SonicWall CEO Bob VanKirk tells CRN that the launch of a major new SMB firewall is just the latest in a series of moves this year focused on ‘transformation’ of the company.

SonicWall’s unveiling of a major new SMB firewall Thursday is just the latest in a series of moves this year focused on “transformation” of the cybersecurity vendor, SonicWall CEO Bob VanKirk told CRN.

The company has also been driving forward its portfolio of offerings for MSPs and other partners with a key acquisition and the evolution of its managed detection and response (MDR) offering based on capabilities from a prior acquisition.

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Other major moves have included the debut of a new cybersecurity management platform for MSPs.

All in all, “we continue to see our partner numbers increase. New MSPs are growing at a double-digit rate,” VanKirk said. “I’m convinced our relentless focus on our partners has really led us to knowing where to focus and where we needed to transform.”

What follows are the details on five big moves from SonicWall in 2024.

TZ80 Firewall

In the company’s latest major move of the year, SonicWall on Thursday debuted the TZ80, a small office/home office (SOHO) network security device. The firewall provides capabilities including integrated zero trust network access (ZTNA) as well as VPN as-a-service to meet the needs of hybrid environments, the company said.

Notably, MSPs and other partners will have the option to buy SonicWall’s managed security services — such as firewall management and monitoring — in conjunction with the TZ80, VanKirk said.

“It’s about us ensuring that you’re on the latest release, that you’re deploying the necessary services, all around the continued successful implementation of the device,” he said.

Banyan Acquisition

In January, SonicWall announced the acquisition of Banyan Security, a security service edge vendor focused on enabling adoption of a zero-trust posture.

The deal has brought technologies including ZTNA into SonicWall’s portfolio — which formed the basis for the inclusion of the capabilities in the TZ80 announced Thursday.

Terms of the Banyan acquisition were not disclosed. The company had been founded in 2015 and had raised at least $47 million in funding.

Ultimately, “the acquisition of Banyan wasn’t about just standing up a separate line of business,” VanKirk said. “It’s about integrating that capability and providing our partners and customers with that cloud-native VPN.”

Cloud Secure Edge Launch

Earlier in the year, SonicWall leveraged its acquisition of Banyan with the launch of its Cloud Secure Edge offering in July.

The suite of ZTNA capabilities are focused on meeting the needs of MSPs, the company said.

SonicWall said the offering enables customers to select from cloud-native options including Secure Internet Access and Secure Private Access as a replacement for “legacy” VPNs.

Cybersecurity Management Platform

In April, SonicWall unveiled a new cybersecurity management platform aimed at bolstering the efforts of MSPs and MSSPs.

The SonicPlatform aims to integrate a variety of SonicWall products within a unified interface, the company said.

Key capabilities of the platform include a unified console and consolidated visibility of system health, as well as improved security management and inventory management, according to the company.

MDR Enhancements

Following the acquisition of MSSP Solutions Granted in November 2023, SonicWall quickly moved to evolve its managed detection and response (MDR) platform that leverages Solutions Granted, according to the company.

In early February, SonicWall announced that its MDR offering would support additional endpoint security tools besides SonicWall Capture Client, as part of taking an “agnostic approach” that MSPs would appreciate, VanKirk said.

Besides Capture Client, SonicWall’s MDR also supports endpoint security products including Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne Singularity and BlackBerry Cylance, the company said.

“Previously, we thought that everyone needed to standardize on SonicWall,” VanKirk said. Now, “we’re taking an open, integration approach with platform. We’re not going to have all those pieces. We need to make sure that we’re supporting the MSPs with the other [products] that that they have.”