Sophos Firewall Reviews

This product is our perimeter firewall with web filtering and application filtering, as well as also providing site-to-site VPN and SSL VPN. We are end-users and customers of Sophos. I'm a network administrator. 

Sophos XG enabled our organization to establish site-to-site connectivity with our Branch offices and enabled work from home during pandemic through very easy to deploy SSL VPN solution for our employees. 

Reporting is the most valuable feature. They also recently provided the SDWAN solution and we're currently working on implementing that. 

I'd like to see improved throughput performance in a box. It's already a cost effective solution but I'd like to see the cost further reduced for annual renewals.

I've been using this solution for four years. 

Sophos has the same issue as all firewalls where it's scalable for virtualization and for cloud deployment, but it's not so scalable when it comes to the hardware. 

Customer service is good but has room for improvement like all others. 

The initial setup was very straight forward. 

Vendor team has very good level of expertise, transfer of knowledge was excellent and we are managing firewalls at our own. 

I believe there are better products on the market so I rate this solution seven out of 10. 

We normally use physical appliances for office and virtual appliances for datacenter.

XGS is similar to XG series but adds new Xstream Flow processors that are used to accelerate various functionalities that are normally done in x86 CPU.

Sophos will soon release SFOS v19 software which will utilize Xstream for even more functionalities like IPsec, SSLVPN, SDWAN and etc.

What I found most valuable in Sophos XGS is that it's very easy to manage.

Authentication with Azure AD needs improvement. It would be better if it could work directly without using local AD server. For comparison Fortinet FortiGate allows to use SAML authentication with Azure AD and does not require any local server. It is currently unknown to me, if or when it will be implemented on Sophos.

Local DHCP service also needs improvement. Windows DHCP service offers more functionality and is more flexible and easier to use. SFOS v18.5.3 added DHCP option functionality in the GUI - which previously worked only from CLI. 

I've been working with Sophos XGS since they came out. I cannot remember exactly the year and date, but it hasn't been so long, e.g. just one year.

It is very stable - have not had any issues.

The scalability of Sophos XGS is good. Normally we suggest the clients to use firewall as a service, since it gives more flexibility both for client and us, since usually we manage the client's firewall. There is a virtual version of the firewall which scales even more, since it can be upgraded to a license that offers more RAM and CPU cores. For us, it scales very well, e.g. I'm giving it the maximum score: ten out of ten.

If a client is looking for a new firewall, then we normally need to consider as much information as possible (user count, weight per user, LAN throughput, WAN throughput, functionalities and etc). If a client wants to pick a solution for larger environment, then we also ask recommendation from Sophos to get the most optimal solution.

Positive

The initial setup for Sophos XGS is very easy. From cloud it can be deployed even faster, since it allows to create configuration templates.

The ratio of price and functionality is good.

Licensing cost depends on particular model and required functionality:
- It is possible to use the firewall without any license, but then it will work only as port based firewall.
- Normally we suggest to use at least Standard License.
- Licensing cost for single appliance or active/passive HA cluster is the same - only 1 license.
- Active/Active cluster requires 2 licenses and performance gain is very small. It is better to use more powerful appliance. 

We are Sophos Gold partner and mainly like to use Sophos XGS firewalls.
If it a requirement by client, then we can also offer non-Sophos firewall solutions.

There are multiple models of Sophos XGS that we use, e.g. we use both desktop  and 1U sized models.

Sophos XGS can be fully cloud managed, and it's possible to deploy it directly from the cloud, that you installed the hardware, and maybe I have to use an ESB key, though I'm not sure. We haven't tried deploying it that way yet.

The only difference between Sophos XGS and Sophos XG is the software version that is supported on the hardware. The difference will be when the version 19 software comes up, as it will not work on Sophos XG.

I recommend Sophos XGS to others who are thinking of implementing it. I recommend for them to use it. Sophos firewall can be also used without additional firewall, but we strongly suggest using Standard license, which offers application filtering and IDS/IPS.

Sophos XG can be deployed on-premise and on the cloud.

We use Sophos XG as a network firewall for many use cases, such as offices, residential, and data centers. 

Sophos XG could improve the connectivity with Microsoft 365 or Azure Active Directory(AD). It doesn't work directly as other solutions do, such as Fortinet FortiGate. The client needs a separate AD server which is a problem.

There is no endpoint software for Linux systems, only the server version runs on Linux.

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately fours years.

The stability of Sophos XG is very good. However, there have been some issues with other weaker models because they are limited in hardware in resources.

We had an issue, but after speaking to the technical support, I understood it was a problem with Sophos, not a firewall problem, but with the endpoint that was related to the encryption of the disc. The problem is if you have a computer controlled by Azure at the same time as Sophos, then there may be some incompatibility problem between them because both of them are trying to control the computer and the encryption of the hard drive.

I have used other firewall solutions, such as Fortinet Foregate and Check Point.

The initial setup of Sophos XG is simple, but Cisco Meraki is easier. 

Since I have used Sophos XG long time it is easier than Fortinet FortiGate or Check Point.

Sophos XG is not an expensive solution. If you are willing to pay more, then there is the Check Point firewall which is the best out of all the vendors.

I would advise other Sophos XG is a great solution because it is synchronized security between the endpoint and firewall which is unique. I'm not sure if Fortinet FortiGate has this technology, but it is a good technology in Sophos XG. Sophos was perhaps the first to use this kind of technology. What it does is if your computer gets infected, then the endpoint tells the firewall that, it is infected and the firewall doesn't allow the use of the network at all. It'll lock it down on this computer.

I rate Sophos XG a nine out of ten.

The most valuable features of Sophos XG are user-friendliness and it is highly secure.

Sophos XG could improve by making the remote access and VPN better.

I have used Sophos XG within the last 12 months.

Sophos XG is a stable solution.

The scalability of the solution is good. We have approximately 4,000 concurrent users.

The Sophos XG technical support we receive from our local vendor, they are very helpful.

I would recommend this solution to others. I have recommended it to many organizations already. I have had a very good experience with the Sophos XG.

I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

We are a digital design agency. We offer services such as website design and development, mobile applications, and more. We use Sophos XG to protect our network. It is also used for reporting and load-balancing.

The interface is very user-friendly and it's easy to manage.

The load-balancing capabilities are good.

All of the options should be available when I renew my subscription for the year. As it is now, there are some limitations.

We have been using Sophos XG for between two and three years.

This is a stable product and we use it on a daily basis.

I have not tried to scale this product.

I have not had issues that required contacting technical support.

The initial setup is simple. It takes approximately one hour to install, create the policies, and deploy.

I deployed it myself.

If there are any issues then I can fix them because I have the expertise.

The subscription costs approximately $300 yearly. I am satisfied with the price.

Feature-wise, this is a good product.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We work with two clients with Sophos XGS. One of our clients was replacing old firewalls, and they choose Sophos XGS. The other client has a new project that he's planning to move his endpoint solution to Sophos XGS.

One of the main advantages of Sophos XGS is the processor. You don't have to wait a long time for when you are managing the firewall and the traffic is faster now.

Sophos XGS could improve by having better integration with Active Directory.

I have been using Sophos XGS for approximately one year.

Sophos XGS is stable.

I have found Sophos XGS to be scalable.

The technical support is good. However, they should provide quicker support in other languages, such as Spanish.

The initial setup is easy.

We do the implementation of the solution and the number of people we need depends on the project. However, typically we have two people that handle the implementation. 

Since COVID we have been trying to work remotely as much as possible. After the initial setup, the solution can be managed remotely.

Sophos XGS is a good investment because these solutions work for a long time.

I live in Bolivia and the price of Sophos XGS is high. However, they have adjusted their price a little over the past while but the price could still be less expensive to be affordable.

I have evaluated other solutions, such as Fortinet.

I rate Sophos XGS a nine out of ten.

Sophos XG is used as a firewall to manage our WiFi connections.

The security of Sophos XG is very good.

Sophos XG could improve by coming out with more innovative feature developments.

The solution is secure, but security could always be better, they should work on perfecting the security of Sophos XG.

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately a few years.

I have found Sophos XG to be very stable.

The scalability of Sophos XG is great.

As our business grows we will increase the users using this solution.

I have not connected the technical support from Sophos XG. I have only used online support from websites which was good.

The initial setup is very easy, it took less than one hour.

We used an integrator for the implementation of the solution.

We have two engineers for the deployment and maintenance of Sophos XG.

The price of the Sophos XG is very good. There are not any licensing costs, it is a one-time purchase price.

I would recommend Sophos XG to others. It is a good solution and I am satisfied.

I rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten.

Sophos XG is used as a network firewall.

In the Sophos XG, the SD-WAN has all the rules done separately, such as net policy routing. In the previous version, they were all in a single rule and everything was done that way. The way it is now is difficult for us because we are not used to this newer version. The firewall rules should be easier to configure and create. Everything should be done with a single click.

In the next version, the solution would be more user-friendly overall.

I have been using Sophos XG for approximately two years.

The stability of Sophos XG is good, it has good performance.

Sophos XG has good scalability.

We have approximately 50 people that use the solution in my company.

We use this solution on a daily basis.

We have contacted the support from Sophos XG but we do not require the support often.

We previously used Sophos Cyberoam and we switched to Sophos XG because it was the end of life for the Sophos Cyberoam and the bandwidth was poor.

The initial installation of Sophos XG was not difficult.

We used an integrator to do the implementation of Sophos XG.

We only require one person for the implementation and maintenance of the solution.

The solution is very good and we have received a return on investment.

The price of Sophos XG is reasonable. 

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate Sophos XG a six out of ten.