SonicWall CEO On ‘Getting Back To Our Roots’, Using AI And Latest Acquisitions

‘We aim to help MSPs grow by offering new services that allow them to differentiate and expand their offerings,’ says SonicWall CEO Bob VanKirk.

After making three acquisitions in four months, following 14 years of no M&A activity, cybersecurity vendor SonicWall has one goal in mind: to provide MSP-friendly solutions.

The acquisitions were driven by the need to bolster its security capabilities in response to the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

“We had fallen behind in certain areas, like security services, endpoint management and cloud-native capabilities,” Bob VanKirk, CEO of the Milpitas, Calif.-based company, told CRN. “The acquisitions were necessary to catch up. More importantly, we made sure these acquisitions aligned with our partner-first model, ensuring they remain MSP-friendly.”

In those four months between 2023 and 2024, SonicWall acquired Banyan Security, Solutions Granted and Trapmine.

Today, the company has about 1,700 employees; 17,000 to 20,000 partners; and has revenue in the $300 million to $400 million range, according to VanKirk. One hundred percent of SonicWall’s business is conducted through the channel.

“Our focus is on partners,” VanKirk said. “We are committed to a 100 percent channel model, and we aim to support MSPs by offering a platform that enables them to grow. While we have rich IP and a strong legacy, our relentless focus on meeting the needs of our partners is what truly sets us apart.”

Here’s what VanKirk said about the acquisitions, the company’s rapid growth and its strategy going into 2025.

SonicWall has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. What prompted this shift and how has it influenced your growth strategy?

When I stepped into the CEO role over two years ago, I focused on getting back to our roots by doubling down on our partners. SonicWall grew up as a 100 percent channel-focused company and I wanted to return to that. We spent the first few months just listening to partner feedback and that shaped our strategy in three key areas: broadening our offerings, enabling open integration for MSPs and revamping our partner program, including offering monthly billing options.

The company made three acquisitions in just four months after 14 years of no M&A activity. What drove that rapid sequence of acquisitions and how do they align with your overall strategy?

We had fallen behind in certain areas, like security services, endpoint management and cloud-native capabilities. The acquisitions were necessary to catch up. More importantly, we made sure these acquisitions aligned with our partner-first model, ensuring they remain MSP-friendly. Our goal was to provide the technology while allowing partners to white-label and offer these solutions as their own.

Now we’ve focused on integrating the capabilities we acquired. It’s part of our effort to make our solutions more MSP-friendly and allow for ease of use across both SonicWall and third-party systems.

So what is your M&A strategy moving forward?

While we're primarily focused on integrating the three recent acquisitions, we’re always keeping an eye on the evolving threat landscape. We aim to continue growing both organically and through strategic acquisitions where necessary.

What are your top priorities for 2025 in terms of SonicWall’s strategic vision?

Our priority is to keep supporting our partners by enhancing our open platform and integrating additional capabilities. We aim to help MSPs grow by offering new services that allow them to differentiate and expand their offerings. It’s essential for us to continue providing solutions that allow MSPs to make money and grow.

How is the company addressing the growing demand for cloud-edge security and managed security services?

We're leaning into managed security services in a big way. Many mid-market and SMB companies can’t provide 24/7 cybersecurity coverage, so our MSPs step in. We aim to help MSPs offer around-the-clock security without needing to be physically present. Additionally, many companies are looking for hybrid cloud solutions and we are providing that flexibility so they can transition at their own pace.

How do AI and machine learning factor into the future of SonicWall’s cybersecurity solutions?

Machine learning has been integral to our threat detection and prevention for years. We process millions of potential threats across our 1.2 million endpoints. We’re also using AI across support, engineering and marketing to boost productivity and enhance our partners' experience. Our new platform, for example, will feature a SonicBot to help partners with queries and solutions.

As CEO, what keeps you up at night?

The constantly evolving cyber threats are my biggest concern. The speed, volume and complexity of threats are increasing and it’s a continuous race to stay ahead of them. Ensuring our partners and customers are protected 24/7 is critical to everything we do.

What’s your message to partners about what’s to come for SonicWall going forward?

Be vocal. We love hearing what we’re doing well, but more importantly, we need to know where we’re missing the mark. Listening to our partners is what drives us to be better, smarter and faster.