Years of
SonicWall
A Cybersecurity Pioneer, SonicWall Celebrates Three Decades of Innovation
Founded in 1991 by brothers Sreekanth Ravi and Sudhakar Ravi as Sonic Systems, SonicWall’s original mission was to provide companies with technology that was as affordable as it was effective. To this day, that decree remains unchanged.
Thirty years later, SonicWall reflects on the vision, people, technology, customers and partners who shaped the company across three decades of innovation. Today, SonicWall is proud to have more than 1,600 employees — across 37 countries — as part of our family.
The SonicWall Story
1991
Sonic Systems is founded by brothers Sreekanth Ravi and Sudhakar Ravi in Santa Clara, Calif. The company’s first product, an Ethernet card for the NuBus and SE expansion slots, ships later that year. Meant to convey speed, the name Sonic Systems was originated as the founders were attempting to move the Apple Macintosh market from LocalTalk to Ethernet. By 1992, Apple OEMs relied on Sonic System’s software for connecting LocalTalk to Ethernet.
1995
Sonic Systems releases its first internet appliance product, the QuickStream/3, a three-port multi-protocol remote access server.
1997
The company’s first security appliance ships. First named Interpol and later rebranded as ‘SonicWALL,’ the product delivered SMBs a secure, affordable and easy-to-administer firewall/NAT solution.
1999
The company is renamed ‘SonicWALL’ and an IPO is issued in the U.S. The company’s stock symbol, SNWL, is still used today as internal shorthand.
2002
SonicWALL ships it’s 250,000th unit, setting the precedent for the company’s coming success.
2007
SonicWALL innovators are granted first patent (SWUS-001 – U.S. Patent No. 7,158,986). Today, SonicWall has been granted more than 325 patents in the United States.
2010
The company reaches one of its historic milestones by eclipsing 1 million units shipped. That same year, the company is acquired by Thoma Bravo.
2016
Bill Conner is named President and CEO after the company is acquired by Francisco Partners. The company is rebranded as ‘SonicWall’ — the name that remains in place today.
2018
A pivotal achievement as the company’s hardware legacy is married with new cloud-focused innovation, the SonicWall Capture Cloud Platform is unveiled as RSA Conference USA. Later that year, SonicWall’s patented Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection (RTDMITM) technology is unveiled — forever changing the security efficacy of the company’s entire product offering.
2019
Another sales milestone is hit as the company passes 3 million appliances shipped.
2020
SonicWall Boundless Cybersecurity is unveiled. Ushering out expensive legacy thinking, this modern approach to cybersecurity changed the way organizations view cybersecurity strategies today.
2021
SonicWall celebrates its 30th anniversary as one of the foundational pillars of the cybersecurity industry.
Innovation and adaptability are key components to successfully evolving cybersecurity strategy through the ebb and flow of the fast-moving threat landscape. SonicWall has proven across three decades that its mission is securing the long-term success of its customers, partners and employees. While the last five years were important chapters in this journey, we have more goals to achieve, milestones to mark and history to be made. SonicWall is always forward-looking. And that’s how the company — and its people — has been a mainstay in the industry for more than 30 years.”
SonicWall Is Boundless Cybersecurity
The modern-day SonicWall is well known for its market-changing Boundless Cybersecurity vision. This approach safeguards organizations with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces.
Boundless Cybersecurity upends traditional thinking by empowering organizations to know the unknown, unify visibility and control, and disrupt TCO expectations. SonicWall’s innovation has helped protect and secure more than 500,000 customers in 215 countries and territories.
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