{{Short description|American cybersecurity company}} {{Infobox company | name = SonicWall Inc. | logo = SonicWall 2016 Logo.png | logo_size = 270px | type = Private | traded_as = {{NASDAQ was|SNWL}} (1999–2010) | key_people = {{Unbulleted list| Bob VanKirk (president & CEO)|Bill Conner (executive chairman of the board)}} | industry = Network security, security appliances, Internet security, WAN optimization | products = Next-generation firewall; UTM; firewalls; virtual firewall; VPN; wireless security; SD-WAN; zero-trust security; security appliance filtering spam, spyware, viruses and other malware | owners = {{Unbulleted list|Francisco Partners (2016–present)| Elliott Management (2016–present)}} | num_employees = 1,000 - 5,000<ref name = "sec">{{cite web |title=SonicWall - LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonicwall |website=www.linkedin.com |access-date=19 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref> | parent = Dell (2012–2016) | founders = Sreekanth and Sudhakar Ravi | foundation = {{Start date and age|August 1991}} as Sonic Systems | location = Milpitas, California, U.S. | homepage = {{official URL}} }}
'''SonicWall Inc.''' is an American cybersecurity company that sells a range of Internet appliances primarily directed at content control and network security. These include devices providing services for network firewalls, unified threat management (UTM), virtual private networks (VPNs), virtual firewalls, SD-WAN, cloud security and anti-spam for email. The company also markets information subscription services related to its products.<ref name="YFinance profile">{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=SNWL|title=SNWL: Profile for SonicWALL, Inc.|access-date=2010-03-05|publisher=Yahoo!|year=2010}}</ref> The company also assists in solving problems surrounding compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.redzonetech.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Davco_Restaurants_SW.pdf|title=SonicWall PCI Compliance Case Study|access-date=2011-06-06|publisher=SonicWall|year=2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425091753/http://www.redzonetech.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Davco_Restaurants_SW.pdf|archive-date=2012-04-25}}</ref>
Originally a private company headquartered in Silicon Valley, it went public in 1999, before delisting in 2010. On March 13, 2012, ''USA Today'' said that Dell had announced its intent to acquire SonicWall, which then had 130 patents and 950 employees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=2012-03-13 |title=As Dell Shifts To Software & Services, Announces Plans To Buy SonicWall |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/13/as-dell-shifts-to-software-services-announces-acquisition-of-sonicwall/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> Dell's acquisition of SonicWall became official on May 9, 2012.<ref>''USA Today'', page B1, published March 14, 2008, "Dell buys security specialist SonicWall"</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=Businesswire.com |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120509005671/en/Dell-Completes-Acquisition-Security-Leader-SonicWall |title=Dell completes acquisition SonicWall |date= May 9, 2012 }}</ref>
On June 20, 2016, Dell sold SonicWall (part of its Dell Software division) to private equity firms Francisco Partners and Elliott Management.<ref name="FranciscoPartners Press Release">{{cite web|title=Francisco Partners and Elliott Management to Acquire the Dell Software Group|url=http://www.sonicwall.com/acquisitions/snwl.aspx|publisher=www.sonicwall.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623135836/http://www.sonicwall.com/acquisitions/snwl.aspx|archive-date=2016-06-23}}</ref>
==History== In 1991, brothers Sreekanth Ravi and Sudhakar Ravi founded the company under the name '''Sonic Systems''' to develop Ethernet and Fast Ethernet cards, hubs and bridges for the Apple market.<ref name="YFinance profile"/><ref name="archiveorg corpinfo">{{Cite web|url= http://www.sonicsys.com/Corporate_Info/index.html|title= Corporate Information| access-date= 2010-03-05|publisher= SonicWall|year= 1999|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19990504153444/http://www.sonicsys.com/Corporate_Info/index.html|archive-date= 1999-05-04}}</ref>
In the late 1990s, the company released a security product initially called Interpol and later branded SonicWALL, a dedicated hardware appliance with firewall and VPN software intended for the small-business market. As sales for security appliances rapidly accelerated, the company exited the Apple add-on networking business and refocused exclusively as a network security company.<ref name="archiveorg corpinfo" />
In late 1999, the company changed its name from Sonic Systems to SonicWALL, Inc. to represent the shift to network security, and in November 1999 SonicWall went public on the Nasdaq with the symbol SNWL.<ref name="ETimes IPO">{{Cite web|url= http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/1715.html?wlc=1267835772|title=SonicWall IPO Should Make Noise|access-date=2010-03-05|publisher=Ecommerce Times|year=1999}}</ref>
In 2001, SonicWall upgraded its Global Management System (GMS) software to manage more VPN devices.<ref> {{cite news | last1 = Greene | first1 = Tim | title = SonicWall boosts VPN software | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HxkEAAAAMBAJ | newspaper = Network World | date = 30 July 2001 | volume = 18 | issue = 31 | publisher = IDG Network World Inc | publication-date = 2001-07-30 | page = 8 | issn = 0887-7661 | access-date = 2015-02-03 | quote = Global Management System (GMS) 2.0 lets users manage up to 10,000 pieces of SonicWall VPN hardware, a tenfold increase [...]. }} </ref>
Matthew T. Medeiros (formerly of Philips Components) became CEO in March 2003.<ref name="Reuters Officers">{{Cite news|url= https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyOfficers?symbol=SNWL.O|title=SonicWall Company Officers — Reuters|access-date= 2010-03-05|publisher=Reuters|year=2010}}</ref> SonicWall has acquired several companies during its existence, often expanding its product line in the process.<ref name="archive acquisitions">{{Cite web|url= https://news.google.com/archivesearch?um=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=SonicWall+acquisition&cf=all|title =News Archive Search of "SonicWall acquisition" including frequency chart|access-date= 2010-03-05|year =2010}}</ref> In 2005, SonicWall acquired enKoo<ref name="enkoo">{{Cite web|url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/857402/lan-wan-analysis-of-sonicwall-s-acquisition-of-enkoo.html|title= Analysis of SonicWall's acquisition of enKoo|date= 29 November 2005}}</ref> and Lasso Logic,<ref name="bought">{{cite news |url=https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/continuity/news/article.php/3565706 |publisher=Enterprise Storage Forum |first=Paul |last=Shread |date=21 November 2005 |title=SonicWALL Corrals Lasso Logic |accessdate=28 October 2024}}</ref> and in 2007 acquired Aventail Corporation.<ref name="aventail">{{Cite web|url= http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sonicwall-inc-to-acquire-aventail-corporation-58035117.html|title= SonicWall, Inc. to Acquire Aventail Corporation|access-date= 2014-04-25|publisher=PR Newswire|year=2007}}</ref>
On July 23, 2010, SonicWall completed its merger with affiliates of an investor group led by Thoma Bravo, which included the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, through its private investor department, Teachers' Private Capital.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SonicWALL Completes Merger With Thoma Bravo and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan - Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan|url=https://www.otpp.com/news/article/-/article/23727|access-date=2020-06-03|website=www.otpp.com}}</ref> After the merger, SonicWall was delisted from Nasdaq.
On March 13, 2012, Dell signed a definitive agreement to acquire SonicWall.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304450004577279201767451444|title= Dell to Buy IT-Security Company SonicWall — WSJ.com|access-date= 13 March 2012 | work=The Wall Street Journal|first1= Ben|last1= Worthen|first2= Ian|last2= Sherr|date= 2012-03-13}}</ref>
On May 20, 2016, Dell sold Dell Software, which included SonicWall, to private equity firms Francisco Partners and Elliott Management.<ref name="FranciscoPartners Press Release"/>
In March 2021, the SonicWall SecureFirst partner program received a five-star rating in the 2021 CRN Partner Program Guide.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2021 Partner Program Guide Details|url=https://www.crn.com/partner-program-guide/ppg2021-details.htm|access-date=2021-04-02|website=CRN|language=en}}</ref>
On January 22, 2021, SonicWall said it was attacked by "highly sophisticated threat actors" in a potential zero-day attack on certain SonicWall secure remote access products.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/sonicwall-says-it-was-hacked-using-zero-days-in-its-own-products/|title = SonicWall says it was hacked using zero-days in its own products| website=ZDNet }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-23/cyber-firm-sonicwall-says-it-was-victim-of-sophisticated-hack|title = SonicWall Says It Was Victim of 'Sophisticated' Hack|newspaper = Bloomberg.com|date = 23 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Security Notice: Update on SMA 100 Series Product Investigation|url=https://www.sonicwall.com/blog/2021/01/security-notice-update-on-sma-100-series-product-investigation/|access-date=2021-01-27|website=SonicWall|language=en-US}}</ref> On January 25, former lulzsec hacker Darren Martyn announced exploits against old VPN vulnerabilities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former LulzSec Hacker Releases VPN Exploit Used to Hack Hacking Team|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/former-lulzsec-hacker-releases-vpn-zero-day-used-to-hack-hacking-team/|access-date=2021-01-27|website=Vice.com|date=25 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> These exploits and the January 2021 attack were unrelated; SonicWall confirmed that the Martyn exploits were patched in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=26 January 2021|title=Twitter: SonicWall Confirms Patch for 2015 Vulnerability|url=https://twitter.com/SonicWall/status/1354064817557024773|access-date=27 January 2021|website=Twitter.com}}</ref>
On January 7, 2022, SonicWall said that some of its email security and firewall products were hit by the Y2k22 bug,<ref>{{Cite web|title=SonicWall: Y2K22 bug hits Email Security, firewall products|url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sonicwall-y2k22-bug-hits-email-security-firewall-products/|access-date=2022-01-11|website=BleepingComputer|language=en-us}}</ref> and released patches after a few days.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harsh|date=2022-01-10|title=SonicWall Releases Patches for Critical Y2K22 Bug|url=https://firewallauthority.com/sonicwall-releases-patches-for-critical-y2k22-bug/|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Firewall Authority|language=en-US}}</ref>
On July 21, 2022, former president and CEO Bill Conner took on the role of Executive Chairman of the Board. Former SonicWall Chief Revenue Officer Bob VanKirk was named president and CEO.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=SonicWall Accelerates Next Phase of Growth While Continuing to Drive Record Performance |url=https://www.sonicwall.com/news/sonicwall-accelerates-next-phase-of-growth-while-continuing-to-drive-record-performance/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=SonicWall |language=en-US}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:SonicWall}} Category:1991 establishments in California Category:2012 mergers and acquisitions Category:Dell acquisitions Category:Computer companies of the United States Category:Computer hardware companies Category:Companies based in San Jose, California Category:American companies established in 1991 Category:Software companies established in 1991 Category:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Category:Computer security companies Category:Content-control software Category:Networking companies of the United States Category:Networking hardware companies Category:Server appliance Category:Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Category:Telecommunications equipment vendors Category:2016 mergers and acquisitions Category:1999 initial public offerings Category:Software companies of the United States Category:Private equity portfolio companies