policy controls enable administrators to create firewall policies controlling what data is allowed to traverse the firewall
Category average: 8.9
VPN
VPN's implement encryption and anonymize IP addresses
Category average: 9.1
High Availability
Built-in capacity to prevent exposure if primary firewall stops working
Category average: 9.3
Areas for Improvement
Proxy Server
A proxy server changes your IP address and masks the origin of your network traffic
Category average: 8.5
Active Directory and LDAP
Integration with Active Directory and LDAP directories
Category average: 8.6
Content Inspection
Inspecting permitted application traffic by means of threat prevention, URL filtering and data filtering
Category average: 8.7
Who Buys & Uses SonicWall NSA Series
#2 most frequent
Canada
6.3%6 installations of 95
#3 most frequent
Germany
3.2%3 installations of 95
SonicWall NSA Series is worth considering
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We have 2 SonicWall NSA Series firewall appliances. They are our primary firewalls for our network and serve as the perimeter of our network. These firewalls serve as one part of our cybersecurity layer. We use these appliances like any typical firewall appliance gets used. These firewalls allow a few select people to be able to access internal network resources from outside of the network. The High Availability capability ensures that our network maintains an Internet connection if one appliance ever goes down. We use IPS, VPN, and more features.
Pros
- They are reliable.
- The High Availability feature works well and ensures redundancy.
- It allows you to do all the basic tasks on a firewall well.
- New firmware releases are painless.
Cons
- Sometimes, their support staff can have thick accents, which makes them hard to understand.
Return on Investment
- It is a firewall appliance at an affordable price compared to other firewall vendors.
- It is reliable and thus, allows our business to operate without any hiccups.
Usability
Alternatives Considered
Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series
SonicWall NSA Series firewall excellence
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
This is a high end business-class firewall, built to handle volume while still delivering top tier protection for the organization. We have licensing for AV, anti-botnet, and secure browsing protection as well as VPN access. We use rule sets for direct connections and also filter based on Geo-IP settings. It is a multi-faceted and highly adaptable firewall.
Pros
- Filtering
- Site-scanning protection
- DoS protection
Cons
- DPI scanning
- Sometimes a bit strict with site filtering
- Updates sometimes fix 5 things and break something else.
Return on Investment
- The protection is top notch.
- The HA (high availability) feature is a life-saver if you have 2 circuits/ISPs.
- SonicWall support is very good.
Usability
Alternatives Considered
WatchGuard XTM - Discontinued Product
Other Software Used
Cisco Routers, Dell Unity XT Unified Storage, Splashtop
SonicWall NSA is a great well rounded security appliance
Pros
- VPN
- Content filtering
- IPS
- Anti-malware
Cons
- Dynamic content filtering
- Built-in LetsEncrypt SSL feature
- Logging
Return on Investment
- Improved uptime
- Minimizing malware risks
- Minimizing virus risks
Alternatives Considered
Fortinet FortiGate
Other Software Used
GoGuardian Admin, PRTG Network Monitor
Solid security for SMB
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
I use it to secure our data center network. We use the VPN to build a connection to our office as well as the Azure cloud.
Pros
- Firewall
- VPN
- DLP
Cons
- Configuration can be cumbersome if you aren't familiar with the SonicWall OS. There are a lot of steps to do common tasks.
- The LDAP integration isn't very stable and drops connectivity to the LDAP servers.
- AV scanning.
Return on Investment
- Was affordable, allowing for advanced routing and security.
- Enabled us to build VPNs without purchasing additional services
- Was simple enough to manage in house without external support.
Other Software Used
Azure App Service, Coro Cybersecurity, Microsoft 365
SonicWall NSA is an enterprise firewall worth trusting!
Pros
- Relatively inexpensive compared to some of the higher-end products, like Palo Alto Networks.
- Easy to set up, as the SonicWall NSA interface is consistent across all models.
Cons
- The logging interface is voluminous and difficult to get quick and good information from.
- SonicWall NSA is trying to mimic Palo Alto Network's investigative features but falls far behind.
Return on Investment
- Easy purchase for each branch we spin up.
- Quick deployment time which doesn't require an outside vendor to install.
Alternatives Considered
WatchGuard Network Security, Check Point 12000 Appliances and Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls - PA Series