10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Latest SonicWall TZ Gen 7 Firewall
1. High port density multi-gigabit support
To support bandwidth-intensive applications, you need higher throughput - and therefore multi-gigabit ports. A larger number of ports allows you to connect more devices directly to the firewall. SonicWall Gen7 Next-Generation TZ Series firewalls offer multi-gigabit interfaces (2.5/5/10G) or fibre interfaces (SFP+, SFP) in a desktop form factor, while legacy or Gen 6 firewalls only support gigabit interfaces. Gen 7 TZs also support at least 8 ports, while Gen 6 only supports 5.
2. Expandable memory and redundant power
Gen 7 TZs are equipped with expandable memory for, for example, logging, reporting, caching, firmware backups and more. The expandable memory slot on the bottom of the unit allows for expansion up to 256GB, whereas this is not possible with the Generation 6. The TZ 670 already comes with 32 GB of memory. A second power supply provides redundancy in case of failure to ensure business continuity. The TZ 570/TZ 670 firewalls support a redundant power supply, which can be purchased separately. All other Gen 6 and Gen 7 firewalls support only one power supply.
3. Breakthrough firewall performance
Network bandwidth demands are constantly increasing due to apps, HD video streaming, social media and more. Keeping up requires faster firewall inspection, DPI and IPSec VPN performance that enables a secure network without sacrificing performance. Faster firewall performance gives businesses the ability to take advantage of faster internet speeds and support more mobile users. Gen 7 TZs offer up to 4x firewall, DPI and IPSec VPN performance compared to Gen 6 firewalls.
4. Higher number of concurrent connections
A higher number of concurrent connections provides better scalability as more concurrent user sessions are active and can be tracked by the firewall. Gen 7 TZs provide up to 15 times as many maximum connections as Gen 6 firewalls.
5. More single sign-on (SSO) users
The single sign-on feature improves employee productivity and reduces IT support costs by allowing users to access connected systems with a single ID and password. With the Gen 7 firewalls, up to five times more SSO users can benefit from using single sign-on than with the Gen 6 series.
6. Increased number of VPN tunnels
For organisations with remote sites and branch offices, such as retail POS shops, the ability to create a greater number of site-to-site VPN tunnels is essential. It enables businesses to connect distributed networks and share data securely. The Gen 7 provides up to eight times more site-to-site VPN tunnels than Gen 6 firewalls.
7. More VLAN interfaces
VLANs support logical grouping of network devices, reducing broadcast traffic and allowing more control when implementing security policies. This enables logical separation of devices on the same network. More VLAN interfaces enable better segmentation and performance The Gen 7 TZ Series offers up to five times more VLAN interfaces than the Gen 6 TZ Series.
8. 802.11ac Wave 2 technology and support for more access points
The 802.11ac Wave 2 technology improves the WLAN user experience by supporting MU-MIMO technology. The models with integrated WLAN access point allow you to extend your wireless network further without purchasing additional hardware. In addition, the high number of APs supported by the firewall ensures better scalability of the WLAN. Gen 7 TZs (with the exception of the TZ 670) offer optional built-in 802.11ac Wave 2 support, while Gen 6 only supports 802.11ac Wave 1 or 802.11n technologies. Gen 7 TZs support up to four times as many access points as the Gen 6 series.
9. The all-new SonicOS 7.0
The feature-rich SonicOS 7.0 operating system features a modern UI/UX, topology view, improved policies, enhanced security and network and management features, as well as TLS 1.3 and standard support for BGP routing without an additional licence. SonicOS 7.0 support is available for the Gen 7 series and not for the Gen 6 series. For Gen 6 series firewalls, an additional extended licence must be purchased to enable BGP support, while for Gen 7 series, BGP support is included by default with every firewall purchase. Stateful HA support is available on the Gen 7 TZs, but not on the Gen 6 TZ series.
10. 5G USB modem support
The USB 3.0 port in the Gen 7 TZs can be used to connect a 5G dongle for 5G connectivity. They are downward compatible with 4G/LTE/3G technologies when using appropriate dongles.
After the original 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the Latest SonicWall Gen 7 TZ Firewall by Srudi Dineshan from the SonicWall blog.
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