With nearly 20 years as a SonicWall partner, Atomgate manages 690 devices, including 250 firewalls for customers across finance, manufacturing, education and legal sectors. Under the leadership of General Manager Renee Lovell, the South African MSSP has grown steadily by focusing on cybersecurity-first IT solutions and right-sized upgrades that deliver measurable business value.

Changing the Mindset Around Cyber Readiness

In South Africa, only about five percent of organizations can be considered truly “cyber-ready.” Atomgate engineers often encounter flat networks, weak segmentation and even critical services bypassing firewalls entirely.

“The biggest challenge isn’t the technology, it’s the lack of urgency,” says Lovell. “Too many businesses believe their older firewalls are ‘good enough,’ or assume that moving everything to the cloud is always better. But that’s not reality.”

Before Atomgate could replace aging hardware, they had to change the conversation: upgrades are not a luxury, they are essential maintenance.

Educating Clients and Testing Every Solution

Atomgate’s approach emphasizes education and transparency. Renee and her team explain risks in clear, business-focused language, highlighting the operational and financial impact of standing still.

“If a customer still resists, we require a signed liability disclaimer,” Lovell notes. “Often just the thought of signing that paper makes them reconsider.”

Every new SonicWall solution is first tested in Atomgate’s own environment and with pilot customers. This hands-on validation allows their team to speak from direct experience, reinforcing trust when recommending upgrades.

Partnership is equally important. Atomgate collaborates with other IT providers, sometimes even competitors, to help complete customer upgrades. They also leverage SonicProtect license transfer programs to make upgrades more affordable.

Right-sizing each deployment is central to their strategy. Smaller sites benefit from the affordability of the TZ80, while multi-branch enterprises deploy higher-end models. In several cases, Atomgate even reversed unnecessary cloud migrations, restoring on-premises infrastructure where it provided better performance and lower costs.

“Upgrading is like servicing your car,” says Lovell. “Skip maintenance, and you’ll limp along until something breaks catastrophically.”

From Box Swaps to Business Impact

Atomgate migrated nearly its entire installed firewall base (about 250 units) to the latest SonicWall models. But the value went far beyond simple replacements.

At one private hospital, Atomgate redesigned a legacy network that had been routing traffic inefficiently through external sites before looping back to local users. By replacing 40 outdated firewalls and optimizing traffic flow, staff experienced a tenfold increase in speed and a dramatically improved working environment.

The introduction of the TZ80 also allowed Atomgate to extend enterprise-grade security to smaller businesses like restaurants and boutique hotels without stretching their budgets. This opened new opportunities in price-sensitive markets while delivering stronger protection.

Best Practices for MSPs

Lovell’s advice to peers is clear: treat upgrades as essential, not optional.

• Position upgrades as maintenance, not sales

• Lead with the business case, not just technical specifications

• Test every solution internally before deploying to customers

• Use liability disclaimers when necessary to reinforce urgency

• Collaborate across the industry to deliver the right outcomes

“Why invest in security if you’re not going to maintain it?” she asks. “Upgrading isn’t about selling, it’s about keeping your customers’ businesses running securely and efficiently.”

The Bottom Line

For Atomgate, upgrades are about trust, continuity and measurable impact. By combining education, partnership and proven SonicWall technology, they’ve turned lifecycle management into a powerful driver of customer loyalty and long-term business growth.
Learn more about Atomgate