Sophos Central Reviews

In my company, the solution is used for the firewall. The tool is used to monitor and create firewalls for the organization's internet since the company's network is on the internet.

Sophos Central Identity Integration Pack is a very accommodating and easy-to-understand feature for blocking other websites, especially the social media website. The features of the tool are good for protecting our organization from websites like social media websites or social engineering websites. I find the ability to use the product to test websites to be useful for our organization's network.

The high price of the tool is a drawback that can be considered for improvement.

I have been using Sophos Central for two months. I am a customer of the solution.

There are around 20 users of the solution in my organization.

I use Sophos Central and the Sophos Firewall XG Series.

When I joined the organization, I found Sophos Central already installed in the company's environment. Considering the installation of the product was easily done on an on-premises version, the hardware components from Sophos were connected to the network cables of the organization, and it was easy to understand everything when I saw it for the first time.

The product's installation phase was easy.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

It is an expensive tool.

Based on the advancement in technologies, security reasons, and cybersecurity, my organization wanted a tool that ensured us a more secure environment.

The tool does work in managing security for multiple devices since the product is available at multiple prices and there are multiple licensing models. In my organization, the tool is used to manage around 30 devices easily.

I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

Regarding use cases, our main focus with the solution is on endpoints and endpoint security. We've acquired around a hundred licenses and deployed them to our employees to ensure comprehensive security and avoid any potential security risks.

The user interface of Sophos Central is excellent. One standout feature is the ease of identifying endpoints. If you have the serial number, that's sufficient to fetch the relevant endpoint. For instance, if you want to identify devices with the solution, you can easily do so using the serial number. Another noteworthy aspect is the real-time visibility into malware threats. In the malware alerts, you can precisely see the issue, where it occurred, and the recommended actions for IT personnel. This real-time insight is incredibly valuable.

Integration with third party applications should be improved.

I used the solution for around three years but last used it in September 2022, about a year ago.

The solution is stable.

We have had 100 people using the solution in our organization.

I contacted them two or three times, and they responded promptly each time. They addressed my queries and concerns quickly.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward.

The product's pricing was somewhat high. We paid Rs. 1500 INR per license, approximately equivalent to 20 USD.

Users can check out other solutions like CrowdStrike too.

We use the solution to protect our network.

The policies and the management of the services and computers are valuable features. The product is easy to use. It is flexible and simple.

The solution must provide a separate app for Tamper Protection. Now, we have to go to Sophos Central to look for the station and take the passwords to disable the antivirus for PC maintenance. If we had an app where we could get the Tamper Protection password for admins, we could work more easily with it. It would be easier for administrative purposes to have a universal app where I can see all my stations with the Tamper passwords.

I have been using the solution for four to five years.

We have had no issues with the tool’s stability. It runs well. We can see all the problems on Sophos Central and correct or fix them.

The tool is scalable. The only thing we have to do is talk to our partner to buy more licenses, and we get the licenses one day later. About 25 people use the solution in our organization.

Before Sophos Central, we used Avira. It had a management center similar to Sophos Central. Sophos is better. Avira doesn't support networks anymore. Avira only serves private people. That is why we moved to Sophos.

The product is easy to install. The deployment takes a few minutes per station. I just double-click on the setup, and everything works on its own. The solution is cloud-based. It is easy to maintain. One person is enough to maintain the tool.

The solution is moderately expensive. We pay the licensing fee every three years. There are no additional costs associated with the product.

Overall, I rate the tool a ten out of ten.

We are a vendor. In the last company, we were a platinum partner of Sophos. So we provided services to other businesses, like corporate businesses or many businesses.

I have deployed it in many scenarios. Many customer days come to us, and they're migrating their services, like, services to Sophos, like the other firewall to Sophos. They deploy a new one. So we tried different scenarios, like an active firewall with central services, central with active-active firewall, and the support central endpoint services. There are so many scenarios.

Sophos Central is good. It's also free for all those firewalls because, from Sophos Central, we manage the firewalls and push the policies to the firewall. 

Also, we manage the Endpoint with the endpoint and firewall, with Sophos Central in view, monitoring all the policies, logs, and various features in the Sophos Central orchestration features. 

We can push templates to all the firewalls, and they are updated automatically with the Central. It syncs automatically, and all the firewalls appear in Sophos firewall in our environment. So we can manage all firewalls, push policies, log our endpoint to endpoints, and update endpoints. Also, see the protection policy and all the various features.

There are areas of improvement because there are license restrictions.

In future releases, I would like to see more awareness about this product. Most customers don't know about Sophos Central. Sometimes, I have to ask customers to use Sophos Central because they don't know it exists. 

It's not well-marketed, so many customers don't know about this feature. Many vendors use firewalls, but they don't use Sophos Central. For example, if you have five firewalls, the reporting limit might be reached. So, many customers don't know about Sophos Central, and I sometimes have to force them to use it.

The stability of Sophos Central is generally good. Sometimes, issues arise due to server distribution, particularly from my region in Pakistan. There are two data centers, which can cause browsing delays. Overall, most of the time, it functions well, but there are occasional lapses due to these data center issues. Overall, I would rate the stability as seven out of ten.

I've noticed regional difficulties, such as high latency from the vendor's server. Generally, it's about eighty percent effective, but there are times when it's problematic.

I would rate its scalability an eight out of ten. As a partner, we handle multiple scenarios. Sometimes it's hundreds of end users, sometimes thousands, and sometimes it's even more. The number of end users varies from time to time.

The support is good. Initially, they escalate issues through the L1 and L2 engines. Often, the first few emails or days can be less productive, but after that, the L2 team becomes more engaged. For partners, I suggest a different support channel, which should allow direct quality reporting.

Neutral

We worked with Kaspersky and other key solutions. Each has its strengths, but for robust security and support features, Sophos Central is preferable. I find its antivirus software and firewall solutions to be highly effective.

The initial setup is easy. It's very user-friendly. We can push policies through the GUI, like threat protection and file protection. Scanning protection begins with the GUI. It's no problem. 

But for deployment, it's difficult, just like deployment purposes. If you're going to deploy the endpoint, it is difficult to deploy the central. We can go through the systems or through the active directory or something, but there are no other features like this.

There's no need to deploy. It's on the cloud. We have to create an account and sync our antivirus. It takes about three to five minutes to sync.

The pricing is very competitive. When compared to other vendors like Fortinet, Sophos stands out, especially in terms of firewall and endpoint pricing. It's more affordable than other American brands, and while not as cheap as Chinese brands, the quality and pricing balance is excellent.

On a scale, I would rate it a ten out of ten.  I would emphasize the range of features like DLP, file label protection, and user policies that align with your organizational needs. Sophos Central offers comprehensive protection and a variety of policy-based solutions that are highly beneficial for any organization.

My clients have 120 firewalls. They are all on Sophos Central. The tool can be used for firewall management.

I appreciate the fact that all my firewalls are in Sophos Central. Some of our customers do not have public static IPs. They're on DHCP through service providers, and I can manage and monitor my firewalls through it. It makes my life a lot easier. The tool enables me to see the security of my customers’ PCs at a glance.

The product must be made a little bit quicker. It sometimes takes me up to three to five minutes just to log in and see my dashboard. Once we’re in, it’s alright. The initial login is time-consuming.

I have been using the solution for more than five years.

The tool is very, very stable. We have had no issues.

The tool is very, very scalable. Our customers are medium to enterprise-level businesses.

We had a small language barrier with the support staff. The call center is in India. They have great knowledge, but they have very heavy accents. A lot of times, we struggle to understand what they are saying. Normally, I ask them to put it in an email to me and do my research about everything.

Positive

I have worked with Symantec. Broadcom and Veritas bought it. However, none of these solutions are anywhere near Sophos. When I used Symantec, I struggled to log in to the enterprise console in the cloud. Symantec used cookies to authenticate my browser.

Once, the cookies were changed and were not updated on my side. So, I had to re-authenticate and run through the whole process again to find the latest version of the software and download it. I had to physically log a support call just for them to point me in the correct direction of where I could download the latest software. It became a very tedious and time-consuming operation every single time I had to do an update.

The solution is very easy to install. One person can install the product in about five minutes. When I deploy the tool, I copy the initial setup file onto my server. I go through all the PCs and click on the setup. Upgrades and version updates are automatic. I don't have to worry about anything. When there's an alert on my email, I log in to Sophos Central and do some checks.

The tool is a little more expensive than other solutions. However, we get more value for money from Sophos. We pay an annual license fee for the tool. The monthly licensing option is more expensive than the annual license.

I would recommend the solution to others. Anyone who wants to do a trial with Sophos can engage with the software support people. The team will help do a case study, which will help convince the management to choose the product. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

We use the product to maintain uptime during the configuration process. It monitors device security as well.

The platform’s most valuable feature is seamless integration with other Sophos products, including Sophos Firewall, Sophos AV, and their Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service. It helps manage all the components from one centralized portal.

We have been using Sophos Central for two and a half years.

It is the most stable version out of all the firewalls by Sophos Central. I rate the stability a nine or ten.

We manage over 100 clients for Sophos Central. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

The technical support services are good.

Positive

We use different products. The main reason for using Sophos Central is the cloud integration features.

The initial setup with Sophos Central, encompassing deployment for firewalls, AV, and other products, has been straightforward. It involves a two-step deployment process. We have to add a firewall to the route. Further, we have to deploy the configuration, and it starts working. It takes around 15 minutes to complete.

The product generates a return on investment.

The product has a reasonable price considering the cybersecurity services it offers.

I recommend Sophos Central to others as it is a single cloud integration service. I rate it a nine out of ten.

My organization uses the solution because it is user-friendly, available at a low cost, and needs low-cost maintenance for the company's customers to use and modify a single console in different branch locations so that you can handle many branches with a single sign-in on the tool.

The product's best features are its antivirus scanning, vulnerability scanning, web filtering, and application control, including the tool's ability to offer characteristics like peripheral device control. The product has many features to protect our organization's sensitive details.

I did not find any particular area where improvements are required in the product. Improvements are needed in Sophos Central from the agent side, especially in the area of tokens when selling and uninstalling during a change of products owing to security reasons. The ability to randomly use the initial passcode provided by Sophos Central needs changes. The tamper protection password is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required. If users forget the tamper protection password, then it is not possible to uninstall the agent, after which they have to use the removal tool from the agent side, during which I do not have the ability to create another setup.

I have been using Sophos Central for five years. I am an end-user of the tool.

I haven't faced any issues with the product during the five years that I have used it. The product is good, and I would recommend it to my organization's customers or vendors. My company can synchronize the antivirus and firewall we use with Sophos Central and use it globally from wherever we want since it offers its users a centralized console and cloud console.

Previously, I worked in a product support company where we supported each product our clients preferred, starting from installation, organization, and implementation, and troubleshooting at an L1 and L2 level with the help of Sophos Central.

I contacted the product's technical support for some of the organization's issues. Once, a person who was taking care of the Sophos Central console completely changed the console's password, so I contacted the tool's technical team to change the administrator passcode, which took around three to four working days. When my company faced the aforementioned issue related to passwords, Sophos Central was not able to change the password immediately. As a customer, if someone has hacked my console's password, then I won't be able to log in to the cloud of Sophos Central, especially in cases where it shows a different email address and the registered user's email address is different. The priority has to be to ensure that my organization changes the email address and the phone number in the product to the ones that were used when we obtained the licenses, which can be re-registered later if needed. The main issue revolves around the fact that Sophos Central takes around three days to register the new email address and to create a new password ID at a channel account manager level.

I rate the technical support a ten out of ten.

Positive

The product's initial setup phase is easy and user-friendly. There is nothing difficult when it comes to Sophos Central because it is a completely user-friendly product with a user-centric GUI mode that allows users to configure anything in the solution easily.

The solution is deployed on the cloud and on an on-premises model.

Though I don't know the exact price of the product, I know that the tool is worth the money.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The security part offered by the product is strong, especially when compared to other products like Trend Micro or CrowdStrike. Sophos Central is a very helpful tool since users can't delete or modify agents without administrator permission. With the product, when there are constant changes in the tamper protection password, some users are unable to uninstall the agent from the users' end. Sophos Central's console can be configured from anywhere, especially in the cloud. On an on-premises model or in the cloud, users can use the synchronization capabilities of the tool.

I have five years of experience with the product, and I haven't seen any compromises made in the product's quality.

I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.

I mainly use Sophos Central to keep our clients' digital world safe. I focus on three main things: making sure emails are protected, managing the firewall, and handling endpoint protection to stop viruses and other threats on devices. These are my key areas, but I'm also familiar with other parts of Sophos' tech to ensure our clients have solid overall security.

Sophos Central made it easier to manage the multitude of Sophos Solutions currently in the market. It easy to switch between different products to quickly address alerts or make policy changes.

The best thing about Sophos Central is how it brings all its security solutions together in one place. It is like having a control center for everything. Since Sophos has been doing this for a while and has many tools, having them all in one platform makes my job a lot simpler. It beats jumping around different tools all the time. Having it all in one spot is a game-changer.

One area that could use some work in Sophos Central is the user experience. Despite the continuous improvements, the user interface could be more intuitive and user-friendly. It feels like there is still room to make it smoother and simpler for users to navigate and manage security settings.

I have been using Sophos Central for ten months.

In terms of stability, Sophos is generally solid and robust. However, during significant system updates or internal migrations by the Sophos team, there can be some shakiness. Overall, the solution has been reliable with minimal downtime or performance issues. I would rate its stability at a nine out of ten.

I would rate the scalability of Sophos Central as an eight out of ten. In my experience, if a client needs to scale up, like adding more licenses to protect additional devices, it is a relatively smooth process. Communication with the Sophos team and getting things in order doesn't take too long. So, in terms of scalability, it has been quite effective in adapting to changing needs. There are eight to ten users within our organization.

I would rate the support as a six out of ten. They do respond when necessary, but it seems like they are often busy. While they are continuously improving their technology, there are times when they don't respond promptly. If they don't reply immediately, it usually takes them until the next day to get back to you. There is room for improvement in terms of responsiveness, but they eventually address the issues.

Neutral

We previously used IBM Reaqta now formally known as IBM Security QRadar EDR for our endpoint protection and response. We always had Sophos Central but made the switch not too long ago.

The initial setup of Sophos Central depends on the specific technology being implemented. For software-based solutions like Intercept X or email protection, it is generally straightforward, with the bulk of the work handled by the software agents. However, if something goes unplanned, it may require a bit more technical know-how to troubleshoot. On the other hand, setting up hardware like firewalls varies based on deployment methods, each with its own challenges. It can be more complex, requiring a good understanding of deployment methods to navigate through the setup process. All in all, the ease or difficulty of the setup depends on the specific technology and deployment approach. The deployment time for Sophos solutions varies based on the type of technology. In my experience, it usually takes about three to five days to complete the installation and configuration for a hardware-based solution.

Sophos solutions are generally affordable, especially considering that we manage them in South Africa and Africa at large. The pricing is particularly favorable for software-based solutions, while the hardware side can be a bit more challenging. Overall, for software-based Sophos solutions, the pricing is reasonable and not overly expensive.

My advice for those looking into using Sophos Central for the first time would be to invest time in training. Sophos, particularly through its partner program, offers training courses for most of its solutions. From my experience, these courses are comprehensive, self-explanatory, and often include practical labs. Some are free, and some may have a cost, but they provide valuable material and hands-on experience. For newcomers, I highly recommend going through these training sessions to navigate the maze of Sophos solutions effectively. Overall, I would rate Sophos Central as an eight out of ten.