What’s New in SonicOS 7.1.1

A first look at the latest SonicOS release, featuring superior threat protection, customer experience and cloud enablement.

The SonicOS 7 operating system was already the most secure, versatile and easy-to-use operating system SonicWall has ever produced. But the latest release, SonicOS 7.1.1, offers improved security and performance, a superior customer experience and cloud enablement features.

These features are designed to provide a superior customer experience through ease of use, deployments, policy management and day-to-day operations. Here's a high-level look at SonicOS 7.1.1 benefits:

Superior Threat Protection:

New CFS 5.0 engine
Advanced DNS filtering
Secure boot
Enhanced filesystem security
Storage enhancements
Virtual TPM
OS hardening with new toolchain
Improved console application
Maintenance key for both virtual and hardware firewalls

Enhanced Usability:

Firewall-managed Wi-Fi 6 APs
More intuitive user experience
Turnkey integrations with third-party NAC solutions
Storage enhancements
Automatic firmware updates
No more separate SonicOS and SonicCore upgrades

New Multi-Cloud Deployment:

NSv Bootstrapping
Support for virtual TPM on-cloud firewall
Token-based registrations
New driver and increased performance for NSv

SonicOS 7.1.1 Common Use Cases:

Feature	Use Case	Business Outcome
Wi-Fi 6 unified authentication and security	MSP requires the current SonicWave 621, 641 and 681 access points to be managed by SonicWall firewalls in order to avoid using multiple management solutions (for example, having to use NSM to manage firewalls and WNM to manage SonicWave APs)	Ease of management and seamless integration with SonicWall wireless products
NAC integration, offering synergy between SonicWall and Aruba solutions and providing health posture telemetry	Need to apply enhanced user and device context (including role, device health and more) to next-generation firewall rules and policies for protection against unsanctioned traffic Need to protect users on the network from threats such as phishing, malware and exploits Need to stop unauthorized users and devices by implementing a single policy of authorization and enforcement for users and IoT devices across wired and wireless networks, up to the application level Need to enable closed-loop attack detection via next-generation firewall and policy-based response with ClearPass	Enable enterprises and educational segments to integrate with their Aruba solutions and get more value from their Gen 7 firewall with Health Posture
DNS security that enables blocking websites at DNS layer without enabling TLS/SSL decryption	Admin wishes to maximize performance by blocking bad websites at DNS layer without enabling TLS decryption. MSP – Actively looking to help their customers avoid malicious domains ISP – Wanting to safeguard against DoS and DDoS attacks Enterprises – Wish to protect users without affecting user experience or speed K-12 – Required to provide safe browsing experiences for students and staff while controlling what domains can be accessed Government – To safeguard systems from malware and bad actors	Delivering DNS layer protection without the need to enable TLS decryption
Stronger content filtering solution with additional categories and reputation-based filtering	Defining which websites are malicious or undesirable within a web filtering gateway requires the use of static lists of known bad URLs and IP—which can’t keep up with websites and IPs with statuses that switch from benign to malicious and back very quickly	Improved content filtering capabilities for Gen7, resulting in more accurate website/URL rating
Secondary storage enhancements to support PCAP (Packet Captures), TSR (Tech-Support Reports) and Logs	Limited primary storage space restricts the ability of diagnostics and troubleshooting on Gen 7 firewalls Customer must purchase secondary storage to have additional abilities beyond just saving settings and image Admins require logs, TSR and PCAP storing ability on the firewall	Added secondary storage so customers don’t have to purchase separate secondary storage Enhanced diagnostics and troubleshooting experience Enables logging and reporting on local firewall
Policy mode profiles for gateway antivirus and anti-spyware to simplify rule creations from security rule page	Enterprises require ability to have security profile for antivirus and anti-spyware when using policy mode in order to simplify security policy creation at layer 7	Simplifies unified policy on enterprise deployments using 15700 and NSv firewalls
Virtual TPM and enhanced security	Users require not just the OS but also the underlying kernel to be secure	Improved security and performance
Automated SonicOS image upgrade	MSPs require automatic SonicOS upgrade notifications so they can easily identify and schedule new OS upgrade	Offers MSPs and others a more convenient user experience

The SonicOS 7.1.1 release is now available for installation on any SonicWall Gen 7 NGFW. Learn more about what makes Gen 7 our most secure, stable and scalable lineup yet, or reach out to your SonicWall partner or sales rep to upgrade today.

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An Article By

Tiju Cherian

Director, Product Management

Tiju Cherian

Director, Product Management

Tiju Cherian is the Director of Product Management at SonicWall. He has over 19 years of experience in cybersecurity product management, network security technology and customer experience. He has led high-performing teams and driven diverse functional groups and matrixed organizations to a common goal. Tiju joined SonicWall Product Team to enhance the Network and Access Security portfolio, ensuring its success by expanding offerings to address niche and emerging use cases. He aims to provide a comprehensive cybersecurity platform, flexible consumption options, and tailored suites and bundles for SonicWall customers and partners.