We are using this firewall with content filtering and other features.
Manager IT/ System Administrator/ Network Administrator at Indsec
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?
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.
Buyer's Guide
SonicWall TZ
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about SonicWall TZ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
823,875 professionals have used our research since 2012.
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 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.
Consultant at Software Solutions
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
Buyer's Guide
SonicWall TZ
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about SonicWall TZ. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
823,875 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Owner\Operator with 1-10 employees
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
Network Manager / Senior Network Engineer at Warnock, Tanner & Associates
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.
Integration Engineer at a non-profit with 10,001+ employees
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
Head of IT at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
Protects the business from being compromised
Pros and Cons
- "It does exactly what it says on the tin. It is good for protecting the business from being compromised. Its port protection is very good."
- "It could probably be more user-friendly, and it could be more scalable with releases and subscriptions."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for protection. We're about two versions behind the latest version.
What is most valuable?
It does exactly what it says on the tin. It is good for protecting the business from being compromised. Its port protection is very good.
What needs improvement?
It could probably be more user-friendly, and it could be more scalable with releases and subscriptions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a few years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is not bad. It could be more scalable with releases and subscriptions.
We have about 200 users.
How are customer service and support?
I never needed their support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I can't remember the old solution we had, but it was no good. So, we went to SonicWall.
How was the initial setup?
It was a long time ago. From what I recall, it was pretty straightforward.
For deployment and maintenance, we have a technical team of around five internal people.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have to pay yearly. Its licensing can be improved, and they should provide more features, such as AV, email filtering, and so on with the basic subscription.
What other advice do I have?
There are a lot of products out there, and I don't have that much experience with any other product. If I have to buy a new product, I would probably review and do a comparison with SonicWall.
Overall, I don't have any issues with the product. I like this product. It is very good. I would rate it an eight out of 10.
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.
Information Technology Executive at Pelemix Lanka
Stable, user-friendly, and helpful for seeing the bandwidth usage
Pros and Cons
- "It is very user-friendly, and there is no problem in using its interface."
- "Its reporting can be improved. Currently, we cannot directly get the user names. It only shows the IP, which makes it a bit confusing because we need to use the IP to find the user. If we could directly get the name of the user, it would be better."
What is our primary use case?
We are using a server for all our details, and we are accessing data from multiple countries. So, we needed a firewall.
We are using the SonicWall TZ400 model.
How has it helped my organization?
It has been helpful in many ways. We can see the bandwidth usage for users and how they have used it. From time to time, we get complaints that the server is a bit slow, and we then go to the reporting part to check the bandwidth usage for each user. It has also blocked a couple of viruses.
What is most valuable?
It is very user-friendly, and there is no problem in using its interface.
What needs improvement?
Its reporting can be improved. Currently, we cannot directly get the user names. It only shows the IP, which makes it a bit confusing because we need to use the IP to find the user. If we could directly get the name of the user, it would be better.
Its licensing should be improved. We would like to get the reporting part along with the license, without having to purchase it separately. It would be good if they combine both of these.
Its scalability can also be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. There is no doubt about it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Currently, we have 17 users in our country with access to the firewall. We have given them a VPN connection to the firewall to access some of their data.
It is more suitable for small businesses. It would be useful if they can improve its scalability so that even big companies can use it.
How are customer service and technical support?
Whenever I needed any kind of support, the local partner gave me the best possible support. Their support was extremely good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is a bit expensive. We have to purchase the license and the reporting part separately, which makes it a bit pricey. This is the main reason why we have thought of moving to another firewall. It would be good if they combine both of these.
What other advice do I have?
We were a small business at the beginning, and we did not think of allowing all of our countries to access the server, but now, we need to give everyone access to the server. We are thinking of moving to a firewall that would be better than this.
I would rate SonicWall TZ a 10 out of 10. It is a good product.
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.
IT Administrator at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Good support, very stable, easy to use, and useful for viewing network utilization
Pros and Cons
- "Most of the features are useful. It is easy to configure and easy to troubleshoot. I can see the utilization of different networks, and there are also App control features."
- "FortiGate has a client DNS in the firewall, but SonicWall doesn't have that. To create or configure a site-to-site VPN tunnel, we have to give a DNS name. Currently, we have to get the DNS name from a third party and then include it in SonicWall, whereas FortiGate has its own client DNS, so it provides a DNS name, and it does not require a third party. There should be a graphical option to view the network utilization and bandwidth usage."
What is our primary use case?
We have multiple branches, and we have configured SonicWall VPNs for branch-to-branch connectivity through IPSec. I am also restricting websites to protect us from hackers, torrents, games, and other such things. I am using SonicWall TZ 400 series.
What is most valuable?
Most of the features are useful. It is easy to configure and easy to troubleshoot.
I can see the utilization of different networks, and there are also App control features.
What needs improvement?
FortiGate has a client DNS in the firewall, but SonicWall doesn't have that. To create or configure a site-to-site VPN tunnel, we have to give a DNS name. Currently, we have to get the DNS name from a third party and then include it in SonicWall, whereas FortiGate has its own client DNS, so it provides a DNS name, and it does not require a third party.
There should be a graphical option to view the network utilization and bandwidth usage.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We have 100 users of this solution. We might increase its usage in the future in about eight months.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is good. They are very helpful. I would rate them an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using ESET Antivirus for endpoint security. For firewalls, we were using FortiGate and MikroTik firewalls. FortiGate is fine, and it is helpful and easy, but MikroTik is not. It can't stop attacks from hackers.
In addition to SonicWall TZ, we are now using Cloud App Security from SonicWall for endpoint security, and we have Email Security from SonicWall for emails. In addition, we are using Capture Client from SonicWall for endpoint protection. All these solutions are very helpful, easy to configure, and easy to troubleshoot.
How was the initial setup?
It was straightforward. It took five to ten minutes.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution. We plan to keep using this solution. We have recently renewed our license, and we don't have any plans to use any other solution.
I would rate SonicWall TZ an eight 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.
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: November 2024
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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.