SonicWall TZ and Sophos XGS are both competitive firewall solutions, though they cater to different needs in the marketplace. SonicWall TZ is often appreciated for its affordability and ease of use, making it suitable for small to medium-sized businesses. Despite its competitive pricing, SonicWall’s subscription model can make it costly over time, as users frequently need to renew licenses for additional features and support. On the other hand, Sophos XGS offers a more cost-effective licensing model for mid-sized enterprises, presenting an upfront cost for hardware with fewer additional expenses, contributing to its appeal among firms that prioritize budget control.
Features: Some of the valuable features of SonicWall TZ include its user-friendly navigation, robust VPN capabilities for site-to-site and client-to-site connections, and comprehensive intrusion protection. SonicWall also offers granular level control for IPS and firewalls with advanced application control features. Sophos XGS stands out with its synchronized security that integrates with its endpoint solutions, detailed application control, and sophisticated content filtering capabilities. It is also noted for its intuitive interface and efficient threat management system.
Room for Improvement: SonicWall TZ could enhance its affordability by refining its subscription model to reduce recurring costs. Additionally, better initial setup guidance and improved scalability options would be beneficial. Sophos XGS could improve by lowering its initial investment cost, offering deeper customization for complex network environments, and enhancing the flexibility of its reporting tools to capture more granular metrics.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Deployment of SonicWall TZ is typically straightforward due to its user-friendly interface, allowing quick installation and configuration. Customer service is generally responsive. Sophos XGS also provides an easy initial setup with comprehensive documentation and support, ensuring a smooth integration into existing network setups.
Pricing and ROI: SonicWall TZ offers a competitive price point initially, but the costs can accumulate with ongoing subscription requirements, yet it provides a high ROI through comprehensive security offerings. Meanwhile, Sophos XGS, though having a higher initial cost, compensates with a more predictable long-term pricing model through fewer additional expenses, ultimately delivering consistent ROI by efficiently addressing security needs.
Clients are now comfortable and not wasting productive hours on IT support.
We have experienced a positive return on investment by utilizing Fortinet's products.
There's definitely an ROI. Having a centralized way of managing and applying policies across the entire organization always helps.
That is a reason to buy a firewall, and it is challenging to put a monetary value on security.
The costs have increased with Sophos XGS in the last few years, with license prices going up by 30%, doubling from $2,500 to about $5,000, which is a big challenge for us.
He explained that it required a command line configuration, as it couldn't be done through the graphical user interface.
I would rate their support for FortiGate a nine out of ten.
They offer very accurate solutions.
Customer service is excellent.
Any issues are quickly addressed by their support team, which is not common among all OEM manufacturers.
The response time from Sophos technical support can be slow in most cases, which can be challenging.
Technical support from Sophos is always available.
They scale up really well from smaller models like the FortiGate 40 and 50 to bigger sites with the FortiGate 100 for more throughput - up to enterprise datacenters.
There are many options available, and we can choose the size of the box based on our requirements.
You can choose a cheaper model if you only have 20-30 users, but you will need to spend more money for a FortiGate solution that covers 5,000.
I can change what I want easily without interfering with other services or routines.
I would rate its scalability seven out of ten since modules can be added.
There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze.
Improper handling of these can lead to a memory surge, a well-known bug that can cause the entire system to freeze.
It is less stable than Palo Alto Networks and Check Point firewalls because there are lots of bugs in the latest firmware.
In terms of stability, SonicWall doesn't have performance issues.
SonicWall TZ is definitely stable and offers a good value for money.
It is rated at nine out of ten for stability and is very reliable.
Sophos XGS is stable now, and I would rate its stability as a ten out of ten.
When Sophos introduced firmware version twenty, there was a bug in DCC.
If I have put 10 GBPS of throughput on a firewall and I enable all of these features available, such as IPS or UTM functionalities, the throughput comes down to 1 GBPS.
By providing an integrated solution, users would have access to all features and functionalities within a single window, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple windows.
Investing in a solution that can accommodate such growth would be more cost-effective than repeatedly purchasing new hardware.
Integration with other vendors, especially with VPNs, can be challenging and requires more effort when configuring.
SonicWall TZ could benefit from newer technology.
The VPN license should be improved by providing more free SSL VPN licenses.
It would be beneficial if Sophos XGS offered an end-to-end solution with competitive pricing.
After version 18.5, creating a NAT rule has become more complex, requiring the creation of a separate policy and an additional component.
I have experienced multiple hardware complaints, particularly during firmware updates that sometimes cause crashes.
Secure SD-WAN is free of charge.
The most expensive part is the renewal of the license subscription.
FortiGate is priced lower than Palo Alto.
More licenses are required to purchase the perpetual license for SSL VPN and Global VPN.
When comparing similar products across vendors, there may be a small difference in cost.
I would also position its pricing as a three, where one is the lowest price and ten is the highest.
The last instance I purchased was for three years, around $3,700 for SDG 125.
pricing is rated eight out of ten, indicating that it may be relatively expensive.
Sophos XGS is quite expensive, potentially a nine out of ten in terms of cost.
It's easy to monitor the end-to-end network through the firewall.
The firewall, IPS, and VPN functions are the most valuable features.
FortiGate provides solid protection against viruses, malware, and other threats.
For SMB segments, SonicWall performs well.
It was beneficial during COVID for remote work through its VPN functionality.
The advanced gateway security features such as web filter, application control filter, IPS, ideas, gateway antivirus, anti-spyware, and botnet filter are valuable.
It's able to detect cloud applications like Zoom or Microsoft Teams and allows traffic shaping based on the application.
I find it much easier than others, like FortiGate, which is complicated in its installation, but Sophos XGS is really easy.
The threat detection capabilities are effective, especially against CNC and certain viruses not coming through emails.
Fortinet FortiGate offers comprehensive network security and firewall protection across multiple locations. It effectively manages data traffic and secures environments with features like VPN, intrusion prevention, and UTM controls.
Organizations rely on Fortinet FortiGate for its robust integration with advanced security policies, ensuring significant protection for enterprises, cloud environments, and educational sectors. It facilitates network segmentation, application-level security, and authentication management, securing communication within and between locations such as branches and data centers. Its efficient SD-WAN and UTM features enable streamlined data management and enhanced threat protection capabilities. Users appreciate its centralized management, facilitating seamless operations across diverse environments.
What are the key features of Fortinet FortiGate?
What benefits should users expect from Fortinet FortiGate?
Fortinet FortiGate is crucial in sectors like education, offering robust networks for secure data flow between campuses and facilitating remote learning. In enterprise environments, it allows efficient management of application traffic and security across multiple branches, while in the cloud, it seamlessly integrates with diverse platforms to enhance security infrastructure.
Sophos XGS is a comprehensive network security solution designed to protect organizations from advanced threats. It combines next-generation firewall capabilities with advanced threat protection, web filtering, and application control.
XGS has powerful deep learning technology and can detect and block even the most sophisticated malware and ransomware attacks. It also offers granular control over web access, allowing organizations to enforce policies and prevent access to malicious or inappropriate websites. Additionally, XGS provides application control features, enabling organizations to manage and prioritize network traffic based on specific applications or user groups.
With its intuitive management interface and centralized reporting, XGS offers easy deployment and monitoring of network security.
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