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CEO at Tawassul Technology
Reseller
Top 20
Oct 14, 2021
Secure, affordable, scales well, and simple to install
Pros and Cons
  • "Sophos is easy to use."
  • "The price is reasonable; it's not as expensive as other solutions."
  • "Some businesses require Dynamic IP. This feature would be useful if it worked."

What is our primary use case?

We are resellers. We provide solutions to our clients.

What is most valuable?

I like the connectivity and the security.

Sophos is easy to use.

The GUI is very simple.

What needs improvement?

Some businesses require Dynamic IP. This feature would be useful if it worked.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Sophos XG for approximately four years.

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

Sophos XG is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale with Sophos XG.

Our customers have medium sized businesses

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is okay.

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

I have also worked with Fortinet and one other solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

It can take one to two hours to install.

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

The price is reasonable. It's not as expensive as other solutions. 

What other advice do I have?

It's good, I would rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1680258 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Security Engineer | Project Manager at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Oct 5, 2021
Simple to use, easy installation, and performs well
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has good performance and is easy to use."
  • "The solution could be more secure."

What is our primary use case?

We use Sophos XG for network threat protection in our data center.

What is most valuable?

The solution has good performance and is easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be more secure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Sophos XG for a few 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?

We have approximately 100 users using this solution.

How was the initial setup?

The installation of Sophos XG is easy.

What about the implementation team?

 We have four technical engineers for installation and administrators for this equipment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated Palo Alto and FortiGate.

What other advice do I have?

We have replaced some of our hardware with Palo Alto and FortiGate solutions.

I am satisfied with this solution.

I rate Sophos XG an eight 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
Buyer's Guide
Sophos Firewall
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about Sophos Firewall. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Creative Head/Director at a marketing services firm with 1-10 employees
Real User
Top 20
Sep 13, 2021
Scalable and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is scalable."
  • "When compared with other firewalls, such as that of SonicWall, we have had no issues with the solution's stability; it works very well."
  • "The installation could be faster and is longer than that of other solutions, lasting more than a month instead of five minutes."
  • "The solution is very slow in comparison with SonicWall and FortiGate; it should have faster performance."

What needs improvement?

The solution is very slow in comparison with SonicWall and FortiGate. It should have faster performance. 

The installation could be faster and is longer than that of other solutions, lasting more than a month instead of five minutes.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Sophos XG for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When compared with other firewalls, such as that of SonicWall, we have had no issues with the solution's stability. It works very well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Sophos does not provide immediate support, such as SonicWall does with its toll free number. This may take an hour or two, although I suppose things would be different were we to raise a critical ticket. 

I have been in contact with tech support within the last week or so. 

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

SonicWall has a toll-free number which can be reached for immediate support, something which is unique, although Sophos may take an hour or two to respond. I suppose this would be different were a person to raise a critical ticket. 

How was the initial setup?

Sophos XG has a longer installation period than other firewalls, occupying in excess of a month instead of five minutes. 

What about the implementation team?

I am the technical person. Installation can be handled independently. We do the configuration of the firewall. 

We have two teams that are responsible for the deployment, a firewall and a network one. We can handle the implementation using both teams. 

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

I don't believe we have a license for this product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

SonicWall and FortiGate provide considerably faster performance than Sophos. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution is deployed both on-premises and on the cloud. 

We have a data center which contains multiple firewalls. If our clients ask about a certain firewall expert, we simply implement the Sophos firewall, clientele. We have created certain IP sectors like this, in which case we provide multiple firewalls in clientele.

We have around 150 clients making use of the firewall.

We would recommend the solution to others. 

I rate Sophos XG as a ten out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Implementer
PeerSpot user
reviewer1621608 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Security Manager at a recruiting/HR firm with 201-500 employees
Real User
Sep 3, 2021
Easy to use, scalable, and provides good security
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable. I've had very few problems with it."
  • "The product is very easy to use, and we enjoy the ability for it to fit into our high-level security framework, giving us some separation from being on Microsoft tasks and allowing us to achieve a high level of security without needing a big team."
  • "I do prefer when updates come out a bit quicker."
  • "When they do updates, they could handle them a little bit better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for a firewall. We use it as a security device.

What is most valuable?

The product is very easy to use. We enjoy the ability for it to fit into our high-level security framework. 

It gives us some separation from being on Microsoft tasks. We've got multiple levels of security. We're government contractors. It's great that it's been a separate product that gives us the ability to do the security to a high level without having to resort to needing a big team.

The solution is stable. I've had very few problems with it.

We have found the solution to be scalable. 

What needs improvement?

We're always looking for the best products and the best pricing. Pricing is always a concern for us.

When they do updates, they could handle them a little bit better. We've only had one problem, however, I do prefer when updates come out a bit quicker. We do the patching and updates and different things, however, in terms of the patch and timing and the criticality of it, it could always be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for five or more years at this point. We've used it for a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is reliable and stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product has proven to be scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

We have 430 end-users on the product.

How are customer service and technical support?

We're mostly happy with the technical support. It's better than Microsoft. Any issues we have may simply come down to the SLA. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward, and, over the last six years, it's gotten simpler, especially when it comes to cloud products.  A company shouldn't have any issues with the process. 

The deployment was very quick. It does not take long. 

My team is quite small internally. I have five to seven IT staff.  I have many service providers that I outsource a lot of the day-to-day management of the infrastructure to.

What about the implementation team?

Sophos assisted us with training at the outset, which we really appreciated. 

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

We pay annually for the licensing for the overall on-prem solution, however, we also have some Sophos access points at permanent IT sites and different things. I have different Sophos products I may pay a monthly fee for.

What other advice do I have?

We're just customers and end-users.

While this deployment is on-premises, for the cloud, we use Sophos Central.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We're pretty pleased with its protection capabilities. 

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
Alexandre RASTELLO - PeerSpot reviewer
Alexandre RASTELLOSenior IT Consultant - Sophos Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User

Well done! Happy to see it was easy.


Next step is Synchronize Security with Sophos Endpoint (formely Sophos Central), to block "lateral movement"!


https://www.sophos.com/en-us/l...


https://techvids.sophos.com/wa...


Regards,

RathinVaidya - PeerSpot reviewer
Vice President (Technical) at Shaligram Infotech LLP
Reseller
Aug 18, 2021
Great antivirus software that's very easy to deploy and very user friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "Easy to deploy and user friendly."
  • "The appeal to our IT team is that this is an easy to deploy, user friendly, and easy to work with solution that includes antivirus software."
  • "Could have a more simplified functionality for users."
  • "We also had a negative experience with the sales team of Sophos, which offered a three-year renewal to our customer."

What is our primary use case?

It's primarily for on-premise firewall functionality and functionality of internet lines.

What is most valuable?

The appeal to our IT team is that this is an easy to deploy, user friendly, and easy to work with solution that includes antivirus software.

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see a more simplified functionality for our customers. We also had a negative experience with the sales team of Sophos, which offered a three-year renewal to our customer. We'd suggested one year, keeping the customer's cashflow in mind and Covid. The result was that it affected our credibility with the customer. These are some of the irritants in the sales policy.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for four 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?

We have deployed it for 100 users to date, so it's quite scalable. We mainly work with small and medium size organizations. 

How was the initial setup?

The implementation is straightforward. It depends on your environment, and the number of users as well as the complex rules you're making. That aside, it is easy to deploy.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution eight out of 10. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Cloud Technical Program Manager at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Aug 15, 2021
Scalable, simple the set up and easy to understand
Pros and Cons
  • "The product offers many great features."
  • "The solution is very easy to understand, it's simple to set up the firewall and policies, setting rules is very easy on Sophos as compared to other solutions, the product offers many great features, technical support is very good, the initial setup is easy, we have found the solution to be very stable, and a company can easily scale the product if they need to."
  • "When upgrading the firewalls, the process could be easier."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is mostly used for setting up a firewall and policies. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is very easy to understand. 

It's simple to set up the firewall and policies. Setting rules is very easy on Sophos as compared to other solutions. 

The product offers many great features. 

Technical support is very good. 

The initial setup is easy.

We have found the solution to be very stable.

A company can easily scale the product if they need to. 

What needs improvement?

When upgrading the firewalls, the process could be easier. 

While we do have network control, we don't have network monitoring. If I have 200 nodes and I want to see what's happening, I don't have visibility, especially if people are working remotely. 

If we could control roaming users through the firewalls and make it so that it's more of a  complete security solution, which we prefer, that would be ideal. If we have to install some clients on these machines, that's fine. The only concern is the DLP. We want to protect our data from being stolen. We'd also like to monitor activities from the perspective of productivity. We want to be able to track and calculate what users are doing on their machines.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for more than ten years. 

Earlier, Sophos was known as Cyberoam, Before that, I use Cyberoam and now this has turned into Sophos.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good. It does not crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. the solution is reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The level of scalability depends on the box. We do have the option to scale if we need to.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have found the technical support to be very helpful and responsive. I am pleased with the level of support I can get. They always provide proper solutions to all issues, whatever we face.

How was the initial setup?

It is not difficult to set up the solution. One ISP, internet service provider, is required, and that is sufficient. If you do have a landline, some switches are available, and we can add to that a firewall. That is secondary. However, the initial requirement is nothing. It is just a plug-and-play setup that is very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We had a vendor assist us with the installation. 

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

There's no additional cost for installation. The provider from which we purchased, the vendor, himself arranged all installation and configuration. They helped us. However, even through customer care, a company can ask for assistance. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm not providing any services. I'm using the product as a customer only. The company, one day, would like to become a partner, however. 

I would recommend the solution to other companies. 

I would rate the solution at a seven out of ten, specifically if I compare it to other options on the market. It's pretty good. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1053252 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Presales Consultant/ Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Aug 4, 2021
Good security, easy to use, and has a simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very easy to use and straightforward."
  • "The solution offers everything in one product."
  • "The initial setup, specifically when activating the license, is a nightmare and is quite difficult."
  • "They have the worst technical support I have ever seen in my whole life."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used to secure networks, just like PSF, but much better. Sophos XG has a UTM, which is much more security inclusive than a firewall, as it takes a look at the threat management landscape from a unified point of view. They have a firewall and they have an IPS inside the same box. They have a sandbox, they have a web filter, they have a web application firewall, they have a mail gateway, and they have a DMP. These are all inside one box. It's excellent at protecting networks from security threats as well.

What is most valuable?

The solution offers everything in one product.

It's excellent at protecting networks from malicious threats.

The solution is very easy to use and straightforward. 

Once you get past the license activation, the installation is easy.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see the technical support improve. They have the worst technical support I have ever seen in my whole life.

The initial setup, specifically when activating the license, is a nightmare and is quite difficult. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years now. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We're a distributor, however, the company is still quite new. At my last company, I had 150 clients on Sophos. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is just awful. They are not helpful or responsive. We are not satisfied with the level of support on offer. They need to improve this aspect. They simply do not reply.

They have very bad response times. It's very strange. Before, when I was dealing with Cyberoam, before Cyberoam was acquired by Sophos, it was good. Now, it's Sophos XG, and, while Cyberoam support was amazing, Sophos support has just gone down the drain. I don't know why.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a nightmare. The installation, getting the box to get up and running, is a hectic process, due to the fact that the box basically would not activate any feature unless the license is activated. And the license is only activated with the cloud. When you are doing that, it's just a sort of a nightmare. Now they have a new feature in which you can just create a license and you can activate the license on the appliance. However, generally speaking, it's one of those appliances that, if it's not registered on the portal online, won't even start. It can be a nightmare sometimes. That said, after the license is activated, it's just plain simple and easy.

What about the implementation team?

I previously was an implementor and would set up the solution for clients.

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

You need to pay for the license. You need to pay for the hardware as well. The cost depends on the model of the hardware and on which license. They have different editions, and licenses you're going to go with. They have different modules, and the cost depends on which modules you'd like to activate for security features. Not everyone will buy Sophos to utilize all the features. Usually, it's just the firewall, and IPS, sandbox, and the web filter that people are looking for. Not many people have Sophos or VM servers on-prem to protect them.

What other advice do I have?

We use both cloud and on-premises deployment models. 

Now, I am using the solution personally at home, however, before, where I was working, I used the solution for three years, specifically implementing Sophos XG for customers.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. 

I'd recommend the solution to other users and companies. For small and medium businesses, Sophos is a good security vendor.

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
System Administrator at Knox
Real User
Jul 31, 2021
Easy control management, easy setup, and reliant support
Pros and Cons
  • "Web filtering is easy enough to deploy, manage, or make exceptions to."
  • "Now, version 18 does some stuff that some of my older firewalls used to out of the box, so that in itself was more of a nicety and makes things a lot easier."
  • "The logging side of it could definitely be better. Some of the logging lacks, and the information that they provide you, especially in the spam filtering section, could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use it for web content filtering, spam filtering, and VPN.

What is most valuable?

The setup and the control management are easy enough. For the most part, the features that it offers work well. 

Web filtering is easy enough to deploy, manage, or make exceptions to. 

What needs improvement?

The logging side of it could definitely be better. Some of the logging lacks, and the information that they provide you, especially in the spam filtering section, could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

We're going into our third year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For what we use it for, it does what we need to do with little to no issue. It is not overly complex for us to be able to deploy what we need.

We're a school. We have 150 staff and 700 to 800 students.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't had any problems with their technical support. Every time we've had to call them, they have been fairly reliant. They have been able to solve the issue or the question that we had.

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

I've been through a few.

How was the initial setup?

Its setup is easy enough. 

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

Because we're in education, Sophos gives us a very competitive price for it.

What other advice do I have?

When we first got it, we were on version 17. We have now upgraded to version 18. There was a significant change between versions 17 and 18. Once you get your head around those differences, it is not that complex. Now, version 18 does some stuff that some of my older firewalls used to out of the box. So, that in itself was more of a nicety. It makes things a lot easier. 

I would rate Sophos XG a nine out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Support Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
Jul 26, 2021
An inexpensive and stable solution with good functionality and user interface, but should offer an antivirus feature
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the functionality and the user interface."
  • "I wish to see an antivirus feature added to the solution."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution internally for policy purposes in our data center. We use the firewall for certain routes for client connectivity. 

What is most valuable?

I like the functionality and the user interface. The solution has a better graphic interface than that of Cisco. 

What needs improvement?

I wish to see an antivirus feature added to the solution. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I believe we have been using Sophos XG for more than three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution has better stability than Cisco, which is why I prefer it over other firewalls. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not had need for technical support. Mostly, I find what I am looking for on the internet. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy.

What about the implementation team?

I handled the implementation by myself.

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

The solution is not expensive since one pays as he goes. He pays just for the functionality he requires, meaning there is no need to pay for all that Sophos offers. If a person needs email protection, he will pay just for this. The same holds true if he needs web filtering. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The solution is more stable than Cisco, which is why I like it better than the other firewalls.

What other advice do I have?

The firewall does not connect to the internet. It is not firewall edge. We use the solution as a data center firewall. 

I would recommend the solution because it provides the greatest firewall protection. 

I rate Sophos XG as a seven out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
Head of Security at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jul 4, 2021
Is scalable and has an intrusion detection feature, but reporting needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "I like their firewall and the intrusion detection feature."
  • "The initial setup is not straightforward."
  • "My experience with technical support has been poor because I have not had any support."

What is most valuable?

I like their firewall and the intrusion detection feature. This is also a scalable solution.

What needs improvement?

Their reporting needs to be improved.

The initial setup is not straightforward.

Technical support could be improved as well.

Integration to the cloud is also a challenge. It's not straightforward, especially while I move my mail from on-premises to cloud 365. I had to go to the cloud to research certain routes with it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using it for five years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We have over 500 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

My experience with technical support has been poor because I have not had any support. When I have had issues, I have gone to their help files but have not had any technical support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not straightforward. You have to do a lot of reading to do something new. So, you have to really understand it or have prior knowledge to be able to find your own way out to whatever you want to do.

We currently have two people who manage this solution.

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

The cost could be lower especially if you want to add other features. For example, if I want to activate the advanced threats feature in Sophos Central, there will be an additional cost. There are features that I wish I could have, but because of the cost, I currently don't have them.

What other advice do I have?

I think technical competence is much needed, so if you are not familiar with Sophos firewalls, you would need to be trained. You need to have knowledge to be able to work with this solution. It's not straightforward like other firewalls. It's not easy; you may understand the concept, but you need to have technical knowledge regarding the interface and the movement.

So, I would rate Sophos XG at seven on a scale from one to 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
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2026
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Sophos Firewall Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.