SonicWall NSv (Firewall/Security/VPN/Router) - PAYG

SonicWall NSv  serves as a parameter and segmentation firewall in a cloud-hosted environment, primarily to secure application workloads and connect on-premises users to cloud resources. I primarily use it to protect a cloud-hosted application server and manage site-to-site VPNs, enforcing east-west traffic segmentation between application tiers.

Some of the best features about SonicWall NSv  include its flexible virtual firewall deployment, allowing for deployment in cloud platforms like Azure  and AWS , or virtual infrastructures such as VMware and Hyper-V , all while maintaining the same SonicWall policy model. Additionally, it has strong VPN capabilities that provide reliable site-to-site and remote access virtual private networks with stable tunnel performance, complemented by the Threat Prevention Suite, which integrates IPS, Gateway Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, Application Control , and Content Filtering for real-time inspections.

Another strong point is the policy familiarity due to maintaining the same rule-based structure as SonicWall physical firewalls, avoiding the need to relearn basics. Scalability in the cloud allows me to scale SonicWall NSv by choosing the proper VM size or cloud configuration that fits workload and throughput needs, while it also supports segmentation and multi-tier security with centralized logging that works well with external SIEMs for deeper visibility.

SonicWall NSv has had a positive impact mainly in terms of security consistency and operational efficiency, allowing me to extend the same firewall policy and VPN standard I already use on-premises into the cloud without redesigning everything from scratch. A clear benefit has been secure cloud adoption, enabling me to move application workloads to the cloud while maintaining strict access control and encrypted connectivity with on-premises systems, reducing public exposure of internal services and improving overall security posture. Day-to-day management has become easier because the policy model and VPN handling are familiar, facilitating faster troubleshooting and less risky adjustments. I have already seen stable VPN connectivity and predictable performance, which has decreased connectivity-related incidents.

SonicWall NSv has helped me to secure cloud workloads faster, maintain consistent security controls, and reduce operational overhead without needing a completely new firewall platform.

One feature that really stands out is the consistency between SonicWall NSv and the physical SonicWall firewalls, making it feel familiar for those already acquainted with SonicWall, which reduces operational effort and mistakes. The reliability of VPN stability and policy handling is evident once the initial setup is complete; however, on the improvement side, reporting and visibility could be better since built-in reports are basic, necessitating an external logging or SIEM  solution for deeper traffic analysis or compliance.

Moreover, the initial cloud deployment and routing design can be challenging without a well-experienced team in cloud networking. SonicWall NSv is strong for security and day-to-day operation, but it would benefit from more advanced native reporting and smoother cloud onboarding.

I have been using SonicWall NSv for around 2.5 to three years in a production environment, primarily in a virtual and cloud setup like Azure  and VMware, which includes site-to-site VPNs, remote access, security policies, and day-to-day operations such as rule changes, monitoring, and upgrades.

I had to scale SonicWall NSv up as the cloud workloads grew, mainly due to increased VPN users and higher application traffic, with scaling being accomplished by resizing the virtual machine and allocating more CPUs and memory instead of redeploying the firewall. The process itself was smooth and predictable; after a planned maintenance window and reboot, SonicWall NSv picked up the additional resources without any configuration changes. I did not need to scale down often, but when tested, the process was similar and straightforward.

Properly sizing and aligning licensing is crucial so that the firewall can utilize the added resources. Cloud scalability with SonicWall NSv has worked well and is much easier compared to the physical firewall, though it still requires good planning to avoid performance bottlenecks during peak traffic.

The main challenge lies during the initial deployment and troubleshooting in cloud environments, where routing and network integration need careful planning, and for deeper visibility, logs usually need to be sent to an external logging or SIEM  solution. Once deployed correctly, SonicWall NSv is low maintenance for VPN and segmentation tasks.

Since deploying SonicWall NSv, I have seen measurable improvements in both operational efficiency and security, with VPN-related incidents dropping by roughly 25 to 30% due to the stability and ease of monitoring of tunnels. Routine tasks such as adding VPN peers or modifying security rules now take 30 to 40% less time because of the consistent policy structure and troubleshooting workflow aligned with physical SonicWall firewalls. In terms of cost, using SonicWall NSv in the cloud has allowed me to avoid purchasing additional physical firewall appliances, while scaling via VM size has proven more cost-effective than hardware refresh cycles, leading to reduced overall infrastructure and firewall expansion costs.

SonicWall NSv delivers solid security and operational gains, yet enhanced reporting and simpler cloud onboarding would strengthen its value further.

If you are planning to use SonicWall NSv, the main advice is to carefully plan the cloud network design before deployment, as most issues later arise from cloud networking rather than the firewall itself. It is essential to size the VM correctly from the beginning, especially if you expect high VPN usage and heavy traffic, because undersizing can lead to performance issues that may resemble firewall problems.

For those already acquainted with SonicWall physical firewalls, managing SonicWall NSv will feel familiar. Also, plan for external logging or a SIEM if you need deep visibility, as built-in reporting is limited.

SonicWall NSv works best for hybrid and cloud environments where strong security is required without needing to transition to a completely new firewall platform. SonicWall NSv delivers solid security and operational gains, yet enhanced reporting and simpler cloud onboarding would strengthen its value further. I rate this solution an 8 out of 10.

My main use case for SonicWall NSv  is securing the cloud infrastructure, the endpoints, and implementing policies like content filtering and relevant services such as site-to-site VPNs; these are generic tasks that are expected from a normal physical firewall.

Recently, we built a site-to-site tunnel with one of our clients to securely access their applications, which serves as a specific example of how I use SonicWall NSv  for one of these tasks.

SonicWall NSv offers features that are user-friendly; the options are easily available, and there is no need to drill down into a lot of menu bars to configure it. Support is great as well.

I find the support exceptional, as recently, while building that site-to-site tunnel, the support representative helped us address an issue even when the other party's firewall was not a SonicWall device, demonstrating a good level of expertise. He helped us configure a site-to-site tunnel from a SonicWall device to a non-SonicWall device, so his inputs were very valuable and really saved us a lot of time to configure the tunnel.

SonicWall NSv has positively impacted my organization, as we have not seen any threat or any successful cyberattack; the positive aspect is that we also use SonicWall physical devices for our on-premise infrastructure, so the integration is excellent. Additionally, they have many features in terms of analytics; for example, if we want more information on ongoing threats, they have a tool where we can drill down to each and every packet and see what is incoming and what is outgoing.

I believe SonicWall NSv can be improved, as currently, they are rolling out Generation 7 models, and I am not sure if they are also working on Generation 8 and beyond. I faced a problem when migrating from an old Generation 6 firewall to a Generation 7 firewall, where I could not simply copy the configuration from one appliance to the other; I had to rebuild the entire policies, IP addressing, the rules, the NAT rules, the tunnels, and the VPN policies. I believe that if they have an interface that simplifies moving from an old generation to a new one, that would save significant time for the IT team's engineers and organizations as a whole.

I have been using SonicWall NSv for five years.

SonicWall NSv is stable.

SonicWall NSv's scalability is pretty impressive because even though NSv 270 is an entry model, it supports up to 500 users, which is a very good number for an SME like us.

The customer support for SonicWall NSv is pretty good.

We previously used a different solution; however, we were on SonicWall NSv but an older generation which was taken off the shelf by SonicWall, so we had to upgrade to a newer one.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been pretty much linear; it is not high, it is not low, and I found it on par with industry standards.

We have seen a return on investment because setting up the appliance, besides the configuration part, has been pretty straightforward; we have saved a lot of time, and when we say saved a lot of time, it also implies that lesser downtimes mean more productive time, which ultimately means more revenue.

We have seen a return on investment because setting up the appliance, besides the configuration part, has been pretty straightforward; we have saved a lot of time, and when we say saved a lot of time, it also implies that lesser downtimes mean more productive time, which ultimately means more revenue.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been pretty much linear; it is not high, it is not low, and I found it on par with industry standards.

Before choosing SonicWall NSv, we evaluated other options in terms of pricing; we looked at the pricing of Fortinet, Palo Alto, and Check Point, but they were very costly and out of our budget. We also have experience with SonicWall, so we trust the brand.

I would rate SonicWall NSv a 9 out of 10.

I choose a 9 because many times, whenever we try to reach support via phone call, we have to wait around 35 to 40 minutes; if SonicWall can reduce that time, then it would be a 10 out of 10 product.

I would advise others looking into using SonicWall NSv to have a proof of concept before buying the product; I find SonicWall NSv to be a useful and easy-to-use product, and the support is good. They offer an initial 15-day trial, and if requested, they can extend it for another 15 days, so one month is a good time to test any product. I would suggest comparing what they are currently using, the price, and the features they expect.

My main use case for SonicWall NSv  involves the typical configuration for port shield configuration with HA mode. The implementation was very difficult for me, and I faced issues related to port shield configuration in HA. I am working on the implementation part and have completed multiple projects of SonicWall 2700, 4700, 4300, and multiple firewalls including 2300, 2700, and seventh generation firewalls. Additionally, I am also working on SonicWall NSM.

Currently, my main use case involves configuring the Azure  integration for multiple users and customers. Configuring Azure  integration is a good approach that allows us to implement with Azure AD .

In my experience, the best feature SonicWall NSv  offers is its stateful HA, which functions without any impact, ensuring a zero impact failover. This is an excellent feature in SonicWall NSv, and the management of security services is also very easy, which helps in capturing threats and unknown malware.

The stateful feature helps me on a daily basis, especially in critical environments, as customers do not need to experience any downtime during the failover. If any hardware fails, it can continue to work with zero impact failover.

SonicWall NSv has positively impacted my organization, particularly because we need to configure multiple policies for internet access or NAT and port forwarding. Configuring different policies is required, and we can see multiple options on a single page. After making changes, I have not encountered any issues; everything was working very well.

While I have not encountered significant challenges, during the configuration part, I noticed that some features, such as user-based policy for web filtering, are not available in SonicWall NSv compared to other firewalls. For dedicated users, we cannot allow a particular website category in a single policy, which is available in Sophos.

I find the features of SonicWall NSv similar to other firewalls, but I believe that application-based QoS policy is very important given the current environment. This feature should be available for application QoS as well in this firewall.

For implementation, I suggest that having a single page to view multiple options would enhance SonicWall NSv. Additionally, the report and logging part is challenging since identifying blocked websites based solely on default logging is quite difficult. Improved logging and reporting capabilities should be available on-box, including at least seven days of reporting and logs.

I have been using SonicWall NSv for the last three to four years.

In my experience, SonicWall NSv is quite stable when deployed on-premises, and there is no significant impact on the server. We have conducted multiple labs within our organization for testing as well.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate SonicWall NSv a nine. It offers very good features, and it is stable compared to other OEMs. For example, I can compare it to Sophos, which has experienced some hardware issues. SonicWall NSv is a robust appliance that has not failed during my five to six years of working with it, as I have not had to initiate an RMA for SonicWall.

SonicWall NSv software is very scalable, comparable to other OEMs. In comparison to Sophos, SonicWall has its proprietary OS, SonicOS, which enhances its scalability.

Customer support for SonicWall NSv is very good. Whenever I create a case regarding any issue, their support is prompt and effective, adhering to the SLA, which leaves our customers very satisfied.

I sometimes receive calls from our customers regarding issues such as firewall login failures due to firmware problems. We recovered from a firmware crash by logging in safe mode, performing OS upgrades, and reinstalling firmware, which solved the issue. This is the main outcome we have received from customers, and generally, everything works fine with the solution; it is indeed a very good solution compared to other OEMs.

As of now, nothing specific comes to mind that I can propose as add-on features for SonicWall NSv. If I receive any responses or suggestions from customers, I will certainly raise a feature request to SonicWall.

I chose a rating of nine out of ten for SonicWall NSv instead of a perfect ten because Palo Alto and Cisco firewalls excel in threat detection and analysis, which SonicWall NSv can improve. SonicWall NSv does a good job, but some threats that are captured successfully by Palo Alto and Cisco are sometimes missed in SonicWall NSv.

For anyone considering SonicWall NSv, if a customer does not want to install any hardware in their on-premises network, recommending SonicWall NSv is a good option. Most customers are using on-premises servers such as VMware or Hyper-V , making it a cost-effective choice.

From my end, I have shared all that I can for now. If I receive any further responses from customers or if any questions arise, I will ensure to suggest ideas and inquiries to our contact at SonicWall SE, with whom we are already in touch. My overall review rating for SonicWall NSv is nine out of ten.