What does a centralized management tool like SonicWall NSM help administrators with?

A centralized management tool like SonicWall NSM is primarily designed to manage and report on security appliances. It provides a unified interface where administrators can monitor, configure, and manage multiple SonicWall devices from a single location. This capability enhances the efficiency of security operations by allowing centralized oversight of various security policies, logs, alerts, and overall device health.

By utilizing such a tool, administrators can streamline the process of monitoring security events, ensuring that they are aware of potential threats and vulnerabilities across the network. Additionally, reporting features allow for better analysis of security data, enabling informed decision-making regarding security posture and policy adjustments.

The other options, while related to network management, do not accurately describe the primary function of a centralized management tool like SonicWall NSM. Efficiently routing internet traffic is typically handled by firewalls and routers, while performing updates on systems is more of a maintenance task that, although may be assisted by management tools, is not their core function. Conducting physical audits of hardware is also outside the scope of a centralized management tool, as those activities are generally part of physical security and IT asset management rather than centralized device administration.