The modern business landscape has fundamentally reshaped cybersecurity needs, creating an urgent demand for agile and robust secure access solutions. Driven by the explosion of hybrid and remote work models, a reliance on cloud-based applications and services, and the proliferation of IoT and mobile devices, traditional network perimeter defenses and legacy VPNs are proving inadequate in the face of advanced threats.
These trends all necessitate a shift towards more dynamic, identity-aware security architectures that can protect users and data wherever they reside. Organizations are grappling with the challenges of managing dispersed workforces, ensuring consistent security policies both outside the traditional office, and combating sophisticated threats that exploit the inherent weaknesses of older remote access methods.
Against this backdrop, SonicWall and Stronghold Data, a Missouri-based MSP, and New Charter Technologies company, are forging a new path in cybersecurity. Central to their success is the implementation of SonicWall’s Cloud Secure Edge (CSE), which has enabled Stronghold Data to deliver dramatically simpler, faster, and more secure remote access for its diverse client base.
SonicWall CSE represents a modern approach to secure remote access, moving beyond the limitations of traditional VPNs. At its core, CSE is a cloud-delivered secure access solution that creates secure, granular connections between users and the specific applications and resources they need, regardless of location or device. Unlike traditional VPNs that often grant broad network access and funnel all traffic through a centralized point, CSE operates on principles more aligned with a Zero Trust model.
Key aspects of CSE include:
- Cloud-native architecture: Being cloud-delivered, it offers scalability, resilience, and ease of management that on-premises solutions often struggle to match.
- Application-centric access: Instead of connecting users to the entire corporate network, CSE connects them only to the specific applications or services they require, significantly reducing the attack surface.
- Identity and context awareness: Access decisions are made dynamically based on user identity, device posture, and other contextual factors, ensuring that only authenticated and authorized users on healthy devices can reach designated resources.
- Simplified deployment and management: CSE aims to reduce the complexity associated with configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting secure remote access.
Why CSE is a Critical Tool for MSPs and Their Customers
For MSPs like Stronghold Data, SonicWall CSE is proving to be a valuable tool, directly resulting in tangible benefits for both the service provider and their clients:
For MSPs, CSE improves operational efficiency and delivers cost savings. The ability to rapidly deploy secure environments, often in under 24 hours, is a significant benefit that can translate into a competitive advantage. CSE's seamless management of multiple tenants and its simplicity and scalability mean MSPs can onboard clients and grow their businesses faster.
"The simplicity SonicWall brings is unmatched," said Avion Bryant, CTO at Stronghold Data. "The ability to take a product from another vendor and transition the settings to a SonicWall environment, the tools just work. I can read the raw data, convert it, and deploy – that gives us serious speed and a competitive advantage."
By offering a modern, efficient, and highly secure remote access solution that replaces more expensive and complex alternatives, MSPs can attract and retain clients in a competitive market. Stronghold Data reports it can deploy CSE easily and effectively for customers ranging from 20-500 seats.
"CSE just makes our lives easier, and our clients notice it," Bryant added. "We've rolled it out in banks, public safety departments, and remote teams. No headaches, no drama, just results. CSE solved problems we used to spend hours troubleshooting, now we barely touch it after setup."
What this means is MSPs have more time and resources to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives, including new clients, rather than day-to-day management.
For those clients, the capabilities CSE delivers translate into better security. By granting granular, application-specific access, CSE minimizes lateral movement for attackers and better protects sensitive data, mitigating the risks associated with legacy solutions. Clients also benefit from reduced latency and improved performance, leading to a much smoother and less frustrating experience that enables them to enjoy seamless, reliable connectivity and focus on their work.
Stronghold Data's experience with SonicWall CSE underscores its value as a trusted stack for modern MSPs navigating the complexities of secure remote access. The partnership demonstrates how innovative, cloud-delivered solutions can simplify cybersecurity, reduce operational burdens, and deliver superior results for businesses in an increasingly distributed world.
Edited by
Erik Linask
