Arista NG Firewall vs SonicWall Network Security Manager

Arista NG Firewall is network security software for managing and protecting traffic in hybrid deployments. Its software packages list firewall, intrusion prevention, web filtering, VPN, reporting and other apps. Listed VPN options include IPsec VPN, OpenVPN, Tunnel VPN and WireGuard VPN, and SSL Inspector is a featured capability. NG Firewall Complete provides control and visibility into network traffic and events. The free package offers basic security and connectivity, but limits Virus Blocker, Application Control, Spam Blocker and Reports, and does not provide centralized management for policies, alerts, reports or Networks. ETM Dashboard centrally manages network appliances and can deploy hardware appliances remotely. Other listed capabilities include configuration backup, directory integration, application rules, network discovery, policy automation, and wired and wireless access control. NG Firewall Complete is listed at $270 for a 12-month term, with licensed-device choices from 12 through unlimited. Monthly billing is available as a licensed-term option; annual billing advertises 10% savings, and the three-year option advertises 20% savings. A free plan and 30-day trial are listed.

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.