Single appliance supports up to approximately 20,000 concurrent SSL VPN users

Sonicwall has announced the launch of a new operating system 'SMA OS 12.1 (Secure Mobile Access, hereinafter SMA)' for virtual private network (SSL VPN) equipment that supports enhanced security for enterprise cloud access and all mobile devices accessing on-premises networks.

Sonicwall SMA is a product that supports up to approximately 20,000 concurrent SSL VPN users on a single appliance and supports various mobile devices. By controlling remote access to network resources on ▲Windows ▲Apple Mac OS ▲Apple iOS ▲Linux ▲Google Android ▲Chrome OS devices according to enterprise policies, it enhances work productivity and ensures business continuity.

Integrated Single Sign-On (SSO) Support: SMA OS 12.1 ensures secure access to Microsoft 365 as well as other cloud SaaS applications using SAML 2.0 (Security Assertion Markup Language 2.0) authentication protocol, an international standard technology. SMA can integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure and provides integrated SSO (authentication, single sign-on) using a single web access portal, supporting secure access to applications served in cloud and local data centers. Through a single login event that requires no separate VPN tunnel, authenticated users can create secure sessions to access all business applications using authenticated devices.

Secure File Sharing Using File Scanning and Integrated Monitoring Capabilities: The latest version of SMA OS 12.1 expands the scope of access security by integrating with Sonicwall's APT solution, Sonicwall Capture ATP, to support scanning of files uploaded to the enterprise network from endpoints outside the management scope. Files uploaded by remote workers and third-party users, or internal employees with VPN access rights to the corporate network, from personal devices and BYOD devices typically bypass network security and are often not inspected by firewalls. SMA OS 12.1 addresses this security gap through a secure file-sharing mechanism. Through reporting and monitoring capabilities provided by the central management server (CMS), ATP test results and session information including user IDs and IP addresses can be obtained, and when deployed with Sonicwall next-generation firewalls, SMA and the firewall share session information. This enables end-to-end network visibility as well as audit trail data for reporting and compliance.

Zero Downtime Guaranteed with Failover Support: Enhanced high availability capabilities support failover (immediate operation of backup systems when failures occur). User session data is replicated to active-active global clusters through a mesh network of SMA appliances, and supports zero-impact failover where user experience is not interrupted without re-entering account information during disasters and failures. Service providers can thereby guarantee zero downtime and strictly comply with SLAs (Service Level Agreements).

Choi Tae-yong, head of technology at Sonicwall Korea, stated: "Security has become the biggest challenge in the journey toward cloud migration. Along with this, the market's concerns about mobility and BYOD with guaranteed safety are deepening, so these aspects have been intensively strengthened in this new OS. We plan to support the establishment of intuitive BYOD policies through safe access from anywhere and role-based user authentication, and to safely protect enterprise data."

Additionally, Sonicwall has unveiled a 'Secure Email Access' subscription license for SMA OS 12.1. Through the newly provided cost structure, enterprises can dramatically reduce TCO by paying for and using specific usage scenarios such as email, ActiveSync, and Outlook Anywhere as needed, centrally manage them, and apply them in real-time across global data centers according to user requirements.