SonicWall Network Security Manager

sonicwall.com

Free plan WebAPISelf-hosted

Spec score 8.1 #24 of 81 in Firewall Software

What it is

SonicWall Network Security Manager (NSM) centralizes management of SonicWall firewalls, with reporting and analytics for teams overseeing distributed environments. It surfaces risks and misconfigurations and provides real-time visibility into firewall activity. Credential Auditor checks firewall passwords and keys against publicly known breached-credential databases; Configuration Auditor compares settings with best practices, and encrypted backups preserve configurations. Teams can remediate passwords and TOTP keys across firewall fleets in one action. Advanced search supports multi-column queries, logical operators, saved searches, and custom reports.

NSM is offered as a cloud service or as an on-premises console deployable on KVM, ESXi, Hyper-V, and Azure. NSM Cloud is delivered through SonicWall Unified Management and can correlate events across the SonicWall ecosystem using SAMI. On-premises subscriptions are available for 1, 3, or 5 years; the base license covers configuration management for up to five firewalls, without reporting or analytics. Reporting and analytics retention varies by license. Centralized management and alerting is free, included with SonicWall firewall support; reporting, logging, analytics, and forensics may require a security suite or add-on.

Spec sheet

Purpose: NSM centralizes SonicWall firewall management, reporting, and analytics to improve visibility and simplify security operations.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Intended users: NSM is aimed at security teams managing distributed firewall environments, with multi-tenant management for multiple customers or locations.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Deployment: NSM is available as a cloud service and as an on-premises console deployable on KVM, ESXi, Hyper-V, and Azure.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Free plan: NoRead 19 Sep 2026 · sonicwall.com
API: SonicWall's NSM documentation includes an API Support section.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Integrations: NSM Cloud is delivered through SonicWall Unified Management and can correlate events across the SonicWall ecosystem using SAMI.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Support: SonicWall provides a support portal with knowledge base, technical documentation, community resources, and video tutorials.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Headquarters: Milpitas, California, USARead 28 Sep 2026 · sonicwall.com
Founded: 1991Read 28 Sep 2026 · sonicwall.com
Configuration safety: Configuration Auditor compares settings with best practices, and NSM offers encrypted configuration backups.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Credential auditing: Credential Auditor checks firewall passwords and keys against publicly known breached credential databases.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Licensing limits: Reporting and analytics retention varies by license; the product page lists summarized reporting, 7-day or 30-day reporting, full logging, centralized analytics, and network forensics as suite options or add-ons.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
On-prem licensing: On-prem subscriptions are offered for 1, 3, or 5 years; the base license supports up to five firewalls for configuration management without reporting or analytics.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Remediation: NSM can remediate passwords and TOTP keys across firewall fleets with a single action.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Search and reports: Advanced search supports multi-column queries, logical operators, saved searches, and custom reports.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com
Threat protection: It can surface risks and misconfigurations and provide real-time visibility into firewall activity.Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com

Plans and prices

Centralized management and alerting Free Included with SonicWall firewall support; reporting, logging, analytics, and forensics may require a security suite or add-on Read 5 Oct 2026 · sonicwall.com

Every SonicWall Network Security Manager plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

Surfaces risks and misconfigurations in firewall settings.
Checks credentials against known breached-credential databases.
Remediates passwords and TOTP keys across fleets in one action.
Search includes saved queries and custom reports.
Available as cloud service or on-premises console.

Limits

Multi-vendor support is not available.
Base on-premises license excludes reporting and analytics.
Reporting and analytics retention varies by license.

Who it suits

NSM suits security teams managing distributed SonicWall firewall environments, including multiple customers or locations. Its multi-tenant management is relevant to teams overseeing those environments.

Verdict

NSM brings firewall administration, auditing, remediation, and search together for SonicWall environments. Check the licensing details carefully: reporting and analytics capabilities depend on the selected license or add-ons.