FAQs for using the MSSP Monthly Feature in MySonicWall

08/14/2024 15 People found this article helpful 316,256 Views

Description

What is the MSSP Monthly feature that is available in MySonicWall?

As part of the SonicWall Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) Specialization Program, qualified SonicWall partners can purchase specific products using a monthly usage model—the MSSP Monthly Model. As part of this model, partners can provision and be billed for eligible products by themselves without requiring activation keys or pre-purchasing credits. This is done using the MSSP Monthly feature in MySonicWall. At the end of every month, the MSSPs are billed for usage of these products via their distributors.

What products are eligible for billing through the MSSP Monthly Model?

As of July 15th , 2024, the following products can be provisioned for billing through the MSSP Monthly Model

- Capture Client (Advanced and Premier)
- NSv (270 and 470)
- Hosted Email Security (Essentials and Advanced)
- Secure Mobile Access 8000v
- Cloud App Security (Basic and Advanced)
- Gen7 Firewalls
- WiFi6 AP (621,641,681)
- Switches(SWS12-8, SWS12-8PoE, SWS12-10FPoE,SWS14-24,SWS14-24FPoE, SWS14-48, SWS14-48FPoE)

What is the difference between MSSP, Master MSSP & License Aggregator?

An MSSP (Managed Security Services Provider) is a service provider who manages some or all IT security functions for a Customer. Typically, an MSSP provisions tenants and products for their customers. Based on the contractual model, MSSPs may allow the Customer to view or operate the tenants and products using User Groups.

A Master MSSP provide specialized services that are resold to other MSSPs which are, in turn, sold to their end customers. Master MSSPs typically manage tenants and provision specific products for the MSSPs to deliver to their customers, but this also allows MSSPs to provision other products that they manage by themselves. Master MSSPs would see all tenants and products provisioned by MSSP. Both Master MSSP and MSSP can manage customer's provisioned Tenants and Products through MySonicWall. The Master MSSP is responsible for all the activity done by MSSP.

License Aggregators are similar to Master MSSPs; however, they do not offer any services but are simply a channel for MSSPs to purchase and sell products to their customers using the Monthly MSSP Model. For the purposes of MySonicWall, a License Aggregator is classified as a Master MSSP account type

MSSP Account Type	Onboard by SonicWall	Manage MSSP	Manage Tenants	Manage Products
MSSP	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Master MSSP	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

How is the MSSP Monthly feature enabled for MSSPs, Master MSSPs and License Aggregators? Are there any pre-requisites

The pre-requisite for enabling this feature is to qualify for the SonicWall MSSP Program. Once qualified, the partner's account can be configured by the SonicWall Sales Operations team with the type Partner and a defined MSSP Tier (Protect, Powered, or Powered Plus). Additionally, the SonicWall Sales Support team enables access to the MSSP Monthly feature via MySonicWall Sandbox. The account is configured as an MSSP or Master MSSP account, depending on what they qualified for.

Once a Master MSSP or License Aggregator is onboarded, they can enable their employees and onboard their MSSP using MSSP Monthly in MySonicWall. Then they need to invite or add the user as well as enable MSSP Monthly access in the User list for each user.

What roles are available to control access to and management of the MSSP Monthly feature in MySonicWall?

Currently we have 3 types of roles - Read only, Admin, and No Access. Master MSSP and MSSP employees can manage these roles for users listed in the User list.

Access Type	MSSP Tenants and Products	License Report	Manage Access Management
Admin	Read / Write	Read	Read/Write
Read-Only	Read	Read	Read
No Access	None	None	None

Can an existing product provisioned via other methods (Trial or Retail SKU) be enabled for billing via MSSP Monthly?

Except for the NSv, any product that is eligible for billing via the MSSP Monthly program can be enabled via the Product Details page in My Workspace > Tenant Products. Enable the switch labeled MSSP Monthly Managed.

CAUTION: When enabling a product for billing via MSSP Monthly, any existing validity for that product is terminated immediately with no adjustment for credits. However, the system prompts the user to set a new expiration date.

How can I enable an NSv firewall for billing via MSSP Monthly?

To enable MSSP Monthly for an existing NSv, provision a new NSv in the MSSP monthly portal. With the serial number (S/N) generated for this new instance will replace your existing serial number, login to your existing NSv firewall and reregister it. The old S/N for the NSv can be deleted from within the MySonicwall Tenant UI.

CAUTION: Any existing backups of the NSv stored in MySonicwall will be lost when the old S/N is deleted. It is recommended to download the backups prior to deleting the S/N

Why is a partner not able to see some or all of the MSSP Monthly features in MySonicWall?

Access to the MSSP Monthly feature is enabled by the primary MSSP Monthly Admin using the Access Management page under the MSSP Monthly menu. Review and the permissions configured and update them enable access to the MSSP Monthly feature.

SonicWall Support may also need to make sure that the partner account has been configured as an MSSP in their profile Sandbox.

Why are many products missing from the MSSP Monthly page even though they are eligible for MSSP Monthly?

The MSSP Monthly page only displays products that have been enabled for billing via the MSSP Monthly program. By default, all products provisioned via the MSSP Monthly page are automatically configured to be billed this way. However, products that are provisioned via other methods (Trial or Retail SKU) need to be explicitly enabled for MSSP Monthly to show up on this page.

Why does a product that has been provisioned via MSSP Monthly show the status as "Provisioning in Progress"?

The process of provisioning a new product involves a series of tasks including enabling services, preparing the environment to manage new devices and users, and provisioning access for users.Depending on the product, the provisioning process could take a few minutes.

If the status has not changed from "Provisioning in Progress" for more than 1 hour, please contact SonicWall Support for assistance.

Where can one download installers for software products once they have been provisioned?

The Capture Client installer can be obtained from the Capture Client management console. This can be accessed by clcking on the icon for the console next to the newly provisioned subscription.

The installers/images for NSv, Email Security and SMA products can be downloaded from the Download Center page in MySonicWall. Note that the installer for the CMS (Management instance) ican be used to install the virtual SMA appliance. The role is selected during installation.

What is the difference between Delete vs Remove Product in MSSP Tenant Management?

Delete removes the product from MSSP Monthly and delete the products immediately.
Remove causes MSSP monthly Services to expire immediately and remove it from MSSP Monthly program. Once it is removed, then the product can be managed through Tenant Products in Workspace.

Can a product billed via MSSP Monthly be transferred to any tenant?

No, a product billed via MSSP monthly can only be transferred to another tenant if the target tenant has at least one product billed via MSSP Monthly. To transfer to any other tenant, the product must be removed from the MSSP monthly program and then transferred.

Will email notifications be sent for expiring products that are being billed via the MSSP Monthly?

With the new MSSP Monthly UI, expiring and expired products are clearly called out using visual indictors and the Status column.. Notification emails will not be sent for expiring or expired products.

To avoid having to renew prodcts on a periodic basis, we recommend setting the Expiry dates as "Never Expire" for all products enabled for billing via MSSP Monthly.