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Zenarmor: What is Zenarmor NGFW?

An instant firewall that can be installed almost anywhere is called Zenarmor® Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW).

Its appliance-free, all-in-one, all-software, lightweight, and simple architecture make Zenarmor NGFW straightforward to install on any platform with a network connection, whether it be raw metal or imaginary. Whether on-site or in the cloud? Every Cloud...

For the OPNsense firewall, Zenarmor NGFW is a plugin that adds cutting-edge, modern functionality. Zenarmor NGFW is the software you need if you are operating an L4 firewall (all open-source firewalls fall into this category) and want capabilities like application control, network analytics, and TLS inspection.

Sunny Valley Cyber Security Inc. created Zenarmor NGFW, which is popular among the open-source firewall community.

What is the Meaning Behind Zenarmor?​

Zenarmor represents the combination of two powerful concepts: "zen" and "armor". Zen is a practice that promotes balance, focus, and calmness, while armor represents protection, strength, and resilience. These two concepts perfectly capture the essence of our product and new company name, and the values we strive to embody in everything we do.

What is the Relation between Zenarmor and Sunny Valley?​

Sunny Valley Cyber Security Inc (aka Sunny Valley Networks or Zenarmor) is the creator of Zenarmor NGFW. Sunny Valley Cyber Security Inc was founded in 2017 by Murat Balaban with a mission to provide enterprise-quality network security solutions to home users and small to medium-sized businesses. The initial product of Sunny Valley Networks, Sensei, provided home and small business users with an intuitive and easy-to-use software platform that helped protect their networks from cyber threats. In 2022, the company changed its product name to Zenarmor.

As our company grew, we realized that our original product name, Sensei, no longer fully captured the essence of our mission and values. After careful consideration, we decided to rebrand our product as Zenarmor, which better reflects our focus on providing holistic, balanced, and robust security solutions to our customers of all sizes.

For your home, business, or carrier-class networks, Zenarmor NGFW offers an agile and scalable secure access service everywhere there is network connectivity: at the core, edge, and across all access levels. Zenarmor NGFW offers a great degree of flexibility to suit the specific security requirements of today's hyper-distributed and perimeter-less companies by being installed both on-premises and in the cloud.

Does Sunny Valley Networks Own Zenarmor NGFW?​

Yes, Zenarmor NGFW is developed by Sunny Valley Cyber Security Inc.(also known as Sunny Valley Networks). As the product name, Zenarmor NGFW, is more prominent in the cybersecurity industry than the business name, executives began using Zenarmor as the company name (Doing Business As - DBA) in March 2023. It is not incorrect to equate Zenarmor with Sunny Valley Networks.

Is Zenarmor NGFW a Product of Sunny Valley Networks?​

Yes, Zenarmor NGFW is a product of Sunny Valley Cyber Security, Inc.

Additionally, it has various products with names like Zenarmor SWG (Zenarmor Secure Web Gateway) and Zenarmor SASE (Secure Access Service Edge).

Is Sensei another name for Zenarmor?​

Yes. Until 2022 Sunny Valey Networks used "Sensei" as the name of its Next Generation Firewall product, after this year they changed the name of the product to "Zenarmor".

What are the Advantages of Zenarmor Next Generation Firewall?​

The primary benefits of deploying the Zenarmor NGFW plugin on your network are as follows:

  • Detect and block threats in real-time with its cutting-edge technology.

  • Deploy software-based micro firewalls on any network, even outdated systems, with ease and agility.

  • Classify hundreds of millions of sites in real-time using a cloud-based AI-powered web categorization database.

  • Protect your network against advanced zero-day attack campaigns with AI-based cloud threat intelligence.

  • Prevent evasive threats that bypass IP, port, and DNS-based filtering with a deep content inspection.

  • Inspect TLS to prevent evasive threats that utilize advanced evasion techniques.

  • Leverage industry-leading reporting and network visualization capabilities.

  • Control and block unauthorized or misbehaving applications with an application control feature.

  • Filter web access based on over 300 million sites and 60 categories using a policy-based web filtering feature.

  • Manage granular access control for individual users and groups.

  • Block harmful content and schedule offline time with parental control feature.

  • Manage your security system with ease from anywhere using the cloud-based management feature.

  • Integrate Zenarmor NGFW seamlessly with your existing security infrastructure.

  • Operate and manage at scale with automation capabilities through RESTful API.

What are the Unique Sides of Zenarmor?​

Zenarmor is a software-defined and appliance-free network security technology. Zenarmor's lightweight and powerful packet inspection core can protect against advanced encrypted threats, while also being able to fit in resource-constrained environments. It allows for the deployment of micro firewalls at the Access, Edge, and Core level, without backhauling data packets. Zenarmor's cloud-based management, Zenconsole, provides centralized control and management of policies across all IT environments. It aggregates and visualizes all cybersecurity telemetry from all firewalls in a single pane of glass.

How to Install Zenarmor for OPNSense?​

To install Zenarmor on OPNsense, you first need to make sure that Hardware Offloading features are disabled on your OPNsense node by navigating to Interfaces > Settings. Then, you can follow these steps:

  1. Install the os-sunnyvalley Vendor Repository plugin by logging into your OPNsense Web GUI using an account with administrative access, navigating to System > Firmware > Plugins, and typing "os-sunnyvalley" in the search field to find the Vendor Repository for Zenarmor Next Generation Firewall Extensions. Click on the + icon next to os-sunnyvalley to install the plugin.

  2. Install the os-sensei Zenarmor Next Generation Firewall plugin by typing "os-sensei" in the search field on the Plugins tab, clicking the + icon next to os-sensei to install the plugin, and clicking "Install" when the Third Party Software notification message is displayed.

After installing Zenarmor, you should see the Zenarmor menu in the left sidebar of the OPNsense web interface, and you will need to complete the Initial Configuration Wizard for Zenarmor to be fully operational.

How to Install Zenarmor for pfSense software?​

To install Zenarmor on pfSense, you can run the following one-liner command:

curl https://updates.sunnyvalley.io/getzenarmor | sh

After the installation, you need to authenticate and register your pfSense node to the Cloud Central Manager. To do this, first sign up for a new account from the Cloud Central Management Portal. Then, make the zenarmorctl utility visible for the csh shell by running rehash. Finally, run the following command to register your firewall with the cloud portal:

zenarmorctl cloud register

It's important to note that hardware offloading is incompatible with netmap, so you should make sure that they are disabled on your pfSense node before installing Zenarmor. Additionally, you will need to complete the Initial Configuration of your firewall for the cloud portal.

How to Read Zenarmor Documentation?​

You can easily access Zenarmor documentation at the official product website https://www.zenarmor.com/docs .

Here, you will find all the documentation you need for both the OPNsense version and the cloud version of Zenarmor. The documentation is designed in a simple, clear, and systematic way, making it easy for you to learn about many topics related to Zenarmor in a short time. So, if you're curious about Zenarmor, you'll find everything you need to know in Zenarmor product documentation.

How to Check the Latest Updates for Zenarmor?​

To update the Zenarmor software, you can use the "Check For Zenarmor Software Updates" option available in the "Updates and Health" pane of the Zenconsole. This option is enabled by default and Zenarmor regularly checks for new versions of the software. If an update is available, you will be notified with a notification message on the dashboard. To disable or enable this feature, click on the toggle button next to the "Check For Zenarmor Software Updates" option.

Similarly, to update the Zenarmor signature database, you can use the "Check For Zenarmor Signature Updates" option available in the "Updates and Health" pane of the Zenconsole. This option is also enabled by default and Zenarmor regularly checks for new versions of the application database. If an update is available, you will be notified with a notification message on the dashboard. To disable or enable this feature, click on the toggle button next to the "Check For Zenarmor Signature Updates" option. It is recommended to enable both of these options for the best security and performance of Zenarmor.

What are the Prices for Zenarmor NGFW?​

The Free Version of Zenarmor NGFW is always free to users.

A premium membership option is available with many more advanced features.

Details regarding the premium membership and how it contrasts with the free version are available.in Plans & Pricing.

The Zenarmor NGFW base pricing for 25 Devices is given below:

  • Home: $9.99/month for non-commercial use
  • SOHO: $39/month Best for small office/home office
  • Business: $50/month Suited to your business

Who Founded Zenarmor?​

Sunny Valley Networks was founded by Murat Balaban, who also serves as CEO. He spent more than 20 years producing large-scale commercial and open-source products used by thousands of people worldwide.

Who are the Engineers of Zenarmor?​

Zenarmor hosts Full-Stack developers, many of whom have nearly 20 years of experience in their field, specializing in C, CPP, Go, Python, React, and PHP software languages.

How to Reach Out to Zenarmor Team?​

You have some possible channels to reach the Zenarmor Team

  • You can send your feedback by using the Leave a Message Box via official company Website.

  • You can fill out the contact form on the contact page.

  • e-mail to support -at- sunnyvalley.io,

How to Suggest New Features for Zenarmor NGFW?​

The software was created after extensive collaboration with both current and potential clients. Zenarmor value your feedback if you would want to contribute to the product road plan.

You may submit your suggestion about new features via using Zenconsole. You can easily and quickly send feedback about the Zenarmor to the team.:

Also, you can send your feedback by just shooting an e-mail to support -at- sunnyvalley.io, and we'll be happy to help you.