A distinguished leader in cyber security SonicWall Inc.

kajal Dobhal | Business Connect

The recent global pandemic has caused a significant shift in the way businesses operate, with remote work becoming the new norm to work. However, this shift has brought new challenges for organizations, with a remote, mobile, and insecure workforce becoming increasingly exposed to cyberattacks, data breaches, malware, etc. In this direction, SonicWall, a 30-yearold company with over 1600 employees in various geographies, has risen to the occasion and is now providing boundless cybersecurity solutions for the hyperdistributed era.

In this article, we will delve into how SonicWall has adapted to the latest market needs, what gives the company an edge over its peers, how it is serving the needs of its clients, and the valuable ethos and values that have helped create its valuable reputation in the market.

Meet the men at the helm

• ROBERT (BOB) VANKIRK- President & Chief Executive Officer: As president and CEO of SonicWall, Bob VanKirk leads the company. Under Bob’s leadership, the team is fostering ongoing business expansion by adopting an outside-in strategy and delivering goods and services that are motivated by the market, partners, and clients. The team is also concentrating on maintaining its efforts to move the company’s core services and business operations to the cloud and to provide new value-added security capabilities through its vast partner network.

• Debasish Mukherjee: Vice President, Regional Sales APJ at SonicWall Inc.:

An accomplished and successful leader with broad business, partner leadership, and sales expertise in the IT sector, with diverse experience working with market leaders like Dell and SonicWall. As a driven sales leader in cyber security with experience building new businesses from scratch and scaling them up to new heights. He has worked in India and the Gulf, and his current work involves managing cross-

Debasish Mukherjee Vice President Sales , APJ

cultural territories in China, Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, and India. Throughout his journey, he holds a multitude of experiences in government, the public sector, banking, and telecommunications vertical sales. Vertical Championship: Experience in Govt, PSU, BFSI & Telco vertical sales, CXO Relationship Management, Large Govt tender & bid management.

Agile Secure Software Development Lifecycle

In a world where everyone works remotely, on the go, and without protection, SonicWall offers boundless Cybersecurity. With seamless protection that blocks the most evasive attacks across countless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile, and cloud-enabled workforces, SonicWall protects organizations mobilizing for their new business norm. For businesses, governments, and SMBs all around the world, SonicWall bridges the cybersecurity business gap by understanding the unknown, delivering real-time visibility, and enabling breakthrough economics.

SonicWall has been successful in orchestrating a complex and broad product offering by aligning Agile Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) best practices, which has made it the dominant No.1 player globally in the Unified Threat Management (UTM) segment. SonicWall also has a state-of-the-art QA testing lab where builds are tested to ensure products meet or exceed internal quality standards, including product patches and maintenance updates that are in sync with the dynamic cybersecurity needs of today.

The differentiating factors

At SonicWall, creating numerous successful product generations while navigating the dynamic and ever-changing global threat landscape has given the company a competitive advantage. Its mission to provide technology that is both affordable and effective keeps it one step ahead in safeguarding the needs of its customers, partners, and growing networks across 215 countries and territories. SonicWall’s unwavering commitment to its customers - from SMBs to large enterprises and government customers - has had a major impact on its global business, making it the go-to company for all security-related concerns and solutions.

One of the major advantages that SonicWall has is the knowledge it can gather on the latest cyber threat status. The SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service includes its patented Real-Time Deep Memory InspectionTM (RTDMI) technology to catch the most advanced and unknown malware faster. Furthermore, the SonicWall Cyber Threat Report is the world’s most comprehensive threat intelligence report published on a bi-annual basis.

SonicWall caters to all sorts of businesses from SMBs to large enterprises across all sectors - healthcare, schools and universities, the financial industry, and government agencies. However, the company does not disclose client details due to NDAs.

Valuable Ethos and Values

SonicWall is a 100% channel partner-driven company. With more than 17,000 strong and active partners worldwide, SonicWall’s partners form the extended arm in protecting customers’ businesses every day. Owing to them, SonicWall’s market share has increased in key price bands and market segments, confirming its place as one of the unquestioned leaders in the cybersecurity space. SonicWall has been recognized consistently by cybersecurity industry experts as a global brand to be reckoned with for the quality of its programs and the prominence of its partner program and employees.

Relying on Research and Development

At SonicWall, research and development are of utmost importance. SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers gather, analyze, and vet cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat Network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 215 countries and territories. SonicWall’s Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service, which includes patented Real-Time Deep Memory InspectionTM (RTDMI) technology to catch the most advanced and unknown malware faster, has been earning a perfect score in independent ICSA Labs Advanced Threat Defense (ATD) certification.

SonicWall brings to its clients a layered approach to meet the needs of advanced threats while keeping their business objectives a priority. The company believes that the more obstacles placed in front of an attacker, the better the chances are to identify and stop the attack before the network, data, or business is compromised. SonicWall suggests avoiding siloed security technology, instead opting for a cohesive, unified platform that meets the specific security needs of any organization.

A culture of difference

The company emphasizes nurturing cultural diversity and strives to create a challenging and collaborative work environment that feels like home to its employees. It believes in a culture of sharing and caring. To ensure product quality, integrity, and security for its clients, the company aligns Agile

Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) best practices. Employees work from design to deployment to make sure products meet or exceed internal quality standards, including product patches and maintenance updates. The company also offers a QA testing lab that provides a great learning and growing ground for its team members.

The marvelous achievements

Recently, SonicWall announced that its next-generation firewalls happened to become winners in CRN’s prestigious 2022 Products of the Year Awards. The company is a 100% channel partner company that recognized distinguished partners and distributors in March 2023 through its annual SonicWall Partner Awards. SonicWall has been recognized with three Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards 2023, showcasing its commitment to delivering innovative and effective solutions to its customers. These awards will help SonicWall to continue raising its brand awareness and strengthening its position in the market. A few more worthy mentions of the awards and accolades received by them-

• WIFI 6: Silver winner for the category “Innovation In product design and development”

• Boundless cybersecurity: Silver winner for category “Innovation in Digital Transformation”

• Email security: Bronze winner for the category of “Excellence in Innovation in Technology Industries”

The future outlooks

SonicWall is a family of more than 17,000 active SonicWall partners who are helping to protect customers and enterprises every day. This strong partner base has increased the company’s market share in key price bands and market segments, confirming SonicWall’s place as one of the leaders in the cybersecurity space. Last year, the company posted strong financial results, including a 33% increase in new customer growth and generating a 45% increase in new customer sales. SonicWall has also seen incredible growth in cloud-delivered products and services, which are up 36% year-over-year, and new Generation 7 products have represented 90% of sales over the past year. Now, it aims to better these numbers in the coming months.