SonicWall, the private network security company owned by Francisco Partners and Elliott Management, announced today that it has surpassed the aggressive financial and operational metrics set across sales, partner engagement and support, including shipping its three millionth firewall. This momentum has positioned the company to receive key industry awards and recognition from partners that set it apart as a cybersecurity leader.
“In fewer than eight months, SonicWall has already exceeded the ambitious financial and operational metrics established for the business. We believed in this investment from day one, and we are confident this is only the first chapter of SonicWall’s success story,” said Bill Conner, SonicWall President and CEO. “Cybersecurity professionals are increasingly addressing new cyber threats, like WannaCry, by deploying a record number of SonicWall products and services. We have the right management, the right channel partners, the right technology and the right services so businesses can run more effectively and fear less.”
SonicWall Partner Program Sign Ups Surge
SonicWall enjoys unparalleled relationships and support from the global partner community that serves as a trusted advisor to customers. In the face of constantly evolving threat vectors, such as the recent WannaCryransomware attack, SonicWall continues to introduce innovations to the partner community to strengthen those relationships, such as the SecureFirst Partner Program for channel partners of all types, including resellers, integrators, managed security service providers and security consultants. Since the launch of the program in November 2016, SonicWall has experienced a surge in partner growth and sales:
- More than 15,000 channel partners across 90 countries have registered for SecureFirst.
- 4,000 of those partners are new to SonicWall.
SonicWall University Administers More Than 19,000 Cybersecurity Exams
In March 2017, SonicWall introduced SonicWall University, a real-time digital and role-based curricula, driven by intelligence gathered from SonicWall’s Capture Labs and threat researchers. This intelligence is derived and analyzed from more than one million network sensors worldwide, coupled with real-time data analytics (via deep learning algorithms). SonicWall offers the training and accreditation program that’s designed to focus and educate partners on current cybersecurity threats, along with new global marketing programs and incentives to help channel partners reach and protect enterprises around the globe.
Since then, partners have flocked to SonicWall University for training and certifications:
- SonicWall University has provided more than 10,000 hours of online training and administered more than 19,000 successful exams.
- Participants are also completing specializations focused on key areas, such as ransomware, email threats and encrypted threats.
“The active engagement of our partners in our SecureFirst Partner Program and SonicWall University have exceeded our greatest expectations, with 50 percent growth in partner deal registration that reflects $250 million in new pipeline,” said Steve Pataky, Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Channel. “Since SonicWall became an independent company 100 percent focused on cybersecurity and 100 percent focused on channels, we have moved at a blistering pace to deliver cutting-edge support and education to our partners.”
SonicWall Surpasses Sales and Customer Support Benchmarks
Since November 2016, SonicWall and the channel community have partnered to achieve significant growth:
- The company sold its three millionth firewall, a testament to its 25-year track record of cybersecurity leadership.
- Partner Deal Registration has grown 50 percent since the company became independent and launched the SecureFirst Partner Program in November, reflecting more than $250 million in new pipeline.
- While SonicWall does not disclose its sales numbers as a private company, according to independent market research firm NPD Group as reported in CRN, SonicWall leapfrogged key competitors and jumped to number two in the rankings of vendors in terms of network security appliances sold in the first quarter of 2017, reporting more than 55 percent year-over-year growth.
In addition to this strong growth, SonicWall has increased its focus on improving customer service and support:
- SonicWall reduced the average queue wait time by 80 percent since January 1, 2017.
- The company shortened the longest queue wait time by 60 percent.
Speaking about the performance, Debashish Mukherjee, Country Manager India and SAARC at Sonicwall India says, “India has witnessed the highest surge in partner sign-ups in the APAC region so far. Our number of partners has crossed 350 as of May 2017 and growing, within just a month of formal roll-out in the cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. There has also been strong partner uptake and completion of accredited courses in SonicWall University, demonstrating the level of engagement and commitment elicited from our value-added program. Already we have experienced a surge in deal registration activity and increased net-new opportunities, contributing to double digit Q-o-Q growth in sales figures.”
SonicWall Wins Unparalleled Third-Party Validation
Since becoming an independent company, SonicWall has earned 19 awards for its business and leadership. A few of SonicWall’s notable achievements include:
- SonicWall was named to the CRN List of 25 Coolest Network Security Vendors, CRN Partners Guide to Security Vendors with a Five Star Channel Program and ChannelPro Best Hardware Security Vendors, as well as awarded People’s Choice for Network Security Vendor of the Year from Network World Middle East.
- SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection Service was honored with the CRN Product of the Year Award, InfoSecurity Products Guide Global Excellence, Networks Product Guide IT World Awards and the American Business Stevie Awards. Other SonicWall solutions were awarded the SC Magazine 2017 Trust Award, InfoSecurity Products Guide Global Excellence Awards and more.
- SonicWall’s Pataky was named to the CRN List of 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, and Michele Campbell and Dawn Ringstaff on Pataky’s team were named to CRN’s Women of the Channel list.
