Sophos Firewall Reviews

We primarily use the solution as a comprehensive security device.

The VPN capabilities are quite good.

The solution is very good at web and application filtering.

It's quite a comprehensive security solution.

The performance the solution offers is excellent. Compared to the older solution, and especially on the cloud, it can reach very good performance. It depends on the licenses, of course. 

The graphical user interface is excellent. 

The intrusion protection module is very useful.

You can easily connect the solution to cloud management.

The stability has been excellent.

Technical support could be improved. They aren't as responsive as they could be.

It would be ideal if we could have a more populated and detailed knowledge base. Generally, the new features must be tested before applying them to the production side. I would like to see more case studies, more application notes, and so on.

We would like to see an improvement in mail management. When passing from FG Series to XG Series, some mail features have been lost. We would like to regain them.

We've used the solution for many years - before it was even Sophos. Sophos, some years ago, was Astaro AG. Sophos acquired Astaro AG. We have at least ten years of experience with the solution.

We've found the stability to be very good. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no glitches. The performance and reliability are excellent. 

Occasionally, we do have to do a debug, however, that's typical of all firewall solutions.

The scalability of the solution is very good overall. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

We have about 200 people using the solution.

The reaction times of technical support are slow. They should be more responsive. We're not completely satisfied with the way they handle it.

In the past, I've had some experience with SonicWall, Fortinet, and with a Linux solution. However, compared to other solutions, we prefer Sophos.

It's better to be certified to install in a good manner. You need to understand what you are doing. Sophos offers the chance to certify at different levels. There are commercial levels and technical levels.

The time it takes to deploy depends on the complexity of the setup and environment. It can take a few hours or a few days. It can even take a week if the architecture is very advanced.

Generally, you need to be an engineer to handle maintenance. We have three people at our office that can handle implementation and setup as well as maintenance.

You need a license to use the solution. We offer the license as a box license, or we can offer a license like an MSP, as a service provider. We often acquire the licenses and we give them to our customers as an MSP.

We are an authorized partner for Sophos.

We're using the latest version of the solution.

I'd recommend the solution, especially over, for example, Cisco. 

I'd rate the solution ten out often. It's really worked well for us.

We implement different security solutions. We also integrate the different environments and secure them, based on the customer's needs.

Our customers are from banking or financial institutions, insurance institutions, telecommunication companies, advocacy companies, construction companies, and retail companies.

The most valuable feature of this solution is that the license offers everything. You don't have to purchase a license for the VPN, or the mobile VPN, or for any other features that the firewall works with. That is the best thing about Sophos. 

They include everything on the firewall as a base and if you want other exclusive services or to add more security to your service, you would have to purchase the full license.

To me, the cost benefits are the best.

They can improve all indicators, all KPIs, all the scores, the consoles, and the monitors. These are all areas that need improvement.

These areas need to be more clear for the customers. You have to have good experience working with Sophos to know how to get to the forums and to get to the information that you want from the beginning.

It is complicated to get the reports if you are not experienced with Sophos. For example, if you want to get a report on what the firewall is doing, you have to be a very experienced engineer.

We have been using Sophos XG for three years.

The version we use is up to the customer and their environment's needs. For example, if the customer has a small infrastructure, we implement a small firewall, which could be an XG 115 or an XG 125.

For larger companies, we implement an XG 450 or XG 500.

The stability is very good. Stability is the main reason we use Sophos.

We have no complaints about the reliability, performance, or stability. It's a very strong product.

We are currently building the security architecture and we are trying to build according to the customer's requirements. The plan is for 35% growth in the next three years.

Our clients are usually medium to large-sized businesses. 

We currently have 23 engineers to maintain this solution.

Depending on the firewall that you are using, or that you purchase with the biggest supply end, you can add other cards that can grow with some other services.

We provide technical support to the customers. We provide our own SOC to support the security solution and we complement the Sophos support plan.

Their technical support is fair, as well as the forums. Today there are only webinars, but we are trying to keep up with the latest technologies and trends.

We are also trying to keep up on how the hackers work because we are working with different associations of security worldwide that way we know the best way to protect our customers and what we need to sell to our customers.

We work with several brands. Sophos is in the top sales.

Previous to Sophos XG, we were working with Sophos and Cyberoam.

The initial setup is straightforward. It's easy, using the wizard.

If you go outside the wizard and you are not an experienced engineer, it could get a little tricky.

Our implementation strategy is to have clear communication with the customer. Implementation is based on 99% of the information that the customer is providing to your other anything else.

It can take five days to deploy.

The license includes most of the features that are necessary, but the basis of the firewall does not include everything, which helps us to continue to sell.

When comparing with Palo Alto and Cisco, Sophos is cheaper.

The top three solutions that we sell and that the customers consider are Sophos, Palo Alto, and Cisco.

The main difference is the pricing.

We try to sell some cloud services but in Mexico, customers are not familiar with the cloud services yet. We are starting to grow, but it is very common that customers prefer services on-premises.

We do not only plan for the sales, but we also plan with the customers and their growth, and how we are going to increase their services. We also consider what will be selling to the customers in the next three years. We plan with the customer, as well.

When we sell a firewall, it is not for sale for right now, it's for sale for long-term use. We build long-term relationships with our clients.

My suggestion to others who are interested in using this solution is to try it. The only way to know how well it works is to try it.

Sophos XG is an excellent solution and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

I like the web filter, application filter, and VBA. There are so many good features. The most powerful thing is clearly the software. I can easily do whatever I want.

Their updates can be faster and more regular. Right now, it's updated monthly. When I need to update the firmware, I want it done within weeks, not months. There are also some changes in version 18, like rules, that aren't needed.

Sophos XG is a very powerful and stable solution. It's more stable than Cyberoam.

Sophos XG is scalable.

Technical support is good and easy to deal with. If I have a problem, I open the ticket, and I call, and the problem's solved automatically by them.

We used Cyberoam ten years ago and then transferred to Sophos. We switched because it was the latest technology.

The initial setup was very easy because you can follow the manuals, follow your past experiences, and so on. We also need about three to six people a day to maintain this solution.

At first, I thought the price was very high. But when I read about the machine's features, we decided to go with it. Now I think the price is reasonable.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Sophos XG a nine.

Most of our clients are primarily using the solution for the network protection it offers them.

The most valuable aspects of the solution are the web-filtering and the application control.

The solution is stable.

We've had good experiences with technical support.

The product is scalable.

The solution could be improved if it offered more documentation or at least provided more information about the products themselves. If there was a virtual assistant of some kind that would help clients familiarize themselves with everything, that would be very helpful.

It would be helpful to get some insights into new features so that we are able to relay information to clients effectively.

I've been using the solution technically since 2019, however, I haven't really been able to focus on it too much. Right now, I am refreshing my knowledge on Sophos XG.

The solution is very stable. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable overall.

We have clients from various sized companies, and the solution works well with all of them.

There seems to be pretty good scalability potential, at least up to a point.

We've been in touch with technical support and found them to be very accommodating. We are very satisfied with eh level of support they provide to us.

While I may have other colleagues on different solutions, my main focus is Sophos at the moment.

When we're talking about the initial setup for the Sophos XG it can either be simple or complex. It will depend mostly on the infrastructure of the client.

Deployment times also vary, according to the complexity.

Typically, the client handles the maintenance process themselves.

We handle the implementation process for our clients.

We have a platinum partnership with Sophos at this time.

I'm more on the technical side. I don't really have any insights into licensing and pricing as it's not an aspect of the solution I directly deal with on a regular basis.

I'd advise those considering any solution to really take the time to study the product and understand different aspects of it. Every solution is different, and therefore it's important to be able to navigate them. Doing some extra research at the outset will ensure you don't purchase the wrong firewall, which can be a waste of time and money.

I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We're quite happy with the product so far.

We're using the latest version of the solution at this time.

We're integrators and resellers.

We use Sophos XG for a central firewall, with some branches making a VPN, but that's the normal deployment. Some clients use it as a proxy, but most of my clients use it as a gateway. We use Sophos to configure policies, work filters, application filters, and the SSL VPN and IPSec VPNs.

Because of the pandemic, the VPN is the most valuable feature. In Bolivia, the clients normally asked for an appliance with a web protection license or network protection and web protection license. These are the most common features demanded by our customers.

Some clients are also using the wireless solution and using XG firewall as a wireless controller. For those clients, this feature is a very important.

I used to work with Fortinet, and sometimes I see that the SD-WAN feature could be better because it's much easier in Fortinet. That area could be improved in Sophos XG as it's too complicated right now.

For example, I remember a case where the routers had to be configured by commands. It's not hard, but you have to read and investigate how to do that. The XG firewall works fine, but you have to read, and it takes some time to do it.

Sophos XG could also improve the floating area. I have more features in Fortinet, more visibility of the networking table, and the networking area. But in Sophos, you have to enter the CLA and display it. It'll also help if they offered more toll booths for VPN like Fortinet.

I've been working with Sophos XG for around five years.

I have no issues with the stability. No reboots are needed, and there hasn't been a problem with that.

The new enterprise models are scalable, and we don't have problems. I think it's fine.

I like their technical support. With Cyberoam, I remember the technical support used to work closely with us. They used to configure some features for us and help us resolve problems, but not just by email. They used to work with us and show us how to do it. I think that was nice, but in Sophos, they give us instructions and help us, but by email.

The initial setup and configuration was very easy for us. I think it's easier than the other options in the marketplace. The deployment time is relative. For example, if you're deploying for a client who has another firewall and have to integrate it, it'll take around two or three days. But if it's a new environment, you can deploy the firewall within two hours.

Normally, my clients look at Fortinet. Both have similar features, and sometimes Sophos is more expensive, or FortiGate is more expensive. It depends. But normally, I have clients that migrate from Fortinet to Sophos. They are used to working with FortiGate without a problem, but the main difference in our case is the support. Because as a company, SUPERNOVATEL, has more experience with Sophos to help our clients immediately. That makes the difference.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Sophos XG a nine.

We are integrators. We integrate solutions for other our client's companies.

The most valuable feature is the central dashboard. It provides us with good performance.

When you utilize the processors, the device hangs. Many firewalls hang because of the high volume of loads.

If we are using the HP policy and the user policy at the same time, the firewall gets hung and it means that we cannot get clear reports.

We have mitigated the firewall with Palo Alto because Palo Alto is working on multiple environments. 

I would like to see the performance improved.

I have been working with Sophos XG for three years.

Currently, we are using the MR4 v18.

It's a stable solution.

This product is scalable. I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

So far we use this solution for SMB and enterprise companies.

Technical support is very good.

We are also working with Fortinet FortiGate and Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls.

Palo Alto is the best product from a compliance point of view, and security. Fortinet is the second and the last is Sophos XG.

I have installed Sophos XG in multiple organizations.

The initial setup is very easy.

It took less than 10 minutes to deploy.

Sophos is very good for small companies because of the cost of the product compared to other solutions.

The price is reasonable.

I prefer Palo Alto Networks NG Firewalls to Sophos. Palo Alto is very good and the customers are happy. The hardware is customizable with multiple firewalls. I think that it is the best.

I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

Our primary use case of this solution is for protection and to have better governance for our LAN usage. I've got a lot of people working from outside on the corporate infra and all policy based decisions happen there. The solution is basically a firewall that protects us from various internet threats, but other than that provides controlled and properly managed access using various rules of VPN and other fingerprints of people logging in. I'm the CTO of the company and we are customers of Sophos.  

The interface is great and easy to understand. Any firewall engineer who has medium to moderate experience on bylaws, can easily understand the UI. The language presented on various features and the in-built help, is very intuitive. If you have a problem you can figure it out there and then. As a result, there is less probability that we'll call tech support.

The solution really needs some additional features like network access control. If they could incorporate some user profiling and present the analytics of the login user usage patterns, or a typical proper management dashboard to take a decision on the firewall rules, that would be useful. Basically, MI's and the dashboard could be more user friendly. The information is there but the dashboards are not in a graphical format. In short, I'd like to see network access control, user profiling and analytics dashboards. It would make the solution a more competitive product on the market. 

I've been using this solution for over four years. 

This is a stable solution. I haven't had any firewall crashes or any non-performing rules for over two years. We are a hospital so all the lights of all the devices should be on 24/7, 365 days a year.

We manage and control around 250-300 internal users. There would probably be another 75-100 logging in externally.

This is definitely a scalable solution. The way we've configured it, if a device goes down, it can be shut off and removed from the network for repairs or updates and our second firewall automatically takes the load.

We only used technical support during our initial deployment. After that, we didn't need support because the product was working perfectly well. We trained ourselves on the newer software and we are capable of managing and maintaining our own firewalls. In addition, Sophos provides online documentation which is very user friendly. If you follow the steps you get the result. 

I previously used Cisco's firewall ASA and it was extensively implemented in my earlier role. The main reason to migrate to Sophos was due to their aggressiveness in terms of pricing but also the fact that they had features that Cisco did not have.

The initial setup was very straightforward. Deployment took somewhere between six and eight hours. 

There's no annual licensing fee. When we purchased the product, it was with a five year agreement bundled in with the product price and the recent rollout is not yet five years old. When we renew, we'll renegotiate. I can't differentiate between the product costs and the licensing costs at this point. We're very lucky that we get one of the best deals in the country in terms of pricing. The Sophos-backed pre-sales and implementation team were very cooperative and collaborative which really helped us make the decision to choose Sophos.

I would definitely recommend this solution but it's only suitable if it fits the needs of the company so I would suggest carrying out some research. Why does the company need a firewall? What rules do they want to deploy on the firewall? Based on the answers to those questions the company can make a call. 

I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

We use Sophos XGS mostly for website blocking, application blocking, and site-to-site VPN.

Compared to other products, Sophos XGS is a user-friendly solution.

It would be useful if Sophos XGS included DDNS-based features.

I have been using Sophos XGS for four years.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.

Sophos XGS is a scalable solution. We have more than 50 users in our organization.

Sophos XGS provides good technical support. The support team has good knowledge of troubleshooting and fixing our issues.

The solution’s initial setup is complex.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team. The solution’s deployment takes half an hour to one hour.

Sophos XGS is a cost-effective solution.

I would recommend Sophos XGS to other users because it is more cost-effective than other products.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.