Sophos Firewall Reviews

We use this firewall as part of our security solution.

The most valuable feature is the intrusion prevention system.

The two main areas where this product needs improvement are routing and reporting.

The security can be improved, as well.

I have been using Sophos XG for more than two or three years.

Stability has not been a problem for us.

I am satisfied with the scalability.

The technical support from Sophos is excellent.

I previously used the Microsoft Firewall. It is easy to use but it doesn't the IPS and malware detection capabilities that Sophos has.

The initial setup and configuration are not difficult for somebody with firewall experience. However, for somebody who has not worked on one in the past, it will be complicated.

We had assistance with the deployment.

The price is cheaper than that of some competing vendors.

Prior to implementing Sophos, I tried using a solution by Fortinet. However, it was much more expensive.

My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is to ensure that somebody with firewall experience handles the deployment.

Overall, I find that this is a good product. That said, there are improvements that need to be made in the routing, reporting, and security.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

The primary use case of this solution is as an endpoint firewall and proxy.

The features that are most valuable are synchronized security, the security hard build, the application synchronization, and the events synchronization.

it's user-friendly, not complex.

The uploading and downloading of reports should be included.

We are looking for a firewall to block the uploads from the user, not the downloads. I would like to see this feature updated.

In the next release, I would like the uploading and downloading reports to be included.

I have been using this solution for almost two years.

We will be upgrading to the newest version that was released two or three months ago.

This product is stable.

This solution is easily scalable. We have 15 to 20 users.

The initial setup is straightforward.

It's easy to understand and to install.

I am a technical analyst and handling the pre-sales. We provide and implement the solution to our customers.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We are going to be hosting our own website and we are using the Sophos XG because we want to make sure that it is well protected. We also want to make sure that the rest of our LAN is not compromised.

In addition to using this firewall ourselves, we resell the product to our customers. We have a well-trained team that can perform the implementation and deployment.

Our network is now much better protected than it was. If you don't have your network and your infrastructure secured, as a business, which is about more than just putting a firewall in place, then you're asking for trouble. There is a lot of hunting going on, and it's not just the large corporations. It's the small businesses, too.

The most valuable feature is that it scans all of the data for any kind of malware.

It logs everything that goes in or out, and the logs are helpful.

The simplicity of the setup is very good. I can add whatever ports I need and it's pretty easy to set up.

It would be helpful if they had a set of standard templates because it would assist in the beginning, when you are just getting started. They do have a template, but I mean specifically for different use cases. For example, an existing template for setting up a web page would suggest what kind of security we need to have in place. They do have help menus and videos, but additional templates would be useful.

I have been using Sophos XG for about eight months.

The stability has been rock solid and it hasn't gone down once.

For me, there is essentially no limit when it comes to scaling. I have never used all of the connections but the limitation is between 50,000 and 200,000. I would say that scalability is enormous. If we had a bigger network then I would probably get a bigger Sophos.

At this point, we're just starting and only have three or four people who are regularly using it.

The technical support is awesome.

We did have a Cisco router prior to using Sophos XG, but I don't know much about Cisco or how to get it operational. I also realized that it was getting old, so we switched to a high-end Sophos model. With malware in this day and age, where we have a 6000% increase in the number of malware attacks compared to two years ago, we wanted to be well protected.

The initial setup is straightforward. If I can do it then anyone can do it. The deployment took a couple of hours. Because we are new to this type of solution, our strategy will be to begin by blacklisting everything and then whitelisting only the things that we need.

Our in-house team handled the implementation and deployment. We have more than 200 people that are very well trained, so we can set up pretty much anything. 

We paid for our licensing for three years, upfront, and there are no costs in addition to the standard fees.

I evaluated several options and sought out advice before selecting Sophos XG.

I am happy with this solution, which is one of the reasons that we are selling it. I don't like to sell or recommend things that I have not used. I have tried a lot of the features but I would say that there is a lot more potential I haven't even tested at this point.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

We are a managed service provider and the primary firewall that we sell and maintain is Sophos XG. It is also used in the company.

The most valuable feature is that it is a next-generation firewall.

The fact that it is integrated between endpoints and the firewall, and then the firewall and a central Sophos operation center, is very good.

The cloud-based interface makes it easy to manage.

The integration with the Intercept X approach means that Sophos XG can do things that none of the others are doing.

The main area that needs improvement is the documentation.

Sophos needs to be a little better at communicating with partners about changes, issues, patches, and so forth. 

The weakest point is the technical support because they are difficult to get into contact with.

We have been using the Sophos XG series for three years.

This solution has been very stable and it's a good product, otherwise, I wouldn't be using it.

The technical support team is knowledgeable and they are good, although it is very hard to get a hold of them. You sometimes have to wait in queue for over an hour to speak with somebody. To me, that is the most frustrating thing about Sophos.

We did not use another similar solution prior to Sophos XG. Since the MSP business started, it has been our primary firewall product because of the pricing and support.

The initial setup is complex, as is setting up any next-generation firewall today. You have to know what you're doing with firewalls in general, although beyond that, it isn't as bad as some of the firewalls that I have seen.

The deployment typically doesn't take longer than a few hours or a day, depending on the type of client and what it is that we have to do.

The Sophos pricing, in general, is better than SonicWall, Fortinet, WatchGuard, or anybody else. Because of the partner program, the pricing I get is extremely good compared to what I would get from any of the others.

I have evaluated several firewall products and I think that Sophos is better in terms of ease of use, performance, and pricing.

I would highly encourage others to evaluate Sophos and adopt it. I've discovered that compared to other products, it is easier to manage and I think that it operates better.

Overall, I think that they've got a pretty complete set of features and they seem to be on a really good path. My only complaints are about the documentation and the availability of technical support. 

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

I was using the Sophos XG firewall in my last job, where it was part of our security solution.

We had multiple locations with the internet being provided from a central location. Each of our locations was connected point-to-point using MPLS lines. Using Sophos meant that we didn't need to have a router.

The default templates are helpful because if you want to create new policies, they make it easy to do anything you want.

Sophos XG is a very robust technology.

This solution is very user-friendly and even a non-professional can configure the policies.

There are unlimited SSL VPN clients and it is free with Sophos.

The cloud support needs to be improved. As it is, they only have support for Microsoft Azure. They should expand it to include providers like Amazon and Alibaba.

I have not heard complaints of bugs or glitches occurring.

Sophos is a scalable technology that is being regularly updated.

I have been in contact with technical support many times and they are very good.

Currently, in my new company, I am using Fortinet. This is a very basic firewall and ultimately, I would like to update them.

The initial setup is not complicated. For somebody with an intermediate level of knowledge, it will take between three and four hours to deploy. For a more experienced person, it may take two or three.

I am currently in the process of evaluating the different firewalls that are available in India.  One of the options is Sophos, and I am also considering others such as SonicWall and Palo Alto.

With Fortinet and SonicWall, there is a limit of 10 people who can simultaneously connect using the VPN.

Sophos XG is a firewall that I would recommend for people who are looking for good security in a medium-scale organization.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

The simplicity of the setup is the most valuable feature.

Their technical support needs improvement. I've been on hold with them for hours waiting for their support.

I have been using Sophos XG for five years. 

They seem pretty stable. They're pretty good devices when they're up and running. Once you get them up and running they seem to work quite well. It runs 24/7.

They're very scalable.

The setup is easy. We did the deployment ourselves. 

If you pay for the premium support, you'll get better support from Sophos.

I would rate Sophos XG an eight out of ten. 

The integration with their Sophos Central isn't great. That needs some work. If they could work on the integration with Sophos Central, that would be great.

We primarily use this solution for bandwidth control, intrusion prevention, and network security.

We now have visibility into our network.

Sophos operates using a Synchronized Security in its XG platform. It is facilitated by an active connection with all of the network endpoints. This connection operates like a heartbeat, notifying the firewall instinctively when an endpoint has been infected or compromised. The firewall then quarantines the problem area and provides detailed information on how the endpoint was compromised. This kind of strategic technology makes it much easier to remove malware and address vulnerabilities quickly.

It would be great if the user can have a portal to check on activities related to their account.

We have been using Sophos SG for two years.

This solution is implemented for medium and large enterprises to protect their network from attacks and to filter the web traffic through web protection and application protection modules.

This solution includes Email protection, IPS, Antivirus gateway, ATP, Reporting, VPN, Sophos Wireless controller, load balancer, WAF, and traffic shaping.

1. It's protecting our networks from threats.
2. Block URLs and web applications based on business needs.
3. Not expensive when compared to other vendors, with a great added value.
4. Impressive synchronized security with its endpoint solution.

All of the features are amazing, especially Sandstorm, which prevents bad traffic or downloaded files from reaching our customers' and partners' networks.

Network security is in need of improvement.

We use the solution for application control and web filtering. We also use it as a VPN point, and we use it on other occasions for tracing and reporting about usage and high application rates.

We are able to trace any user and pinpoint any vulnerability or any malicious software. We are able to synchronize between the local and active directories so we can catch users easily through their login names and IDs.

The reporting on the solution is excellent.

There needs to be a way that we can distinguish between educational institutions on Youtube and other Youtube videos. You can do this on Fortinet. Basically, they can block all other Youtube videos besides those that are from educational institutions. With Sophos, you either allow for all Youtube videos or none at all. They need to allow for more specification on different websites.

They only have one single location for training videos. They must offer them elsewhere as well. When the site goes down, everything stops, and you can't access the videos when you need them, so they need to diversify that. It's limiting.  

The stability of the solution is excellent.

The scalability is good. We could only handle around 5,000 users but even when we reached 3,000 users, Sophos only consumed around 24% and 40% of Prime usage. 

The solution's technical support is not the best. When I take a step to open a case with Sophos support I can't understand them at all; I can't understand their accent. I always appreciate if they can communicate with me through e-mail instead, which makes it much easier. 

Many cases take a long time to be resolved. Some cases they seem to ignore or don't reply to for a long time so I have to remind them that the case is still open before they will respond. 

The initial setup was straightforward. The implementation took about a day. There were only two people needed for deployment.

We had a consultant assist with the setup. They were very good.

We use the on-premises deployment model.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten. It's a very good firewall. It helps a lot with protection, and every organization needs a firewall to ensure they are protected.

We use the solution mainly as a firewall.

The solution improves security.

It's easy to use, but it's harder to configure when you want detailed settings. They need to make it easier to access advanced features.

The solution seems pretty stable. We've had no issues so far.

We haven't had to scale anything so far, so I'm unsure about the scalability of the solution.

I've never had to deal directly with technical support.

We did not previously use a different solution.

Implementation is straightforward. The only thing that was difficult was that we had some special cases and we had to dig in a lot to find the information for accessing very specific features. Deployment took about a week, however, we did about 6 months of research beforehand. You can deploy the solution with maybe one or two people, but we used five. We only need one person for ongoing maintenance.

We handled the implementation ourselves.

We don't have any costs above the licensing of the solution itself.

We are using the on-premises deployment model.

The solution is easy to implement, however, if you do decide on this solution, I would make sure that you have someone that has experience with this kind of solution or to hire someone to implement the solution properly. It will make everything much easier in the long run.

I would rate the solution 9.5 out of ten.