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Sabri AKAR - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Software Developer at TATMETAL
Real User
Jun 18, 2022
Powerful user-interface, reliable, but log need more detail
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Sophos XGS are the ease of use and powerful interface."
  • "My advice to others is if you are going to purchase a firewall in Turkey, Sophos XGS is the best choice because of the dealers and support available."
  • "In version 18 of Sophos XGS, the log details are not very good. However, in version 19 they are more detailed. The Fortinet FortiGate has better detail overall compared to Sophos XGS. They provide updates to the solution frequently, but they do not fix the problems that exist."
  • "In version 18 of Sophos XGS, the log details are not very good."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Sophos XGS for basic purposes, such as the NAT rules it provides.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Sophos XGS are the ease of use and powerful interface. 

What needs improvement?

In version 18 of Sophos XGS, the log details are not very good. However, in version 19 they are more detailed. The Fortinet FortiGate has better detail overall compared to Sophos XGS. They provide updates to the solution frequently, but they do not fix the problems that exist.

In the next release, the searching inside of Sophos XGS needs to improve. It is difficult to learn about the functionality and the modules. Additionally, there needs to be more automatic or less manual operations.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XGS for three years.

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August 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have a small company therefore I am not sure about the scalability.

We have two people using this solution as administrators. The total number of users that are using the solution is approximately 200.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used the support line directly from Sophos XGS, but I used the online knowledge site they have for support. They have good documentation.

The best support is provided by Cisco, Palo Alto, and Fortinet FortiGate because all the knowledge is available easily.

I rate support from Sophos XGS a four out of five.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Sophos XGS is not easy. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Sophos XGS is less than competitors worldwide. However, in Turkey the solution is expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Fortinet, Cisco, and Palo Alto, and the Sophos XGS has a more powerful interface. Fortinet FortiGate has too many options while Palo Alto is over more robust than Sophos XGS. However, if your company does not have a large number of users then Sophos XGS is best.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is if you are going to purchase a firewall in Turkey, Sophos XGS is the best choice because of the dealers and support available. The second best in Turkey would be Fortinet FortiGate.

I rate Sophos XGS a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Head of Information Technology at ICCS Ltd
Real User
Jun 9, 2022
It's more affordable than most, and the interface has a more comfortable feel than the competitors.
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the Sophos UI. It interface has a more comfortable feel than the competitors."
  • "Sophos isn't expensive; it's a mid-range solution that's cheap but not too much cheaper than competitors, and it's a good price that meets all our compliance requirements."
  • "I recommend Sophos increase the user capacity of the firewall by 1.5 times. For example, say the firewall can accommodate 1,000 users now, then it should handle a load of 1,500 users."

What is our primary use case?

Sophos helps us set public restrictions and add category filtering to secure the network. It provides ATS and IPS scanning for further protection.

What is most valuable?

I like the Sophos UI. It interface has a more comfortable feel than the competitors.

What needs improvement?

I recommend Sophos increase the user capacity of the firewall by 1.5 times. For example, say the firewall can accommodate 1,000 users now, then it should handle a load of 1,500 users.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Sophos XGS for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is scalable. My company has almost 6,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

We've contacted Sophos support multiple times for help troubleshooting.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used a Cisco firewall for four years before Sophos. My company has multiple locations, and some had Sophos, but others used Cisco. After we had a good experience with Sophos, we moved the entire company to Sophos.

How was the initial setup?

Installation is pretty straightforward compared to Juniper and Cisco products. The Sophos installation offers better guidance. 

What about the implementation team?

We handled the installation and configuration with our in-house team.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sophos isn't expensive. It's a mid-range solution that's cheap but not too much cheaper than competitors. It's a good price that meets all our compliance requirements. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos XGS eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
August 2026
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Rafael Keller - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Pluris Midia
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Jun 8, 2022
Provides a great VPN feature
Pros and Cons
  • "The VPN is the best feature."
  • "We use XGS as a firewall, for web filtering, and network control."
  • "The solution could be easier to manage and configure."
  • "The customer support is not great, it takes them too long to respond."

What is our primary use case?

We use XGS as a firewall, for web filtering, and network control. I'm an IT manager. 

What is most valuable?

The VPN is the best feature because I'm working a lot from home now. 

What needs improvement?

I think the earlier SG version was easier to configure and manage. The XG is a little different and somewhat more complicated. I'd like it to be easier to manage and configure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Right now we're having some issues but they're related to the environment and not the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is not great, it takes them too long to respond. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I believe we pay for licensing every three years and I think it's around $1,800 which includes the hardware. It's a reasonable price. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution and rate it eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Rotimi Omotayo-Benson - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical architect at boldbytesng
Reseller
Jun 6, 2022
Stable firewall that has prevented ransomware from encrypting one of the systems
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very stable. I have not heard of any issue where clients would have to replace hardware. It's been really stable for a long while."
  • "We have started seeing ROI using this solution because one of their products helps you to prevent ransomware."
  • "The support team are helpful when you eventually get hold of them which takes a long time. They can improve how quickly you get technical support."

What is our primary use case?

It is a firewall appliance that is used to provide security for network infrastructures. We have it deployed at the edge of our network and we also sell it to other clients to protect their network infrastructure. 

What is most valuable?

This solution is really easy to use and deploy. It has a dashboard where you can see everything going on within your network. There is also a cloud component so if you need to secure your computers or servers, this can be done using Central Intercept X Advances. Everything is connected to their cloud platform where you can manage either your end point solution or your firewalls.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. I have not heard of any issue where clients would have to replace hardware. It's been really stable for a long while.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution. This does depend on the are different categories of the XGS. The license you buy would be determined by the number of users intended to use it. 

How are customer service and support?

The support team are helpful when you eventually get hold of them which takes a long time. They can improve how quickly you get technical support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and takes 15 minutes. The time it takes to setup depends on what you're trying to achieve and how complex you want your configuration to be. 

What about the implementation team?

We completed the implementation in-house for our business and for some of our clients. 

What was our ROI?

We have started seeing ROI using this solution because one of their products helps you to prevent ransomware. It has helped to prevent ransomware from encrypting one of the systems of one of our staff. That is a huge return on investment

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is $10,000 for an annual subscription. 

What other advice do I have?

This is a good product for small and medium enterprises. I can't say how it performs in a large environment. It is a very stable solution. Just like every other product, you need to have someone that has the necessary skill set to manage it. Somebody needs to learn how to set it up and configure it depending on the environment.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
ErcanSonmez - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Manager at OPLOG
Real User
May 22, 2022
Easy to use with a good interface but has been crashing
Pros and Cons
  • "The product was easy for us to install."
  • "The interface is great."
  • "It has recently started to suddenly block and crash."

What is most valuable?

The interface is great.

It's a very easy-to-use product.

The product was easy for us to install. 

The pricing is okay. 

What needs improvement?

We've had many problems lately. We're having issues with its firmware, now, and we are trying to fix it with the supplier, the Sophos supplier in Turkey. 

It has recently started to suddenly block and crash. We don't know what will happen. We're not sure if it is the device or something else. We're trying to fix the problem with Sophos. 

It's not extremely scalable. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for six months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I'm not sure what the issue is, however, it has been crashing and we're trying to find a fix or a solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I don't find the solution to be very scalable. 

We have 300 people using it right now. 

How are customer service and support?

We're working with a Sophos supplier in Turkey. When we run into issues, we reach out to them. We're dealing with them right now. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation process was very simple and straightforward. It wasn't overly complex or difficult. For us, the deployment took about two days. 

You only need two people to maintain the product. It's not labor-intensive. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'm not sure of the exact amount we paid, however, compared to other firewalls, the pricing isn't too bad. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and an end-user. 

We bought three devices from Sophos. We're just dealing with some issues with crashing right now.

I'd rate the solution five out of ten. 

Potential new users should clearly investigate other firewall models. They need to be sure of what they pick before they pay for any solution.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Presales Consultant Information Security Services at Team Computers
Real User
May 16, 2022
A good VPN solution that has valuable threat management, IPS and IDS features
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Sophos is the VPN solution. I also value their threat management, IPS IDS features and login features with single sign-on."
  • "Sophos XGS needs improvement with the threshold values. Other solutions have the capacity to handle more users."
  • "Scalability needs to be improved by increasing the threshold value. The bulk capacity can handle 300 users, if you have more users, it does not work well."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XGS in 15 locations with 15 firewalls for the XG. We dedicate one person to maintain the solution.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Sophos is the VPN solution. I also value their threat management, IPS, IDS, and login features with single sign-on.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XGS needs improvement with the threshold values. Other solutions have the capacity to handle more users.

I would like to see virtualization security included in the next release.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Sophos XGS for more than two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is stable as long as the capacity is not exceeded, then it becomes slow.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability needs to be improved by increasing the threshold value. The bulk capacity can handle 300 users, if you have more users, it does not work well.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is okay. They are responsive but limited with knowledge and need to escalate to the upper levels. It takes time to resolve issues.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution was straightforward. It is easy to use and convenient.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The license for Sophos XGS is for three years, paid on a yearly basis. Everything is included with the license; there are no additional fees.

What other advice do I have?

Sophos SGS is a nice solution. I would rate this solution an 8 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Samir Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO / Managing Director at Infinity Access Technologies Pvt Ltd
Real User
Top 20
May 13, 2022
Highly stable, scalable, but performance can improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability of Sophos XGS is very good."
  • "Sophos XGS is a stable solution, and it has a very good operating system."
  • "When it comes to different interfaces there is some speed issue that can be improved in Sophos XGS."
  • "The support of Sophos XGS needs to be improved. Support is very poor."

What needs improvement?

When it comes to different interfaces there is some speed issue that can be improved in Sophos XGS.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XGS for approximately seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is a stable solution. It has a very good operating system.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Sophos XGS is very good.

How are customer service and support?

The support of Sophos XGS needs to be improved. Support is very poor. The approach they use needs to improve. We have to call and raise a ticket, but they don't resolve quickly. There are times when their technical support people, are not the right people for the right ticket. It wastes a lot of time. Since this is a business-critical device, there needs to be quicker support. There should be quicker support from the company. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Fortinet previously. When you compare Sophos XGS with Fortinet, Fortinet is a  better device. However, if their country has good support for Sophos XGS, then it's fine. Sophos XGS is more economical than Fortinet and they have similar features. For a business-critical solution, Fortinet would be much better because of its stability.

What was our ROI?

This solution would not have a return on investment for larger companies. However, for smaller businesses using this solution, it is better and faster.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Sophos XGS is priced lower than some of its competitors, such as Fortinet

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos XGS a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
Bhanu Brahmaji - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Engineer at Prospecta Technologies Pvt Ltd
Real User
May 13, 2022
Sophos XG firewall is the Best protection and security Management, authentication, hashing, and encryption; unfortunately updating policies can create a lag meshing with administrators' environment,
Pros and Cons
  • "There are good KCL rules and policies as well as NATing rules."
  • "Sophos Firewall delivers advanced threat protection to instantly identify bots and other advanced threats while defending your network from today's sophisticated attacks."
  • "There can be lag time when updating an operating policy."
  • "In addition, I'd like to see more focus on customer support calls we were waiting for hours to connect with them."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XGS for web security and web policies, it's our primary solution. authentication VPN site to site, SSL VPNs installations. Sophos Firewall designed its extreme protection IT Rules and policies security level Authentication is good sometimes it's tricky and very helpful. Sophos Firewall delivers advanced threat protection to instantly identify bots and other advanced threats while defending your network from today's sophisticated attacks. current live user activities diagnostics to generate logs and objectionable site restrictions, daily reports are a great solution for the work environment.

How has it helped my organization?

With the increase in cybersecurity threats, this solution has helped us at an organizational level. We have always been hit by someone at the end of our desk or hidden somewhere ex:- spoofing attacks, a man in the middle attacks, and ransomware new era of cybersecurity pain full concept, Mail spoof attacks, all these have to improve DMZ and secure the firewall policies and server-client Antivirus solutions. Daily monitoring manually or trusted third-party vendors monitoring tools. finally, we are worried about how strong we are at the cybersecurity level.

What is most valuable?

This is a great solution for security, authentication, hashing, and encryption level. Sophos is good at ACL rules, Port forwarding, SDWAN route policies, IT Rules and policies as well as Natting rules. It's a reliable product to secure web securities. whenever we want we switch to the ports securely Heartbeat monitoring live user activities is great to execute on a production level. Bandwidth control sometimes referred to as traffic shaping is one of the best firewall features. Link aggregation and SD-WAN (Software-defined Wide Area Network) are great features for businesses that need multiple links to the internet. thank you

What needs improvement?

There are occasional issues when we update an operating firmware there's some lag time. Updating requires us to reboot the firewall, in this scenario 24/7 organization will be the most effective. In addition, I'd like to see more focus on customer support calls we were waiting for hours to connect with them. In some cases, Sophos's team is extraordinarily helpful to solve any issues in the firewall. Sophos needs to focus on customer support through a chatbot or call management quickly so we can find some help on the client side. Thank you

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable despite having to restart when we update. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable and we're able to handle all the pressure in our organization. We have over 100 VPNs and it all works well, Authentications, port forwarding, and all kind of security levels are much appreciated. 

How are customer service and support?

Customer support needs to be improved. They're very helpful once you get them on the line but sometimes take up to an hour before we can speak to someone who can fix a problem. when a problem occurs at the production level we freeze and everything goes blank so a faster customer support call is much more appreciated.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex. Sophos has some features like rules and policies, NATing, and PATing so deployment might take more time than if we were using an alternate solution. Deployment can take up to two weeks because every policy and VPN requires checking and that takes time. I've been working for the past 10+ years experience in network engineering and firewall configuration so we deployed in-house but we contacted Sophos for assistance when we needed it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The Sophos or any kind of firewall is worthy to buy when we have dedicated servers and switches to implementation.

What other advice do I have?

There are some very good features in this firewall and also some areas that need improving. I rate this product seven out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Mohammed_Sajid - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Network Administrator at abl
Real User
Apr 29, 2022
Unified threat management system with VPN features
Pros and Cons
  • "The threat management system and VPN are most valuable."
  • "We are using it as a unified threat management system."
  • "Reporting could be improved. The structure could be better because most of the reports aren't detailed."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it as a unified threat management system.

We use it on a daily basis. There are about 600 people using this solution in our organization.

The solution is deployed on-prem.

What is most valuable?

The threat management system and VPN are most valuable.

What needs improvement?

Reporting could be improved. The structure could be better because most of the reports aren't detailed.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable for now.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable.

How was the initial setup?

Initial setup was easy. I would rate it 4 out of 5.

What about the implementation team?

Setup was done in-house.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 9 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1449147 - PeerSpot reviewer
RSSI at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Apr 12, 2022
Stable, simple initial setup, but lacking features
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward."
  • "We are using the WAF functionalities of Sophos XGS which has helped the organization."
  • "Sophos XGS could improve by having a Network Access Control(NAC). This feature is a basic function in other firewalls and should be added, such as Palo Alto."
  • "Sophos XGS rates are at the bottom of the list compared to many solutions."

What is our primary use case?

I use Sophos XGS as an alternative gateway and we are using all the new generation firewall functionalities, such as EPS and antivirus.

How has it helped my organization?

We are using the WAF functionalities of Sophos XGS which has helped the organization.

What needs improvement?

Sophos XGS could improve by having a Network Access Control(NAC). This feature is a basic function in other firewalls and should be added, such as Palo Alto.

The SD-WAN functionality should be reviewed because there are some devices that don't work well. For example, in Palo Alto, the SD-WAN functionality is more efficient.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XGS for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sophos XGS is a stable solution.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from Sophos XGS is good. We reach out to them if there is a serious problem. We have opened approximately four tickets with them.

I rate the support for Sophos XGS a two out of five.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used many other solutions, such as Palo Alto, Fortinet, and Cisco. Sophos XGS rates are at the bottom of the list compared to many solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

I would rate the initial setup of Sophos XGS three out of five.

What about the implementation team?

We have a team of three or four people who administer Sophos XGS.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Once you pay for the Sophos XGS hardware there is no license required. There are additional costs if you want the support. We have purchased support for three years.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Sophos XGS a six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
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