SonicWALL Survey Reports 77 Percent of IT Professionals Consider Alternative Vendors for Security Technology

Published 9th May 2008

69 Percent Say Cost Matters Most When Considering New Hardware and Software

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. – May 7, 2008 – SonicWALL, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNWL), a leading secure network infrastructure company, today announced results of a survey that found 77 percent of IT decision-makers at US businesses would consider buying network security equipment from an “alternative” vendor – an organization other than the market share leader. While, 57 percent of respondents indicated that a slowing economy has not largely impacted their decisions to implement new infrastructure, 69 percent of respondents still cited cost as one of the most important factors in the purchasing process.

The SonicWALL survey polled more than 580 IT decision-makers at businesses of all sizes, both online and at Interop 2008. The survey found that 85 percent of the participants had upgraded their security infrastructure in the last 24 months. Of those that had, 70 percent considered technologies from an alternative vendor in the network security market. The top reasons driving organizations’ to consider moving to an alternative network security vendor (from current supplier) included feature set (32 percent), service and support (30 percent) and price (27 percent)

Survey respondents indicated that alternative vendors offer comprehensive solutions to organizations where the status quo isn’t an attractive option. These vendors typically provide greater price-performance value for the functionality offered, making it easier for customers to squeeze more out of their budgets. Additionally, they also have a tight-knit partner network that offers hands-on customized service and support throughout the product lifecycle. The survey respondents reported that economic realities forcing IT departments to do more with static or decreasing budgets coupled with an increasingly complex threat landscape make these alternative vendors an attractive option for both small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) and enterprises.

“These survey results support our overall value proposition – offer cutting edge technology, with rich feature sets and unprecedented service and support,” said SonicWALL CEO Matt Medeiros. “At SonicWALL, we work hand in hand with our partners to provide an offering that truly meets the specific needs of our customers.”

The online survey consisted of 13 multiple choice questions. Respondents consisted primarily of IT administrators and directors at companies with less than 500 employees. The survey spanned multiple verticals, including technology, healthcare, government and education.

About SonicWALL
SonicWALL is committed to improving the performance and productivity of businesses of all sizes by engineering the cost and complexity out of running a secure network. Over one million SonicWALL appliances have been shipped through its global network of ten thousand channel partners to keep tens of millions of worldwide business computer users safe and in control of their data. SonicWALL’s award-winning solutions include network security, secure remote access, content security, backup and recovery, and policy and management technology. For more information, visit the company web site at http://www.sonicwall.com/

Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the willingness to purchase from other than market share leaders, the impact of the economy on implementation of new infrastructure, the importance of cost in purchasing decisions and the benefits provided by alternative vendors. In addition, please see the "Risk Factors" described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, for a more detailed description of the risks facing our business. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to SonicWALL as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement.

NOTE: SonicWALL is a registered trademark of SonicWALL, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.


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