SonicWall launches Gen 8 virtual firewall for MSPs

SonicWall has launched the Gen 8 NSv XS virtual firewall for managed service providers and managed security service providers, alongside updates to SonicOS 8.2.1 and NSM 4.0.

The subscription-based virtual firewall is aimed at small and distributed environments, including small offices, micro-SMB customers and branch locations managed by service providers. With the launch, SonicWall is extending its Gen 8 platform into cloud and hypervisor environments.

The company is targeting a market where more business infrastructure is moving away from traditional on-premise deployments. Findings from its 2026 Cyber Protect Report show high- and medium-severity attacks rose 20.8% over the past year, while 52% of enterprises now run most of their infrastructure in the cloud.

That backdrop has increased focus on tools that can inspect traffic beyond the physical network edge. The new firewall is intended to address gaps left by perimeter-only security as workloads move across virtualised and cloud environments.

"Cloud adoption didn't wait for security to catch up and neither did the attackers," said Chandro Prasad, Chief Product Officer, SonicWall. "NSv XS extends our Gen 8 platform into the cloud and hypervisor environments for the first time, closing the inspection gap that perimeter-only security leaves behind. Paired with SonicOS 8.2.1 and purpose-built subscription tiers, it gives partners everything they need to build a managed virtual firewall practice without adding complexity or cost."

NSv XS is built for the smaller deployments often handled by MSPs and includes high availability as a standard feature without separate licensing.

According to SonicWall, the firewall delivers higher throughput than its predecessor across several measures. Threat prevention throughput nearly doubles, VPN throughput rises to 780 Mbps from 500 Mbps on the NSv 10, and encrypted traffic inspection capacity increases eightfold.

NSv XS is also the first SonicWall virtual firewall to include embedded cyber warranty coverage through Cysurance. Warranty levels vary by subscription tier.

Subscription model

The product is offered in three subscription tiers designed around recurring service models. Secure Connect includes core firewall protection, high availability and centralised management.

The Advanced Protection Security Suite adds broader threat prevention and cloud management, along with up to USD $100,000 in embedded cyber warranty coverage. The Managed Protection Security Suite adds co-managed security from the SonicSentry NOC team, after-hours critical support and up to USD $200,000 in warranty coverage.

The same tier structure also applies across the NSv S, M and L form factors, allowing partners to use one service model while moving customers to larger deployments as requirements increase.

Platform support

The firewall is available across a range of virtual and cloud environments, including VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM, AWS, Azure and Proxmox. SonicWall highlighted Proxmox in particular, citing its growth as an open-source hypervisor platform.

Alongside the firewall launch, SonicWall released SonicOS 8.2.1 and NSM 4.0 as updates to the wider Gen 8 platform. The software changes focus on management, traffic handling and compliance oversight.

SonicOS 8.2.1 adds automated blocking of compromised IP addresses, changes to encrypted traffic transport, SD-WAN traffic routing updates and always-on encrypted traffic inspection for larger deployments. NSM 4.0 introduces simplified VPN policy management, built-in compliance checks and enhanced reporting.

For service providers, the updates are intended to reduce the operational work involved in running firewall services across multiple customer environments. Central management and policy tools remain important for MSPs and MSSPs handling distributed estates without increasing staff workloads.

NSv XS, SonicOS 8.2.1 and NSM 4.0 are available through SonicWall's partner network on monthly or annual subscriptions, with no minimum purchase requirements or long-term commitments. High availability is included as standard, and the launch marks SonicWall's first Gen 8 virtual firewall aimed specifically at smaller cloud and virtualised deployments.