“If You Think You Know SonicWall, Look Again” – Michael Crean on SonicWall’s Reinvention

Michael Crean didn’t set out to build a career in cybersecurity - he fell into IT with almost no technical background. What started as sheer determination grew into one of the first SOC-as-a-service models for MSPs, driven by the same sense of mission he once carried in the Army. That path led to SonicWall’s 2023 acquisition of his company, where instead of being absorbed, his team and approach became the blueprint for SonicWall’s shift into managed security.

Now, as General Manager of SonicWall’s Managed Security Services Division, Crean is steering a vendor-agnostic portfolio that goes far beyond firewalls: MDR, XDR, SSE, ZTNA, and co-managed SOC services, all reinforced with a $200,000 cyber warranty. For partners, it’s a chance to deliver enterprise-grade protection without standing up their own SOC. For customers, it means 24/7 coverage backed by expertise and accountability. Crean’s journey - from soldier, to MSSP founder, to SonicWall executive - is the proof point that the company has recast itself as a true global managed security player.

The former soldier turned entrepreneur explains to MSSP Alert how grit, timing, and teamwork built a SOC-as-a-service business that’s become the foundation of SonicWall’s MSSP strategy.

MSSP Alert: You started your career in the Army, served for nine years, and then made the leap into IT and eventually founded your own MSSP. What pushed you to make that move? Take me back - what prompted that decision?

Michael Crean: I loved the Army, but I had three daughters at the time, and I was tired of being away. At the 10-year mark, you’re halfway to retirement, so it’s a tough decision to leave. I thought I’d go into law enforcement - that was my passion - but because of my clearance, I got a government contracting job in IT instead. The funny part is, I knew almost nothing about computers in 1997. In my interview they asked, “What do you know about computers?” and I said, “I can turn one on and surf the web.” That was about it. But I told them I could learn fast, and they hired me. Honestly, I probably got the job because I undervalued myself and asked for too little money.

I learned quickly but didn’t love government contracting - it felt repetitive. I left for the commercial world right around the dot-com crash, which was terrible timing. I was frustrated, with three kids to take care of, wondering if I’d made a mistake leaving the military. But then opportunities started to show up - people asking me to build computers, design networks, or consult. Before I knew it, I was running a company, almost by accident.

Then around 2010, right when SonicWall was acquired by Dell, I started leaning into security. I’d been a SonicWall partner already. By 2012, I realized traditional MSP work wasn’t fulfilling me. I pivoted fully into security, even though the term MSSP wasn’t really in use then. We built one of the first SOC-as-a-service models for MSPs. We bet early on companies like Cylance, back when Stewart McClure was transforming endpoint security away from signature-based AV. That was when it clicked: security gave me back that sense of mission I’d had in the Army - defending people who can’t defend themselves. And I couldn’t have done it without my team. Corey Clark helped build our first SOC. Jessica Ford, our CFO, kept me from spending money recklessly. Will Alexander, who now leads SonicWall’s North America business, was instrumental. They were all better than me in their areas, and together it worked.

MSSP Alert: The acquisition in 2023. Some people wondered whether SonicWall was truly serious about managed security. What convinced you?

Michael Crean: No question - they’re serious. Here’s why: my go-to-market strategy at my company was no long-term commitments, no minimums, everything on a monthly basis. That was a huge departure from the traditional vendor playbook. SonicWall didn’t just buy us and move on; they adopted that model themselves. That told me they weren’t just acquiring tech - they were embracing a new way of doing business.

They also kept my entire team. Nobody lost their job. Finance, sales, engineering, executive staff - everyone stayed. That’s a real investment. On top of that, they funded a second SOC in Europe, with plans for a third in APJ to support data residency and governance needs. From where I sit, they’ve proven they’re putting resources behind this. Twenty-two months in, I can honestly say I’d make the same decision again today.

MSSP Alert: In the press release, you said: “If you think you know SonicWall, look again.” What did you mean by that?

Michael Crean: Every time I speak at an event, I’ll start by asking the audience: “What do you know about SonicWall?” The first answer is always firewalls. The second is you were owned by Dell. Neither are wrong, but they’re outdated.

Yes, we still build firewalls - it’s in our DNA. But today we’re so much more. We’ve got two SOCs, threat hunters working around the clock, MDR, XDR, EDR, NDR, even CDR services. We’ve launched our new SSE/ZTNA technology to rethink secure connectivity for both private and public access.

The truth is, we’re reinventing ourselves. We don’t want to be the “Blockbuster” of security. We’ve seen what happens when companies don’t evolve. Look at Uber - they didn’t own cars, but they reshaped an entire industry. We’re taking that same mentality to cybersecurity. If partners still think of us as just a firewall company, it’s time to take a second look.

MSSP Alert: One of the big announcements was SonicWall’s vendor-agnostic approach with SonicSentry and the MDR services. That’s not a typical move for a security vendor. How are you convincing MSP partners that SonicWall really means it?

Michael Crean: The best way to show commitment is to put it into practice. For MDR for endpoint, we don’t just support our own products - we support SentinelOne, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, Sophos, even Arctic Wolf’s Aurora. Most of those aren’t ours.

That’s a big deal. MSPs and their customers want choice. They might love our firewalls but prefer someone else’s endpoint. Instead of forcing them into a single-vendor stack, we said, “Okay, we’ll support what you choose.” We handle tier 1 and tier 2 support, provide training, do the auditing, keep the firmware updated, send monthly health checks, and deliver productivity reports.

We can’t cover every vendor out there - that would dilute our expertise - but when our community asks us for something, we listen. Partners in Europe wanted Sophos support, so we built it. That’s how we prove we’re serious. We’re evolving because our partners asked us to, and if we don’t, someone else will.

MSSP Alert: Another thing that stood out to me was the $200,000 cyber warranty. That feels pretty bold. Do you see this kind of financial assurance becoming more common among vendors?

Michael Crean: I do. Last November we rolled out the first phase: buy our firewall, follow our best-practice configurations, and we’ll back it with a $100,000 warranty. If you suffer an incident the firewall should have stopped, we’ll cover it. Of course, firewalls can’t stop everything - like business email compromise in Microsoft 365 - but we wanted to show confidence in our technology.

Then we looked at the data. Gartner pointed out that more than 60% of compromises tied to firewalls were due to human error - things not being configured correctly. So we built our Managed Protection Security Suite (MPSS). It comes with a $200,000 warranty, plus monthly audits, firmware updates, best-practice configuration, health checks, and reporting. In other words, we don’t just hand you the technology - we help run it.

No partner has told us it’s a bad idea. Everyone says, “Why wouldn’t I want this? It’s free money.” And this is just the beginning. A year from now, I think we’ll look back and see how much that approach has reshaped expectations for the industry.

MSSP Alert: If we talk again a year from now, what do you hope you’ll be most proud of?

Michael Crean: Honestly, it won’t be about me. It’ll be about my team. I’ll be saying thank you to them, to Bob VanKirk and the SonicWall leadership who put their trust in me, and to our partners who gave us the opportunity.

I’ve got five kids, and the proudest moments of my life have been watching them accomplish things I never did. It’s the same here. Watching my team grow, watching SonicWall shift and adopt some of the ways we’ve done things - that’s the proud-dad moment. That’s what I want to look back on in 12, 24, even 36 months from now.

MSSP Alert: Final question: what would you say to partners who are excited - or maybe even skeptical - about your move to SonicWall?

Michael Crean: When the acquisition was announced, I saw a lot of chatter on Reddit. People were skeptical: another one bites the dust, when does the dumpster fire start? Almost two years later, my whole team is still here - Corey, Dane, Chase, Jessica, Will. The same people partners have trusted for a decade are still with me.

So my message is simple: if you were worried, you don’t have to be. And if you still think SonicWall is just a firewall company, it’s time to take another look.